Thanks so much for joining us. All of our weekly celebration is now in one video.
Time to Pray
We would love to give you an opportunity to respond to what was shared this morning. If you are watching this with your children, encourage them to get involved with the prayer response too.
Today we learned a lot about God bringing life to people and situations, are there any situations you need God to bring life to? Pray into these now.
Spend some time praying for Christians in persecuted nations, ask God to protect them and bring an end to difficulties which they face.
Pray that God would bring Joy to the people in the persecuted church across the world.
Have there been times in your life in the past when you have face suffering? Thank God for getting you through these. If you are still in these times, pray and ask God to remind you of his promises over your life.
For Children
Watch
Here’s a video about a man called Brother Andrew. Learn about his life here and how he helped persecuted Christians in other countries.
Explore
There are various countries around the world where life is very difficult to be a Christian. This might mean being treated unfairly, losing your job, going to prison or even being killled, simply for following Jesus. This is often called persecution. What countries do you know where Christians are persecuted for their faith? Can you look on the internet with your parents to find them?
The rest of today’s activities are about persecuted Christians in Iraq. Here is another video about a boy called Noeh, who lives in Iraq. He had to flee his home because he was a Christian but was able to go back and help to rebuild his village.
Activity Book
Click here to learn about some men in the Old Testament that faced persecution for believing in God. It is from an activity book from the Kids of Courage website with loads of information about how you can learn about and pray for Christians who are persecuted in Iraq. If you would like a copy, please contact us. Parents can then look through the activity book and decide which activities and stories are appropriate for their children. Below is another activity from the book.
Iraq in the Bible
Many events in the Bible happened in the region that is now Iraq. Some of those events are described in the sentences below. To find the missing words, unscramble the word in capital letters following each sentence. Write the answers in the blanks. Look up the Bible references provided at the end of the sentences if you need hints.
1. The people who built the Tower of [ ] wanted to “make a name for themselves.” LEBBA (See Genesis 11:1–9.)
2. The enemies of King [ ] rented horsemen and chariots from Mesopotamia to prepare for battle. VIDAD (See 1 Chronicles 19:6.)
3. Balaam was hired by Balak to come from Mesopotamia to curse the Israelites. Balaam was rebuked by his [ ]. NOKYED (See Numbers 22 and Deuteronomy 23:4.)
4. [ ] ended up inside a fish after he tried to escape God’s call to preach in Ninevah. HOJAN (See the Bible book after Obadiah.)
5. [ ] was another prophet who warned Ninevah. MAUHN (See the Bible book before Habakkuk.)
6. [ ] and his family left their home in Ur, which was in Mesopotamia. (His name at the time was Abram, but was later changed.) MARBAAH (See Genesis 11:31, Genesis 17:5, and Acts 7:2.)
7. Daniel was thrown into a den of [ ] in Babylon. SLONI (See Daniel 6:16.)
Memory Verse
'Remember those who are in prison as if you were in prison with them. Remember those who are suffering as if you were suffering with them.' Hebrews 13:3
Prayer
Lord Jesus, please give strength to persecuted Christians around the world (you might want to pray for a particular country). Help them to live for you and to share your good news with others so that more people can come to know you.
Want to know more about want it means to become a Christian?
Becoming a Christian is about following Jesus and starting a friendship with him. Watch this short video below which explains more.
We also love Alpha here at Jubilee! Alpha is a great way to explore some of the big questions of life as well as looking at what the Christian faith has to say about them. You can read more about Alpha at Jubilee here. If you want to watch the first session of Alpha click here.
You can also contact us if you'd like to talk with someone about becoming a Christian or just want to know more!
Want to Give?
We know that a number of you give on a Sunday morning through the collection. There's still an opportunity to give through our giving page. Alternatively you can find all the details there to make a gift through your bank.
Stay in touch
More than ever, this is a time to encourage, support and pray for each other. Please do contact those people you know or that might need extra help. If you want to contact one of the leadership team, use the contact us page and one of us will be in touch.
If you're new to Jubilee, we're super-excited you could join us today. Feel free to contact us if you'd like more information and do join us again next week!
