Three Christians died as MARTYRS:

In the end of April this year, three Christians from Turkey was tortured and killed. One was from Germany and the others from Turkey. One wedensday morning, the 18th of April they were in their church having Bible lessons. Suddenly 10 young men rushed into the room and attacked them.The young men got guns, breadknives, ropes and towels for their final act of service to Allah. They tied those three Christians to chairs and as they videoed their work on their cellphones, they tortured them for almost three hours. There is written down details of what happened to those three persons, Tilman, Necati and Ugur:

Tilman was stabbed 156 times, Necati 99 times and Ugur’s stabs were too numerous to count. They were disemboweled, and their intestines sliced up in front of their eyes. They were emasculated and watched as those body parts were destroyed. Fingers were chopped off, their noses and mouths and anuses were sliced open. Possibly the worst part was watching as their brothers were likewise tortured. Finally, their throats were sliced from ear to ear, heads practically decapitated.

This was done to three innocent Christians, who desired nothing else but peace. But a group of young men (all under 20 years old) was sent in the name of Allah to kill them. Why? Because they were concidered as a threat to Islam and a threat to the national security. All of them held a letter in their hands saying: "We did it for our country. They're trying to take away our country. They're trying to take away our religion."

To day there is discussions of whether Turkey should be a part of European Union or not. The Turkish government has bent over backwards to present a picture of religious tolerance, a picture of religious freedom; yet there still is that element of nationalism and radical Islam that is present in the society.

I am amazed when I read what Tilmas wife said to the Turkey's journalists about this episode: "Oh God, forgive them for they know not what they do." These words reflects what Jesus said while hanging on the cross. (Luke 23:24)

As you might have heard, there are big fights going on here in Tallinn, Estonia. It is really a tradegy where a young man (20 years old) has been killed and and over 70 injured! My grandmother called me this evening and asked if I was involved in this. She was worried of course. I am not living in that city, but in the city called, Tartu, about 200km south of Tallinn. So I am totally fine. But I really pray that this will stop, because next weekend my family will come over to visit me. I have booked a hotell in Tallinn for all of us, because we're planning to spend a whole day there...But I think it will calm down until then;) Be blessed!

Hei!
I just wanted to show you a picture of some dear friends of mine here in Estonia. Next to me you see Amir. He is from Tadsjikistan and is married to Marju(from Estonia). I love to be together with them and they are such a blessing to me. There are few people I know with such big hearts as theirs. They have been so generous to me. For instance when it comes to wood. For two (freezing cold) winters they have supplied me with wood for free. They have borrowed me the car if I needed it and much more. I owe them a lot!! But I am so thankful for them and therefore I give some PR here on my blog;)

I am sitting and reading in the Bible from the Gospel of John. It is so facinating to read what Jesus is saying in chapter 10:4,5


"When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.

But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”




Very often we Christians are thinking and wondering and thinking and thinking and praying and seeking and thinking...about...where does God want me to go, or what does God want me to do, or am I doing the right thing, etc...I have at least been in that position. And you can sometimes go nuts and get frustrated. But when I read what Jesus is saying, it really sets me free. "...he (Jesus) goes on ahead of them, and his sheep (you and me) follow him because they know his voice." It seems to me that Jesus wants to make something clear for us here. He want us to understand how things really are. That we don't have to fight and struggle and worry about where we are going, or if we are going the right direction. Because we all want to go the right direction and do the will of God (talking about Christians). What Jesus is saying to us is:


"My dear friend. Why do you worry so much? Haven't you seen me? Lift up your eyes and look, I am walking before you. Don't be afraid of going wrong..but just follow me. I will lead you with my voice. There are many voices trying to get your attention, but when I speak you will hear me clearly. You know my voice."


By reading from John 10, you see that Jesus makes it very clear that the walk with Jesus is very simple. There is a rest and a great joy when you follow Jesus. He has chosen us to be His sheep. He goes before us and we just have to go where He is going. Sometimes it seems like He is going in a wrong direction or in a complicated way. A way we don' t understand by our intellect. But Jesus knows the best way to go. We just need to follow him and go where He tells us to go. What a priviledge it is to follow Jesus -our Great Shepherd.

This evening I arrived in Tartu after 11 days in Slovakia. As usual it was a great blessing to be there! The first week we had the theme called: "Christian counselling" which dealt with how to counsell people in different situations, what people are going through in times of cricis, their feelings and thoughts, etc. It was very interesting and helpful to know! Roberth Ekh, the pastor from Word of Life Church in Sweden was teaching, and he has about 25 years of experience on that field. In every subject we have on this pastorscourse, we have teachers with a lot of experience and great breakthrough in what they are teaching about! We really receive the best of the best!!

The 2nd part of the modul we had different subjects, such as Children ministry, help ministry and how to start Christian schools. All of that was amazing. With the teaching about children ministry, I almost wanted to become a children minister hehe...it is soooooo important to give the young people the word of God!

It says in Proverbs 22:6: "Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it."

If we can reach the young people with the word of God, we will have a generation that never will depart from the ways of God. We had teaching about the Christian schools. I have never realized how important it is with Christian schools. 50 years ago the pulic schools were actually functioning like todays Christian schools. Every day they sung Christians songs, the read from the Bible and they prayed to God. Before the teacher let the students go home, she/he asked God to bless everyone of them and to protect them. This was a part of what the children received in their education. But now things are totally different. We have a puplic school system where God is left out. We can see the consequense of this to day. To days generations are growing up in Europe without any form of knowlege about God. Some say that we don't need God...But take a look at what's going on in society and what the statistic shows. Everything is pointing downwards. People are suffering of psycholigical problems more than ever, people are raped and people are killed constantly, and I could keep on writing a list...Yeah, I could keep on arguing for the importance of Christian schools. If we want to bring Norway, Estonia and the rest of Europe to where it was, we need to fucus on education with Christianity as a foundation. We might not realize the importance yet, put in 10-20 years we will definitely understand it! But if we start now with establishing Christian school all over Europe, we will have a generation who know their God and who is ready to stand up for the truth. A generation like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who refused to bow down for any other god than the Heavenly God. How come that they had such a boldness that they even was ready to die? It was because they were trained in the word of God from a very young age. They knew who the real God was and no one could convince them of something else.

So this modul of the pastorscousre stirred me up to fight for establishment of Christian schools in Europe! John Wesely who brought revival to Europe, understood the importance of education and put emphasize on that. The same did Martin Luther, who changed the whole of Europe by focusing on education of children. Let us learn from those men of God! Amen.

Happy Easter! Friday my dear sister came to visit me here in Estonia. It was so nice to see here again!After being here for soon 1 1/2 year, she is the first familymember who has visited me. We have had a really good time. Friday we had a youthmeeting and Lise had the chance to testify from here teamtrip to India. She goes 2nd year at Word of Life Bibleschool in Sweden, and she just came home from 5 weeks missiontrip to India. She experience so much and she inspired the youths to go out with the Gospel to all nations. It is no wonder why I am veeeery proud of her!!


Saturday, we were 12 youths gathering in the evening for prayer, before we went to downtown. There we divided us into smaller groups and we walked around talking with people and sharing the Gospel. And what happened in this time of the year, Easter, is really the heart of the Gospel. So it was a perfect time to do what we did. We experience many good things, and it is just wonderful to talk with people. It is one thing I have realized more and more. People are hungry for God!!!! They are seaching, they are thinking, they are looking around. The harvest is ready to be reaped.

It is great to be here! To day we went first to church, and Albert Türpnu was preaching. He was the one who started the Word of Life church here in Tartu, and it was a blessing to listen to him. The church was more or less packed... After that Lise and I, together with three other girls went to our friend Joona and ate a really tasteful dinner. We had such a good time together! We were talking about God for hours and praying together (of course also eating..). But we experienced Gods presence so strong, and Joona was actually baptized in the Spirit for the first time! He was filled with the Holy Spirit and started to speak in other tongues.


Jesus died for you and for me, but he also resurrected from the dead! That is what we celebrate to morrow (or right now, since it is so late). Jesus resurrected, and this means He is alive to day. The Bible says that He ascended up to Heaven and sat down at the Father's right hand. He promised to send us (people on the earth) the Holy Spirit (which is equal with God, the Father and the Son). The Holy Spirit is here to meet us and to show us Gods Kingdom! To night we really experienced the Holy Spirit in a special way.


Now, it is late, and I need to go to bed. But I will end with saying that God has so much for you, but we all need to seek Him and ask Him to meet us. And then God will come and fill us and bless us! Not just for us to be blessed, but for us to go out and bless people around us. God wants to touch people through you!


"I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hell and of death." Revelation 1:18

Have a blessed Easter!

Jesus is risen from the dead!

Jesus lever, graven brast! Han stod opp med guddoms velde.

Trøsten står som klippen fast: At hans død og blod skal gjelde. Lynet blinker, jorden bever, graven brast, og Jesus lever!

Jeg har vunnet, Jesus vant, Døden oppslukt er til seier, Jesus mørkets fyrste bandt, Jeg den kjøpte frihet eier. Åpen har jeg himlen funnet, Jesus vant, og jeg har vunnet!

(Johan Nordahl Brun, 1786)

Now I just came back from Jogeva where I was preaching. It was a blessing to be there and share the word. The people there are so hungry and receives the word as it is.

I was preaching from John 12:26-27, where it is talking about Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. The people were praising him as the king of Israel, but Jesus also knew that in few days, the same people would shout: "Crucify him!!" It says in verse 27 the His soul was troubled. He knew that the hour had come when he had to give up his life for people on the earth. This was not an easy thing for Him to do. We have to remember that Jesus, the Son of God, lived as a man here on earth. He had put aside all the priviledges of being God, and lived fully as a man. So He could feel the pressure from every side. Just imagine yourself being in his position, knowing that a crucifixion was waiting...

But Jesus said: "...unless a corn of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much fruit" John 12:24

Jesus knew that He was sent by God to this earth for one purpose -to die for humanity. To die for the sin that was bounding people all over the earth. Jesus looked at the fruit that would come after His crucifixion. His death would bring freedom from salvery of sin to humanity!

"And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself." John 12:32

What a tremendous fruit! His blood that was shed 2000 years ago, still speaks to day! All people are drawn to Him. What we have to do, is to come to Him. Because every person who calls upon the Name of Jesus shall be saved. Every person on the earth, even to day, can take part in what Jesus did on the cross. Sin and sickness was put on Jesus at the cross, so we can receive forgiveness and healing, to day!

"Thank you, Jesus, for the love you have for us. That you died for us even when we were sinners. We didn't deserve to receive your love. But you chose to lay down your life for us, so that we could be cleansed from all sin and have peace with God. Because of you, I can call myself a son of God. Jesus, in the same way as you gave up your life for me, I give up my life for you. My life is in your hands. You are my Lord. Use it for your glory! Amen."

(ps. this is not an 1st April joke...)