Dear Praying Friends,

Australia goes to the Federal polls on August 21. 

This year Julia Gillard the incumbent Labor Party PM of Australia who displaced Kevin Rudd is seeking to be re-elected.

"How can I vote for her ..she no believe in God...." a man responded on a TV interview about Gillard's openly admitted atheism. She lives in a defacto relationship with a man and is pro-abortion.   

Tony Abbot the Liberal leader contesting for the PM post is a Catholic, married with children and has been a strong anti-abortion advocate and holds many values that Christians can identify with. Under the former Howard government, of which he was a cabinet minister, the conservative government was seen as being more Christian friendly.

The minor party that will hold the balance of power is the Greens. This is the archetypical enemy of the Christian right. They stand for abortion, euthanesia, in fact against just about most things the Christian church stands for. Their leader Bob Brown is a well-known gay as are many of their leaders. Sadly they are not so green in sin.

There is a Christian political party, the Christian Democratic Party, founded by the Rev Fred Niles, who is a sitting state government member in Sydney but this group is not politically savvy enough to be a real political force on a national scale and unlikely to be impactful, and manages to garner a few hundred to a few thousand votes in the different electorates they put up candidates.

The Australian Christian Lobby has put up a comparative synopsis of what each party stands for in their website, so Christians can be informed and vote wisely. Unlike in Malaysia voting is compulsory in Australia.  

God's purpose in history stands regardless of what we do.

But somehow prayer seems to touch God in ways we do not always understand. For this reason - do pray for Australia especially that God will honour the prayers of his saints for a godly leadership and that God will exalt one who honours him than one who denies him.

Three weeks ago the Liberal Party was trailing but recent polls show them 1% ahead of Labor as preferred government though Tony Abbot is several points behind Julia Gillard as preferred PM. But one week is a long time in politics as they say and any outcome is possible.

Please pray for God's will to be done in the Australian Federal elections on August 21.

 In human translation this means a Liberal win back into power. But pray for every politician regardless of their ideology - even the atheists - that they may open their hearts to Christ. We often think that Australian hearts are hardened against the Gospel but God changes hearts.

Of the Asian cities I have visited, I find it is easier to talk to Asians about God because the secularization of Western society and media prejudice have made religion not so passe and Westerners do not lend themselves to religious talk easily or think they need God, yet it is the most basic human need, next to food.

I saw a tv interview the other day on how a former hardened Aussie journalist, Michael Willesee became a Christian...and I'm sure his story must have had an impact on his interviewer an avowed atheist.

But God can confound against the trend of godlessness. The richest man in Australia today is a Christian. But Jesus said that 'a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions' and 'what is highly valued among men is despised by God.'

Jeremiah 9:23,24 - one of my favourite verses - says it all. Not riches, or strength, or wisdom matters - but knowing God and his character - that counts!   

Many Australians have grown up with a great ignorance of religion (Christianity) and the secular 'evolution' ideas they are taught in school and their lack of intellectual curiosity make them prejudiced against Christianity (especially institutionalized religion) but not necessarily against Christ. Jesus is still the answer - not church or personalities or methods.  

The real win for Christians in Australia is when God's people take the Great Commission more seriously. Smugness is the new sickness among Christians today - everywhere. "Neither hot nor cold," is how Revelations describe it. And lukewarm Christians are a bane to God anywhere. 

These days personal evangelism is rare and churches seem to rely on one program after another. We need to go back to the basics and encourage one another to witness for God. (Philemon 1:6)     

We have to be less business-like with one another and more Christ-like to stem the decline in church membership that saw the Southern Baptists in the U.S. report a decrease in membership though the number of baptisms increased.  

Jesus called his disciples friends because a true friend loves at all times.

I am thankful for those who love me not because of what I can offer them but because of the love of God in their hearts despite my flaws. Loving people regardless of who and what they are is a virtue. 

I know someone who is despised by many because of his flawed character but for some strange reason I have no difficulty helping him and his wife and I ascribe it to God's love for him and I am but the channel.   

Steve Oh
2 Cor 2:14