✝ FAITH IN FOCUS

### Weekly Christian Newsletter | Week of July 6–12, 2026

A Word From Pastor Duke

Friends, what a week it has been for the Church of Jesus Christ — both here at home and around the world. I have been watching three stories unfold this week that I believe deserve your attention, your prayer, and your praise. Each one speaks powerfully to the moment we are living in, and together they paint a picture of a God who is still very much at work.

First, I want to point your eyes across the Atlantic to the story of Rev. Dr. Bernard Randall, a British chaplain who was fired, flagged as a terrorist, and barred from ministry for seven years — simply for preaching orthodox Christian teaching in a Church of England chapel. After a long battle, justice has finally come. Second, from right here in America, a major new study has confirmed what many of us have been feeling in our pews: people are coming back to church, and the Body of Christ is showing remarkable resilience and vitality. Finally, I want to share the extraordinary testimony of Thomas Samuel — a direct descendant of Muhammad who once served as an imam, and who now follows Jesus Christ. His story brought me to tears. God is on the move, friends. Read on, and let your faith be stirred.

— Pastor Duke Taber

Christian News This Week

⚖️ British Chaplain Wins 7-Year Legal Battle After Being Labeled a Terrorist for Preaching the Bible

In one of the most remarkable religious-freedom victories in recent memory, Rev. Dr. Bernard Randall, a Church of England chaplain, has finally won justice after a seven-year ordeal that saw him fired, reported to Britain’s anti-terrorism watchdog, and banned from ministry — all for delivering a single sermon. The saga began in 2019 when a student at Trent College asked why they were being told they “have to accept” gender identity teaching in a Christian school. Randall answered from the pulpit with a message rooted in Anglican doctrine, encouraging students to think, to debate, and to love their neighbors. For this, the school secretly reported him to the government’s Prevent programme for “religious extremism,” and the Church of England blacklisted him as a safeguarding risk — even though every secular authority that reviewed the case concluded there was no case to answer. This week, after a confidential settlement with the college and an independent review that declared the allegations “unsubstantiated,” Randall is finally free to preach again. His story is a sobering reminder that standing for biblical truth can come at a steep personal cost — and that God is faithful to those who do not waver. Read the full story and be encouraged.

Source:AnsweredFaith.com — Christian Officer Wins His Case (Related Coverage)​

🏛️ American Churches Are Coming Back — New Study Shows First Attendance Increase in 25 Years

For the first time in a quarter century, church attendance across America is trending upward. A landmark new report from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research — based on surveys of more than 7,000 congregations — found that median in-person worship attendance has risen from its pandemic low, with megachurches leading the way. Over 80% of America’s large churches report they are flourishing, and 86% say they expect to keep thriving in the years ahead. Researchers who have tracked declining attendance for their entire careers said the results were so surprising they spent weeks rechecking the data. The growth is being driven in part by churches with a culture of invitation, strong discipleship programs, and a genuine spiritual vitality — not just entertainment. Perhaps most notably, young adults aged 18 to 35 are showing renewed spiritual interest, reversing a trend that has alarmed church leaders for a generation. This is an answer to the prayers of countless pastors, intercessors, and believers who never stopped believing that revival was possible. God is not finished with the Church in America.

Source:Baptist News Global — US Megachurches Report Strong Rebound from Pandemic​

✝️ From Muhammad’s Lineage to the Feet of Jesus — The Extraordinary Testimony of Thomas Samuel

Thomas Samuel was born into one of Islam’s most prestigious lineages as a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. He grew up to become an imam and evangelist for his faith. But as doubts about Islam began to grow in his heart, Samuel descended into a crisis so severe that he made multiple attempts on his own life. In his darkest hour, crying out to a God he wasn’t sure would hear him, something extraordinary happened — Jesus answered. In a series of vivid dreams, the same figure appeared and said, “It is your time to follow Me.” After challenging the vision to prove itself and receiving the same message a second time, Samuel surrendered. The former imam now follows the One who called him by name in the night. Samuel says he believes Jesus personally reveals Himself to those who have no other access to the gospel — “specifically radicals who have no way to get to know the gospel.” His testimony is a blazing confirmation that Jesus is still the Way, the Truth, and the Life — for every soul on earth. Read the full story on AnsweredFaith.com and share it with someone who needs hope.

Source:AnsweredFaith.com — From Muhammad’s Lineage to the Feet of Jesus​

Weekly Devotion: Standing Firm and Shining Bright

Three stories. Three different corners of the world. One unmistakable message: God is not silent, and His Church is not finished. This week, whether I was reading about a British chaplain who refused to buckle, believers returning to pews across America, or a former imam who dreamed of Jesus in the night — I kept hearing the same call echo through every headline: stand firm, and let the light shine.

Rev. Bernard Randall’s story cuts deep because most of us will never face what he faced. Seven years. A terrorism investigation. Barred from the very pulpit he gave his life to serve. And yet he did not walk away. He did not recant. He simply kept doing what Jesus called him to do — love his neighbors, tell the truth in love, and trust that the One who called him was able to vindicate him. And He did. There is a lesson here for every believer facing pressure to soften the gospel, to sit down, to go quiet. The cost of faithfulness is real. But so is the reward of those who endure.

The news from American churches is balm for a weary pastoral soul. I have sat with too many pastors in recent years who wondered whether the Church was dying. The Hartford Institute’s study doesn’t promise that every struggle is over — but it does confirm that resilience and the Holy Spirit are still at work in God’s people. The churches that are growing are not the ones that made the gospel smaller. They are the ones that went deeper in discipleship, wider in invitation, and bolder in spiritual expectation. That is a word for every congregation: the path forward is not retreat — it is renewal.

And then there is Thomas Samuel. I have spent time this week sitting with his story, and I keep returning to one thing he said: “Jesus listens to us when we are frustrated and have no one else.” That is the gospel in a sentence. The God of the universe, the risen Lord of all creation, looked across time and geography and found a descendant of Muhammad crying out in the dark — and He answered. If Jesus will find Thomas Samuel, He will find anyone. That should stir our hearts to pray and to share the gospel with renewed urgency.

Friends, we live in a moment that calls for exactly what Paul commanded in our text this week: guard your faith, stand firm, act with courage and strength, and let every single thing you do be wrapped in love. That is not a passive posture. It is the most active, most dangerous, most glorious way to live. The news this week is not discouraging — it is a summons. Answer it.

A Prayer for This Week:

Recommended Reading from AnsweredFaith.com

Each week I select articles from AnsweredFaith.com that connect directly to what we’ve been discussing. Here are three that I think you’ll find especially worthwhile this week:

​Standing for Truth in an Age of SpinThis piece speaks directly to the Bernard Randall case and to every believer navigating a culture that increasingly punishes orthodox Christian convictions. It explores what Scripture says about speaking the truth in love even when the cost is high — an essential read for anyone asking whether faithfulness is still worth it.

​America’s Defining Spiritual Awakenings: A Look at Revival HistoryWith churches reporting their first attendance increases in 25 years, this article puts the current moment in historical perspective, tracing how God has moved in America before and what conditions preceded those great outpourings. If you are praying for revival, start here.

​What Tacitus and Josephus Reveal About Jesus — The Historical Record Outside the BibleThomas Samuel’s journey from Islam to faith in Christ was ignited by his search for evidence that Jesus is real. This article is a powerful companion piece — laying out the non-biblical, ancient historical record for Jesus Christ that you can use in conversations with seekers, doubters, and those from other faiths.

This Week’s Resources

📥 Digital Bible Study | AnsweredFaith.com

​Journey into Discipleship — A 12-Week Bible Study by Pastor Duke Taber​

The stories in this week’s newsletter all circle around one central question: what does it look like to truly follow Jesus? Thomas Samuel surrendered everything to answer that call. Bernard Randall endured seven years of suffering rather than step away from it. The churches seeing revival are the ones that invest in genuine discipleship. That is exactly what this 12-week study is designed to cultivate — not just knowledge about Jesus, but a living, transforming relationship with Him. Week by week, you will move through the foundations of what it means to be His disciple: what you believe, how you pray, how you read Scripture, how you love your neighbor, and how you live out your faith in a world that increasingly pushes back.

Whether you are walking through this personally, leading a small group, or giving it to a new believer in your congregation, Journey into Discipleship is built to go deep — not just wide. It is the kind of study that produces the quiet, unshakeable faith that Bernard Randall displayed, and the radical openness to Jesus that Thomas Samuel experienced. If you are ready to stop drifting and start following, this is your next step.

​→ Download the Study​

📚 Book Recommendation | Available on Amazon

​Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus — by Nabeel Qureshi​

This week’s news of Thomas Samuel — a direct descendant of Muhammad who now follows Jesus — immediately brought this book to mind, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Nabeel Qureshi was a devout Muslim and the son of a Pakistani Islamic leader who set out to disprove Christianity. Instead, through a combination of rigorous intellectual investigation, deep friendship with a Christian, and a series of dreams and visions from God — remarkably similar to Thomas Samuel’s experience — Nabeel encountered Jesus and surrendered his life to Him. The book has received glowing endorsements from Lee Strobel, Ravi Zacharias, and Josh McDowell, and it remains one of the most honest, loving, and beautifully written accounts of coming to faith from an Islamic background ever published.

What makes Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus so powerful is that Qureshi never caricatures Islam or dismisses his Muslim family and community. He loves them deeply — and that love makes his conversion all the more costly and all the more compelling. Reading it will not only strengthen your own faith but will equip you to engage graciously and intelligently with the Muslims in your own life. In light of this week’s remarkable story of Thomas Samuel, there has never been a better time to pick it up.

​→ Find on Amazon​

Coming Soon

In the coming weeks, Answered Faith will be launching a supporter based model for readers who believe in this ministry and want to help it continue reaching people with biblical truth and encouragement. Supporters will receive an ad-free experience, access to daily devotionals and Deeper Waters articles, and a 20% discount on Bible studies. More importantly, your support will help make it possible for Answered Faith to keep creating practical, Christ-centered resources for people who are searching for hope, answers, and a deeper walk with God. This is not simply about gaining access to extra content. It is about becoming a partner in the work God is doing through this ministry.

Daily Devotion Sneak Peak

​Grace for the Guilty​

Deeper Waters Sneak Peak

​The Freedom No One Can Take​

*Faith in FocusWeek of July 6–12, 2026Serving the Body of Christ*