Missions Catalyst News Briefs 07.19.17
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Source: World Watch Monitor, July 12, 2017
A Christian imprisoned for three years for “insulting Islam and the prophet Muhammad” in his social media posts has received a partial presidential pardon.
Slimane Bouhafs, who converted to Christianity from Islam in 1997, was arrested almost a year ago (July 31, 2016) for posting a message on social media about the light of Jesus overcoming the “lie” of Islam and its prophet. Such a message was judged by the authorities to insult Islam—the state religion in Algeria, according to its constitution.
He was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment on September 6, 2016.
But now his sentence has been reduced by 16 months, following a partial pardon granted by Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of Algeria’s independence (July 5).
This pardon means he could be released nine months from now.
According to his daughter, Bouhafs’ health has deteriorated significantly since his arrest, exacerbating an existing condition—he suffers from inflammatory rheumatism, which requires a diet that is impossible to ensure in prison.
He reportedly also suffers aggression from his fellow prisoners because of his Christian faith, about which he is open.
» Read full story. Thanks for praying.
» Please also continue to lift up Jeff Woodke, a missionary abducted in Niger last October whose wife pleads with abductors to contact her, and for Andrew Brunson, a believer imprisoned in Turkey since October. According to a mutual friend, “Andrew is in a cell built for eight, but occupied by 20 extremist Muslims who are harassing him as a ‘dirty Christian.’ Pray for love, forgiveness, comfort, his family, and a quick release.”
Source: Jews for Jesus, June 19, 2017
You don’t see much about the war in Ukraine in the news, but the crisis that began in 2013 and erupted into violence in Kiev in 2014 continues to this day.
Uncertainty and violence in the world sometimes prompt people to question their inner conflicts and wonder why there is no peace—not only in the world of politics but [also] in their own relationships. Maybe that is why our team in Kiev found so much openness to the gospel during our recent outreach there.
“Vlad” told our campaigner Ella how, two years ago, he was fleeing the war in eastern Ukraine. As he and two friends were driving away from Lugansk, a bomb fell on their car and his friends were instantly killed. But Vlad awoke from a coma in the hospital. Describing his experience to Ella he said, “I was outside my body when I heard a voice saying, ‘Go back.’ And then I woke up. I did not know whose voice it was. I never thought Jesus was anything but a myth. Can you explain why I returned?”
Ella answered, “God gave you a second chance.”
“Then what should I do next?” he asked. Ella explained the gospel to Vlad and he prayed with her, asking God for forgiveness and a new life based on Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Then he gave Ella his contact information so our Kiev team can keep in touch and help him grow in his new faith.
Vlad was one of nine Jewish people who prayed to be reconciled to God through Jesus during our campaign. Thirty-nine Gentiles prayed likewise! Not only that, but another 617 Jewish people and 1,142 Gentiles [also] gave our Kiev team their contact info to hear more about Jesus. Please pray that God will reveal his truth to them, so that they can know and love the Prince of Peace.
Source: Lausanne Global Analysis, July 2017
Because of constitutional restrictions and Islamic influence, traditional methods of mission in Pakistan have often made little impact. However, media and art are emerging as vehicles for evangelization. Given the low literacy rate in Pakistan (ranking 160 out of 198 countries), indigenous art is a powerful tool for sharing the gospel with Muslims. Pakistan has a colorful range of poetic-musical expressions with diverse musical forms. Indeed the book of Psalms (Zabor) was translated into Punjabi lyrical poetry in the late nineteenth century and a Muslim convert and a Hindu musician were hired to compose tunes.
One of the major reasons for the lack of success of Western missions in the Muslim world is the misunderstanding of Muslim music culture, as all branches of Islam have their own musical traditions. Muslim music culture also features in socio-political spheres of life:
» Read the rest of the article.
» Learn the story of the Punjabi Psalms (International Bulletin of Missionary Research). For another story from Pakistan, see Preaching in a Mosque… from the Bible (FEBC).
Source: OM International, May 8, 2017
About two years ago, “Asim” created a small worship app to enable his church to have access to Turkish worship songs. At the time he didn’t imagine that it would one day be utilized by Christians throughout West and Central Asia. With 27 languages available already and more on the way, the scope of this app continues to grow.
Throughout Central Asia large churches are uncommon. Believers instead gather in small groups in people’s houses or small congregations in shared locations. These groups are pursuing and loving Christ together and growing in the knowledge of God. However, with a smaller pool there is not always someone with the time and passion to perform the role of a music pastor. The churches are often unaware of each other, so if one congregation has a couple of original or translated songs, the others have very few means of accessing them.
[Workers in Central Asia] are gathering Russian, Kazakh, Uzbek, and Uighur praise and worship songs. The files are then loaded including lyrics, chords, MP3 files—even the ability to project from a computer. The team includes links between the songs in different languages so that they can be shared between community groups as well as churches.
The app has been a huge hit. One house church leader stated, “I love the worship app you have been working on. I am using it all the time for our small meetings.”
Source: Missions Network News, July 6, 2017
On [Sunday, July 2], a fire broke out in the largest Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon. It was followed by another fire on Tuesday [July 4] in a separate camp. Both fires took place in the Bekaa valley, and both claimed the lives of at least one person.
Preliminary investigations suggest the first fire began electrically. The fire spread quickly, too, due to the materials used in the camp to construct tents—materials like cardboard and tarps. To make matters worse, propane tanks used to fuel stoves stood in the way of the fire.
The cause of the fire actually proves just how desperate these refugee families are. The way [Heart for Lebanon spokesman Tom] Atema sees it, there are three outcomes in the camps for people in this situation.
One, he says, is that organizations [could] step up and fill the gap in “humanitarian aid, Christ’s love, conversations, delivering what they need to sustain life, and bring them into a relationship with Jesus Christ for eternal life.”
But if organizations and ministries don’t attempt to fill that gap, someone else will. This is the second outcome: “Radical groups fill that gap—and they will, and they are filling that gap with hatred and hiring kids as early as eight years of age to march for pay against the West.”
And finally, if neither of the previous outcomes have come true yet, they will steal what they need to survive. This final outcome seems to have contributed to the fire.
“Too many people were stealing electricity off the pole, and it caught fire, went down, and lit a tent on fire,” Atema explains.
» Read full story, which also tells the story of a family who lost their six-year-old daughter in one of these fires.
» See also 10 Principles for Serving Refugees (International Mission Board).