In This Issue: News from the AP, Nigeria, Venezuela, and more
- ARABIAN PENINSULA: A Light Has Dawned
- NIGERIA: Christian Students Massacred at Nigerian College
- VENEZUELA: Chavez Re-elected, Christians Fearful
- ZAMBIA: Finding Jesus in Prison
- INDIA: A Vision for Reaching Sikhs
Missions Catalyst is a free, weekly electronic digest of mission news and resources designed to inspire and equip Christians worldwide for global ministry. Use it to fuel your prayers, find tips and opportunities, and stay in touch with how God is building his kingdom all over the world. Please share it freely!
ARABIAN PENINSULA: A Light Has Dawned
» Source: Media Impact, Arab World Media, October 3, 2012
Hearing the distinct voice of a Gulf Arab speaking of how he came to faith in Jesus Christ would be life changing for many seekers in the Arabian Peninsula. The current climate in the Arab world has led many to ask questions about their religious beliefs, but to know that others have asked similar questions and have chosen to follow Christ could cause hundreds, or even thousands, to seriously explore Christianity.
Arabian Dawn is a partnership project between Arab World Media and Middle East Media. [Their] plan is to produce ten to twelve video testimonies of believers in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Yemen. Three testimonies have already been filmed.
This is an exciting project because the viewer is left in no doubt that they have heard the voice of a Gulf Arab who was once a Muslim. No longer will they be able to deny that there are followers of Jesus Christ in the Arabian Peninsula. It will encourage those who have longed in secret to seek the truth, and it will strengthen those who have already chosen Christ by showing them they are not alone.
» Watch the first Arabian Dawn video, the testimony of a believer from Saudi Arabia. (English subtitles).
» Readers might be interested in learning about another strategic partnership for the gospel, this time in Japan: SIM/Asian Access Partnership Honored; Now a Major Call Is Going Out (Mission Network News).
NIGERIA: Christian Students Massacred at Nigerian College
» Source: Open Doors October 3, 2012
According to Open Doors sources, Boko Haram, an Islamist militant group, invaded the off campus hostel of Federal Polytechnic College in northern Nigeria [last] Monday, allegedly separated Muslim students from Christians and massacred up to 30 Christian students.
“Open Doors is calling on Christians in the West to bear this horrific burden with our brothers and sisters in Mubi and Adamawa state,” says Open Doors USA spokesman Jerry Dykstra. “Nigeria is becoming a killing field. According to Associated Press, Boko Haram has been responsible for almost 700 deaths this year, although it has yet to make a statement claiming responsibility for the attack on Monday night. … Boko Haram’s stated aim is to drive all Christians out of Nigeria and set up Sharia law in all of Nigeria.”
“Please pray for the parents, families and friends of the innocent victims of this slaughter. Pray that they will receive the comfort only our Lord can give. Pray that justice will prevail. Pray that Christians will not retaliate.”
Nigeria is ranked Number 13 on the 2012 Open Doors World Watch List of 50 countries which are the worst persecutors of Christians. According to the World Watch List, Nigeria had at least 300 martyrs in 2011, although the actual number could be closer to 1,000.
» Read full story. See also: New Details in the College Student Massacre in Nigeria and watch a related video (The Christian Broadcasting Network).
VENEZUELA: Chavez Re-elected, Christians Fearful
» Source: Mission Network News, October 9, 2012
Amid allegations of voter fraud, Hugo Chavez has won another six-year term in office with 54 percent of the vote. According to reports, many Venezuelans in the United States are disappointed by the news. They claim their candidate Henriques Capriles lost despite exit polls showing otherwise. Typically Venezuelan elections are announced the following day, but this election was announced within hours of the polls closing.
Executive Director of Spanish World Ministries (SWM) Daniel Sandoval says, “Among the true believers, there is a sense of disappointment. There’s a sense of fear about what will happen in the next few years. But, we are certain that God is in charge of whoever is president in Venezuela.”
The fear is understandable. In 2006 Chavez forced many expatriate missionaries from the tribal areas of the country. This time around, however, Chavez is sending mixed signals.
Sandoval says before it was announced that Chavez had cancer, he was condemning Israel. “When he came back from Cuba after the surgeries, or therapies that he had in Cuba, he came back with the idea that he needed Jesus in his life. So Chavez all of a sudden, within the last month, has become a more religious person.”
» Read full story. See Hugo Chavez Says Cancer Made Him ‘More Christian;’ Has Faith Christ Will Bring ‘Miracle’ (The Christian Post).
ZAMBIA: Finding Jesus in Prison
» Source: Alpha for Prisons, via Joel News, October 5, 2012
Did you know that over one third of prisons in the United Kingdom currently runs an evangelistic “Alpha” course? This ministry – Alpha for Prisons – has the vision to give every man and woman in prison the opportunity to come to know Christ through participating in the Alpha course, and the transformation of society through the establishment of prison ministries. Over the past years Alpha for Prisons has also taken off in Africa.
Zambian Paul Swala, 38, was in prison on a charge of treason when he [participated in] an Alpha course and his life was transformed. Later he was the only one of 62 soldiers who was acquitted. The others were all executed.
» Subscribe to Joel News for inspiring stories about the advance of God’s kingdom around the world.
INDIA: A Vision for Reaching Sikhs
» Source: Mission Network News, October 5, 2012
Sikhism was founded in South Asia and is the world’s fifth-largest religion. The International Mission Board asks believers to pray for Sikhs worldwide. Sikhs believe in the existence of one god but don’t know Christ. In India, one IMB partner is using his background as a Sikh to share the gospel.
“Livtar Singh” plants churches among his people, the Sikhs of India. He and his ministry partners work in 47 different Sikh neighborhoods in one of India’s megacities. Singh wants to see a church planted in each of the Sikh neighborhoods by 2015.
The Singhs gave their lives to the Lord after he literally saved them from themselves. Livtar and Jas were overwhelmed by financial difficulties and decided to kill themselves. Flames enveloped the bed where the Singh couple sat holding hands, waiting for the fire to put an end to their struggles. That’s when someone stepped in to help.
“[Jas] told me she saw the hands of Jesus pulling [her] out of the fire,” Livtar said. After being rescued, Jas pulled her husband off the bed. “The Lord pulled us out of the fire.”
» Read the full story. Related material is featured this month at Asia Stories. Learn more about Sikhs and how you can help reach them at Sikh Outreach Strategies.
Marti Wade is a writer, speaker, and project manager for the Church Partnerships Team at Pioneers. As a mission mobilizer, she has also trained and sent out many short-term teams to do relationship-based research to serve among the world’s least-reached peoples.
Marti has managed and published Missions Catalyst since 2004 and is the author of Through Her Eyes, a book about the lives of women serving cross-culturally in the Muslim world. She and her husband Chris live in Oregon.