Category: News Briefs

Source: Morning Star News, March 11, 2019

The Somali pastor of an underground church in Kenya near the Somali border suffered a broken thigh bone and other injuries after Muslim extremists beat him with wooden clubs last Friday night [March 8], sources said.

Pastor Abdul, a 30-year-old father of three, had finished leading a prayer gathering at 9 pm on the outskirts of Garissa and was on his way back to his house when several ethnic Somali Muslims attacked, he told Morning Star News from his hospital bed, still visibly in pain.

Pastor Abdul said he did not know the assailants. As they approached him, he said, one of them told him: “We have been following your movements and your evil plans of changing Muslims to Christianity.”

Leader of an underground church of 30 former Muslims, he clandestinely met with them in smaller groups on varying days for worship, prayer, and Bible study, he said.

“My family is in great fear, and Christians have located us to another place. Our prayer, for now, is to get a safe place for my family. My life and that of my family is at stake.”

His children are eight, five and three years old.

» Read full story and pray for this man and his family.

» From another part of Africa, see Egyptian Edict Is an Encouraging Sign for Christians (Open Doors and Mission Network News).

Source: Beyond, March 15, 2019

We invite you to join us in praying these colorful Bible passages over the Hindu world as Holi approaches.

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” Isaiah 1:18

Father, we pray for you to prepare them and their own sin to fall on them so that they would be ready to accept the Good News. May their sins turn from scarlet to white as snow through acceptance of the Lordship of Christ Jesus.

One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. Acts 16:14

Lord, we ask you to open the hearts of Hindus to pay attention to the good news of the gospel when your followers speak to them. May many thousands of Hindus come to be called worshipers of the one true God.

After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. Revelation 7:9

Thank you, Almighty God! Thank you for your promise that members from every Hindu believing people group would be counted among those standing before your throne at the end of days.

» See full article and read If You Can Find a Christian, another inspiring piece from Beyond about ministry in the Hindu world.

Source: INContext Ministries, March 15, 2019

On Friday March 15, 2019, [more than] 49 people were killed and more than 20 seriously injured in mass shootings at two mosques full of people attending Friday prayers in Christchurch, New Zealand. Christians can learn three valuable lessons from this tragedy.

For most viewers, watching the act of terror unfolding on their televisions, the perpetrator is the one carrying the weapon and the one who finally pulls the trigger. However, the one who pulls the trigger is only the final link in a long chain of negativity, suspicion, fear, and hatred. Every post on social media that polarizes people becomes another link in a deadly chain that has the potential to influence someone who is willing to pull a trigger.

We need to be constantly reminded that our words either give life or drain life. There is no neutral exchange. Our comments influence people. We should take extra care of the possible “hidden” messages we communicate in the name of Christ. Truth should never become a motive for guiding people into a place of suspicion or hatred.

» Read the rest of this opinion piece about the New Zealand massacre. Food for thought.

» Also read about the social component of terrorism and the myth of the lone wolf attacker (Deutsche Welle) and Today, We Weep with Those Who Weep (Muslim Connect). Thanks for praying for New Zealand.

Source: Operation Mobilization, March 7, 2019

Eliza, one of the local believing women who moved back to the mountains, started practicing her professional trade in her new home. Then a church in the city gave her a grant to purchase more equipment and take on apprentices.

She hired two local girls, taught them her craft, and slowly started telling them about Jesus. “Sometimes they would watch movies in the national language about Jesus, and she would share her testimony. They were just really amazed that she was from their ethnic group, but she was a believer in Jesus,” Ellen recounted.

As Eliza shared, she read the Bible with the girls and showed them from the Word who Jesus is.

“Why didn’t anyone tell us this before?” one of them wondered. “We’ve grown up our whole lives and not known about Jesus.” Eliza also gave both apprentices New Testaments in the national language, and one of the girls took it home to her father, read it with him and watched a couple of the DVDs about Jesus with him, too. From their conversations, Eliza said she believed both young women decided to follow Jesus.

“They’re some of the first people we know of that have become believers in our town, that haven’t gone somewhere else, but have actually heard from a local person and have come to faith,” Ellen stressed.

“She shared so much sooner and so much deeper. She said to them: ‘God brought you because he knew you were ready to believe.’ We never saw that [openness] ourselves, but watching a local sister share the gospel, that was really exciting.”

» Read full story and another from OM about a Russian man engaging the least reached in the Caucasus. (Father, raise up more laborers like these.)

» See also: Tajik Christians Fear Talking about Their Faith (Institute for War and Peace Reporting).

Source: SAT-7, February 22, 2019

Persian house churches worry that worshiping loudly could attract the attention of suspicious neighbors and authorities. One Iranian Christian recalls,

“When we gathered [at] a house [we would play] worship songs on CD or a satellite program…and if we had a worship leader they would lead us in worship. But very quietly and with no clapping. We had to be especially careful in apartments. Sometimes, we would use blankets to soundproof doors for extra security.”

Another challenge for Persian believers is that the repertoire of Persian worship material is limited, and musicians are relatively scarce.

In response to an environment of risk, and limited Persian worship resources, SAT-7 produced and is airing the weekly live program Heavenly Worship.

Behind closed doors, they watch to learn about the miracle of salvation they’ve experienced, to fellowship with the hosts and pastors, and to join in songs of praise. They receive vital information and support [amid] opposition.

“We get feedback from our viewers who meet at home and are unable to sing aloud,” shares Producer Mostafa Keshavarz. “Some don’t know how to sing. We make sure the song words are on the screen and invite the viewers to join in with the singing and worship—whether silently or aloud. Viewers get in touch and tell us how happy they are that they had the opportunity to join us in praise and worship, and this is really encouraging for us.”

» Read full story.

» Also read about how the Church of England held a service in Farsi after a huge rise in Iranian converts (Telegraph) and learn about Christianity in Iran 40 years after the Iranian revolution (Christianity Today).

Source: Brigada Today, March 3, 2019

This past week, I (Doug) read through every word of Barna’s report, Reviving Evangelism. It’s a disturbing commentary. According to their data, nearly half of Millennial practicing Christians say it is wrong to evangelize (47%). Almost two in five practicing Christians (of all ages) say they have no non-Christian friends or family members (30%). More than half of all practicing Christians report having two or fewer conversations about faith in past year (56%).

To us, these are some of the most disturbing trends of our day. We could probably survive if political figures stop treating one another with adequate civility. But if, as the years tick by, we “forget” (or stop caring) about evangelizing (as it appears we are) and if, in the process, we forget how to tell the Good News (as it appears we are), we would be placing the Kingdom of God in a precarious position.

What do YOU think we should do about the study? How would YOU guess we respond?

» Comment on this item.

» Read an excerpt from the Barna report: Almost Half of Practicing Christian Millenials Say Evangelism Is Wrong. See also Some Pastors Optimistic about Millennials, Church Growth. Stats Don’t Bear Them Out (Baptist News Global).

Source: World Watch Monitor, February 25, 2019

Tajik authorities implementing a new religion law are barring children from attending religious services and have burned thousands of calendars with Bible verses.

Amendments to Tajikistan’s Religion Law came into force in January last year, giving the state greater control over religious education and increasing the amount of information religious organizations must pass on to the state.

The State Committee for Religious Affairs and Regulation of Traditions, Ceremonies and Rituals (SCRA) now demands “all kinds of information on the number of members, finances and activities,” a member of a religious community told Oslo-based news agency Forum 18 anonymously, fearing reprisals (see Forum 18 article).

They also gather information about the number of children under the age of 10 attending religious meetings, using the Religion Law and the Parental Responsibility Law to put pressure on parents and religious communities.

» Read full story. It looks like Jehovah’s Witnesses are being targeted in particular, but other faith communities like the Baptists who imported the Christian calendars are suffering as well.

» Also read the article Five Reality Checks for Mission, a recent article which deftly summarizes today’s key challenges for Christian witness in Asia and globally (Church Mission Society).

Source: Barnabas Fund, March 2019

Barnabas Fund contacts report that Pastor Thar Tun was kidnapped from his home in Rakhine state, Myanmar (Burma) on February 13 by Buddhist militants thought to be members of the Arakan Army (AA).

Pastor Tun, 56, who has five children, is the second pastor to be kidnapped in Myanmar in less than a month. It is thought that the pastor’s work helping refugees in his home town of Buthidaung made him a target.

On January 19, Pastor Tun Nu, 41, was kidnapped at gunpoint in Rakhine state by militants also thought to be members of AA. He was reported killed on February 1 alongside several others held captive, but his body has not been found.

At the time of Pastor Tun Nu’s abduction, witnesses described the AA as “truly brutal” and had warned that more abductions of Christians were likely because their missionary work made them a target.

» Read full story and please pray for these men’s families and ministries.

» Readers might also be interested in learning about a ministry in another part of East Asia. Christian Freedom International reports that religious refugees are counting on the tides to bring rice, medicine, and Bibles to the suffering people of North Korea.

Source: God Reports, February 19, 2019

Chaima wanted to join ISIS and kill Christians. “I loved to see people dying, I loved to see them bleeding,” Chaima says on a video on YouTube. “I was seeing videos of decapitation on the Internet and I loved it. I was just blind.”

Her mother was an immigrant from Africa to Sweden and both parents were devout Muslims. Chaima saw life as cruel and wondered, “What am I doing in this world?”

“I tried to kill myself three times. I was doing drugs. I just wanted to destroy myself.”

Chaima, from childhood, grew up unhappy. “I hated people who were not Muslim. I wanted to kill them. I was bound to dangerous things,” she says. “I didn’t feel loved by anyone.”

She had a passion for reading, so her mom, concerned for her bouts with depression, brought her library books. One of the books, by accident, was the Bible. Chaima decided to read it and try to prove to Christians that they were wrong.

» Read full story or watch Chaima tell her story on YouTube. This video was made about 18 months ago when she was 18 years old and explores not only her change of heart and baptism but deliverance from demonic activity. Some might find it a bit disturbing.