Category: News Briefs

Source: Justin Long, October 18, 2018

Editor’s note: Have you heard it said that Americans spend less money on missions than they do on Halloween costumes for their pets? Justin Long gives us the data.

It’s that time of year again—time for a review of what we spend on Halloween vs. foreign missions. We spend a lot on dog food, and it’s sometimes compared to what we spend on missions (rightly or wrongly). Globally, [Christians] spend about US$48 billion per year on missions (CSGC figure). I suspect that the US, being the largest sender of missionaries, spends the greatest percentage of that amount.

Variously, we estimate about 1% of that amount is spent on the unreached (or about US$480 million, or better phrased as half a billion dollars). Some portion of that is obviously donated by Americans, but we don’t know precisely how much. The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering alone was US$142 million (2017-18).

Americans will, on the other hand, spend about US$480 million on Halloween costumes for their pets (new 2018 figure). So it does seem that we could legitimately say Americans spend more on Halloween costumes for their pets than they give to foreign missions, for whatever saying that is worth.

» Read original post.

Source: International Mission Board, October 19, 2018

Editor’s Note: Author Sai Anand is a neuroscientist from India. He studies how the brain works and uses innovative approaches to share the gospel and speak intelligently about God’s design of the human body and brain.

During college I heard about true liberation offered from the true God: Jesus Christ. He has changed my life and beliefs about everything. This, though, is what I used to believe as a Hindu.

God(s):

It’s difficult to fix a number to how many gods there are in the Hindu faith—the highest estimate is 333 million. The gods have different characteristics and abilities, so Hindus will pray to different gods for different requests. The concepts of omniscience or omnipresence aren’t attributed to Hindu gods, so Hindus don’t know whether the gods or the particular god they’re appealing to, recognize or acknowledge their sacrifices.

Worship:

Worship, most of the time, means sacrifices to appease the anger of the gods, who are known for lashing out against sin. They will punish you if you do something wrong. The inevitability that you’ll do something that angers a god is overwhelming.

Hindus visit local temples to make sacrifices, give offerings, pray, light incense, and meditate. Worship can also be performed at shrines in the home or along the road. For Hindus, the morning rituals usually include self-purification and prayers to the sun. Many Hindus will also visit the temple in the morning. But they can’t go to the gods whenever they want; the temple isn’t open at all hours of the day.

Salvation:

Hindus believe in the unceasing cycle of life, death, and reincarnation. Your karma—the result of your actions, good or bad—determines how you will be reincarnated in your next life.

There isn’t a way to know if you’ll be reincarnated to a better life or whether what you’ve done is deserving of hell. There is a general belief in a “hell” where you are punished, though there are believed to be many different hells.

» Full article has great pictures and includes advice about what to keep in mind when sharing the gospel with a Hindu.

» The Hindu festival of Diwali is coming up November 6-10, and, as we’ve mentioned before, many Christians will be participating in 15 days of prayer for the Hindu world October 28 to November 11.

Source: Sat-7, October 3, 2018

Like many Christian leaders in Algeria, Samia and Salah have witnessed amazing church growth in recent years. “Every three months, the church holds baptisms, sometimes for more than 100 people. In June, 67 people were baptized,” says Salah. But as political tensions have increased, churches have been subject to greater interference from governmental and local authorities.

“They refuse to grant permission for churches to operate, and then they close them down because they don’t have official permission,” Salah explains.

Eleven churches have been closed, including Salah and Samia’s in Aïn Turk, near Oran. It was shut down for seven months before thankfully reopening in June. Undeterred, Salah simply says, “The more problems the Church faces, the stronger it grows.”

» Read full story.

» Also read another story from Algeria, this one about a Christian husband on trial for evangelizing his wife (Morning Star News).

Source: Partners International, October 18, 2018

I was panicking, and my heart beat fast when the village chief and his aides came to our house. I didn’t even dare to meet them. My husband opened the door and invited them in. Without saying a greeting, the village chief hurriedly asked my husband, “What have you done to make Yaha change his religion?”

Apparently, the villagers learned that Yaha had come to believe in Jesus and they could not accept that fact. The villagers were angry at Yaha’s decision, so they agreed to expel him from the village. Yaha’s extended family also rejected him because of his new belief, including the village chief who has kinship relationship with him.

My husband replied, “That was Yaha’s own decision sir; I did nothing to force him.”

Hearing my husband’s explanation, the village chief warned us as a family not to do anything to influence the villagers to change their beliefs.

The incident that afternoon made me afraid. Worry crept into my heart. I began to fear that later the villagers will reject and threaten us because we are Christians. In my moment of fear, God strengthened my heart through his Word. The Word of God says in Colossians 3:15, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful!” When I received the Word my heart and mind began to calm down. I was so grateful that God helped me.

My heart was strengthened again and that night I was able to sleep well. God the Holy Spirit gave me great peace and tranquility so that in the midst of the problem, I could remain strong in him. God really cares and is always ready to help and reaffirm his calling for me to reach out to those who do not know the Lord Jesus yet. Blessed be the Lord.

» Read original story.

» Readers might be interested in a report from another Indonesian Christian, a Christian commercial pilot who felt God led him to speed his departure from Palu, thus saving 140 passengers as the earthquake and tsunami devastated the area. Remarkable.

Source: Open Doors, October 17, 2018

In 1997, in the midst of a great famine in North Korea, Hea-Woo’s daughter in her mid-twenties starved to death in her own home. Hae-Woo’s husband escaped to China. He found God… but sadly he was caught by the secret police and six months later died in a North Korean prison camp. Hea-Woo said, “I was shocked to hear that my husband had become a Christian but instinctively I knew he had found the truth.”

It wasn’t too long after this that Hea-Woo herself escaped to China and became a Christian through a series of events similar to those that had influenced her husband’s journey to faith. She was then caught by the secret police, repatriated to North Korea, and placed in a prison camp.

In one of the darkest places on earth, Hea-Woo chose to do something so radical, and so dangerous, but so Christ-like. In this prison, God gave her a heart to tell her fellow prisoners about Jesus. And so, right there in the middle of a North Korean labor camp, a secret fellowship church began.

In her words: “The Bible verses that I’d recall from memory gave the others hope. They also say the Spirit at work in me. I stood out among the other prisoners because I helped them. Sometimes I shared my rice with the sick. Occasionally I washed their clothes, too.

“God used me to lead five people to faith. I tried to teach them the little I knew about Jesus. I didn’t have access to a Bible in the camp. But on Sundays and at Christmas, we met together out of the view of the guards. Usually, that was in the toilet. There we held a short service. I taught them the Bible verses and songs that I knew. We sang almost inaudibly so that no one would hear us.”

It’s believers like Hea-Woo who suffer persecution for their faith that brings much-need on real discipleship. On what it means to obediently, selflessly and courageously follow Jesus.

» Read more.

» See also another story from East Asia, Imprisoned Pastors in Myanmar Released on Condition They Stop Praying in Church.

In this issue:

1. NIGERIA: Churches Claim Jesus as Path to Prosperity
2. WORLD: Addressing Secularization
3. WORLD: Do You Know the Basics of Animism?
4. PAKISTAN: World Awaits Asia Bibi Verdict
5. NORTH KOREA: Five Surprising Facts

Greetings,

This week’s stories explore worldviews and worldview clashes. Need a refresher on worldviews and religions? Check out a series of short videos from Pioneers made for young folks but great for adults, too. (You might want to buy the accompanying curricula.)

blessings,
Pat

Source: Mission Network News, October 4, 2018

A recent article by [German new source] Deutsche Welle (DW) said megachurches in Nigeria are making money off believers and exploiting their faith by doing so.

“Within the Christian community, the Pentecostal denomination has really gotten a lot of traction… in some cases, that’s a great thing, and in other cases, some of their doctrines that are being taught… particularly about prosperity, is quite honestly, hindering the Church,” World Mission’s Greg Kelley says.

An article by [Nigerian news source] Punch in July reported that out of the 193.3 million people in the country, 152 million live off less than $2 a day. As people have become desperate to rise out of poverty, many have looked to churches and seen their ticket to prosperity.

Kelley says he believes God does bless his people financially and in every area of their lives, but “when the emphasis is upon materialism, we have a real problem, and unfortunately, that’s what’s going on in a segment within the Church in Nigeria. This emphasis on wealth and materialism is really debilitating the ability of the Church to gain the kind of momentum it needs and the kind of depth it needs.”

Instead of putting the focus on worshiping Jesus, Kelley says, the focus of these churches has turned to how a person can get wealthy. This shift in focus is not only affecting believers and the Church, but it’s tainting opportunities for ministry to others, specifically to Muslims.

» Read more.

» Listen to Conrad Mbewe: Combating Prosperity Teaching in Africa (The Missions Podcast, ABWE International). Jump to the 10-minute mark to hear the conversation about Africa. From The Africa Report, see also Spiritual Awakenings (how young, hip, and educated Africans are finding new meaning in the teachings of traditional religions).

Source: International Mission Board, September 21, 2018

Animists believe all life is spirit as opposed to matter. Humans have souls, as do animals, insects, plants, bodies of water, rocks, mountains, weather systems, and so on. All are both somewhat good and somewhat evil, but the relevant characteristic is power, not morality.

Souls—also referred to as spirits—are living beings with volition, moods, and the capacity to help or wreak havoc as they are wooed or offended. Spirits that do not inhabit a living being may exist in the form of a god, a personal force, or a ghost.

Animists believe earthly events have spiritual causes. Spirits influence the success or disaster of embodied human beings. Many spirits are easily offended and vindictive. Others feel threatened and defend themselves by harming humans. Upset spirits knock life off balance, causing trouble ranging from headaches to hurricanes.

For this reason, humans show respect to the spirits through ritual, custom, and offerings. Placating spirits restores balance and yields blessing. If cultivated, spirits can be powerful allies against malevolent beings.

It is true that animistic orientation is ancient—the oldest way of seeing the world since Adam’s walk with God. It has held the human imagination through time and remains fresh, renewing itself not only in isolated tribes but also among neopagan youth in the West.

» Full story includes a video, examples, and a biblical response. Looks like IMB is doing a whole series on world religions.

Source: Lausanne Global Initiative, September 2018

The Lausanne Global Secularization Initiative addresses the increasing secularization of society around the world, a trend closely tied to the globalization of culture, especially among urban youth.

The emerging Global Youth Culture, connected by consumerism, social media, and the entertainment industry, forms the largest global culture ever to exist. It spans the globe, embracing the same values, listening to the same music, subscribing to the same YouTube channels, and following the same influencers on social media.

This global culture is largely influenced by one predominant worldview—secular humanism—which affirms that God is irrelevant and man is at the center. In this relativistic culture, we are god and consumerism is our religion. This is a generation that does not look to the Church for answers but believes it to be a dead and empty tradition of the past. Either there is no God or, if he exists, he doesn’t interfere with our lives.

The Global Youth Culture presents a unique challenge to missions worldwide because of the large cultural gap that exists between the Church and secularized youth in society. This demographic is not limited to post-Christian regions like Europe or the USA. It is impacting cultures in urban centers of every region of the world, including the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.

» Read more.

» Of course some secularizing societies are also experiencing renewal through immigration. See The Unexpected Trend Reviving Canadian Christianity (The Gospel Coalition).

Sources: Various

This week Supreme Court judges in Pakistan delayed ruling on the final appeal of Asia Bibi who has been on the country’s death row since 2009 on charges of blasphemy. The justices also warned media about commenting on or discussing the case until their detailed verdict is released, though they set no date for its release.

See an article from Mission Network News, as well as two sources it cites, a story from Pakistan source DAWN News and a description of how Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are used to persecute Christians (Forgotten Missionaries International).

Readers may also be interested in an update on another high-profile religious liberty case we’ve followed. World Watch Monitor reports that Andrew Brunson’s legal appeal has been sent to Turkey’s highest court.

Thanks for continuing to pray for these Christians and those who persecute them as well as their countries and communities. Don’t forget, it’s almost that time of year again: International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church is Sunday, November 4. Voice of the Martyrs is distributing an IDOP video highlighting Christians in Pakistan. See below.