Missions Catalyst News Briefs 10.19.16
Day: October 19, 2016
EUROPE: Nine Obstacles to Faith in the Former Communist Countries
Source: Pioneers in Europe, October 2016
Many [missionaries] serve in nations that are currently communist or have been communist within recent history. Current communist nations include China, Cuba, Laos, Vietnam, and North Korea. Previous communist nations in Europe include Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union.
What happens to a people group that has endured communism? What barriers does communism create for gospel receptivity? The list below was compiled with input from Pioneers [members] located around the globe, serving in nations that are currently or formerly communist.
- Communism creates a culture of secrecy.
- Under communism Christians often become desensitized to compromise.
- Communism [celebrates] the material world, science, and intellect.
- People who live or have lived under communism find the concept of grace very hard to digest.
- On the opposite side of the same coin, communism produces people who work to earn favor.
- In communist cultures leaders are not kind or trustworthy.
- Under communism the collective good of the people is considered far more worthwhile than the independence of individuals.
- People under communism are very afraid of the repercussions they will face if they believe.
- Missionaries often find life in communist or post-communist cultures very difficult and oppressive.
Pray for people groups around the globe who currently suffer under communism or have been raised under communism and have not yet shed its oppression. Pray that the God of grace would move hearts to believe and follow him, that his grace would be found sufficient for them (2 Corinthians 12:9), and that he would be exalted among the nations and in all the earth (Psalm 46:10).
» Read full story and see How Did the Church Survive? (Pioneers USA).
WORLD: Refugee Hoax Exposed
Source: INcontext Ministries, October 4, 2016
In September 2015, reports were published on social media stating that a furniture shipment that was supposed to go to refugee camps in Europe was actually filled with 52 tons of guns and ammunition. This was supposedly discovered by the Greek Border Securities.
Social media users pointed to a global conspiracy, which was supposedly the reason why the media never reported the incident. A question was posed about how long they will “continue with this charade,” and the claim was made that it would be until “they are being killed by these Arab hooligans.”
This email [like a version which resurfaced in September 2016] is false and constitutes an intentional effort to create suspicion and fear about refugees in Europe. Please forward [a link to this story] to anyone who sent you this email.
The accompanying pictures published were actually of Greek authorities seizing a freighter carrying an undeclared shipment of weapons en route from Turkey to Libya.
» Full story includes links to more information and the text of the email being circulated.
» You might also be able to use A Biblical View of the Refugee Crisis, a short video featuring IMB president David Platt.
GERMANY: Refugees Foil Terror Plot
Source: Missions Network News, October 16, 2016
Last week, three Syrian refugees in Germany helped capture a fellow refugee who was allegedly planning to bomb a Berlin airport. Investigators say the would-be bomber, Jaber al-Bakr, was likely an ISIS allegiant. His captors are being hailed as heroes.
Al-Bakr had been on the run for two days. Security forces raided his apartment and circulated the suspect’s photo on social media. According to USA Today, al-Bakr approached three fellow Syrian refugees at a train station and asked if he could stay at their apartment. One of the refugees, identified by German media as Mohamed A, said they took in al-Bakr because they recognized him and knew they had to turn him in. Mohamed A told German press, “I was so angry at him. I won’t accept such a thing—especially here in Germany, the country that opened its door to us.”
The three friends trussed up al-Bakr on their couch, refused his monetary bribes, and turned him over to the police. German authorities have issued public gratitude to the three men for taking a stand against terrorism. The suspect committed suicide in jail later in the week. Although Syrian refugees in Germany have left the war in Syria behind, the trauma still follows them.
» Also read Life for Some Christians in German Refugee Shelters “Still Unbearable” (World Watch Monitor) and watch a video report about how a church in Macedonia is responding to the refugees passing through their country (SEND International).
PAKISTAN: Christian Woman’s Death Sentence Appeal Postponed
Source: BosNews Life, October 13, 2016
After waiting seven years in jail, Pakistan’s first Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy had her final Supreme Court appeal adjourned as angry Muslims packed the court room to demand her execution.
Aasiya Noreen, better known as Asia Bibi, who has been prison since the summer of 2009, was detained for allegedly insulting Islam’s prophet when she offered water to a Muslim co-worker and defended her faith in Jesus Christ.
Trial observers told BosNewsLife that one judge of the Supreme Court in Islamabad, Pakistan’s highest court, refused to be one of the three judges to decide on Bibi’s appeal because he had previously heard all details of a case against Mumtaz Qadri, who murdered the governor of Punjab province, Salman Taseer, in January 2011.
Quadri said he killed the governor for demanding that Asia Bibi would be freed. The governor also called Pakistan’s blasphemy statutes “black laws” and called for reforms and a presidential pardon for Asia Bibi.
» Read full story and a related story from WorldWatch Monitor. On a more positive note, we are glad to hear that Iranian pastor Behnam Irani has been released. He has also been held in prison for seven years.
INDONESIA: Expanding Christ’s Kingdom on “The Island of Gods”
Source: Christian Aid Mission, October 6, 2016
On Indonesia’s island of Bali, Hindu villagers mix worship of myriad deities with service to Buddhist figures, ancestors and spirits; a potpourri of barriers to the gospel that the director of an indigenous ministry is well suited to overcome.
“I am an original Bali[an] who has a very rare opportunity to be able to serve and reach my brothers,” said the leader, whose name is withheld for security reasons. “This is an advantage for me to more easily reach them.”
Known as the “island of the gods” with its estimated 20,000 temples and shrines, Bali has a population that is more than 80 percent Hindu amid the predominantly Muslim archipelago of Indonesia. Though Islam is growing in Bali Province, Hindu/Buddhist belief mixed with animism, magic, and mythology permeates all aspects of most islanders’ lives.
Within this context, the kingdom of God has been growing in Bali through the indigenous organization’s service to the poor. While cultural knowledge is key to knowing how to relate to and nuance communications with villagers, the love of Christ is directly expressed through meeting felt needs.
» See also The Power of Prayer: Good News for Hindus (IMB).