Day: December 7, 2016

CUBA: A Prayer

Source: Open Doors, November 30, 2016

Father God, ruler over all the nations, we pray to you today on behalf of the people of Cuba in the wake of the death of Fidel Castro.

We pray for the Christians, that they will know greater freedom in the weeks and months to come, and that in whatever circumstances befall them they will continue to serve you faithfully.

We pray for those who do not know you, that the gospel of Christ will be spread across the land in great power, that many might turn to you in faith.

We pray for Raúl Castro and others in leadership, that you will soften their hearts toward Christ, that they might lead their people with godly wisdom and care.

We do not know the future of Cuba, but you do. And so we lean on your holy, gracious, and sovereign will as we look toward the future. In the name of Jesus who reigns over the nations and their rulers. Amen.

» Read full article.

NORTH AMERICA: The Native American Battle to Survive

Source: Mission Network News, November 29, 2016

The United States just celebrated Thanksgiving, almost four centuries after that first meal was shared. In the backdrop are the ones we shared it with—the first Americans.

Ron Hutchcraft Ministries is one Christian ministry working to bring hope to Native American Tribes. We spoke with Ron Hutchcraft, who recently wrote about The Thanksgiving Guests We Forgot. Hutchcraft says, “It’s like we invited them to dinner and forgot them for 400 years.”

“Today, Native Americans are in a monumental battle to survive, and it’s not even on our radar. And ‘Exhibit A’ would be that here is one people group in the country whose suicide rate is at minimum three times, and, depending on the part of the country, ten times greater than the rest of the people in America.”

In addition, Hutchcraft says, they struggle with sexual crimes and abuse, as well as drug and alcohol addictions. There is a common theme of despair and hopelessness. According to Native American Aid, the 22 percent of Native Americans living on reservations face conditions comparable to the third world.

» Read full story.

» Editor’s note: Recently, representatives of “First Nations” from all over North America gathered for a special ceremony on the Mall in Washington D.C. to forgive the U.S. Government for broken treaties. A pastor from upstate New York (my neck of the woods) made a powerful public declaration as part of this event, which one Christian leader described as “one of the most noble acts of true Christian charity that I have ever heard of by any people group.”

As you prepare for Christmas you might like to read about or listen to the first contextualized song written for the Hurons in the 17th century.

SYRIA: Seeking a Million Voices to Support Vulnerable Church

Source: World Watch Monitor, November 8, 2016

A Syrian Christian now living in the UK is helping to bring hope for the future to his native land as part of a worldwide advocacy campaign.

“Rami” coordinates “Hope for the Middle East,” a seven-year advocacy campaign from charity Open Doors, which works with the persecuted Church. It seeks to maintain a presence in the Middle East for the Church and to show that it has an active role to play in the future of Syria and the region as a whole.

“Through extensive series of consultations with Christian leaders in Syria and Iraq we were able to identify three main problems that cause despair. Let me explain what these are and the recommendations we give to the UN and to governments.”

a. Discrimination from government and other communities. “We try to ensure a legal framework that guarantees equal citizenship for Christians and other numerical minorities.”

b. Dignity in accommodation, work, and education. “Lots of refugees and internally displaced people received food parcels. Of course they are very grateful, but they would much rather provide for themselves.”

c. Recognition for the role of the Church in rebuilding and reconciliation. “As I said before, the Church belongs in the Middle East and needs to play a vital role in rebuilding.”

The way that Open Doors is tackling these issues, says Rami, involves working with indigenous church leaders in the Middle East, engaging with governments and decision makers across the globe, alongside the goal of collecting a million signatures in support of the campaign.

» Read full story.

» WWM also reports updates to events in Ethiopia, where several teenage Christian girls have been imprisoned for inciting religious violence, and Pakistan, where a 16-year-old Christian boy was accused of blasphemy.

INDIA: Christmas Parties Prove Popular in Hindu Communities

Source: Christian Aid Mission, November 17, 2017

Pastor Philip Zacharia had been praying for four years about how to bring together his staunchly Hindu neighbors in Bihar state, “graveyard of missionaries,” to hear the gospel. When he learned of the gospel potential of Christmas parties from a Danish friend at an evangelists’ conference convoked by Billy Graham in Amsterdam in August 2000, it seemed to be the answer to his prayers.

Up to that point, his efforts to proclaim Christ had met with scant success. Rather, it had stirred the ire of Hindu extremists, who in October of that year summoned him to a meeting.

“They were accusing me of trying to convert people,” Pastor Zacharia said, “and one of the men said, ‘We’ve tried to kill you many times, but somehow you escaped. We’ve called you today to give you the last warning. If you continue to preach, your children will become orphans, and you will be responsible for that.’”

The strapping men towered above him, and he began to pray. He tried to engage them in conversation, but they only told him to leave and to stop preaching the God of Christianity.

“So I was coming back home and thinking, ‘Lord what to do?’” he said. “I was excited about this idea of Christmas parties, and now these guys are telling me, ‘If you preach anymore, you’ll be killed.’ I didn’t want to share those things with my wife, I didn’t want to share those things with the church. I was keeping it in my heart and praying, ‘Lord what to do?’ and the Lord said, ‘Go forward.’”

Without telling anyone about the death threats, he began preparing for the Christmas program, going house-to-house to extend the invitations. Unknowingly, he knocked on the door of the Hindu extremist who had threatened to kill him.

» Read what happened next. It’s encouraging!

» See also Christianity Continuing to Grow in Nepal Despite Persecution (Open Doors/Christian Today).