Missions Catalyst

1. MIDDLE EAST: Serving on the Sidelines
2. SOMALIA: Christian Couple Arrested
3. CHINA: Faith Banned for All Children
4. PAKISTAN: Christian Acquitted of Blasphemy
5. SOUTHEAST ASIA: Woman Finds Truth of God in Unexpected Way

VIDEO: God’s Global Family

Source: Interserve Great Britain & Ireland, October 2020

In John 17, Jesus prays that all God’s people would be one, so that the world would come to believe in Him. We are called to participate in, learn from, and contribute to God’s global Church. What does this look like?

» See video source and transcript.

Source: Interserve Great Britain & Ireland, October 2020

Mind-blowing stories of transformation. Tales of healing and deliverance. Living immersed in another culture. Leading studies in the Word, discipling those with seeds of faith. Scratch, screech, take off the record—this isn’t our story.

My husband and I didn’t fit the traditional missionary role model, but God has still used us beyond what we could have imagined. Having spent four years teaching middle-class locals, Ben switched tracks and became principal of one of the two MK schools in the city—serving families who are here with NGOs, refugee projects, theological schools, etc. I have served our organization by supporting the work of short termers coming to the country and now by leading the country leadership team. I seek to provide emotional and spiritual support to those who are arriving, those learning to thrive here and those transitioning back to their sending countries. Both of us are working in the background, on the sidelines, serving the servers.

We need the language pros, the theological whizz kids; those with a heart for the outcast or able to slip the good news into every conversation. But we also need those who are willing to serve in other capacities: sending, supporting, sustaining. There are many roles in the kingdom work of God. Paul planted, Apollos watered, God brought about the sprout. But there are also those who till the soil, pull the weeds, prune the branches.

» Read full story.

» Also from the Middle East: read a story of transformative business development in Creating Opportunity When the Need Is Great (One Collective) and get another behind-the-scenes look at life in the Middle East in Giving Birth During COVID-19 (Anglican Frontier Missions). Finally, consider listening to a 14-minute podcast episode on Bringing Hope to the Middle East (Bible League).

Source: Middle East Concern, October 6, 2020

Being alerted of “suspicious activities,” police came to the house of a Christian couple on September 21, arresting both after they found Christian materials. The couple have three children.

At an October 5 press conference, a Somaliland police colonel stated that two individuals had been arrested for being “apostates and evangelists spreading Christianity,” with the case to be forwarded to the relevant court.

He also threatened that “whoever dares to spread Christianity in this region should be fully aware that they won’t escape the hand of the law enforcement officers and that the spread of Christianity will not be allowed and is considered blasphemy.”

He encouraged citizens to report those spreading Christianity to the police.

The arrest and detention of the couple has caused great fear among the local Christian community, with many believers fleeing abroad.

» See full story with prayer points.

Source: Jubilee Campaign, October 2020

In 2013, the Committee on the Rights of the Child raised the alarm regarding the People’s Republic of China’s breach of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, article 14. The Committee recommended the government of China to “take all necessary measures” to “effectively guarantee the right of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion for those under 18” [as required by article 14], highlighting specifically the Uyghur and Tibetan children, as well as children of Falun Gong practitioners.

Since then, however, China has effectively extended its restriction on the right to religion or belief and freedom of expression to all youth under the age of 18. Following the implementation of the Regulations on Religious Affairs in 2018, provincial governments have banned minors from attending any religious-based activities, prohibited religious curriculum in schools, engaged in campaigns to discourage children from religious conviction, harassed families, and have even similarly cracked down on the cultural and linguistic expressions and practices of religious minorities throughout the nation.

These newly introduced restrictions blatantly disregard the Committee’s recommendations and the rights the mechanism seeks to protect, as well as demonstrate China’s lack of commitment to its obligations under international treaties to protect children’s rights.

» Read full report (33 pages) and a related article, Chinese Christian Children Persecuted for their Faith (Christian Post).

Source: Mission Network News, October 13, 2020

Sawan Masih, a Pakistani Christian accused of blasphemy in 2013, has been [acquitted and] released from captivity after seven years.

MNN reported on his case in 2013 and the extreme violence that followed his accusation. A mob of Muslims descended on the primarily Christian neighborhood of Joseph Colony after Masih’s accusation was broadcasted over the PA system.

Nehemiah of Forgotten Missionaries International (FMI) says the motivations behind the violence weren’t exactly religious. “The government and business community wanted to grab this colony, this land. They wanted to build a factory on this land. So first, they tried to convince Christians of this area to leave [the] colony. When they refused, they just made a story and accused [Sawan] with a false charge of blasphemy and burned the whole town. Many churches, shops, and more than 200 Christian houses were burned.”

Masih also lost many family members in the devastating attack, Nehemiah says.

Despite the lack of evidence, Masih’s case has languished in the courts ever since, prolonged by threats from extremists. Even now that he has finally been acquitted, Masih can’t leave the prison for fear of attempts on his life.

» Full story includes Masih’s photo and compares his case to Asia Bibi’s.

Source: International Mission Board, October 5, 2020

“Miss O.” grew up as a devout Buddhist in Southeast Asia and had never heard the gospel. When God brought Christians into her life, Miss O. would nod her head, “yes, yes,” in agreement to the stories they shared but continued as an even more determined Buddhist.

One day Miss O. prayed, “They say you are the Living God. If that’s true, give me a new pair of jeans tomorrow.” The very next day, Miss O.’s father said, “I know what you want—a new pair of jeans. Let’s go shopping.”

It was as if God said, “If you need jeans to know I am the Living God, I will give them, and you will know I am Lord.”

Later, another believer said, “All of our good deeds are like a pot of fermented bamboo shoots before God.” The Lord used this to convict her of sin and her need for a Savior. She wept and put her faith in Jesus.

For several years, Miss O. was the only believer in her village. She is a gifted and eager evangelist, loves the Word, and has a solid faith and doctrine. She prayed God would use her to reach her village. God answered when Miss O. led her neighbor to Christ. The neighbor shared with her husband who also came to faith.

These three now follow the Lord, meet weekly as a church, and live out their faith. The “blue-jean-giving” God [is] now worshiped every week in this village’s first church.

Pray for Miss O. and [the other believers] as they share the gospel with their neighbors.

» Read full story.

» Also from Southeast Asia, read about Christians in Myanmar refocusing their efforts on reaching the unreached, introducing Buddhists to Christ, and planting churches (Center for Mission Mobilization).