The way of victory

"because of the tender mercy of our God, 

by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven

to shine on those living in darkness 

and in the shadow of death, 

to guide our feet into the path of peace."

Luke 1:78-79

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened

 in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, 

the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

and his incomparably great power for us who believe. 

That power is like the working of his mighty strength,

which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead

and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms"

Ephesians 1:18-20

During this past week, there has been much talk within my own family, on Facebook amongst friends and in the news, about two Christians who are facing the death penalty from Muslim governments for believing in Jesus - Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani of Iran and Asia Bibi of Pakistan. In addition, the news is full of reports about the killing of Al Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki. 

How should we respond as Christians and Americans? What response would glorify God?

I believe we can find the right response if we look to our Lord Jesus as an example. He modeled for us both tenderness and strength. These two qualities, living within us and working in agreement, are what we need to respond to the Muslim question.

"Christ Jesus is the artist. He created the world with colors and textures human artists have tried for thousands of years to imitate. Christ Jesus is the musician. He gave the angels their voices. Christ Jesus is the tenderhearted, ministering to our every need.

Christ Jesus is also the warrior, forever leading us in triumphant procession, if only we will follow

(2 Corinthians 2:14). In our great weakness, He is strong. Christ Jesus is the blessed embodiment of both characteristics. He has set an example before us of true manhood and true womanhood," (from A Heart Like His by Beth Moore).

We must model the tenderness of Christ toward the Muslims. Each Muslim was created in God's image, tenderly and lovingly by His own hand. He desires their salvation. He loves them and asks each of us to love them, to desire good for them, to befriend them and share with them the good news of salvation.

Ultimately, the battle is not for freedom in America or anywhere else on this earth. It is ultimately for the freedom of each soul. Hatred and anger will only close doors to the Muslim world that need to be left open if they will ever have the hope of finding Christ as their Savior.

We must also model the strength of Christ toward the threat of an Islamic take-over of our nation and the world. When I survey the evil that is done in the name of this religion it chills me. 

I believe that Satan knows his time is short. Christ will return in triumph and strength, but in the mean time, the devil is throwing every kind of evil and stronghold he can at the human race, and much of it is embodied in Islam. We must, as a nation, recognize this evil and do all we can to stop the spread of this religion to our own land and the other nations.

Yet, how do we show the strength to stop this evil? Is it ultimately through our military might? I don't think so. Take Afghanistan and Iraq for an example. Has our military presence in these two nations truly stopped the spread of Islamic fundamentalism? Are the people any more free to choose Christ as their Savior or do they still live under the fear of honor killings and other such violence if they leave Islam?

Do we kill them all? Does that really stop Islam? No...more and more young men, angered by loss and brainwashed by Imams, will step forward to fill the shoes of those who died in jihad. And ultimately, is that victory in Christ...killing human enemies? That was the mistake made by the Crusades.

The only way to truly stop the spread of Islam is to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, showing strength toward Satan and gentleness toward the Muslims. We must win them with the love of Christ.

That is how the Romans, Vikings, Goths, African and Asian tribes, Irish Druids and so many others were turned from their murderous ways. It was with strength toward Satan and tenderness toward the individuals. They were stopped with the love of Christ.

We must model gentleness and strength toward any enemy in this world. It is not the way of weakness but the way of victory.

Riding the Camel

The Middle East, Muslims, persecution, Sharia Law -- fear, violence, opposition. Where is the hope for the Muslims? Is God working amongst them? Well, consider two other regions many looked on as "hopeless" at one time. 

Africa, the year 1900, 3% Christian -- "closed to the Gospel and hopeless," many people thought. But God didn't! Today, Africa is more than 50% Christian! 

China, the year 1950, all foreign Christians had been kicked out and the country would soon undergo Mao's reign of terror, only 1 million believers. "Christianity will die in China" many people thought. But God had other plans! Today in China - more than 80 million Christians with an average of 10,000 - 23,000 new Christians daily!

Africa and China are just two examples of areas in the world where God worked behind the scenes, drawing people to Himself. Today He is doing the same in the Muslim World.

In his book, The Camel  How Muslims Are Coming to Faith in Christ!, Kevin Greeson shares just part of the amazing and encouraging story of how God is drawing Muslims to Himself. 

The Muslim World of the past 1,000 years has seemed a very difficult mission field. There are countless stories of Muslims being persecuted when they accept Christ, even by their own families. The 10/40 Window, which lies across Africa and Asia from 10 degrees latitude north of the equator to 40 degrees latitude north of the equator, has 865 million unreached Muslims alone. Many may wonder about God's plan for the Muslim people when it seems so few are following Him.

Yet, things are changing. In Afghanistan, before Sept. 11, 2001, there were only 17 known Muslim-background followers of Christ. Today there are more than 10,000. Iran, the country in the Middle East with the fastest Christian growth, estimates the number of Christians could be as high as 1 million. 

One big change is what Greeson talks about in his book. It's not a change in Muslims but a change in Christians. "After centuries of witness to Muslims using methods that seemed right to Christians, we are now taking a different approach. We are learning how Muslim-background believers (MBBs) witness to and win their own people. We see them answering questions that Muslims have and addressing concerns that are important to them."

That's where CAMEL comes in. CAMEL is an acronym which stands for: Chosen, Announced by angels, Miracles, Eternal Life. All of these truths about Jesus can be found in the Koran - the Muslim holy book. MBBs, also known as Isahi (Jesus) Muslims, are using the Koran as a bridge to share the message of Jesus...and it's working! 

"God has filled the world with redemptive bridges, analogies and metaphors that point both to our need for salvation and to the hope of salvation. If we use the bridges well, they can also point us to the Bible as God's revealed truth about our fallen condition and His plan of salvation." These redemptive bridges, which I spoke about in A Witness in Every Culture, help translate the Gospel into each culture. 

Christianity is often seen as a "Western religion" by many Muslims. "In their eyes Western Christianity is associated with the same American culture they view on television, leading many of them to reject the Gospel as an extension of American culture." But through the CAMEL method, Muslims are being shown that Jesus came for them as well. They are understanding that to become a Christian, they must undergo a spiritual conversion, but not a cultural conversion. They are being shown that the Koran talks about Jesus as being the only one who has ever come from Heaven and returned to Heaven, thus being the only one who really knows the way to get to Heaven. Using the Koran as the initial way to speak to Muslims about Jesus places the MBBs and other Christian missionaries "on common ground with the Muslims to whom they are witnessing."

As Muslims, whom God is already preparing to hear His Gospel message, hear this approach, they are showing great interest. "Consider the evidence: 'More Muslims have come to Christ in the past two decades that at any other time in history.' In North Africa, 50-60,000 Berber Muslims are now followers of Jesus Christ. A Turkic republic saw 4,000 Muslims come to know Jesus as Savior in one year. A mission group in India reported that they have seen an increase from three Muslim-background believers to 1,200 in only eight months. Another mission effort working in north India is reporting 9,500 baptisms among Muslims in only four years. Over the past decade and a half, 13,000 Muslim Kazakhs have come to faith in Christ." 

Greeson's book gives step-by-step guidance in how to share Jesus Christ with a Muslim by pointing that person to the Koran as a bridge to the Bible. He also talks about an important Muslim holy day, know as Korbani-Eid, which centers around a Muslim sacrificial ceremony. This ceremony, in a few very powerful ways, points to the sacrifice that Jesus made for each of us and helps Muslims see His love for them.

Greeson points out another encouraging truth: new believers, who have come to know Christ through the CAMEL method, are experiencing much less severe persecution from other Muslims than anticipated. "The relatively low number of martyrs and relatively mild persecution was probably due to the way these Isahi Muslims used the Qur'an as a bridge, conducted family-based evangelism and rejected association with Western culture." 

In many Muslim countries there are less than three missionaries per one million people. The need for missionaries to the Muslims, both MMBs and Christians from other nations, is great! And “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind,” 2 Timothy 1:7.  

Kevin Greeson's book introduces a very powerful way to share the Gospel with Muslims, to bridge into their culture with the good news of Jesus Christ, using their holy book and their holy day as that bridge.  They need to hear of the love of Jesus. They need someone who is willing to cast aside fear, which so easily entangles, and follow the call of Christ into the Muslim world. Jesus is waiting, but He needs obedient servants.

Prisoners no more

Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.  Hebrews 13:3

More Christians have been persecuted and martyred for their faith in this past century than all the other centuries combined. The 21st century has seen many more suffer, as Jesus told us we we would, in order to bring the Good News to a dying world.

Voice of the Martyrs is an organization that helps those being persecuted. One way is through a letter writing campaign. When a Christian is arrested, Christians can go to Prisoner Alert to learn about their brothers and sisters who are imprisoned and then to write letters. The letter is done online and printed in the language of the prisoner. The address and correct amount of postage are given so that the letter can be mailed. 

These letters are effective. They encourage the believer and they let those holding the prisoner know that he or she is not forgotten. Sometimes, this outside interest can help in the release of the prisoner. 

We have cause to rejoice because recently, two Christians were released from prison. Their stories are below. I encourage you to take a few minutes today to learn about a persecuted Christian and write a letter.  Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.  Hebrews 13:3

Location: China
Arrested: December 2004
Days Imprisoned: 2464


Released Aug. 31, 2011
Print Fact Sheet
09/28/2007 Update

Pastor Zhang Rongliang was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison. According to China Aid Association the verdict was issued by Zhongmu County People’s Court.

Pastor Zhang Rongliang, a prominent Chinese house church leader, was arrested in a rented apartment at Xuzhai village the afternoon of December 1, 2004. Zhang already had spent 12 years in prison for his faith during five separate detentions. He experienced harsh torture, including electric shock, during his previous prison terms. After being held in prison for a year, officials attempted to transfer him from a prison in Xinmi to one in Zhongmu. Fearing that because of his fragile condition he might die, officials at Zhongmu would not accept him. He was instead taken to a hospital in Xinmi.

Pastor Zhang suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure in addition to other chronic health problems. Later he was transferred to a Zhongmu City hospital where he spent most of February and March 2006.

He appeared in court April 6, 2006, more than 16 months after his arrest, for his third hearing on charges of “attaining a passport through cheating” and “illegal border crossing.” At this hearing the court acknowledged there was insufficient evidence for the case and asked for legal advice from a higher court.


Pastor Zhang Released
After seven and half years of in prison, Pastor Zhang Rongliang was released. Even though he was tortured and even faced death, Zhang intends to continue ministering and living for the Lord. He has moved to a coastal town to live with a family member, rest, spend quiet time with God and seek his will for future ministry.

Pastor Rongliang thanks the Lord and all those who prayed for him during his time in prison. It is uncertain whether government officials are keeping him under surveillance. Please pray for Zhang as he recovers and continues ministering in China.

Location: Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Arrested: September 2010
Days Imprisoned: 359


Released Monday, Aug. 29, 2011
Print Fact Sheet
06/20/2011 Update

Pastor Vahik Abrahamian and his wife Sonia Keshish-Avanesian were with their friends, Arash Kermanjani, and his wife, Arezo Teymouri, when all four friends were detained on September 4, 2010.

The two couples were arrested at the Abrahamians' home in Hamadan, west Iran, and taken to the Ministry of Islamic Guidance prison.

For the first 40 days, they were held in solitary confinement and reportedly suffered physical abuse and psychological pressure.

The four have been accused of various offenses, including propagating Christianity, opposing the Islamic Republic of Iran, and having contact with exiled opposition figures. They have not yet been charged.

Over six months have passed since the two men and two women were arrested. They are under pressure and intense interrogation, according to Mohabat News. They were transferred from Hamadan prison to Iran’s notorious Evin prison in Tehran.

Their families are concerned for their health, but have not been able to find news of their loved ones. They are also worried about the children of the believers.

Pastor Vahik was arrested once before, on Feb. 20, 2010, on charges of conducting activities among Muslims. He spent two months in prison before being released on bail. Pastor Vahik has dual citizenship in Iran and the Netherlands, but because of his passion for the Iranian people, he chose to live in Iran.

Source: Mohabat News

Pastor Vahik Released!
Pastor Vahik Abrahamian was released after a year in prisoner. He was released pending trial after family and friends raised the equivalent of about $10,000 for his bail. An extended member the family told FCNN that the whole family is rejoicing and have expressed their gratitude first to God for His gracious protection and intervention. They are also thankful for their Christian family worldwide who have not ceased praying and advocating on their behalf.

Praying for Israel and Palestine

PLEASE PRAY FOR

ISRAEL AND THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES

SUMMARY: The United Nations will be voting on a resolution to grant Palestine (the West Bank and the Gaza Strip) statehood on September 20, 2011.  As the vote approaches, violence against Israel is on the rise.  On a single day in August 2011, terrorists armed with bombs and guns attacked buses, cars and army patrols, killing seven.   Terrorists fired more than 80 rockets into Israel the weekend of August 20 and 21.  These attacks have been ongoing with dozens of missiles hitting Israel each day.  In response, Israel began air raids, bombing targets in the Gaza Strip.

On September 20, the United Nations General Assembly will vote on whether or not to allow the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to become member nations. Leaders in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip hope this will force Israel to withdraw their citizens from settlements in these areas.

Even if the vote is in favor of membership for the territories, it could still be vetoed by the UN Security Council.

"We want to generate pressure on Israel to make it feel isolated and help it understand that there can be no talks without a stop to settlements," said a Fatah (Palestinian Authority) representative. In April 2011, Fatah (in control of the West Bank) and terrorist group Hamas (in control of the Gaza Strip) signed an agreement to form an interim government. Both groups refuse to recognize Israel as a nation and have vowed to destroy it.

"We are facing a diplomatic-political tsunami that the majority of the public is unaware of," stated Israel's defense minister, Ehud Barak. "It is a very dangerous situation."

With the vote quickly approaching, terrorist suicide bomb and gun attacks are on the rise. On August 18, seven people were killed by terrorists when they breached Israel's border with Egypt.

Officials in Israel are concerned the terrorists are taking advantage of the turmoil in Egypt. The terrorist attacks and Israel's response - which resulted in at least 14 deaths in the Gaza Strip and also the deaths of three Egyptian soldiers - has some worried that a new war with Egypt could be brewing.

A Western leader noted that the latest attacks were barbaric, but "must not be viewed in isolation. It is part of a long-term threat to Israeli civilians by determined terrorists."

PRAY FOR:

- Christians globally to understand that the most important resolution is for everyone in the land to enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God. Pray for the will of the King of all nations to be done. (The Bible, Jeremiah 10:7)

- Messianic Jews and Christian Palestinians to serve the Lord together and intercede for this region. Ask the Lord to use them to lead the way in bringing His love and reconciliation to the land. (The Bible, II Corinthians 5:18)

- the Lord of hosts to do battle with Israel's enemies. Pray for God to give His angels charge over this region, protecting innocent civilian Israelis and Palestinians. (The Bible, Psalm 24:10; Psalm 91:11)

- intercessors to continue in prayer for everyone in the Middle East, knowing that Jesus Christ loves the Jews, the Palestinians, and people of all nationalities. (The Bible, Colossians 4:2; Romans 3:22)

- Jehovah Gibbor to defend Israel. Petition the Lord to draw out His spear and put a stop to the demonic forces trying to ignite a war. Pray for the healing of wounds created when Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar chose not to wait for God's seed of promise. (The Bible, Isaiah 42:13; Genesis 16:1-4)

- all attempts by demonic forces to attack, harm, or destabilize the Middle East to fail. (The Bible, Psalm 20:1; Psalm 7:9)

- the members of the United Nations to recognize that Hamas is a terrorist group and see that Fatah has terrorist links. (The Bible, Psalm 9:17 and Mark 4:22)

- the Lord to give leaders in Israel wisdom and strategies for defending their borders. Ask Him to send warring angels to protect Israel. (The Bible, Proverbs 1:7; Psalm 91:11)

- the salvation of all Israelis and Palestinians. Pray for them to recognize Jesus Christ as their Savior, Lord, and the Son of God. (The Bible, I Timothy 2:4)

- peace in the Middle East. Petition the Lord to expose and bring to justice all who are involved in terrorism, no matter their nationality. (The Bible, Psalm 103:6)

- the international community to stand for Israel's sovereignty. Petition the Lord for a peaceful resolution of the settlement issue. (The Bible, Psalm 58:3)

- the Kingdom of God to come to the Middle East in power. Pray for a great harvest of souls in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. (The Bible, I Corinthians 4:20; John 4:35)

SOURCES: USA Today, Middle East News, Reuters, The Bible

Wycliffe translates Bible into English

"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."  Matthew 24:14

The next few months of this blog will look at the lives of missionaries through the ages. It is my hope that you will be encouraged and strengthened in your faith as you see God's hand working through the lives of ordinary people as they followed the will of an extraordinary God.

We will next look at Christian missions from 1000 to 1499 AD. Christianity continued to spread throughout Europe, in Asia and into Africa where it already had historical roots. This time also saw the Bible translated into more languages, including English, and the printing of the Gutenberg Bible. 

1000 - Christianity accepted by common consent in Iceland. Leif Eriksson introduces the Gospel to Greenland and possibly Vinland (Newfoundland)

1008 - Sigfrid (or Sigurd), English missionary, baptizes King Olof of Sweden

1015 - Russia is said to have been "comprehensively" converted to the Orthodox faith

Olaf II Haroldsson, first king of the whole of Norway, sees Norway convert to Christianity

1200 - The Bible is now available in 22 different languages

1219 - Francis of Assisi presents the Gospel to the Sultan of Egypt

1266 - Mongol leader Kublai Khan sends Marco Polo's father and uncle, Niccolo and Matteo Polo, back to Europe with a request to the Pope to send 100 Christian missionaries (only two responded and one died before reaching Mongol territory) to China

1321 - Jordanus, a Dominican monk, arrives in India as the first resident Roman Catholic missionary 

1323 - Franciscans make contacts on Sumatra, Java, and Borneo

1368 - Collapse of the Franciscan mission in China as Ming Dynasty abolishes Christianity

1382 - Bible translated into English from Latin by John Wycliffe 

1389 - Large numbers of Christians march through the streets of Cairo, denouncing Islam and lamenting that they had abandoned the religion of their fathers from fear of pesecution. They were beheaded, both men and women, and a fresh persecution of Christians followed 

1408 - Spanish Dominican Vincent Ferrer begins a ministry in Italy in which it is said that thousands of Jews and Muslims were won to faith in Christ 

1410 - Bible is translated into Hungarian 

1450 - Franscian missionaries accompany Portuguese expedition to the Cape Verde Islands

1462 - Johannes Gutenberg begins printing the Bible with his movable-type printing process

1486 - Dominicans become active in West Africa, notably among the Wolof people in Senegambia.

1491 - The Congo sees its first group of missionaries arrive. Under the ministry of these Franciscan and Dominican priests, the king would soon be baptized and a church built at the royal capital.

1493 - Pope Alexander VI commands Spain to colonize the New World with Catholic missions; Christopher Columbus takes Christian priests with him on his second journey to the New World

1496 - First Christian baptisms in the New World take place when Guaticaba along with other members of his household are baptized on the island of Hispaniola 

1498 - First Christians are reported in Kenya

The missionaries/missions that will be highlighted during this era are:

Leif Eriksson

Marco Polo and Kublai Khan

John Wycliffe

John Wycliffe

1320 - 1384

As Marco Polo began his famous journey to the far east in 1324, John Wycliffe turned four years old. The radical Franciscans were denouncing the riches of the Papacy, and Pope John XXII was mid way through his reign The world was at peace; and Rome held ultimate authority in the lives of the people of the continent and the British Isles. From Augustine and Constantine till the birth of Wycliffe, the Church was the center of every person's life.

Wycliffe was born in 1320 and studied Theology in Oxford. His training and disposition led him to oppose the ownership of English land by the Papacy, on religious and theological grounds rather than merely economic. From 1376 onward Wycliffe published tracts which decried the secularization of the Church. This secularization, he maintained, was beneficial neither to the Church or the State. In 1377 the Pope issued a Bull condemning in 18 theses the writings of Wycliffe. Wycliffe's reaction was violent. He began to denounce the Pope in vehement writings. 

From 1378 to 1379 Wycliffe published his theological system in a series of tracts. The main thesis of these works was that the Scriptures are the foundation of all doctrine. This was the turning point of doctrinal history. To this point Tradition was placed, by Rome, alongside Scripture as a source of doctrine; but Wycliffe disputed this notion and John Hus of Prague and Martin Luther as well as Huldrych Zwingli and John Calvin would adopt the view of Wycliffe. Thus, Wycliffe is often called the "Morning Star of the Reformation." 

Wycliffe's doctrine of the Church was likewise revolutionary. He saw the Church as a spiritual institution and not a political one. Thus the pre-reformation work of Wycliffe lay in his doctrines of Scripture and the Church. Without Wycliffe, there could not have been a Reformation. Or, for that matter, an English translation of the Bible. 

Wycliffe's translation is well known. He did his work from the Latin Vulgate; thus giving the English people the first translation of the Scriptures in their own language. His translation was consulted by Tyndale, Coverdale, the Bishops, and of course the Authorized Version translators. He was a translator before Luther; a theologian before Calvin; and a reformer before the Reformation. He died in 1384. The floodgates opened by Wycliffe would reach fruition in Zwingli and Luther.

The beginning of the Great Schism in 1378 gave Wycliffe fresh opportunities to attack the papacy, and in a treatise of 1379 on the Eucharist he openly denied the doctrine of transubstantiation (the belief that the bread and wine in communion become the actual body and blood of Christ). He denounced the Church hierarchy and maintained that the church should give up its worldly possessions. 

Included here a few verses of his translation of Genesis 1 -- in the old English which he used.

"In the firste made God of nougt heuene and erthe. The erthe forsothe was veyn with ynee and void, and derknessis weren vpon the face of the see; and the Spiryt of God was born vpon the watrys. And God seide, Be maad ligt; and maad is ligt. And God sawg ligt, that it was good, and deuydid [divided] ligt fro derknessis; an clepide [called] ligt day and derknessis, nygt. And maad is euen and moru [morn], o day. Seide forsothe God, Be maad a firmament in the myddel of watres, and dyuyde it watres from watrys".

It is difficult for us to imagine how these simple and familiar words must have thrilled the hearts of thousands when they heard them for the first time. The translating of the Scriptures was also extremely dangerous, because the church had forbidden that the Scriptures be put into the language of the common people. Nevertheless, even though printing had not been invented, many copies must have been made laboriously by hand, for there are still nearly 170 hand-copied Wycliffe Bibles extant.

One of the greatest Bible translation organizations in the world today takes its name from John Wycliffe Wycliffe Bible Translators

(Information taken from Higher Praise)