Professional Documents
Culture Documents
www.barnabasfund.org
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012
IN THIS ISSUE
Pakistan
Bringing joy to suffering Christians
Day of Prayer
Intercede with Barnabas for the persecuted Church
Salvation
in Christ the Lord
This year you can spread the message about the ag b work of Barnabas Fund as you bless your friend rk s ends and family with Christmas greetings. We have i gs e created Christm s eCards that can be emailed for stma h free to your loved ones, along with a pe ed ng personalised message. There are three different Christmas e e i designs to choose from and the cards include a from, e brief message about our work along with a Bible bo o g verse.
To send the Christmas eCards to your family and mily n friends, simply visit our website at www.barnabasfund.org/christmas-car s and ll in w ards your you details, choose the design you would like and o l supply the email address of the recipient. pply h ecip This is a quick and ea way to spread the word hs uick easy o about supporting the persecu ab p ng e e ecuted Ch Church, wh while rememberin your loved ones this Christmas time. m ing u o
The paper used in this publication comes from sustainable forests and can be 100% recycled
Front Cover: This Pakistani Christian woman has received support from Barnabas Fund following the oods of 2010-11 Page 16: Source: Fergal of Claddagh, OP, Flickr.com To guard the safety of Christians in hostile environments, names may have been changed or omitted. Thank you for your understanding. Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations are taken from the New International Version. Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders and obtain permission for stories and images used in this publication. Barnabas Fund apologises for any errors or omissions and will be grateful for any further information regarding copyright. Barnabas Fund 2012
ecember 26 is celebrated in Britain and many other countries under the rather mysterious name of Boxing Day. There are various theories about the origin of the name, mainly linked to the tradition of giving gifts to servants on this day. But Boxing Day has now developed into a sport and spending spree with little connection to the events of the previous day. Instead of being a day of reection on the enormity of the incarnation and its implications for spiritual life, growth and development, it has become one of pleasure and indulgence. In some Christian traditions, 26 December is called St Stephens Day after the rst Christian martyr. The Church, having rejoiced in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus, is faced at once with the cost of following Him. Stephen was martyred on a charge of blasphemy (Acts 6:11). He used words that offended his hearers, and they silenced him by death (Acts 7:56-58). Likewise it was the accusation of blasphemy that was used to silence his Lord and condemn Him to death (Mark 14:64). Today blasphemy is much in vogue. The past few months have seen Islamic rage across the world as Muslims have felt offended by comments about their prophet. While we totally condemn all abuse of religious leaders, the charge of blasphemy or offence should not be used to curtail freedom of speech and conscience, nor injured feelings as a reason to destroy property and lives. Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code species the death penalty for deling the name of Muhammad, and Section 295-B prescribes life imprisonment for desecrating the Quran. Many Christians in Pakistan have suffered under this iniquitous blasphemy law, and rightly there are calls for its abandonment. Yet today the cry is going
up for similar laws to be enshrined not just in national law but even at the United Nations. These laws are in no way to be equated with, for example, Britains essentially toothless blasphemy law. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has for years been working to pass UN resolutions to combat the defamation of religion. But support has been dwindling as other countries realise the alarming implications of not being able to criticise religions. So the OIC has moderated its demands, seeking now to combat intolerance, negative stereotyping and stigmatization of, and discrimination, incitement to violence and violence against, persons based on religion or belief. It is of great concern, therefore, that Christian leaders are also seeking a ban on the defamation of persons (such as prophets) deemed holy by people of faith. This call was made in a recent letter from an Anglican archbishop in the Middle East. What price freedom, liberty, conscience? Are these to be sacriced on the altar of hurt religious sensibilities? Recently churches have been torched and Christians killed because Muslim feelings are hurt. How can Muslim feelings be worth more than Christian lives? By its apathy, the world seems to agree that Muslim feelings are worth more than Christian lives. Was it acceptable then for the High Priest and the Sanhedrin to soothe their hurt feelings by taking the lives of Stephen and of Christ? For Christians the offence of the cross brings with it humiliation and shame. So we rejoice and glory in our sufferings hurt feelings, destroyed property, even death knowing that these are for the Lord. This does not mean that Christians should not seek justice, for it is right that people should be protected under the law. But ideas are another matter.
Contents
7
Compassion in Action Airlift of Christians from Sudan begins Newsdesk Pakistani Christian girl accused of blasphemy Equipping the Church What does the Bible say about salvation?
13
Campaigns How you can help to proclaim freedom Spotlight I felt privileged to meet these Christians: visiting projects in Pakistan Barnabas International Day of Prayer Join us in praying for the persecuted Church
14
Biblical Reection Celebrating the coming of the Lord In Touch Christmas cards and gift cards
4 8
PULLOUT
11 12 14
16 18
COMPASSION IN ACTION
how barnabas
7,498 for emergency feeding (US$12,103; 9,385) 40,000 (latest grant) for food, medicine and other necessities (US$65,000; 50,000) 9,500 to help victims of church attack (US$15,400; 11,800)
Barnabas supplied medical items to help the injured Christians Assembling food packages Meeting together at a secret location
At night at a secret location made known only to the Christians, 300 of the displaced Christian families were given cooked meals, enough to eat for two days, through a grant from Barnabas. A few days later the same Christian families each received a food package at the same location, which gave them enough to eat for one month at a cost of 25 per family.
Timely and life-saving surgery was also provided for a church elder, who had sustained gunshot and blast wounds to his chest. After the operation, a local project coordinator wrote, The prognosis is amazing! Only Christ could have helped his situation and we truly thank you for funds that enabled us to save this one life from the terrorists bullets.
Hundreds of Christians ed in a panic from their homes in Maherabad village, Islamabad in August, after mobs of local Muslims violently attacked them and started looting their houses following the false blasphemy accusation against Rimsha, a young teenage Christian girl with Downs syndrome.
[Your support] has been a big source of help and a glimpse of hope for many who feel left alone to face the worst, wrote a Christian partner in Syria about the difference help from Barnabas Fund is making. Barnabas Fund is providing thousands of Syrian Christians with food, childrens milk, medicines (often for heart conditions or diabetes), personal hygiene items, money for rent and other essentials. Tens of thousands of Christians have ed their homes amidst violent ghting between government troops and opposition forces and have been left without work or income. Many have experienced targeted intimidation because of their faith. The price of many basic commodities has also risen two- or threefold since the crisis began.
Barnabas Fund responded immediately after two churches in Garissa, Kenya, were attacked by suspected al-Shabaab militants in July. At least 17 people were killed and around 65 injured. Medical items and equipment were promptly bought with the grant by a local ministry to care for the wounded. Grieving family members were helped with the burial costs of many of the victims. And food was provided for affected families.
Project reference 00-1032
is helping
780 for building and equipping church (US$1,270; 970) 1,623 for school fees (US$2,620; 2,032)
COMPASSION IN ACTION
Your support is making it possible for us to help Christians around the globe as they pass through particularly difcult times and to bring some hope to those whose suffering for their faith is part of their daily lives. Highlighted here and on the following pages are news and updates from just a small selection of the many projects we support. Please pray as you read.
5,524 for ood relief (US$8,981; 6,877)
Parents of 59 Christian children in rural, western Burma (Myanmar) were delighted to see their children embark on a year at a regular government school in June, made possible by Barnabas Fund, who paid the school fees. The parents, who are impoverished farmers and belong to the predominantly Christian Chin minority, were extremely relieved that their children were saved from attending Buddhist monastery schools. Their children would have had to live at the monasteries, away from the family homes. Or they would have gone to free government schools for minority groups, which are used to coerce Chin children to convert to Buddhism. At these schools Christian students are prevented from practising their faith; they are frequently forced to shave their heads and wear monastic robes or beaten for failing to recite Buddhist scriptures.
A group of Christians from the Karen people in Burma (Myanmar) ed to Thailand to escape the Burmese armys violent campaign. But they had to leave the land where they had built a church when the authorities refused to renew their lease.
Project reference 75-763 (Aid for persecuted Burmese Christians)
I was full of joy when receiving this food. We always depend upon God and He is giving us strength to stand rm in faith, said Bivash, after receiving a bag full of food and medicines through Barnabas Fund in a direct answer to prayer. He had shared with a visiting local pastor the serious problem faced by his family and had asked for prayer. Exceptionally heavy monsoon rains had made it impossible for Bivash to work the farmland, either where he was employed as a daily labourer, or his own small plot of land. Their money had run out, and he could no longer buy food for his family. The relief from Barnabas came soon after. Bivashs family was one of 300 Christian families, many of whom are converts from Islam, in southeastern and north-eastern parts of Bangladesh who received rice, dal (lentils), soya bean oil, salt, sugar, antibiotics and saline for rehydration thanks to Barnabas Fund. The supplies were enough to feed them for one month.
Using a grant of 786 from Barnabas they were able to buy cheap building materials. Knowing that their church might have to be moved again when their new lease expires, they used bamboo for the walls, sand and rocks for the foundation, and cement for the oor. They also bought chairs and a table, and 50 Bibles for the congregation.
In April they started building on a new site by transferring materials from their former building. They got as far as preparing the ground, erecting posts and putting on a roof, but they did not have the funds to complete the work.
Project reference 75-1065
COMPASSION IN ACTION
bringing hope,
During the classes someone would always be on alert to signal that a new person had entered the church in case the person was a secret agent. The students were so eager to learn more that the organisers decided to extend the school by a month and a half. Barnabas Fund recently sent a grant to fund the 2012-2013 academic year as well. A Bible school in Moldova, also supported by Barnabas Fund, has a vision to train the future Christian leaders of Central Asia. Many of their students come from Central Asia, and some graduates are now involved in ministry at two underground training centres founded by the Bible school. Barnabas Fund also recently sent support to a Bible school in Kyrgyzstan, where 83 students, many of them converts from Islam, are being trained.
Bible schools: 10,000 in Central Asia (US$16,300; 12,400) 25,000 in Moldova (US$41,600; 31,100) 7,987 in Kyrgyzstan (US$12,897; 10,000) Conferences: 2,680 in Kyrgyzstan (US$4,360; 3,330) 6,200 in Tajikistan (US$10,100; 7,700)
transforming lives
COMPASSION IN ACTION
In
September Barnabas Fund began a major rescue operation to airlift 2,000 of the neediest, most vulnerable Christians stranded and endangered in Sudan to safety and a new life in South Sudan.
After a number of signicant obstacles were overcome, the rst of 12 chartered ights departed from Khartoum for Juba on 19 September. The rescue mission is ongoing. About two-thirds of the women are widows. Hundreds of thousands of people of Southern origin were stripped of their citizenship of the strongly Islamic Sudan after the independence of the mainly Christian South Sudan in July 2011. Many of the Southerners living in the North had ed there during the long and bitter civil war in which the South was completely ravaged, its infrastructure destroyed and two million people killed. After Sudan told them to get out of the country, Southerners began making their way home, but the poorest and most vulnerable remained trapped in a place that is increasingly hostile to their presence.
Sudans President Omar al-Bashir has made it very clear that the Christians are not welcome. He has said that the countrys next constitution will be 100% Islamic and has promised to strengthen sharia law. When anger ared in Sudan over the American lm Innocence of Muslims, threats were made against Christians in Khartoum. As well as facing danger, the impoverished Christians were living in dire conditions in makeshift shelters on the outskirts of Khartoum for many months, without the resources to help themselves. But now, having been taken to safety, they are embarking on new lives in the mainly Christian South Sudan. They were welcomed at temporary reception facilities set up by the South Sudanese government in Juba before moving on to extended family connections around the country. They also received practical support from the Church in South Sudan. The plans to evacuate the 2,000 Christian women and children were praised by the South Sudanese ambassador in Khartoum. We and our partners,
Africa Inland Church Sudan, have worked closely with him on this challenging rescue mission. In addition to paying for the 2,000 ights at a cost of about 175 (US $283; 219) per person we also sent a grant to help other Christians arriving, many of them on foot, at the Hai Salaam returnee camp in Malakal. This was used to provide food, cooking utensils, mosquito nets, canvas and plastic sheeting for shelters and other essential items.
Our partner in Malakal said the help was well received with heartfelt thanksgiving and Gods name was blessed richly and lifted high for remembering them through this journey.
NEWSDESK
An estimated 700 Pakistani Christian girls are kidnapped annually and forcibly married to their Muslim captors. The police often do little to protect Christians, whether from violent attack, sexual assault or forced marriage, and few of those responsible are brought to justice
are very vulnerable to being accused under the law, which demands the death penalty for anyone who is found guilty of deling the name of Muhammad and life imprisonment for desecrating the Quran. The laws are material must be eliminated from textbooks, otherwise similar incidents would continue to happen. Vulnerability under the blasphemy law is only one part of the wider climate of persecution and discrimination
Barnabas Fund is supporting Christian families who have ed violence in the area after Rimshas arrest
often misused, fuelled by prejudice against Christians and other nonMuslims. Violent attacks following such accusations are common, and
endured by Christians in Pakistan. Another serious challenge is the kidnap, forced marriage and forced conversion of Christian women and
NEWSDESK
all brothers and sisterskill or physically attack the enemies of the religion of Allah the Christians in all of Egypts provinces
his authority. Jihadi organisations have distributed leaets calling on all brothers and sisters to kill or physically attack the enemies of the religion of Allah the Christians in all of Egypts provinces. A monetary reward was offered for those who obeyed. There have also been calls from Islamists for state monitoring of church nances. These calls come as President Morsi has gone back on promises of an inclusive administration. On 12 August, he seized full executive prominent positions, and silencing media critics by replacing editors of major state-owned newspapers and taking TV channels off the air. A new report, by an Egyptian Christian human rights activist and a professor from George Washington University, has also found that Christian women in Egypt are more vulnerable since the Arab Spring uprising to kidnap, forced conversion and forced marriage.
This church orphanage building in Homs has been badly damaged by the violence
FEEDING APPEAL
illions of Christians who suffer pressure and persecution go to bed hungry every night. These brothers and sisters live with food shortages to a degree that most of us cannot even imagine. In many parts of the world, discrimination, violence and displacement trap Christians in crushing cycles of hunger and debt. Long-standing discrimination can keep Christian families in poverty. In countries such as Pakistan and Egypt, Christians may be denied the exam result or job that could lift their family out of hunger. Even when they are hired, Christians are often paid less than a Muslim doing the same job and may be denied promotion. This can lead to a vicious cycle in which children cannot go to school because their families are poor, and their lack of education then leaves the next generation stuck in poverty. Hunger can also be a result of having to ee from violence. In the last two decades hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Christians have ed to Syria, Jordan and Lebanon due to increasing anti-Christian
aggression in their own country. Unable to get jobs, once their savings run out, many cannot afford to buy enough food for their families. Then this year, as Syria too has descended into chaos and civil war, tens of thousands of Syrian Christians have been displaced from their homes and are in urgent need of food and other basics. The lives of very poor Christians are extremely precarious. If the breadwinner in a Christian family is killed or imprisoned, or has to go into hiding, their family can go hungry as a result. For example, Pakistans blasphemy law is often used against Christians. If a Christian is arrested for blasphemy, there are often threats or violent attacks against their family or the whole of their local Christian community. Barnabas is helping the families of Aasia Bibi and Rimsha Masih, who were both arrested under this law. Aasias family has had to go into hiding, and Rimshas Christian community has been driven from their village. Having lost their incomes, they are at risk of going hungry. Barnabas is supporting them with food parcels.
Barnabas supports longterm feeding programmes in: Burma (Myanmar) Egypt Holy Land Iraq Kenya Pakistan South Sudan Zimbabwe
Barnab i he ping im Barnabas is helpin Saima Mas h and her family, who were displaced nabas m asi mily, mil w from their home as a result of anti-Christian violence in Islamabad o heir home o u v e c Isla la
1,177 Christian families in Pakistan enough to eat every day. Robin Masih, whose family had to ee their home because of the violence following Rimsha Masihs arrest, said Being a Christian it is
our faith that Jesus Christ is our Provider. Yes, it has been proved that He is our Provider! We are thankful to Barnabas Fund.
per month helps to support a displaced, persecuted family in Syria
Barnabas is also helping Christian families in Syria who are suffering in the violent conict there.
both the American midwest and Eastern Europe, which have led to a dramatic increase in grain prices. The World Bank estimates that global food prices jumped by 10% in July 2012. A statement by three UN food agencies, released on 4 September, called for an immediate response, saying: We need to act urgently to make sure that these price shocks do not
turn into a catastrophe hurting tens of millions. People in poor, food-importing countries will be the hardest hit, and this is not a temporary issue. Food price spikes are a symptom of an underlying vulnerability caused by weather, population increase and the fact that only a few nations are large producers of food staples.
EQUIPPING THE CHURCH We continue o r se ies on k y teachings f th Ch istian fa th by lo kin i this i sue a t e doc ine o salv tio We contin e our series on key teachings of the Christian faith by looking in this issue at the doctrine of salvation. on nue eri s each s he hri n ait ook ng t is iss e ctri e s vat on.
Introduction
the Old Testament (OT) by God. This theological usage incorporates the two ordinary senses of the word mentioned above, namely rescue and restoration; divine salvation includes both the releasing of people from danger and the repair or renewal of their health and life. But it extends the idea of well-being and wholeness to embrace the whole person, and it is sometimes associated with the life of heaven or the life of the age to come. It comes from the heavenly and supreme ruler/s of the universe, and in the OT from God Himself. Our discussion of salvation in the NT will focus particularly on Paul, in whose writings this language is most concentrated, and on the rst three (Synoptic) Gospels and Acts, where it is generally less dominant but more varied. Additional perspectives will be provided from other NT writings.
For Paul the terms relating to salvation almost always refer to Gods action in Christ to rescue people from sin and its destructive consequences, and the benecial results of this. In other words, he uses them as general descriptions of the blessings brought to human beings by the Gospel (Romans 1:16). Salvation has both negative and positive aspects for Paul. Negatively it involves deliverance from Gods condemnation and wrath at the nal judgment (1 Thessalonians 1:10; cp. Romans 8:1), and from the power of evil in the present through the gift of the Spirit (Ephesians 1:13; cp. Romans 8:4). Positively it includes being conformed to the image of Gods Son in His resurrection (Romans 8:29; Philippians 3:21) and entry into the heavenly kingdom of Christ (Colossians 1:13; 2 Timothy 4:18). In 1 Corinthians 1:18 being saved is contrasted with perishing; it is a process of escaping from death into life. Salvation also has past, present and future dimensions for Paul. In one sense it is something that has already been accomplished for us when we became believSalvation in the Bible ers (Romans 8:24; Ephesians 2:4-7). In another sense it is In the language and time of the NT the various terms a continuing process, to be experienced in the present (1 relating to deliverance (save, saving, salvation, Sav- Corinthians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 6:2). And in still another iour) often appear in secular contexts. Sometimes to save sense it is a future event to be enjoyed when Christ appears someone is to rescue them from life-threatening danger and (1 Thessalonians 5:8-9, cp. 1:10; Philippians 3:20), somebring them into a state of safety and well-being. Elsewhere thing that is nearer to us now than when we rst believed salvation is a synonym for healing, denoting the means or (Romans 13:11). process by which a sick person is made healthy again, or In the Synoptic Gospels the language of salvation their resulting state of health and wholeness. It commonly also refers to the benets received through the Gospel. refers to the benets brought by a human ruler, and in NT Jesus announces the good news of the kingdom of God, times specically to those provided by the Roman emperor. which involves the defeat of Satan and his rule; so salvaBut the vocabulary of salvation was of course also tion is the deliverance of those held captive by Satan from used to refer to deliverance brought about by gods, or in all the forms of evil in which he binds them.
hat must I do to be saved? The question of the Philippian jailer to Paul and Silas (Acts 16:30) is one of the most important that anyone can ask. It presupposes three fundamental claims about our human condition: that there is something from which we need to be saved, that we need someone else to save us, and that there is something we must do in order to be saved. Much of the Bible, especially the New Testament (NT), is devoted to expounding these statements. The Christian view of salvation marks Christianity off sharply from other religions and philosophies. Some of these would not even pose the jailers question, because they deny all three of the statements above. Others would frame the question differently, perhaps asking instead how we can be enlightened or what we must do to save ourselves. Still others would ask the same question but give very different answers to it. For example, Islam afrms that people need salvation from the judgment of Allah, and that in order to obtain that salvation they must full certain obligations laid down by Allah. But although these general assertions reect a supercial similarity between Christianity and Islam, when we look beyond them to Islams more specic teachings, major differences rapidly emerge. Moreover, Islam cannot accept that we can or need to be saved by someone else, but believes that we must save ourselves. Thus the Muslim and Christian doctrines of salvation prove on inspection to be vastly different. In this article we shall look briey at key elements of NT teaching on salvation, organised in three broad areas: What are we saved from (and for)? Whom are we saved by? And what must we do to be saved? We will then contrast this with Islamic doctrine to identify the key points of difference, which must be borne in mind when sharing our faith with Muslims. We begin, however, with some general comments about the language of salvation in the NT.
II
www.barnabasfund.org
CAMPAIGNS
1. Visit the special Proclaim Freedom section of the Barnabas Fund website to get started. Alternatively, call your nearest Barnabas ofce for more information. 2. Show the Proclaim Freedom video in your church service. 3. Request a Proclaim Freedom wristband and/or lapel pin badge for your own use and make some available at your church (1 each or 9 for 10). 4. Consider providing a special Barnabas Fund money box that could be used in conjunction with the wristbands and lapel pin badges. Also make available free bookmarks and persecuted Church postcards from Barnabas Fund. 5. Download or request the Proclaim Freedom petition and share it with your church. 6. Use the sample letter on our website to write to your elected representative.
The Proclaim Freedom campaign calls upon governments to: recognise that Christians around the world currently face unprecedented levels of persecution and are one of the most persecuted groups in the world put the plight of persecuted Christians, both individually and as communities, at the forefront of their relations with the countries concerned promote freedom of religion for all, using diplomatic relations, bi-lateral ties, aid, and agreed international obligations on core human rights promote justice for all and specically to ensure that those who incite hatred or act violently against Christians are held accountable for their crimes
7. Invite people you know to set time aside on 1 November to pray for the persecuted Church either individually or as a group, join the event on Facebook, download a copy of the Prayer Guide and tell us what you have planned on our interactive map on our website. 8. Consider holding a Suffering Church Sunday in November (or any Sunday that is preferable for your church). Dont forget to order a free Suffering Church Sunday pack, designed to equip your church for this occasion. 9. Tell us what your church is planning for Suffering Church Sunday by posting it on our interactive online map. 10. Consider how the new childrens resource, Brothers and Sisters: Loving our Persecuted Family, could be used to support the Proclaim Freedom campaign, either on Suffering Church Sunday or by holding a special childrens event focused on the persecuted Church.
A Barnabas Fund staff member visits a range of projects in Pakistan supported by Barnabas Fund
a n a y at otected and happ e Gulshan feels pr s the safe house
It
had become dark outside when we nally pulled up at a large house at the end of a cul-de-sac. We had been driving through a dizzying number of back alleys, twisting and swerving around crowds of ambling people, donkey carts and auto rickshaws. A curtain icked back briey on the rst oor, revealing the silhouette of a young woman anxiously checking who was coming. We had arrived at a Barnabas Fund-supported safe house for Christian women and children. Sparse-looking but immaculately clean rooms and stairs led us to a spacious rst oor, which we were told is the living room of six women who are living at the safe house with three of their children. Simple wooden crosses hang above doors leading to two shared bedrooms and a large kitchen. Gulshan, a dignied-looking young woman, regularly glances away while she tells us the events that brought her here. Four years earlier at age 16 she was raped by a Muslim man in the presence of two other Muslim men. Her family led a complaint, and the man was arrested. A medical examination proved that she had indeed been raped by the accused. He was sentenced to a prison term, which he is now sitting out. But after the sentence Muslim neighbours tried to pressurise Gulshan to withdraw her accusation. The risk that they would kidnap her and force her to retract her statement at gunpoint became so great that she had to go into hiding. I prayed a lot during that time, she said, and asked God that I can stay strong in my statement. Even though the circumstances that have brought the six Christian women together are difcult and sad, they seem to enjoy spending time together. Gulshan says, I like living here at the safe house. It feels as if Im at home.
At the safe house she is learning to sew. The training in sewing will give me a respectable earning while living at home. No harmful incidences can happen to me at home. I often read Psalms because I feel as if some have been written especially for me. They give me strength and the knowledge that God is with me.
Accused of blasphemy
CLAAS, the Christian ministry that shelters Gulshan and the other women and their children, also provides legal assistance to Christians. Barnabas Fund supports their intrepid legal work for Pakistans Christian minority, who often face injustice and rarely receive proper legal representation. I met Munir Masih at the CLAAS ofce. He is a serious-looking man of 35, who is husband to Ruqqiya. At the time of the meeting his wife had been in prison for almost four years, sentenced to life imprisonment for desecrating a Quran in their home. Munir and their six children have been living in hiding all this time after receiving threats that Muslims would kill them because of their association with Ruqqiya. Munir told me that before the blasphemy incident he had a good job as a businessman, but now he can often nd work for only a couple of days in the month as a daily labourer, earning a pitifully low wage. Barnabas Fund has been providing him and his family with monthly food packages. The food from Barnabas Fund is a big support, Munir said. I can feed my children and am very thankful. Since I met Munir, Ruqqiya has been unexpectedly cleared of the blasphemy charges in the High Court with help from CLAAS. Although this is joyful news and an answer to prayer, the family will remain in danger of attack for the rest of their lives and in need of practical help just to survive.
SPOTLIGHT
We have an aim
Thousands of other Christian families in Pakistan are receiving monthly food packages thanks to Barnabas Fund. The majority are not dealing with the life-threatening circumstances that Munirs family are in, but their lives are precarious for other reasons: decades-long discrimination has trapped them in a cycle of illiteracy and poverty. Akran and Nusrat, a cheerful young couple, have come with three of their children to their church to pick up the bags of rice, our, oil and other food items. The pastor who coordinates the monthly food distribution told me that Akran is a choir master and knows many beautiful Christian songs. But, they told me themselves, both are illiterate because they grew up too poor to be able to go to school. Their house consists of just one room. Although they work long hours, their joint income is not enough to support their family. Nusrat can nd work only as a cleaner in a Muslim household. Working in a Muslim house isnt easy, she explains to me. They keep on telling us that our faith is no good. I have no choice but to listen to them. The food support that they have been receiving from Barnabas Fund for a year and a half is making it possible for the couple to send their children to school for the rst time. Their oldest son, Daud, is now attending a Christian school. He has expressed a desire to become a pastor. And the parents are even thinking ahead about showing Christian love to others in need. We have an aim, says Nusrat brightly and decisively. Once our children are educated, we want to help other people by giving them food.
Courageous evangelists
One evening we joined a large meeting of pastors who are all receiving support from Barnabas Fund. Many had travelled for hours on motorcycles to be there. Just as the main speaker started reading from the Bible, a familiar, tinny wail could be heard over loudspeakers; a nearby mosque was issuing the Muslim call to prayer. It highlighted one of many injustices, great and small, that Christians have to face in Pakistan, namely that only Muslims may use loudspeakers. Tarbele, an evangelist, came to talk with me. Speaking with much emphasis and conviction in his deep voice, he told me that he had grown up in a wealthy Muslim household, but that he had had many questions about eternal life. Only a Christian evangelist had been able to answer them satisfactorily. This conversation led him to dedicate his life to Christ and to become an evangelist himself, despite the many risks. I am threatened every single day, he said, looking at me with penetrating eyes. My life is always uncertain. And yet he continues to go to market places and on buses and trains to tell the people the Good News. When talking to Muslims I compare the Quran and Bible and tell them who gave the right answers about forgiveness of sin and salvation. Through his work 21 Muslim families have found the Lord. He also pastors a congregation of 150 families.
Diverse help
On our trip we met many other Christians in Pakistan who are being helped by Barnabas Fund in a variety of ways. Christian students are attending university with scholarships from Barnabas Fund; Christian publishers are producing culturally relevant Christian training material in Urdu to equip thousands of Christians; Christian women in rural areas are receiving healthcare instruction and are learning skills such as sewing and weaving. I felt privileged to meet these Christians and see them strong in their faith despite very difcult circumstances. They, in turn, responded with joy when hearing that Christians in the West care about their problems and are praying for them.
A street scene in Pakis tan
DAY OF PRAYER
Link up with a group event in your area. The map on our website makes it easy to nd and join in with a prayer event. The number and varied locations of events around the world that have already been registered with us is an inspiration for our prayers. There is still time to plan your own prayer event if one is not yet organised near you. Some suggestions are offered below for how your event could be set up.
Commit to praying as an individual on this date. You can join our Facebook event or Twitter feed to connect with others who are doing the same. Updates will be posted throughout the day, and those praying can share their ideas and prayers with others. Come to our International Prayer Summit in London (for details see below).
Barnabas Fund is holding a Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church on Thursday 1 November. We are encouraging Christians worldwide to dedicate time on this date to praying for our brothers and sisters who suffer because of their faith in Christ. Christians from all around the world will be taking part, from Romania to Bangladesh, from the Philippines to the United States, and from Malawi to Malaysia. This is a fantastic opportunity for us to come together in prayer as one international body of believers in support of our Lords suffering family. So please do join us in prayer on Thursday 1 November, and get your friends at church involved too.
Resources
Whether you are praying individually or in a group, a Prayer Guide, including a timetable with information on individual countries, will be available to help you. Every half an hour a country is suggested for you to pray for, with some background and specic prayer points. The fact that this will be used across time zones means that each country will be repeatedly lifted up to the Lord. There are several ways by which you can access the Prayer Guide:
Order free of charge from your local Barnabas Fund ofce (addresses can be found on the back page of this magazine) Download from our website (www.barnabasfund.org/scs) Follow the prayer requests as they appear on our Facebook and Twitter feeds on the day Other resources include: Our Lent prayer booklet, which gives more detailed proles of countries to pray for Recent editions of our Prayer Focus Update, with recent stories and points for prayer from various countries The most recent copy of our Barnabas Prayer diary, which provides a short prayer point for each day of a two-month period
Barnabas Funds website. Browsing our news archive will give you information on recent incidents of anti-Christian persecution to stimulate your prayers Your daily newspaper. You could pray for how the days news items will affect Christians who live in the countries affected
Barnabas Fund resources can be downloaded from our website or ordered through your local ofce (addresses on back page) provided that time remains for them to arrive with you by 1 November.
All are welcome, so please join us at any time and for as long as you can on
Persecuted Church
1. Praise God that He is all-knowing, that in Christ He Himself experienced shame, pain and agonising death. Thank Him for His promise: I will never leave you nor forsake you. (Joshua 1:5) 2. Pray that all governments will work for justice. While Jesus says that in this world we will have trouble, He does not say that it will always be present in every place. 3. Pray that leaders of the liberal democracies will use their inuence to seek to reduce, if not end, persecution in countries where it occurs. Just as Paul appealed to Caesar to seek justice, so we can appeal to secular government. 4. Pray for growth of the Church where persecution ourishes, remembering that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. 5. Pray for strength and courage for those experiencing persecution, and for the peace that only God can bring. Thank Him that His grace is sufcient for their needs (2 Corinthians 12:9). Pray that their faith will not fail, but that their suffering will draw them closer to Him.
st
DAY OF PRAYER
Stay in touch!
For more information and resources visit www.barnabasfund.org/UK/Pray Join our Day of Prayer event on Facebook visit www.facebook.com/BarnabasFund and choose Events. 15 Follow our Twitter feed for updates at www.twitter.com/BarnabasFund
BIBLICAL REFLECTION
he Song of Mary in Lukes Gospel, often called the Magnicat, is one of the best-known passages in the New Testament. Many churches use it as part of their regular worship, and it has been set to music by great classical composers and distinguished hymnwriters. Most of us will hear it read in one of our Christmas services in the next few weeks.
message that she is to give birth to a child who will be both King of Israel and Son of God. She hurries away to visit her relative Elizabeth, who is already bearing the infant John the Baptist, and who greets her as one who is blessed among women. Mary in turn bursts out in praise to the Lord. So the passage recounts Marys response to Gods fullment of the promises He made to her regarding the birth of Jesus. Its purpose is to explain the meaning and the effect of Jesus coming, and also to indicate the proper response to it. In this way the Song ts within the overall goal of Lukes Gospel, both to explain the signicance of Jesus and to conrm and strengthen Christian readers in their discipleship, which they must sometimes live out in the face of opposition. A right understanding of what God has done for us in Christ enables us to set all our experiences as Christians, including the sufferings that we endure for Him, in their proper context. This then allows us to respond appropriately to them. When we recognise how God has blessed and will bless us through the coming of Jesus as Messiah and Son of God, we are able to persevere and grow in faithfulness to Him and in the furthering of His purpose in the world.
But like other popular Bible readings, this one can become so familiar to us that its remarkable message gets muted, and then it no longer has the impact upon us that the Biblical author intended. The Song of Mary is an exuberant celebration of the powerful and compassionate action of God in Christ, for the salvation of His people and in fullment of His ancient covenant promises. As such it speaks forcefully to all Christians, as the beneciaries of what God has done, and particularly to those for whom poverty and oppression are part of their daily experience. So what is the message of this great passage for the persecuted Church, and for us who are called to support them in their need?
BIBLICAL REFLECTION joy and praise that grabs our attention rst. Marys experience as the mother of the Lord will not be an unmixed blessing for her; indeed, in the very next chapter she is told that as a result of His coming a sword will pierce her soul (Luke 2:35). But here she recognises what God has done as a compelling reason to exalt Him and be glad; this is the right response to what He has done. It might seem to us that Christians who suffer discrimination, harassment or violence as a result of their faith would be unable to respond to Gods saving work in the same way as Mary does. Yet time and again they prove us wrong. serve God instead of conforming to the religion or ideology of the majority community. For instance, in Muslim-majority contexts Christians have traditionally been regarded as inferior to Muslims, unclean and contemptible, and treated as second-class citizens at best. This attitude is still widespread today; it is often propagated by the Muslim media and expressed in unofcial but very severe discrimination. These verses tell us that God is not indifferent to the contempt in which so many of His people have been held down the centuries. In Christ He has taken thought for them and acted in great Christ they are honoured and lled with His good things. The proud who have power and wealth may trample on them to establish and maintain their own high position, but in Gods kingdom these people are cast down into disgrace and are excluded from its blessings. As we read on in Lukes Gospel and especially the Acts of the Apostles, we see this process of status reversal being worked out in the context of the Christian community, where those who have much care for those who have little so that there are no needy people among them (e.g. Acts 4:32-37). So the message of Marys Song nds its fullment in the practical support of despised and needy Christians through the resources of their Christian family. Barnabas Fund exists to help this happen.
the churches of what is now South Sudan have suffered unbelievable deprivation and distress in the last 30 years; yet they are renowned for their joyful praise.
For example, the churches of what is now South Sudan have suffered unbelievable deprivation and distress in the last 30 years; yet they are renowned for their joyful praise. And the mainly Chin people of Burma (Myanmar), who have faced severe persecution from their government, are also well known for their loud and lively worship. They know that even in the face of opposition and pain, this is the tting response for them to make to God our Saviour. power and mercy to bless them mightily. His work on behalf of those who honour Him is as real for downtrodden Christians today as it was for Mary.
Reversal of status
Each of the next three verses comprises a pair of statements in which Gods action in Christ to benet His lowly people is described in more detail. He has shown His strength to deliver them from bondage by scattering their enemies and His, those whose attitude is arrogant and self-sufcient and who do not acknowledge His sovereignty. He has pulled down those who are strong from their positions of power and has raised the standing of those whose status is lowly. Those who are in want He has satised with His blessings, while those who have plenty He has dismissed with nothing. We learn here that in the coming of Jesus, God has completely reversed the status of His oppressed people and those who oppress them. Christians may be consigned to a very low standing in society because they serve God, but in the kingdom of God that He is bringing in
IN TOUCH N
A label attached to a
cookie pack
As part of Operation Nehem iah, which works towards the spiritual transformation of soc iety in the West, 113 primary schools in the UK have so far received ACTS (Assisting Christianity Teaching in School s) packs of Christian books and resources for their pupils and teachers. Barnabas Fun d has received some lovely tha nk you letters from the childre n of Lyneham Primary School in Chippenham. They wrote, We are so thankful to you for giv ing us these fantastic books We have the best books in Engla nd because of you. ACTS is one way of reaching out to school s and equipping them with ma terial that will make a difference. The headteacher of the school, Jul ie Carr, wrote that the donation has been a huge success.
in our churches s of our Saviours birth. The stories young people wh of other children o also face poverty and and danger can he with the Christmas lp them to identify story.
Loving our p ersecuted fa mily at Chris Christmas is an op portunity to share tmas with young people the circumstance
! ke a look Ta
Born in a strange town, in an untidy stable, to parents refugees as they who were to beco ed to Egypt to es me This resource cape Herods mas Saviours life was includes a Bible le sacre of infants, ou at risk from the st sson plan, r games, a song, st art. As you re-live that ories and more on story this Christm the theme of loving ou as, why not use th Suffering Church r Christian brothe e Barnabas Fund Sunday childrens rs and sisters. It is availa materials in the bo Sisters loving ble to order for fre ok Brothers and our persecuted fa e from your national Barn mily? Share with abas ofce (addre the young people sses on back cover) or at www.barnabasfu nd.org/scs.
18 BARNABAS AID NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012
in your church the stories of children who trust in Chris t and, following in His footsteps, nd them selves in poverty or eeing their coun try as refugees.
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PROCLAIM FREEDOM
HOW CAN WE BE SILENT? Free resources for your churchs Suffering Church Sunday service are now available. You can download them from our website (www.barnabasfund.org/scs). You can also order them from our online shop or from your nearest Barnabas ofce (addresses below). The resources can be ordered individually or as a pack, which contains: A3 poster to advertise your service or meeting Barnabas Aid September/October 2012, which includes a sermon outline, an accompanying small-group Bible study and a drama script Suffering Church Sunday 2012-13 DVD which includes a short video, PowerPoint slides and two worship songs Childrens resources Persecuted Church postcard with response form Prayer bookmark Proclaim Freedom wristband You can also order additional postcards and bookmarks free of charge; why not order enough for everyone in your congregation to take home after your service on Suffering Church Sunday? Proclaim Freedom lapel pin Further wristbands and lapel pins can be ordered for 1 each or 10 for 9. Proclaim Freedom money box
How to Find Us
UK 9 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EX Telephone 024 7623 1923 Fax 024 7683 4718 From outside the UK
Telephone +44 24 7623 1923 Fax +44 24 7683 4718 Email info@barnabasfund.org Registered charity number 1092935 Company registered in England number 4029536 For a list of all trustees, please contact Barnabas Fund UK at the Coventry address above.
Australia PO BOX 3527, LOGANHOLME, QLD 4129 Telephone (07) 3806 1076 or 1300 365 799 Fax (07) 3806 4076 Email bfaustralia@barnabasfund.org Germany German supporters may send gifts for Barnabas Fund via Hilfe fr Brder who will provide you with a tax-deductible receipt. Please mention that the donation is for SPC 20 Barnabas Fund. If you would like your donation to go to a specic project of Barnabas Fund, please inform the Barnabas Fund ofce in Pewsey, UK. Account holder: Hilfe fr Brder e.V. Account number: 415 600 Bank: Evang Kreditgenossenschaft Stuttgart Bankcode (BLZ): 520 604 10
The Old Rectory, River Street, Pewsey, Wiltshire SN9 5DB, UK Telephone 01672 564938 Fax 01672 565030 From outside UK: Telephone +44 1672 564938 Fax +44 1672 565030 Email info@barnabasfund.org
Barnabas Fund 2012. For permission to reproduce articles from this magazine, please contact the International Headquarters address above. The paper used is produced using wood bre at a mill that has been awarded the ISO14001 certicate for environmental management.
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