Church in Chains, November 3^rd, 2023 (excerpts)

In May 2023 we rejoiced at the news from Iran that Sara Ahmadi and her husband Homayoun Zhaveh had been acquitted and released from Evin prison following a ruling at the appeal court in Tehran.

Sara and Homayoun are converts from Islam who were sentenced to 8 and 2 years respectively for their house-church activities – Sara for leadership and Homayoun for membership. The 9 months they spent in prison were especially difficult as Homayoun suffers from advanced Parkinson’s and was held in a separate section to Sara.

On 24 October, Open Doors published a message sent from Sara via Iranian Christian advocacy organisation Article 18, in which she describes how God brought calm to her soul and testifies to how her prison experience deepened her faith:

“As we were sent to prison, one thing calmed my soul in this stormy and noisy moment and propelled me towards peace and joy. In one moment, the Spirit of God reminded us of everything that He taught us since before our arrest in 2019 until that very moment. 

As soon as I remembered all of this, I wiped my tears from my face and told Homayoun not to worry, that God was with us and that we would be acquitted and released soon. I said we would only have to be there for a while and must do God’s will among the people we were sent to be in their midst, and that Jesus was alive and would fulfil His promise to us even in the valley of the shadow of death.” 

Voice of the Martyrs, November 9^th, 2023

On Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023, hundreds of Christians gathered at a church in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to end a weeklong series of prayer meetings. The gathering was so large that chairs and tarps were placed outside to provide overflow seating. Those in attendance did not know that radical Islamic group ADF (Allied Democratic Forces) had buried a bomb in the outdoor seating area.

Just after a children’s choir finished performing, the bomb exploded, killing 15 people, and seriously injuring roughly 70 more. “Now some people are saying that we planted the bomb!” said one assistant pastor, explaining, “Those people think we are trying to gain sympathy and funding.”

The pastor asked that Christians pray for those who are grieving and struggling to recover from their injuries. He also asked for prayers that the church will be vindicated, that Christ will be glorified, and that peace will come to the DRC.

While the DRC is one of Africa’s largest countries geographically with a Christian-majority population, Islamist groups severely persecute Christians along the DRC’s eastern border.

One of the principal persecutors is the Islamist Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). The ADF is active in the Rwenzori Mountain area and seeks to establish Islamic law throughout the region.

When rebels capture groups of people, they often release Muslims while killing Christians who refuse to convert. There are more than 100 other armed groups operating in the DRC who also target Christians.

Joshua Project, November 13^th, 2023

The Bangka live on the island of Bangka in the South China Sea, off the east coast of Sumatra Island in Bangka-Belitung Province. Other Indonesians often visit this island because it has beautiful beaches. Inhabitants of the island are composed of two groups: those descended from the Malay and those descended from the Chinese.

The Bangka Malay are Muslims, so their faith is in the teachings of the Koran rather than the blood of Jesus Christ.  However, they are not particularly orthodox in their beliefs.  Mosques have few visitors during the sunset ritual prayers.

There has been an economic downturn in tin mining, the main industry among the Bangka. This presents an opportunity for Christ followers to minister to the Bangka by helping them build new businesses and explore new industries.

Pray that the Spirit leads this people group to hope in Christ and that He becomes the trustworthy anchor of their souls.

Pray that there would be economic prosperity in the Bangka community, and that the Lord would be faithful in providing financial resources to struggling families. Pray that the small group of Christ followers among the Bangka would rise up in courage and share the love of Christ with their unbelieving neighbours. Pray for spiritual hunger among the Bangka, leading them to the cross.

October 30, 2003 (excerpts)

Family Update

Good news in our family this month is that Ema is pregnant. According to the doctors the baby is around 7-8 weeks old. We are immensely thankful for this providence from the Lord and look forward to next year when our first child will be born. Rejoice with us.

We anticipate the financial burdens which are coming; however, we face them with joy, knowing that this is truly a blessing and that the Lord will provide through the generosity of His people.

Church

Things continue to move somewhat slowly with the church.  I have spent many hours on a one-to-one basis with the men who do not usually come to gatherings. This has had a strong impact on them, and I hope they will see the value of meeting together.  Until then, it gives me an opportunity to be involved in their lives, build better trust, and help them in their spiritual lives. I will do my best to spend a little time (outside of official meetings) with each man in the church, at least once a month.

Evangelism

The homeless ministry is moving a little more slowly without much progress in finding the homeless in our church’s vicinity.  Advice from others who have done this ministry before gives me a better grounding for finding the homeless and building relationships with them.

Esther and Mary have finished their beginning level training in street evangelism, and we are now a team. There are five of us in the team and we will soon go out in groups together. I have two men whom I continue to train, plus another two in reserve who would like to be trained at a later date.

Church in Chains, October 19, 2023 (excerpts)

News has emerged that Deng Tianyong (52), was released from prison on 1 July after serving a 3-year sentence for selling audio Bible players.  He returned to his hometown of Shaxi in Guangdong province and is reported to be in good spirits although he has lost a lot of weight.

China Aid reports, “After his release, he did not seem to be free. He never answered phone calls from close friends.  Friends speculate that he, like other Christians released from prison, may have been instructed by police not to contact any Christians.”  Deng is an employee of Shenzhen Tree of Life Technology Company, which sells Bible players – small digital playback devices that store sermons and hymns as well as audio Bibles.

The players are convenient, simple to operate and have become very popular in China. The Chinese government has made the manufacture and sale of Bible players an “illegal business” offence.

The executive director and legal representative of the company was Deng’s wife Fu Xianjuan, who is serving a six-year prison sentence and is not due for release until July 2026.

Deng is a former drug addict, of whom China Aid writes: “It was the Christian faith that completely changed him, so that he not only successfully recovered from drugs, but also became a God-fearing man.”  His lawyer visited him during his imprisonment and reportedly led him in worship.

Voice of the Martyrs, October 26, 2023 

One day in May 2023, an Iraqi pastor answered his phone, not knowing it would be the last call he would receive from a young Christian friend. On the line was a university student who had recently converted from Islam.

Some of the student’s former friends had arrived at his home, saying, “We know about your new faith. We are going to give you a chance to come back.” The group told him he could claim not to believe in any god, but he could not remain a Christian. The assailants gave him 24 hours to recant, or they would kill him.

They allowed him one phone call, so he called his pastor, who prayed for him and told him the decision was his alone. The pastor also reminded him of the eternal hope and home awaiting all followers of Christ.

The young man said he would share the good news of Christ with his former friends and remain faithful. He was executed for his faith the next day.

Attacks by the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS) forced tens of thousands of Christians to flee the country, leaving a small but bold and faithful remnant.

For many of these Iraqi Christians, day-to-day life is focused on survival, and yet they faithfully work to advance the gospel. Many of Iraq’s Muslims have rejected Islam and become open to Christ because of the corruption and violence rampant among radical Muslims.

These circumstances provide a unique opportunity to share the gospel with Iraqis searching for hope and truth. The violence and instability have also led to a revival among traditional Christians.

Morning Star News, October 27, 2023 

A Christian doctor was killed in a machete attack on him and his motorcycle driver on Oct. 17 in Nasarawa state, Nigeria, sources said.

Terrorists attacked Dr. Stephen Angbas, head of Angbas Hospital in the town of Lafia, at about 4 p.m. as he was returning from his farm in Awe County, in the southern part of the state, said area resident Jackson Habila in a text message to Morning Star News.

Angbas was a member of the Evangelical Reformed Church of Christ, Habila said.

Police spokesman Rahman Nansel of the Nasarawa State Police Command said in a press statement that Angbas’ commercial motorcycle driver, Mikailu Dahiru, was wounded in the attack along Jangargari-Awe Road.

Eyewitnesses told Punch news outlet that the assailants attacked them with machetes, and that Dahiru was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment of severe wounds.

It was unclear if the attack was religiously motivated, although the gruesome nature of the attack was similar to that of Nigerian terrorist attacks on Christians. 

Punch indicated robbery may have been the motive, though neither media nor police indicated any money was stolen.

Nasarawa state has suffered increasing attacks by Fulani herdsmen and other terrorists who have moved into the state. From April 24 to April 29, Fulani herdsmen killed 12 Christian farmers in Ajimaka, Doma County in an attack there and in 13 other villages.

Joshua Project, 30 October 2023

The Kami live in India’s West Bengal state and in Nepal. They are a rural people known for metal working and are divided into two groups: a group of blacksmiths and a group of gold, silver, and copper smiths. They supplement smithing with agricultural work. About a third are literate in Nepali, and many are bilingual, also speaking Bengali. Others serve as healers who favor traditional medicines over modern medicine.

As a rule, Kami people are Hindus. They worship different Hindu deities, and they go on pilgrimage to Hindu sacred sites in Darjeeling, a region of West Bengal.

The Kami people have a low literacy rate. Christ’s ambassadors must produce songs, stories and recordings from Scripture. This will take much effort, but it can be the key to seeing the Kami people embrace the Saviour.

The Lord is building his church among the peoples of Nepal. Nepali and Kami believers can be led to carry the message to the Kami people.

Pray for new believers in this people group to have Holy Spirit-led words to say to their elders as they explain their new faith.

Pray for churches to adopt the Kami for prayer and outreach. Pray for the Christian Kami to be loving and forthright in sharing their faith. Pray for increased literacy and for the JESUS Film to be shown in their communities. Pray that they would forsake idolatry and for the Lord to show his power over the spirit world.

Church in Chains, October 12, 2023 (excerpts)

The Supreme Court of Nepal has upheld the decision of the Jumla High Court, affirming Pastor Keshav Acharya’s one-year prison sentence for proselytising.

Pastor Keshav was arrested on numerous occasions in 2020 on allegations of attempting to convert Hindus to Christianity. On 30 November 2021 the District Court in Dolpa sentenced him to two years in prison, reduced to one year by the Jumla High Court on 13 July 2022. Pastor Keshav appealed the decision to the Supreme Court and was subsequently granted bail pending the Supreme Court decision.

Pastor Keshav stated in his appeal that criminalising and punishing him for practicing his own religion is contrary to the right to religious freedom enshrined in the Constitution of Nepal and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

However, the court dismissed his logic, raising questions about the compatibility of the Nepalese legal system with the principles of religious freedom. This case highlights the flaws in legal systems that supposedly protect freedom of religion yet have anti-conversion laws.

The judgment has deeply affected Pastor Keshav and his family, struggling with the impact of the decision and the fear of his potential arrest and imprisonment. His wife Junu Acharya expressed profound disturbance and heartbreak over the Supreme Court’s decision and said she viewed the legal investigations and legal process as discriminatory and biased.

Open Doors, October 16, 2023 (excerpts)

Philemon was a shaman when he chose to follow Jesus. Now he spreads the gospel in Vietnam, despite surveillance from local Communist authorities.

Not even oppressive surveillance will stop Philemon evangelising in Vietnam. Not after the change he’s seen in his life.

He had hit rock bottom. He was deeply in debt, addicted to alcohol – and now he and his family were facing eviction.

Philemon had been the community’s shaman – a person believed to be able to communicate with the spirit world, often on behalf of other people. Philemon had studied shamanism for five years, using rituals and mantras to supposedly speak to the spirit world. He was often called to remove an evil spirit from someone who thought they were being attacked by one.

“I was like a master or a saviour to my community,” he remembers. “I was very famous at that time. I succeeded in helping them but not my own family. The bank came and notified me that they will confiscate my property.”

Unable to see a way out of his problems, he bought poison with the intention of killing himself, along with his wife and two children. But the day before he planned to go through with it, he visited his sister to say goodbye – and she shared the gospel with him.

That night, Philemon threw the poison away. A journey of transformation had begun that saw Philemon and his wife encounter Jesus and choose to follow Him.