Find a Christian Mission Magazine 2015

www.findachristianmission.com.au

God’s voice is not silent here Our financial future Helping the Persecuted in the Muslim world

2015

God’s Voice is not silent here A small transmitter is all these exploited women own, but FEBC (Far East Broadcasting Company) is sharing the message of Jesus Christ and reaching the seemingly unreachable...

THE GLOBAL SLAVERY INDEX was recently released showing that India has a huge number of people caught up in the sex slave trade. Women and girls are forced to pay a huge price for being involved in this trade, living at the mercy of people who exploit and mistreat them. Where does their help come from, how can they be redeemed out of this darkness into the life they were really born to live – a life of respect, honour and dignity, which God has ordained for each one of us?

FEBC Australia is working in partnership with its sister organization, FEBA India, using freely given radios and specifically written radio broadcasts to speak to these women, showing them there is another way to live and to fulfil 20 Christian Woman Summer 2014_15

their dreams. Although the scale is huge, things are happening to change the lives of these women and their children with the help of this organization and their dedicated workers. They reach those who seem unreachable, using radio transmission and connection with local church communities to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and his salvation and liberation. “God’s voice is not silent here. It is being heard through impassioned work at the local level and the generous support of Christians, far away in Australia and other places,” says Kevin Keegan, National Director, FEBC Australia.

In the massive city of Kolkota women and girls who have been lured to the city with empty promises of

employment, are displayed like products at a convenience store. “In one area, I saw medium-rise buildings where, on each floor, women were arrayed: the higher the floor, the younger the girls being offered,” Kevin Keegan goes on to say.

FEBC works to reach these women, many of whom have no education, no identity and no resources, as well as the families of the remote north, located around the narrow stretch of India’s geography known as the Siliguri corridor.

The cities of Siliguri and nearby Jalpaiguri are surrounded by Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, the Himalayan foothills and the landlocked Indian state of Sikkim.

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Clockwise from opposite page: Broadcasts reach all ages and challenge the negative messages that people hear in the world around them; Broadcasts by women for women are building self esteem and challenging traditions of slavery and trafficking by sharing God’s love and reinforcing the value of each and every person; The broadcasters also go out into the villages and towns, engaging with listeners, distributing free radios and connecting with local believers

At this cultural and economic nexus impoverished and uneducated families sometimes sell their daughters into ‘marriage’ or ‘service’ in the hope that a better future is possible. FEBC is jamming this signal with a message of hope, love and eternal peace through Jesus who values each person enough to have died that they might live.

Radio technology delivered via short wave, AM, FM and digital means, enables FEBC to participate in a wide range of community development and community building projects, around the world.

Through partnerships with

global and local organizations, they offer humanitarian assistance such as medical, dental and food relief, educational scholarships, homes for the poor, marriage seminars, microenterprise opportunities, and disaster relief, to name a few.

FEBC Australia, through resourcing, equipping and supporting radio ministry in some of the world’s most remote, unreached communities, is able to get close to listeners (literally, getting in their ear) to challenge what society is telling them and connecting them with local believers.

FEBC (Far East Broadcasting Company) is a global media network broadcasting the Gospel of Jesus Christ and cultivating relationships to reach people with the Gospel.

Visit FEBC online: www.febc.org.au Stay connected with us: Facebook: (FEBC Australia) Twitter: (@febcaus) Phone: 1300 720 017 Email: office@febc.org.au

• Taking the gospel to the unreached peoples of Africa • Still 1008 unreached African people groups • More than 1000 workers in 22 countries • Short-term and long-term opportunities to serve

AFRICA INLAND MISSION

Contact Africa Inland Mission

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

“Christ-centred churches among all African peoples”

Australia PO Box 328 Gosford NSW 2250 P: 02 4322 4777 E: director.au@aimint.org W: www.aimint.org/au

New Zealand PO Box 13457 Onehunga, Auckland 1643 P: 09 281 4595.

E: admin.nz@aimint.org W: www.aimint.org/nz

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Our Financial Future

Visit www.crown.org.au to watch a testimony on video by this young woman

“THE FURORE THAT HAS RAGED over the latest Federal Budget makes it clear that our nation’s ‘hip pocket’ syndrome is very much alive,” explains Trevor Owens CEO of Crown Financial Ministries. Trevor is concerned about the financial implications on our society, not just in Australia, but globally. Crown’s mission is to ‘shine the light’ on the principles that are outlined in the Bible to bring freedom to those who want to do business and deal with their finances according to God’s Word. This is not an easy task and Trevor is well aware of this because we are in this world but not of it. In fact, the Bible says more about money than any other subject and all good practices have their origin in the Bible. As George Washington said, “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.” This is the positive and true strategy that Crown Ministry works with.

Trevor maintains, “It would be fair to say that national and personal debt is at an all-time high in Australia, which indicates that most governments and individuals have ignored the biblical warnings about the dangers of nonprudent borrowing. Not only does 22 Find a Christian Mission 2015

excessive debt result in a heavy burden for the borrower but the associated interest payments place limits on governments in providing essential community services and, in the case of individuals, being free to help others with special needs as God has directed in the Bible.”

Trevor Owens is particularly interested in the financial interactions with Generation Y. In the midst of our materialistic Australian society, it is both refreshing and encouraging to find a generation rising up to take their place as good role models of the timeless biblical principles that bring a Godhonouring balance to faith and finance.

Recent media reports claim that Gen Ys have a desire to enter the property market as early as possible.

This calls for the adoption of disciplined spending and saving patterns. When such financial goals are coupled with ‘doing finances God’s way’, unhealthy materialistic thinking and the burden of excessive debt can be avoided. Gen Ys are gradually gleaning the importance of handling finances in the best possible way to avoid losses and heartache. They are seeing that financial stress is one

of the biggest pressures that life can bestow upon them. Gen Ys are learning from mistakes and wrong decisions their parents may have encumbered. These are valuable lessons to be learnt and Gen Ys are walking this journey.

This is where the ‘foundations for life’ Bible-based resources developed by Crown Financial Ministries Australia, come to the fore. The teaching topics cover: • God’s part and our part in Finances • Attitude to Work • Understanding Debt • Seeking Counsel & Mentoring Children • Practising Honesty • Saving, Investing & Giving • Salvation, Contentment & Eternity • Practical Exercises, including Budgeting.

Through a study of these topics, the Holy Spirit brings the ‘change of heart’ required to achieve True Financial Freedom and a closer walk with Jesus.

In mid-2014, thirty-four young adults in the Gen Y age group graduated from the seven session Crown Course run by a Brisbane church. The following

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testimonies, which are typical of others, certainly paint a beautiful picture of lives impacted by the truth of God’s Word.

“In doing the Crown Course, I learned many new things about God’s way of doing finances and other important topics such as work, honesty, seeking wise counsel, saving, giving, contentment and eternal rewards. These biblical truths have really blessed me as I seek to follow Jesus in every facet of my life.” 25 year old female.

“A Course with super content which built each week and re-embedded the core concepts of money and other life issues foundational to a productive relationship with the Lord. It encouraged me to pray about witnessing in my workplace and it was exciting to see how God opened the way for this to happen.” 21 year old male.

“I did Crown to get a better grounding

of God’s word about money and found it invaluable. I had never really considered stewardship, God’s sovereignty over finance, the importance of honesty, or God’s place in my financial plan. I was surprised to learn that God was as interested in my savings and investments as He was in my giving and that my financial behaviour can be worship to Him. The idea of ‘learning contentment’ was pivotal for me. It really transformed my thinking – and beyond finance!” 21 year old male.

While the above emphasises the urgency of this life-changing education for the Y Generation, the Crown teaching has blessed the lives of tens of thousands, from teens through to seniors, over the past decade. ‘Road-testing’ of the new Australianised, user-friendly resources with a range of teaching options, has resulted in top marks from the users.

“Just imagine what a difference

it would make to the cohesiveness of our Nation if people were to adopt the ‘blueprint for living’ that God has provided in the Bible and emulate the servanthood approach of Jesus Christ,” says Trevor. “This is the answer to the hip pocket syndrome that focuses on self-interest and which always breeds discontentment.”

Crown Financial Ministries has served tens of thousands of Australians over the last decade, helping them discover how to achieve true financial freedom and contentment by following God’s procedure manual – the Bible.

For details about Crown Australia visit www.crown.org.au, email crown@crown.org.au or telephone 1300 132 783 for any clarification on the use of the resources and the planning process for introducing the Crown teaching.

For over 50 years African Enterprise has been working in partnership with the local church to bring Hope to millions each year.

Join us and be a part of this exciting evangelistic ministry of Word & Deed taking Jesus to the cities and towns of Africa.

I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

Jeremiah 29:11

www.africanenterprise.com.au

www.mychristianissue.com 23

Along with partners committed to changing the world, Leading the Way is an organization that is focused on setting people free from oppression - those who are living in spiritual darkness, to discover the light of Christ. Their Help the Persecuted Fund is particularly responding to the needs within the Muslim world. By passionately proclaiming uncompromising Truth through creative methods, this international team of experts is uniquely providing hope that is revolutionizing lives at home — and around the world.

Helping the Persecuted in the Muslim world

W

hat would you do if terrorists burned down your home because they knew you were a Christ-follower? If your husband was killed for his faith? If your family disowned you for being a Christian?

Although many of us may never know what it’s like to lose everything for the sake of the Gospel, there are millions who do. This is their daily reality. How can we help?

What if you lived in a culture where saying “Jesus is Lord” could get you tortured or killed?

As a result of recent activity Leading The Way encountered one such man.

His name is Jirjis* (named changed ), a man in his forties who lives in Egypt.

For much of his life, he was a dedicated member of the Muslim Brotherhood.

One day, he and other members of the Brotherhood met to plot the firebombing of a Christian church. That night, Jirjis dreamed that his hands and feet were tied, and a voice said, ‘Do not hurt My church.’ The next day, he told the men he had changed his mind—he wouldn’t help them destroy the church.

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The others cursed him, then piled into their vehicles to carry out their plan. On the way to carry out the attack, a traffic accident killed all the conspirators.

Others in the Muslim Brotherhood were outraged that Jirjis had refused to take part in the attack. They beat him, then locked him up without food or water for days. They tortured him.

Because of his dream, Jirjis came to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior.

Although he is growing in his faith, being a Christian and having health problems have made it hard for him to find work. A local church gives him some help, but its resources are limited.”

When Leading The Way learned what Jirjis was going through, he was provided with financial help to cover his rent and living expenses as he seeks to re-establish his life.

Other recent cases through Help The Persecuted include: • Supplying Christian refugee families with mattresses, hygiene kits, and food after their flight from ISIS in Iraq

• Hosting a retreat for persecuted Christians affected by the war in Syria • Providing medical treatment for a North African family that was burned when a terrorist group set fire to their home • Subsidizing business and living expenses for new believers forced from their homes and jobs The first gift distributed through Help The Persecuted was only $100, given to a man who had come to Christ through a Leading The Way broadcast and needed the money to move to another city after experiencing persecution in his hometown. That simple gift may have saved his life.

Leading The Way ministries are penetrating strongholds in the Middle East and North Africa—places where it is dangerous to follow Christ. Our outreach includes: •

Targeted broadcasting in the region through our 24/7 satellite channel THE KINGDOM SAT, Arabic-

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English broadcasting on local radio stations, and solar-powered Navigator audio devices.

•

On-the-ground follow-up teams, connecting with listeners and viewers via Skype, phone, email, SMS, and in-person discipleship meetings.

•

Help The Persecuted, providing direct support to persecuted Christians. Our coordinator and trusted partners live in the region and meet personally with those we help in order to evaluate their needs.

We rejoice to hear that many are

coming to Christ. But conversion is just the beginning of the journey. Life is incredibly difficult for new believers.

Many face rejection by their families, job loss, imprisonment, violence, and death threats.

As the need grows, Leading The Way’s commitment grows. This year, our disbursements to persecuted Christians have increased by more than 200 percent.

Through Help The Persecuted, we’re also providing assistance to Christian refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war and persecution by ISIS. We provide living expenses for believers forced from their homes and jobs, plus medical expenses,

emergency funds, travel help, and pastoral care.

Other recipients of help from Leading The Way include Amira*(name changed), who needed dental work after a beating by family members for becoming a Christian, and Bahrani*(name changed), who needed Bibles, food, and school supplies for the 16 underground churches he pastors in Syria.

We have much to be thankful for here in the West. The freedoms to preach and proclaim the Gospel and to be openly Christian are not available to many of our brothers and sisters around the world.

In 2011, Leading The Way established a special Help The Persecuted fund to respond directly to the urgent physical, financial, and ministerial needs of persecuted believers around the world. Joining our international broadcasting and personal follow-up through THE KINGDOM SAT and the Leading The Way Navigator, Help The Persecuted was a natural addition to Leading The Way’s holistic Gospel outreach to areas of the world where Christians are persecuted.

This Christmas if you would like to join with Leading The Way in bringing the Light of Christ to the parts of the world where it is dangerous to be a Christian, just go to www.ltw.org for more information.

CALLING ALL WHO SUFFER AND ARE PERSECUTED! CALLING ALL INTERCESSORS, COMFORTERS AND ADVOCATES!

Using Isaiah 1-39, Christian analyst Elizabeth Kendal shows what it means to walk by faith in times of uncertainty and escalating hostility.

This is indeed a book for our times; an excellent resource for individuals or small groups.

For more information, including commendations, resources and purchasing options, visit www.turnbackthebattle.com

Unreached? Yet loved by God! When does an unreached people group become reached? When they have the Bible in their own language. Only when people can engage with God’s Word for themselves is true discipleship possible…

Almost 2,000 languages still have no Scripture.

Can you play a part?

To help translate God’s Word, please visit www.wycliffe.org.au or email info_australia@wycliffe.org

www.mychristianissue.com 25

The Missional Power of

GENEROSITY

If I were to ask you, “How much does the Bible talk on the subject of generosity,” what would your answer be? Just a little, a moderate amount, or a lot? If you went with either of those first two options, you’d be way off the mark. In fact, there are more verses on generosity, than on faith, hope and love combined. And there’s a reason for that... BERNI DYMET

I

n the beginning … what?

Well, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1) and everything in between, and then … then He gave it all away.

So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.

And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that

has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. (Genesis 1:26-31) A pretty generous act, wouldn’t you agree? It turns out that generosity is in the very nature of God – more so than we may think. We of course think of Him as a loving God, but how often do we ever stop to think of Him as a generous God. The God who wants to bless us?

BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING To Abraham, the father of God’s chosen people, the Lord said: I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a bless-

ing. (Genesis 12:2) God’s intention has always been that His blessing in your life, should become a blessing in the lives of the people around you. If God is indeed the God of love, then as we watch Him in action, we discover that His generosity is in fact His love in action.

I was listening to a message from the pastor of my church recently, and he said something quite profound. He said that: you can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving.

Generosity of giving, as things turn out, is one of the powerful ways that God expresses His love. It makes sense when you think of it that way, doesn’t it?

THESE THREE THINGS REMAIN And now faith, hope, and love abide,

Opportunity International Australia Opportunity International Australia enables you to invest in a mother living in poverty so that she can use a small loan to buy an item like a sewing machine and start a small business. For a family in a developing country who can’t afford the basics, a loan as small as $70 can be life changing. With this hand up, a mother can put food on the table, send her children to school and transform her family’s future for generations. Mothers want what is best for their children, and as businesses become successful (98% of Opportunity’s loans are repaid), your help means they can make their dreams for their children come true. Opportunity is motivated by Jesus Christ’s call to love and serve the poor, serving all people regardless of their race, faith, ethnicity and gender. For more information, visit www.opportunity.org.au Phone: 1800 812 164 Email: opinfo@opportunity.org.au Slavic Gospel Association Inc. SGA is an international mission committed to equip national believers in the lands of the former Soviet Union and Central Asia to reach their people with the Gospel, combat the influx of cults, and fill the spiritual void left by communism.Our ministries include provision of Russian language Bibles, New Testaments, and Christian books.

We help sponsor pastors, missionaries and church planters. SGA also assists with financial support for Bible schools, seminaries, prison ministries, orphans outreach, and children’s ministries. Our Compassion Ministry provides urgently needed food, clothing and medications to the poor, elderly and the most needy.

Address: PO Box 396 Noble Park, VIC 3174 Phone/Fax: (03) 9562 3434 Email: sgaaust@bigpond.net.au Website: www: sga.org.au

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these three; and the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor 13:13) It seems to me that generosity is a combination of these three. The old mathematician in me wants to postulate that: Generosity = Faith + Hope + Love Because generosity always involves faith. Generosity is like planting a seed and hoping that something will grow. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t. But as my pastor explained to us the other day, the principle of reaping as you sow, involves multiplication. Sow one kernel of corn, and you will reap thousands. But at the time of planting, it’s very much an act of faith. Yes, generosity definitely involves faith.

And it involves hope too, because there is always a lag time between sowing and reaping. When the farmer plants the corn in the dirt, there’s an agonising period where nothing happens. And then, when finally the little seedling sprouts, there are so many things that can go wrong between that green shoot, and the delivery of many cobs of corn. Yes, generosity definitely involves hope.

Sowing through a generous act of giving towards someone who doesn’t deserve it, someone who hasn’t earned it, someone who really deserves your scorn in fact, is a great act of love. That’s what the greatest act of love in all of history was all about. The Cross of Christ.

Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person— though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while

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There is a reason that generosity connects the love of God so powerfully with so many people. And that reason, is this, God is a generous God. It is in His nature to bless generously.

we still were sinners Christ died for us. (Romans 5:7,8) Yes, generosity definitely involves love.

GENEROSITY IS MISSION How many Christians think that ‘mission’ is beating somebody over the head with their Bible? As though somehow you can shove the truth down their throat and expect them to thank you for it. How many Christians think that by telling the world how far they have strayed from God, they will bring people back to Him? When all along, a simple act of generosity will speak of Christ’s love more powerfully than anything else!

There is a reason that generosity connects the love of God so powerfully with so many people. And that reason, is this, God is a generous God. It is in His nature to bless generously. And each sinner on this earth – you and me included – has been created in God’s image.

Therefore, a simple act of generosity from us to someone who doesn’t know the love of Christ yet, is indeed an act of deep calling unto deep. It’s something that the Holy Spirit uses in such power to speak His truth in a way that you and I never could.

Yep. Anyway you look at it … generosity is mission.

The question for you and me is … So what ya goin’ to do about it?

Berni Dymet is the ceo and Bible teacher of the Australian–based, global media ministry, Christianityworks. Each week he shares the practical love of Jesus with millions of people around the world.

You can receive a free copy of his latest booklet with more practical teaching at christianityworks.com.

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