FEATURES
LOCKDOWN PAGE #2
OUT OF CONTROL PAGE #10
PRAYER FOR PROTECTION PAGE #14
DIJA AND THE HOUSE OF MEDICINE PAGE #20
ISSUE 235 | SEP 2020
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MPA Quarterly Magazine. Tupu Whakarangi is a magazine for the whole whanau, featuring testimonies, stories, current life issues, testimonies and more.
LOCKDOWN! “New Zealand is preparing to enter a month-long nationwide lockdown from Wednesday night, with the entire country ordered to stay home apart from those in essential services. On Monday the nation was given two days to prepare for schools, businesses and community services to turn off the lights in a desperate bid to stem the spread of the coronavirus. The move came after the number of cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand rose past 100. “In an address to the nation, the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, said she was not willing to put the lives of her citizens in danger. ‘The worst-case scenario is simply intolerable, it would represent the greatest loss of New Zealanders’ lives in our history and I will not take that chance.’ Ardern announced the country would move to level three measures immediately, and then to four – the highest level – on Wednesday from 11.59 pm”. Such was the announcement in the international edition of “The Guardian” newspaper. It was with virtual disbelief that we heard the above announcement of our Prime Minister on Monday, 23rd of March earlier this year. History was indeed in the making and we were amazed at how rapidly the situation had developed. Our hearts and prayers go out to those who are grieving the loss of loved ones through the intrusion of this potentially deadly Covid-19 virus. But through it all there are a number of lessons we should take time to learn.
The uncertainty of the future and the danger of complacency
It is so easy to think that nothing is ever going to change; that everything will continue as it has always been. We take it for granted that what has been will always be and so we tend to become complacent, lulled into a false sense of security. But we have seen just how quickly things can change. Who would have believed that just a few weeks prior, that a situation would arise necessitating the lockdown of the whole country? Just here we can learn a lesson from the Bible. In 2 Peter chapter 3, verse 3-6 we have a sample of the type of things scoffers will be saying in the last days (seemingly the days in which we are living). Their argument assumes that all things continue as they have been since creation and will never change. They have no time for God, who is the supreme Creator because, to them, everything is self-governing, following “evolutionary” principles.
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But they will be found to be wrong, as the unbelievers in Noah’s day discovered when their world changed virtually in an instant. That which had been the same for many hundreds of years, suddenly changed and they were overtaken by the waters of judgment. Tragically they had ignored the warnings given through Noah to their own peril and eternal destruction.
The deceitfulness of worldly wealth The lockdown in so many countries has meant that the world’s economy has been devastated practically over night. We have discovered that the wealth of this world is not as stable as we have tended to think it is. All that we have worked and live for can be lost in an instant, leaving us devasted and hopeless if that is all our lives consist of. Again, we turn to the Bible for the lesson we need to learn. Jesus warned us of “the deceitfulness of riches” (Mark 4, verse 19). One day Jesus was confronted by a young man who wanted something more than just his riches: He wanted to know how he could inherit eternal life (Mark 10:1723). He acknowledged Jesus as a good teacher, as do many people in our day. But if Jesus was only a good teacher He could never give us eternal life. He could never be our Saviour. Jesus wanted him to realise and acknowledge His true identity, that He was indeed the Son of God as He claimed, the only One who could give eternal life. Jesus also wanted him to acknowledge his sin by reminding him of the commandments. But the man failed to do so. He claimed to have kept all of the commandments from his youth, despite the fact that no one has kept God’s commands. He was deluded for the Bible clearly says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3, verse 23). Then Jesus confronted him with the real issue in his life: His love of riches which he had put first in his life before God. He would need to turn from that which was the main hindrance in his life. But he went away sad because that which his life consisted of was the very thing that stopped him from having eternal life. His riches were more important to him than God which meant that he broke the very first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20, verse 3). He wanted eternal life, but only on his terms. On another occasion Jesus asked a very searching question, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36). In view, then, of the deceitfulness of riches and the transient nature of this world’s wealth, what should be our response? The question becomes even more imperative in the light of another question which Peter asks in 2 Peter 3, verse 11: “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?” The context of the passage speaks of “the Day of the Lord” which will come upon this world “like a thief”. It will be unexpected! “The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare” (verse 10). Above everything, we need to be people who are found in a right relationship with God, and living lives that are honouring to Him.
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The third lesson we need to learn is --
The reality of death Again, our prayers and thoughts are with the many thousands throughout the world who grieve the loss of love ones. But this disease, Covid-19, reminds us of our mortality. None of us are going to live in this world forever. The Bible tells us, “Man is destined to die once and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). The fact that physical death is a reality is indisputable, and the Bible tells us to prepare for it. Jesus relates the case of a man whom God referred to as a fool (Luke 12:1321). He too was wealthy, and he had become wealthy because of his hard work. But God did not call him a fool because he was a hard worker. This world needs people who are not afraid of hard work. No doubt for many years he had worked his land and planted his crops, and this particular year his crops were so plentiful he had no room to store all the produce. So he made some plans, and God didn’t call him a fool for making plans for the future either. He would need to dismantle his present barns and build larger. Then when all was done he could say to himself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry”. Now this is where God called him a fool. He had worked hard, increased his wealth, and made his plans – but he had left God out of his plans and had failed to prepare for eternity! That night when he went to sleep he would never awaken to another day in this world for his life would be over. He would die. What would be the use of all his wealth then? What a tragedy to go out into eternity without knowing God and to face His judgment! This foolish man was not prepared for death. It is so easy for us to make the same mistake. All we need to do is to neglect the salvation God offers us through Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ, in His sacrificial death for us, has paid the penalty for our sin in our place. The price is paid, and now God offers us a free pardon that will ensure the record of our sin is completely wiped out. It is God’s love gift to us. But, like any gift, we need to receive it (Romans 6, verse 23). If you realise you need for God’s gift of salvation, here is a prayer for you to pray. If you genuinely mean it from your heart, God will forgive, cleanse and make you His own. Lord Jesus, I admit and confess that You paid the price for me to be able to be made right with God by dying that painful death on the cross and shedding Your innocent blood for me. When You were hanging there dying, You had me in mind. You died for me! So now, Lord Jesus, I accept You as the one and only sacrifice that God the Father will ever find acceptable, so that I can be reunited in good standing back to HIM. Heavenly Father, I ask forgiveness for all my past sins, and I receive your forgiveness. I thank You now for the gift of the Holy Spirit to help me on this new spiritual journey of intimacy with You, so that I can live a life pleasing to You. I willingly give You my life now, to do with it as you please. Please make me Yours FOREVER! In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
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He kōrero whakaturanga nā Tamati Cassidy Ko te Atua te tuatahi me tuamutu o ngā mea katoa. Ko ia te kaihoatu, kaiawhina, kaitiaki me te kaitangohia o te ora. Ko Īhu Karaiti te tīmatanga me whakaoti a tāku whakapono. Ko te Wairua Tapu te pouako o nga pono me ngā mea o te Paipera Tapu. Ki a rātou te karoria me honore. Tēna koutou katoa. My name is Tamati Cassidy. I am of Ngapuhi decent (Māhurehure on dad’s side and Te Uri o Hua on mum’s side). I have had the blessing of knowing of the work of Maori Postal Aotearoa since the early 1980s, along with sharing fellowship at various hui and marking the mahi akona of the children. I have enjoyed the friendships made and opportunities to share in the work of this ministry. I remember thinking back in July, last year about doing a translation in the Old Testiment again. Of late, I have been involved with translation work (English to Te Reo Māori) on a series of comics called “The Christ”. I am currently translating “The Christ” series of comics. This series is part of a wider series called Super Bible. I was approached by Russell Grainger (Senior Pastor MWCC and NZ ED Reach Beyond Global) back in August, last year and asked about the possibility of being a translator in this ministry. I also got to meet Bob Arend (Director Wandering Sheep Ministries and CEO of Reach Beyond Global) along with Malachi and Cha Wlliams of Māori Postal Aotearoa. It was really nice to reconnect with Graham and Evelyn Batson along with Stuart and Beth Bay. I have also got to know Jeremy Nixon as well, who is the “Go To” for the actual scribing and editing of the translated texts. I was involved with this group of people on November 11 in a launch of a comic called “The Story” “Te Pū Rākau”, which was also the first work that I translated. During the period that I have been involved with this work I have developed a deeper look into the life of Christ and have found that, to me, this is more than a work of translating Bible narrative. I find that I have a closer look into the text that I translate and as a result, more often than not, I am engaging in a full on study as a result of doing this work and I love it. I find it an encouragement to hear of Māori people, friends and whānau (family and relations) wanting to re engage them selves with Te Reo Māori and how these comics are an avenue for them to achieve that. I got to share the comic “Te Pū Rākau with some relations of mine and we got to talk about Te Reo Māori and, for me the best part, about God, the Lord Jesus, The Holy Spirit and the Bible. These comics are a tool for introduction to, reconnection of people to the Māori language and more importantly to God, the Bible and the Gospel. I am so thankful to the Lord and to those who have invited me to be a part of this work and this mission. Kia Ora Koutou -- Tamati Cassidy
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DYING FOR A SNACK! SEVERAL YEARS AGO as I turned into the driveway of our MPA Headquarters early one morning I saw something most unusual. In the middle of the drive there appeared what seemed to be a heap of ginger fur attached to a tin. On closer inspection I discovered it was an unfortunate cat that had jammed its head into a cat food tin in order to have an early morning snack. In its endeavour to get the last dregs of what was left in the tin it had rammed its head in as far as possible, but having done so made the alarming discovery there was no way it could get its head out again! And there it was, just waiting to die, for it had given up the struggle, and was lying passively on the concrete driveway with its head and most of its neck tightly wedged in the tin. How it got there from wherever it found the tin remains a mystery. I tried in vain to separate cat and tin, but to no avail. My efforts apparently caused the cat to think its last moments had come, for it suddenly came to life, lashed out blindly with its claws and dealt me a couple of rather painful wounds that kept the incident vividly before me for the rest of the day. Realizing that my efforts as such were not going to work and not wanting to sustain further injury, I went into the workshop and came out with a cloth to wrap the cat in and a pair of tin snips to deal with the tin. In about 30 seconds the cat was free, whereupon it shook its head violently, shot up the drive like a rocket and disappeared into a neighbour’s property. After such an ordeal, it probably took some time to regain its appetite, but had I not appeared on the scene it would almost certainly have been dead.
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As I considered the incident during the day, I thought how we, very often, are not unlike that cat. We plunge into something just because we want it and because it looks attractive, but we fail to stop and think of the end results. I’m sure the cat didn’t stop to weigh the circumstances and say to itself, “This could be a bad idea, because if I stick my head in there, it’s a fair bet I won’t get it out again!” Cats don’t think like that; they just bowl right ahead and do it. And so do humans at times! People get into drugs, booze, pornography and illicit sex, because they think these things seem to be the cure for boredom or a lack of acceptance and love, and on the surface appear to be an exciting way to satisfy an immediate need. We embark on all sorts of sinful habits without ever stopping to think of the consequences, and at the end of the day find we are trapped by that which appeared to be so attractive. We wake up when it is too late -- somewhat like that cat -- to discover there is no way we can extricate ourselves from the binding tentacles of a destructive pursuit and our pleasure has turned to misery. Perhaps, even now as you read this, you find yourself in this position. What are you to do? If you have come to the conclusion that you can’t free yourself and that you are bound beyond the limits of your own efforts, but that you would do anything to get free, let me assure you there is hope. Even as you long to be set free you are on the way to deliverance. Many of the people I have had the privilege of interviewing for their stories to be published in this magazine were at the same place you are at right now. They, too, came to the place of despair and wanted to be set free – they found the answer and so can you. God’s answer for your bondage and sinfulness is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the One who suffered death for you and in so doing took the penalty for your sin. He rose again from death in order to save you and bring you deliverance and victory. His victory over sin and Satan can be your victory. The answer is found in accepting Him as your personal Saviour, turning your life over to Him and making Him your Lord and Master. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin”. But He also said, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:34, 36). – Editor. TUPU WHAKARANGI
Tahuri mai ki Ahau, kia ora ai koutou, e nga pito katoa o te whenua; ko te Atua hoki Ahau, kahore ke atu. – Ihaia 45:22
(Growing Heavenward)
Turn to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God and there is no other. – Isaiah 45:22
Mail: PO Box 10, Whanganui 4500 Email: info.maoripostal@gmail.com www.maoripostal.co.nz
ISSUE 235 September 2020 Editor: Graham Batson
All English Bible references from the NIV unless otherwise stated.
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Ngati Haua Christian Youth Conference 2020 OVER THE WEEKEND of 28th - 29th February the Ngati Haua Christian youth held a conference at Waharoa. The theme for the weekend was “Ka taea te whakahinga i nga Taniwha” (“Defeating the giants”). Young people came from Waharoa, Rukumoana, Tauwhare and also some guests from Woodville. The venue was the beautiful Raungaiti Marae. Raungaiti Marae, as are all the Ngati Haua marae, is a Christian marae. Their tupuna, Tarapipipi Te Waharoa, later known as Wiremu Tamihana, is carved on the poupou at the front of the whare runanga, holding a copy of Te Paipera Tapu, and welcoming all manuhiri. Wiremu Tamihana was the son of the 19th century Waikato warrior Te Waharoa and Wiremu also took part in several battles. But he was influenced by the teachings of the missionaries in the area and when he succeeded his father as chief in the iwi,
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he became a Christian and led his people in following the teachings of Jesus and trying to live at peace with their enemies. On the Saturday of the conference games were held at Matamata College, and the teams took part in netball, touch, volleyball, basketball, a tug-of-war and swimming in the afternoon. Then back to Raungaiti Marae and some well-deserved kai and more whakahoahoa. In the evenings there was singing and korero from Tawhe Maakaa and Luke Goodwin. On Friday night Tawhe’s message was that the giants in our lives can be defeated. He based his talk on the story of Rawiri and Koriaha (David and Goliath). He said that when facing tough situations in our life we need to change our mindset from “I can’t” or “You can’t”
Satan by His resurrection from the dead. With the help of Jesus we can also defeat the giants in our lives by practising prayer, regular reading of the Bible and through songs of praise. This was the first Ngati Haua youth conference and its success was a credit to the organisers and tangata whenua who made it possible. A lot of fun was had, and the taitamariki are to be congratulated on their behaviour and their good sportsmanship, so that everyone who took part had a great time.
to “I can�. We can do it by putting our faith in Jesus Christ who will give us strength. Luke Goodwin built on that theme on Saturday night by teaching the taitamariki that Jesus has already defeated the giants. He explained that faith was important in defeating our giants. For example, Rawiri knew his God would help him defeat Koriaha because of the way He had enabled him to kill a bear and a lion previously. Through faith in God Joshua and Caleb defeated the giants in the Promised Land. Jesus defeated the giants of death and
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OUT OF CONTROL A True Story
“95 … 100 … 110 … 130” .. the needle on the speedometer crept up as I sped along the highway, trying to avoid the company of an increasing number of cop cars.
began to follow me. “Howard,” I said to myself, “It’s time to split!”
My foot pushed harder on the accelerator as other police units joined the chase. The engine screamed under the strain of such high-speed performance, but I didn’t dare let up. The police persisted. Glancing at my watch I was surprised that over two hours I had been smoking pot, popping speed had passed. I couldn’t understand why I and snorting coke, drinking beer and hadn’t gotten away. My drug-filled mind listening to rock music as I drove along. But groped for a plan of escape. this time I wasn’t just out for another cruise. “I’ll just make a 180-degree turn to the I was out for a new kind of adventure! I had right to get out of this mess. If that doesn’t just committed an armed robbery and was work, maybe I’ll join Grandfather, my best headed south to transact drug business. I thought I had it all. Then suddenly, out of friend, who had the guts to pull a trigger on nowhere, two police cars appeared and himself.”
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I snorted more coke and smoked another joint. I was ready to pull off the incredible driving stunt. Filled with fuzzy confidence, I twisted the wheel. Careering out of control, my car flipped end over end. Squealing tyres, crunching metal, shattering glass roared in my ears. Finally the car rested on all four wheels. It was over as fast as it began. “I’ll get out of this. I’ll make a run for it.” I pushed on the car door. A hundred CLICK, CLICK, CLICKs greeted my ears. Pistols and rifles were aimed at me. Even in my drugged condition I knew they meant business. “Maybe this is the way to go,” I thought. “Maybe this is the easiest way to join Grandfather.” I’d tried so many times before, but without success. “No,” I thought. “I’ll give it one last try.” “What seems to be the problem?” I yelled out the window. “Get out of the car!” an officer yelled back. “We’re giving you ten seconds to get out of the car or we’re going to make you look like Swiss cheese!” Summoning all my energy, I kicked the door. I kicked again. Finally the door creaked open. I climbed out of the car, all guns pointing at me. “Lie on the ground. Spread-eagle. Where’s your partner and gun?” “Hey man, I ain’t laying on no ground, and I don’t have a partner,” I screamed bravely. “Get down or it’s all over!” was the quick response. I didn’t need another warning to understand they meant business. My time of running was over; I had just come to the end of the road. With the prospect of solitary confinement and a 70-year prison term facing me, I just wanted to die. I was lost – at the end of my resources. Alone, confined, restricted, in bondage, without hope. As I was taken to a solitary cell the guard asked, “Son, do you have a Bible?” I’d lost everything … I had nothing.
Couldn’t he see that? “Naw,” I muttered. The guard pressed a Bible into my hand. “Read the Gospel of John,” he said. Then he slipped me another book, “God’s Prison Gang.” “Read this too, Howard,” he whispered. “I’ll be praying for you.” Clank! The solid steel door shut. I was alone. I thought, I cried, I yelled. “Why did this have to happen to me?” Finally I turned to the book the guard had given me days before. It was fascinating – there were stories of other people who had messed up their lives. But I had done so much. Would God ever be willing to forgive me? Somehow I felt I was beyond help. For an entire month I sat in that lonely cell, reading and searching the Bible. From somewhere in my past I remembered a Sunday School teacher saying, “Jesus stands at your heart’s door and knocks, wanting to come in. You just have to say ‘Yes’ to Jesus and He’ll come into your life.” (Revelation 3:20). I slid off my bunk onto my knees on the cold cement floor and humbled myself before Jesus. I asked Him to come into my life, cleanse me and be my Saviour. Instantly I knew, with great assurance, He had come into my heart and life, just as He said He would. Even though I had given my life to Jesus I couldn’t just walk out of jail. I had to face what I had done. But I knew that no matter what happened to me I was in Jesus’ hands. It wasn’t easy to plead guilty to every crime. But I did. I put my faith in Jesus that I wouldn’t spend 70 years in prison, and He was gracious and merciful to me. I was sentenced to eight years, eight months in prison! Because I worked as a clerk in a conservation camp my time was reduced, and I have now been released. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). I know that all other ways are wrong. Now I am on a new adventure – with Jesus as my Saviour and Guide. -- Teen Power.
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“WHO TURNED THE LIGHTS OFF?” The following true story comes from Bulgaria. It is about a young atheist who made an amazing discovery as the result of being stricken with blindness.
The young atheist had plenty of time to think about the problem. “Could it be? . . . . No, of course not! It was ridiculous to yield to thoughts that out there, perhaps, there was a Superior Intelligence who was displeased with her activities.” She turned on her bed, beating her fists into the mattress, gnashing her teeth. “I don’t believe! I don’t believe! I DON’T BELIEVE!”
A TEAM of young atheists selected for their ability to successfully debate against religion had moved into Sofia for a series of lectures. A woman team member arose and began to give a clever speech against the Bible while her audience sat tensely in their seats. Some were obviously agreeing with her Mockingly, the words bounced back while others were not so sure. at her. “Such nonsense! We atheists The young woman had reached know better,” she told herself over and the climactic point of her lecture, for over again. which four years of special instruction Maria had undergone four years of had equipped her, when suddenly she intense training in Moscow to prepare stopped and asked in a startled voice, herself for an outstanding Komsomol “Who turned the lights off?” position. High in importance among the Puzzled, her team mates responded, subjects she studied was the Christian Bible. She had heard it attacked, “The lights are still on, Maria!” criticised and derided by intellectuals “But I can’t see!” she replied. on a high academic level. According to Then as the awful truth stabbed her Lenin, the highest authority she knew, consciousness, she screamed in panic, “Religion was the opium of the people”. “I’m BLIND! I’m BLIND!” This she believed with all the enthusiasm For a time there was bedlam until the of youth, for the man enshrined in girl, in a state of hysteria, was led from Moscow’s Red Square was almost a god the platform and returned to her home. in her eyes. Medical examination failed to discover the cause of her sudden blindness. The optic nerve seemed healthy. Neither was there anything of a pathological nature to account for it. Yet, strangely, the blindness continued.
Finally Maria’s talents were recognised and she was singled out for the job of lecturer with the Bulgarian team of hand-picked young people. She became a well known figure on the public platform throughout her country.
But now – what was behind this mysterious blindness? Why could not the best doctors in Bulgaria discover the reason for the sudden descent of darkness upon her? Maria lay there terrified, her sightless eyes wide open. “God,” she said out loud, “If You exist – if You are truly there – then give me a sign! The most knowledgeable minds say You do not. I’ve hated You and argued against You all my life. I’ve believed what our instructors have told us. But . . .” dragging herself upright in bed she continued, “If you will give me back my sight in four days, I’ll believe!”
her as a rebuke for her public attacks against God. She told them how He had answered her prayer for deliverance and that now she was ready to serve Him who had proved to her complete satisfaction that He existed.
Her conversion infuriated party leaders. Maria was seized and taken to their headquarters where there was an angry scene in which she was stripped of her party membership. When she persisted in proclaiming her new-found faith, her card was ripped to shreds before her eyes and the civil authority sentenced her to six months in a special labour camp. The object of this was Within a few days the young atheist’s to break her under the most appalling prayer was answered. As suddenly prison conditions. and as inexplicably as it had come, the Forced to engage in hard manual blindness vanished. Maria’s sight was restored – as miraculously as Saul’s labour the young Christian had to live after his experience on the road to in disease-ridden circumstances, with Damascus. She kept her pact with God vermin and a starvation diet. By such and eventually Maria came to believe means they hoped to bring her to the and trust in Jesus Christ as her personal point of recanting. Instead it only served to strengthen her faith in God. In spite Lord and Saviour! of the worst that unbelievers could do to However, the story does not end her, in spite of the fact that she seemed there. The party leaders were not going like a shadow of her former self and her to let one of their top Komsomols get calloused hands bore evidence of the away that easily. For some time the cruel, unaccustomed toil, Maria came young lecturer was kept under constant out of prison a shining witness for her Lord. medical surveillance. God had a plan for “Sister Maria”, Maria was quite forthright with the doctors. Courageously, she maintained as she affectionately became known that her blindness had come upon by Christians throughout Bulgaria. She began a quiet witness for Christ which gained in impact until the former atheist lecturer became a powerful worker for the Lord in building up the faith she once sought to destroy. Her life touched many, many thousands for Christ. She became an example of great courage to the persecuted Church of Bulgaria. -- Good Samaritan.
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COMMENTARIES By Graham Batson
ROMANS PRAYER FOR PROTECTION$8.00 1 CORINTHIANS $6.00 AND GUIDANCE 2 CORINTHIANS $6.00 GALATIANS From a prison inmate EPHESIANS PHILIPPIANS & JAMES Praise the Lord, our blessed Rock! COLOSSIANS Shepherd King who guides His flock 1 &The 2 TIMOTHY Through the wilderness. HEBREWS 1st PETER 2ndYour PETER & JUDE paths are straight TITUS & JAMES And lead us home to Heaven’s gate. JONAH From wicked men deliver me, SOME BASIC BIBLE TRUTHS (with questions) Protect me from the enemy, Tract -- THE UNIQUENESS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH (per 100) Tract -- LOCKDOWN! Lest I should fall (per and100) they prevail.
$4.00 $6.00 $6.00 $4.00 $5.00 $6.00 $4.00 $5.00 $5.00 $4.00 $4.00 $15.00 $15.00
Your righteous ways will never fail.
Profits to Maori Postal Aotearoa. Discount of 10% for bulk quantities of 10 or more commentaries.
The good fight of faith, in faith I fight. Free to Prison Inmates. When darkness falls, You are my light. A series of Bible lessons on each commentary is also available. These are FREE and suitable for individual or group studies. Your ways are just, Word is true, ForYour further information contact – And I commit my soul to You. YouAOTEAROA MAORI POSTAL graham.mpa@gmail.com PO Box 10, Whanganui Ph (06) 343-7957 Bank Account: Maori Postal Aotearoa Westpac 030791 0401491-00
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COMMENTARIES By Graham Batson
ROMANS 1 CORINTHIANS 2 CORINTHIANS GALATIANS EPHESIANS PHILIPPIANS & JAMES COLOSSIANS 1 & 2 TIMOTHY HEBREWS 1st PETER 2nd PETER & JUDE TITUS & JAMES JONAH SOME BASIC BIBLE TRUTHS (with questions) Tract -- THE UNIQUENESS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH (per 100) Tract -- LOCKDOWN! (per 100)
$8.00 $6.00 $6.00 $4.00 $6.00 $6.00 $4.00 $5.00 $6.00 $4.00 $5.00 $5.00 $4.00 $4.00 $15.00 $15.00
Profits to Maori Postal Aotearoa. Discount of 10% for bulk quantities of 10 or more commentaries. Free to Prison Inmates. A series of Bible lessons on each commentary is also available. These are FREE and suitable for individual or group studies. For further information contact – MAORI POSTAL AOTEAROA graham.mpa@gmail.com PO Box 10, Whanganui Ph (06) 343-7957 Bank Account: Maori Postal Aotearoa Westpac 030791 0401491-00
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The Jihadi Who Turned to Jesus
By Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, March 24, 2017
Bashir Mohammad, 25, fought on the front lines of the Syrian civil war for Jabhat al-Nusra, an offshoot of Al Qaeda, less than four years ago. When 22 Christian refugees gathered in the basement of an apartment in Istanbul early on a recent Sunday afternoon, it was quickly clear that this was no ordinary prayer meeting. Several of them had Islamic names. There was an Abdelrahman and even a couple of Mohammads. Strangest of all, they jokingly referred to their host — one of the two Mohammads — as an irhabi (a terrorist). If Bashir Mohammad took the joke well, it was because there was once some truth to it. Today, Mr Mohammad, 25, has a cross on his wall and invites other recent
converts to weekly Bible readings in his purple-walled living room. Less than four years ago, however, he says he fought on the front lines of the Syrian civil war for the Nusra Front, an offshoot of Al Qaeda. He is, he says, a jihadi who turned to Jesus. It is a transition that has surprised everyone, not least of all himself. Four years ago, Mr Mohammad tells me, “Frankly I would have slaughtered anyone who suggested it.” Not only have his beliefs changed, but his temperament has, too. Today, his wife, Hevin Rashid, confirms, with a hint of understatement, that he is “much better to be around.”
The conversion of Muslim refugees to Christianity is not a new phenomenon, particularly in majority-Christian countries. Converts sometimes stand accused of trying to enhance their chances of asylum by making it dangerous to deport them back to places with a history of Islamist persecution. Mr Mohammad’s particular experience, however, does not fit easily into this narrative. He lives in a majority-Muslim country, has little interest in seeking asylum in the West and treads an unlikely path followed by few former jihadis.
When a friend invited him to defect in summer 2012 to the Nusra Front, a group that seeks to establish an extremist state, Mr Mohammad readily agreed. As a Nusra fighter, he continued to witness extreme brutality. His colleagues executed several captives by crushing them with a bulldozer. Another prisoner was forced to drink several litres of water after his genitals were tied shut with string. This time, however, Nusra’s propaganda made the violence seem tolerable. “They used to tell us these people were the enemies of God,” Mr Mohammad His is a story that began in a Kurdish said, “and so I looked on these part of northern Syria, Afrin, where executions positively.” he grew up in a Muslim family. Mr Mohammad flirted with extremism When I first met Mr Mohammad, in his teens. His cousin took him to in his basement, I guessed at none of hear jihadist preachers as a 15-year- this. In fact, I was there to observe old, and he adhered to some of the one of his guests, a Yazidi who had most extreme interpretations of converted two months earlier. Mr Islam, “even the ones you haven’t Mohammad seemed to be the group’s heard of.” But when war broke out glue and behaved as though he had in Syria, after the country’s 2011 been born and bred a Christian. uprising, Mr Mohammad initially It was Mr Mohammad who led joined the secular Kurdish forces in the first prayers. (“People who have their fight for autonomy. fled their homes,” began one, “God Mr Mohammad’s subsequent bring them safety.”) And it was he ideological journey rarely made who distributed the coffee afterward. complete sense. But by his account, His calm poise was jogged only when he became traumatized by the deaths his guests jokingly referred to him he witnessed on the front line, which as the irhabi, a sobriquet that sent in turn re-energized his interest in a sheepish smile across his youthful the extremist versions of Islam that face. he had learned about as a teenager. Mr Mohammad wears a cross “When I saw all these dead bodies,” he said, “it made me believe all these things they said in the lectures. It made me seek the greatness of religion.” Or, at least, his violent interpretations of that religion.
and has one on the wall of his living room, where other recent converts join him for weekly Bible readings. In his previous life, however, Mr Mohammad said he was an angry
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man whose temper frightened his relatives. When he briefly returned home for his family’s Kurdish New Year celebrations in March 2013, Mr Mohammad was repulsed by what he saw as blasphemous celebrations, whose origins lay outside the Islamic tradition. Indoctrinated by his months with Nusra, he spent his leave in isolation with Ms Rashid, who was then his fiancée. Both she and his parents tried to persuade him not to return to the front line, but he ignored them. But back at the front, Mr Mohammad finally began to question Nusra’s motives. Scanning government territory through his binoculars, he says he saw Syrian government soldiers executing a line of prisoners with a bulldozer and concluded there was little difference between their behaviour and that of his colleagues. Disenchanted, he risked execution himself by deserting Nusra, and returning home to Afrin. “I went to Nusra in search of my God,” he said. “But after I saw Muslims killing Muslims, I realized there was something wrong.” The next year, he and his wife fled the war entirely, leaving for Istanbul and joining around 2.5 million other Syrians in exile in Turkey. Still a zealous Muslim, Mr Mohammad prayed so loudly that his upstairs neighbours complained. “They used to ask me, ‘When are you going to turn into a prophet?’” He still required Ms Rashid to cover her hair and neck, and planned for her to wear a niqab, or full-face covering.
It was nevertheless Ms Rashid herself who unwittingly prompted her husband’s rejection of Islam. In early 2015, she fell seriously ill. As her health worsened, Mr. Mohammad described her condition in a phone call with his cousin Ahmad — the same cousin who had taken him to jihadist lectures as a teenager. Ahmad was now living in Canada and, in a move that shocked Mr Mohammad, had converted to Christianity. An enthusiastic convert, Ahmad asked Mr Mohammad to place his telephone close to Ms Rashid, so that his prayer group could sing and pray for her health. Horrified, Mr Mohammad initially refused, since he had been taught to find Christianity repellent. But he was also desperate, and eventually he gave in. When Ms Rashid improved within a few days, Mr Mohammad ascribed it to his cousin’s intervention. Intrigued, he then began to entertain a sacrilegious thought. He asked his cousin to recommend a Christian preacher in Istanbul who might introduce him to the religion. He was put in touch with Eimad Brim, a missionary from an evangelical group based in Jordan called the Good Shepherd, who agreed to meet with him. Mr Brim said Mr Mohammad was quickly persuaded by the benefits of a conversion, despite the lethal danger in which it would place him. “It was Bashir who was looking for Eimad,” said Mr. Brim, who also confirmed other parts of Mr Mohammad’s narrative. “It was easy.”
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Exactly why he sought solace in Christianity, rather than a more mainstream version of Islam, no one can quite explain. Reading the Bible, Mr Mohammad claimed, made him calmer than reading the Quran. The churches he attended, Mr Mohammad said, made him feel more welcome than the neighbourhood mosques. In his personal view, Christian prayers were more generous than Muslim ones. But these are subjective claims, and many would reject the characterization of Islam as a less benign religion, much as they would reject Nusra’s extremist interpretation of it. For Mr Mohammad and Ms Rashid, perhaps it was their dreams that sealed their conversion. As the couple began to consider leaving
Islam, Ms Rashid said she dreamed of a biblical figure who used heavenly powers to divide the waters of the sea, which Mr Mohammad interpreted as a sign of encouragement from Jesus. Then, Mr Mohammad himself had a dream about Jesus. The pair felt loved. “There’s a big gap between the god I used to worship and the one I worship now,” Mr Mohammad said. “We used to worship in fear. Now everything has changed.” For Mr Mohammad, all this has nevertheless come at a high price. His rejection of Islam makes him a target for his fundamentalist former allies, and he fears they will one day catch up with him. If they do, however, he reckons he now has the greatest protection of all. “I trust,” he says, “in God.”
ENTROPYWhat’s That? “Tom,” said Dad, “there’s a state of high entropy in your bedroom at the moment. Please go and put some ordered energy into the system.” Tom knew what his father meant, because his room was in a mess, but he liked new words. “What’s entropy, Dad?” he asked. “You’ll probably learn all about it when you do physics. But go and tidy up, then I’ll try to explain it.” Continued on Page 22. 19
DIJA AND THE HOUSE OF MEDICINE LITTLE DIJA could not go to sleep. She was thinking about the strange words she had heard yesterday as she stood listening behind the mat fence, which separated her little hut from her mother’s house. There is a house of medicine beyond Bauchi,” her mother’s friend had said, “where such as she can be healed.” Dija knew that they were talking about her. Now questions kept popping into her mind: “Can it really be true? How could I get away from here without being seen? Could I find the house of medicine by myself?” Dija knew that Bauchi was many miles away, and the woman had said, beyond Bauchi.” So the little African girl tossed on her sleeping mat until bits of light shining through the grass roof of her hut showed her that it was morning. Dija was very lonely. Only a year ago she had been a happy little girl helping her mother. They would sit in the shade of a big tree in the market and sell big spoonsful of buttermilk until the large pot was empty. Then, counting their money, they would walk home just as the sun was setting.
Dija’s father had died when she was just a baby. Her stepfather was a cruel man and Dija was afraid of him. But she loved her mother dearly. When Dija was about nine years old, two little spots appeared on her face. Her parents called them “cows’ tongue”, and told her if she would let the cows lick the spots, they would disappear. She did let the cows lick her face until it was raw and sore, but the spots did not disappear. Then one day she heard the word “leprosy”. It seemed as though her heart stopped beating. “Oh no,” she thought, “surely they don’t think I have that!” Dija knew that leprosy was a serious disease, which could cause much pain and suffering, and crippling. She was frightened. She was taken to a “medicine man” who gave her horrible things to drink. But the
As she got further away from home, she travelled in the daytime. Sometimes she was given food and shelter in homes along the road. She would ask, “Where is the house of medicine?” Then pointing to the spots on her face, she would say, “Medicine for this.” The answer was always the Sometimes people would spit in her same, “This is the road. You will come face to show how much they disliked to it further along”. leprosy. Now Dija knew there was a Then one day she saw it - large, place where people with leprosy could white buildings, neat huts, children be healed .. But how could she get playing. Dija stopped at the entrance there? Her parents would not send as a great fear gripped her heart. Oh, her. But she must get there - somehow. why hadn’t she thought of it sooner? She began to hide bits of food for the She had no money! “Why didn’t I journey she was planning to take. One bright moonlit night Dija said to think of that before I left home?” herself, “I will go tonight while it is she thought. “They won’t take me in moonlight.” When everyone had gone without money.” Dija started to cry. to sleep, she picked up her little bundle She was so tired, and her bare feet hurt of food and tiptoed noiselessly out of so much. And she had no money. Had the compound and into the night. she made the journey for nothing? spots only grew larger, and sores broke out on other parts of her body. Dija became an outcast. A little hut was built for her, and she was left there alone. Dija’s cruel stepfather would not allow her mother to show her any kindness. Dija cried and cried until it seemed she had no tears left.
Trees and bushes made strange shadows, night birds screeched, and in the distance she heard a hyena. She shivered. “I must not be afraid,” she said to herself. “I must not stop until I find the house of medicine.” She walked until morning came, then she hid in the tall grass. When darkness came again, she continued on her journey.
“Why are you crying, little girl?” Dija had not seen the woman come up behind her, but her voice was kind. Pendu took her by the hand and said, “I’ll take you to the nurse.” The nurse was very kind, but Dija had never seen a white person before and she was frightened. She felt better when she knew they were going to let her stay
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Then Dija felt much better. She - without money. Pendu took her to a little hut where she was to live with missed her friend very much, but she was very happy because she knew Jeseveral other girls. sus was always with her. Dija was lonely and afraid at first, Then one day the doctor called Dija. and several times she tried to run away. But Pendu always brought her back “You are healed of your leprosy,” he and spoke kindly to her. “What makes told her. “Now you may go home to your parents.” It was a happy day for Pendu so kind?” wondered Dija. Dija. She knew she could not go to her One day Dija was moved into own home because her stepfather did Pendu’s hut and from that day it not want her. But Pendu was waiting seemed they belonged to each other. for her. Pendu told Dija about the Lord Jesus, Now Dija was happy because she who loved her, and soon Dija opened her heart and let the Lord Jesus come was wanted and loved. She and Pendu in. No longer lonely, Dija started going were very happy together. But best of to school. She learned to read, and it all she was happy because Jesus was was a happy day when she was given her best friend and He would never her very own Bible. She and Pendu leave her. often read it together and prayed. One Is Jesus your best friend? He wants day the doctor told Pendu that she was to be. Ask Him to come into your, heart healed and could go back to her home. and life today if you have not already Dija was very sad about saying gooddone so. Then He will be your friend, bye to her, but Pendu said to her, “I am and He will always be with you. He has leaving, but remember that the Lord said, “I will never leave you nor forsake Jesus is with you. He has promised He you.” This promise is for you - today! will never leave you nor forsake you. When you are all better, I want you to Adapted from a true story by Eva Doerksen, SIM come to my home and live with me.” Continued from Page 19 Usually Tom hated tidying, but it did not seem so bad if he was doing something scientific about entropy. He used a lot of energy, went over the floor with the vacuum cleaner then came back. Dad explained, “There is a scientific law which tells us that if things are left to themselves, they become more disorderly. Entropy means disorder. So things don’t build themselves up; everything is running down. Batteries run down, they don’t charge themselves. Cars rust away, buildings fall into ruins, but building materials don’t put themselves together. The sun and the stars are burning away as they give out energy, but they can’t put the energy back again. Can you think of some other examples of entropy?” “Tom’s bike will rust away if he doesn’t clean it soon,” said Jenny. You’d better do that next, then,” said Dad. “You need to make another input of ordered energy!”
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“I’ll help you,” volunteered Jenny, and they went to the shed. Half an hour later they came back and said, “We’ve both cleaned our bikes, and there was high entropy in the shed, so we’ve tidied that too.” “Well!” Mum was amazed. “I hope this entropy thing lasts! You’d better replace your lost energy with some of these muffins.” They soon did. “Things running down only gives you a rough idea of what is happening in the universe,” said Dad. “You can increase the order by adding energy, but it does matter how you do it. If we were to let a bull loose in your bedroom, it would put in a lot of energy, but it would only cause more disorder. To build things up the energy needs to be directed – you need information. Like when Tom tidied his room. Think about that model boat you are making over there. It’s in the sunshine, so it’s getting quite warm, isn’t it?” They felt It and Tom moved the glue. “Heat is a form of energy,” Dad continued, “so the model is getting energy from the sun. But will this make bits of the model fit themselves together?” “Of course not!” they agreed. “You see,” Dad went on, “You follow the instructions provided with the kit.” Mum, who had gone out, came back with an old broken watch. The man at the shop said it wasn’t worth mending. She also brought an empty sweet jar. “Take this watch to pieces and put it in the jar,” she said. It was not often Tom and Jenny were allowed to take things to bits, so they enjoyed doing this. They tipped all the cogs, dials, hands, and other bits in, and screwed the top of the jar. Mum said, “Now give the jar a good shake. IF you go on long enough the bits will get warmer by friction, because you are putting energy into it. Now, how long would you have to go on doing this to make the watch go back together?” “Of course it never will – it will gradually wear all the bits away,” said Tom. “It needed a watchmaker to put the bits together in the first place, because he knew how they all fitted together.” Mum said, “And it needed God to put the universe together in the beginning, because He knows all things. Everything is running down now, which means evolution cannot be true. For evolution to happen, things would have to be getting more orderly! Some people are afraid the universe will run right down one day. But we believe from the Bible that before that happens, Jesus will come again and put everything right, don’t we?” “He mea hanga na te Atua i te timatanga te rangi me te whenua.” – Kenehi 1:1
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