may june 2016
voice of persecuted christians
AFGHANISTAN:
how your gifts and prayers are helping the suffering church to grow
Welcome by Paul Robinson, CEO
Considering all things as ‘garbage’
‘I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ’ Philippians 3:8 Our mission statement includes learning lessons of discipleship with our persecuted sisters and brothers. Discipleship has a number of facets of course, but I think at its core it is all about where you’re looking. Are your eyes on this world, its attractions, its hopes and ambitions, its troubles and concerns, even its temptations, subtle or otherwise, or are they fixed on the next life with Christ, the eternal kingdom? As Christians we like to think that it’s the latter: but the only way we can truly overcome in this life and bear fruit is to consider all earthly things as nothing compared with knowing Christ, whom we will only truly know in full when we enter God’s presence. If there’s one lesson I am trying to learn with our persecuted family, it’s how to maintain that focus. One advantage persecuted Christians have over the nonpersecuted is that they are not distracted in the same way. You are not thinking about which make of car to buy or where to go on holiday when you’re looking down the barrel of a gun.
voice of pe
rsecuted
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When you’ve lost everything all you have is what Christ promises the thief on the cross: ‘Today you will be with me in paradise’ (Luke 23:43). And that’s when you find out what you really believe. Is that promise enough to sustain you? Nigerian Archbishop Ben Kwashi, one of our partners, said: ‘I’m living with the fact that my life can terminate any minute. Somebody can pull a trigger, or pull a knife. And it can happen any minute... This world is not our home. We are strangers here. We’ve got business to do; let’s get on and do it.’ He’s learnt what this life really means: it is not about pleasing our natural selves, but about taking up our cross daily (Matthew 16:24). One of those doing this is Zhang Kai, a Chinese Christian human rights lawyer who was put behind bars by the authorities because he stood up against an official crackdown on the church (see our feature on China, page 6). Christians like Zhang Kai and the others you will read about in this magazine must surely have their eyes on the eternal. It’s the only thing that can sustain them – and it’s the only thing that can sustain us too.
Find out more at: LoveKillsHate.org
Contents
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14
Pray for Pakistan
Impact report: North Korea
4 Faith under fire
News from the frontline
9
15
Good news
Release Potential
Grace, pain and passion
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6
Forced to confess
The ordeal of Chinese lawyer Zhang Kai
Be Inspired!
12
God’s Word
Come to our women’s conference
reaps a rich harvest in Afghanistan
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Grace to forgive
Release helps Christians in the UK and Ireland to actively engage with their persecuted brothers and sisters around the world: praying with them, standing with them, helping them, and learning lessons of true Christian discipleship with them. Release International: PO Box 54, Orpington BR5 4RT - T: 01689 823491- E: info@releaseinternational.org - © 2016 Release International - Registered Charity 280577. The ministry of Release International Ltd, a company limited by guarantee in England, No. 1506576. Registered office: Times House, Throwley Way, Sutton SM1 4JQ. All personal data/sensitive personal data herein are processed in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. Further details are available from Release International. Stock images may be used to protect those we serve. releaseinternational.org
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voice of persecuted christians
Faith under fire Armed herdsmen massacre farmers Heavily armed Fulani herdsmen have killed hundreds of mainly Christian farmers in Benue state, central Nigeria. About 300 farmers were killed at the end of February in the Agatu local government area of this mainly Christian state, and at least eight others were killed in March in Logo area. Five villages were ‘utterly destroyed’ and homes looted. An estimated 7,000 people were displaced, with many taking refuge in camps. Herdsmen leaders said that they were retaliating for the killing of thousands of cows by local villagers – although there was no evidence of this. A fact-finding team which included a human rights lawyer said it suspected that the violence was religiously motivated as churches and Christian homes had been targeted while mosques had been left untouched. Later in March militants also attacked a village in Buruku local government area, Benue state, killing 15 people. ‘It’s unclear why the world still stands aloof from the genocide being carried out on the minorities in Nigeria,’ our partner said. Pray that our loving God will bind up the broken-hearted and heal those who are wounded.
Pakistani Christians light candles at a vigil for the more than 70 people, mostly women and children, killed by a suicide bomber in a crowded park in Lahore on Easter Sunday. Photo: Hussain Rana Sajid /ABACA/PA Images.
Suicide bomber kills 70 on Easter Sunday On Easter Sunday more than 70 people, Christians and Muslims, were killed and over 350 injured by a suicide bomb attack at a crowded leisure park in Lahore, Pakistan. A Taliban splinter group admitted responsibility for the bomb, which was deliberately targeted at the Christian community. A church leader in Lahore, who had previously expressed to us fears of such an attack, told us: ‘Once again the Christian community is targeted on Easter Sunday. ‘Gulshan-e-Iqbal is a very attractive and popular park in the northwest of Lahore and on special occasions this park is always overcrowded with children and parents. On Easter Day after church services many Christian families from all sides of Lahore city went to this park to have some recreational time with their children.’
Attacking the vulnerable
Most of the dead and injured were women and children. In the aftermath of the attack, Release’s Andrew Boyd told BBC News: ‘Christians in Pakistan are increasingly vulnerable. These attacks have been growing over the years. Extremists and terrorists simply want to create chaos so they can impose their own order.’ 4
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter faction of the banned Pakistani terrorist group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), took responsibility for the bombing. In a media statement the group said that they had deliberately targeted the Christian community as they were celebrating Easter. Also on Easter Sunday thousands of Islamist activists went on the rampage in the capital, Islamabad. At least three people were killed and several others injured in violent clashes with government forces. The protesters demanded the immediate execution of Asia Bibi, a Christian whose appeal against the death sentence for blasphemy is pending in the Supreme Court. Church leaders in Pakistan continue to ask for our prayers: ‘Please continue to pray for the bereaved and grieving,’ said one. ‘We need more prayers!’ Pray for the Christian community in Lahore and Pakistan, especially for those bereaved or injured in this horrific attack. Pray that Pakistani Christians will respond in love to those who seek to harm them. Discover how Christians fight hate with love at: LoveKillsHate.org
Church buildings under threat
Photo: China Aid
Militants attack pastors in Uttar Pradesh, India
Five church buildings in Diyarbakir, south east Turkey, have been listed for takeover by the authorities.
Hindu extremists have vandalised his shop, threatened to kill him, attacked his wife and daughter and broken his hand, but a pastor in northern India is holding fast to Jesus. ‘The best thing that has happened to me is Jesus,’ said the 55-year-old pastor, who goes by the single name of Rampal. ‘I am joyful that I am chased and beaten up for His name’s sake.’ In the latest attack, Hindu extremists stormed his home in Rae Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, where about 80 members of a house church led by five pastors from Kanpur were worshipping. One of the pastors, 80-year-old Santosh Kumar, sustained bone fractures on both hands, abrasions all over his body and cuts on his head. Pray that God will quickly restore Pastor Rampal and Pastor Santosh Kumar.
China: Authorities in the
eastern coastal province of Zhejiang demolished more than a dozen church crosses in the last week of March, according to our partner China Aid. A demolition team of more than 100 people removed the cross (pictured) from Shangen Church, Wenzhou, and severely injured a female church member who was among the protesters. The woman was knocked to the ground and later taken to hospital. Since 2014 more than 2,000 crosses have been removed from churches in the province. Pray that the authorities will stop their campaign.
Diyarbakir has been the centre of fighting between government forces and Kurdish fighters since a peace agreement broke down in June 2015. During most of this time local Christians have been unable to access their church buildings in the city. In March the Government press announced that 6,300 plots of land in the centre of Diyarbakir were to be expropriated by the Environment and Planning Ministry, including the building of the Protestant Church and four other church properties. The pastor of the Protestant Church, Ahmet Güvener, considers this to be an official bid to take over these church buildings which, he says, cannot be allowed. Pray that God will give wisdom to church leaders and legal experts as they negotiate with the Government.
on
May 29, 2016 Get closer to persecuted Christians on this Sunday by worshipping like them in the outdoors, by listening to their stories and praying for them. Order your free Great Outdoors Church resource pack:
LoveKillsHate.org 5
Sources: China Aid, Middle East Concern, Morning Star News, Release partners.
Do Church Differently
China
Forced to confess
As persecution of Christians in China increases the authorities are using a new technique against outspoken Christians: forced confession on state TV. By Release’s Prisoners of Faith Manager. At the end of February, Christian lawyer Zhang Kai appeared on state TV to give his ‘confession’. During the broadcast he admitted to disrupting social order and endangering state security, adding that ‘foreign forces’ had contributed to his work as part of an effort to ‘smear’ China.
The broadcast showed Zhang sitting alone on a chair wearing a black sweater – a posture that has become familiar in China, where the authorities are using a new campaign of televised confessions to strike fear in groups that might oppose them. Those who know Zhang say that his confession seemed scripted.
‘I very much regret doing these things,’ he said. ‘These acts violated the law of China and went against the code of lawyers.’
He looked thin and haggard, and appeared to be speaking under duress. A few days after the broadcast his parents said: ‘It is not clear what’s 6
going to happen to him next. We commit all this to the control of the Lord…’
Abducted by the police Six months earlier the prominent human rights lawyer was abducted by police just hours before he planned to denounce the crackdown on churches in Zhejiang province at a meeting with the US ambassador-at-large for religious freedom. After his arrest he was kept in a so-called ‘black’ (secret) jail for six
months, and denied all contact with his family and lawyers. Zhang, 36, had previously helped to defend more than 100 churches against the authorities, including many whose crosses have been targeted for demolition. Since 2013, more than 1,800 crosses have been forcibly removed or destroyed in southern China. Following the broadcast, Release partner and China Aid Director, Bob Fu, said: ‘I am proud of being Zhang Kai’s close friend and fellow Christian brother. I do believe he is innocent. Although I was sad as I painfully watched him condemn me and China Aid on the official TV broadcast, I know he must have been going through enormous suffering and torture in the past six months. ‘We are always proud of you, and we love you, dear brother Zhang Kai. Keep up a good spirit, and may the comfort of the Holy Spirit be with you and heal you after you are free from physical bondage.’ Since July 2015 a nationwide operation has targeted outspoken lawyers. At least 317 lawyers, legal
staff, human rights activists and family members have been detained, questioned, summoned or forbidden to leave the country. Of these at least 19 have been formally arrested, mostly on subversion-related charges. The Government seems intent on silencing the voice of both unregistered house churches and state-controlled Three Self Patriotic Movement churches.
‘We are always proud of you, and we love you, dear brother Zhang Kai’ Recently, for example, authorities detained Gu Yuese, a pastor at the largest government-approved church in China, who had publicly criticised the removal of crosses from church buildings. ‘Everyone must equally rely on the Lord’s grace to confront [this hardship] and triumph over it,’ he said. These arrests and forced confessions highlight the increased demand for absolute loyalty and submission to the Communist Party’s leadership. Since Xi Jinping took power as Chinese Communist Party General Secretary in 2012, the persecution of Christians has escalated and looks set to continue unabated. After seven months in prison, Zhang was released in March.
Gulinuer’s husband Pastor Alimjan Yimit has been in jail since 2008.
Will you help persecuted Christians in China? Send a gift to Release today to support those who are suffering in China. Your donation can provide practical and legal support for prisoners and their families.
How to give Send a cheque using the response form provided.
Give at: LoveKillsHate.org Read more stories of courageous prisoners of faith at releaseinternational.org/prisoners.
Call: 01689 823491
• Pray for Zhang as he recovers from his ordeal. • Please pray too for Release partners who provide legal and practical support for prisoners and their families, and training for church leaders facing pressure from the authorities. Zhang Kai as he appeared in 2011. Photo: Andrew Boyd.
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Pray for Pakistan
God, our God, You are the one who demolishes the darkness of hopelessness.
Break the chains of slavery so that your precious daughters may live with respect.
Help needy families to live in love and unity,
with each one knowing their great worth in You.
Thanks to your support, our partner in Pakistan is helping to transform the lives of hundreds of vulnerable Christian women through a network of Self Help Groups. Please use this prayer, written by our partner, to call on God for His mercy and power.
By Your Spirit raise up a new generation
of leaders, and give them wisdom and passion to break the cycle of poverty.
May Your people enjoy life: following
Christ and loving each other.
Strengthen them by Your power, so that our
Christian community may develop spiritually, socially and economically, and Your Kingdom be extended.
Glory and praise to Your great name, O Lord.
Find out
Newsletter of Release Women Spring 2016
A time to change Naseem is one of your sisters, living in poverty in Pakistan like so many other Christian women. She is a beautiful 30-year-old married mum with three children. Her husband though is a drug addict and is unable to support her in bringing up the children. So Naseem works in someone else’s home and sews clothes to earn a living to feed her children. It’s an all too familiar story but things are changing because Naseem belongs to a Release Women-supported Self Help Group, called ‘Light of Hope’. Self Help Groups are designed to bring change to families and communities by a simple model of empowerment, helping to build resilience to persecution should it come, through discovering their true identity in Christ; not how society views them in their culture as ‘Christian women’, but how the Lord sees them as His precious children. Naseem’s group is doing just that! Naseem is drawing on the strength that sharing with others in a group brings, as you may know from your own experience of being in a church small group. She is determined to convince her husband to change and to come to know Jesus as his Lord and Saviour. She is honest about feeling down at times about her circumstances, but by learning more of the Word of God, she is persevering in her faith. What an encouragement to us to do the same! Meeting with the Self Help Group gives her peace and comfort in her heart to know that she is not alone. She prays with the group and she says:
‘I ask other members to pray for my husband, that he may realise his responsibility, leave drugs and love his family.’ It’s time for Naseem’s husband to change; please will you pray for the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit to work in his life and for the love of Jesus to shine from Naseem. Naseem
A Self Help Group in Pakistan
Connecting Christian women in the UK and Ireland with their suffering sisters around the world.
how the gospel is transforming the lives of persecuted Christian women by requesting Release Women’s free newsletter Embrace. Call: 01689 823491 or sign up at: releaseinternational.org/ signup.
Keep on praying by using our free profiles Women in our hearts from releaseinternational.org/hearts
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Amen.
Good News
Ephraim features in our latest DVD A long way from home (10 mins), free to supporters. Call: 01689 823491 to receive your free copy.
‘A future and a hope’
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My name is Ephraim. I have been in a refugee camp in northern Ethiopia for four years. I left Eritrea because there are no jobs, and there is no future for me. With your support, I now have two table football machines: that’s my business. It helps a lot. I now have some income and can support myself. Thank you for your help. I pray that God will bless you abundantly.
Thank you for helping those who have fled persecution in Eritrea to settle in refugee camps in northern Ethiopia. Because of your generosity they provide for their families and can reach out to others with the Good News of Jesus.
I am waiting to go to another country, but I hope that one day God will open the door for me to return to Eritrea.
Church growth in Laos Praise God for the faithful witness of a Christian woman in rural Laos, who refused to renounce her faith, despite maltreatment by her husband, a government official.
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When in frustration her husband asked the District Governor what he should do to turn his wife from Christianity, he replied: ‘Let them [the villagers] choose by themselves.’ Later, when the village headman pointed out that the building where the Christians met was too small, the same Governor answered: ‘Let them build a new church building.’ As a result of this freedom being granted, the woman’s husband and 14 families accepted Christ, swelling the church in the village to more than 200 members. Pray that the Holy Spirit will prompt other influential leaders to grant this freedom elsewhere in Laos, and will give isolated Christians resilience in the face of persecution. 9
Courageous faith ‘If my being in prison stirs the international community to work to prevent such future persecution of new believers, then my choice is to remain in prison.’ Iranian prisoner Ebrahim Firouzi Read more inspiring words at releaseinternational.org/ebrahim
Every day, thousands of Christians around the world face persecution for following Jesus.
And, just like Jesus, they have only one weapon to fight back with: love. They forgive those who persecute them. But, it isn’t easy. So, how can you help them? You can pray for them. Pray that God will give them grace and strength to forgive and to love their enemies. And, you can support them. You can help them to rebuild their lives. To stand firm in their faith and to share the message of God’s love with their persecutors. Are you ready to help them do battle? There can only be one winner: love.
voice of persecuted christians
God’s Word reaps a rich harvest in Afghanistan
A farmer gathers the wheat harvest in the Panjshir valley, north-east Afghanistan. Photo: National Geographic Creative/Alamy Stock Photo.
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Afghanistan
Our innovative partners are using TV, radio and the internet to reach all corners of Afghanistan. Names have been changed.
‘My Word … will not return to me empty’ (Isaiah 55:11) ‘Mirwais and his wife had questions about Islam, but could never talk about them,’ said our partner. ‘After calling us they started listening to our radio programme SadayeZindagi (Sound of Life). Three conversations later, Mirwais’ wife had prayed for God to give her a sign if Christianity was the right way. ‘That night she had a dream in which she saw a young man digging his grave. Later, she saw the young man standing beside the grave, which was filled. He told her that he had to die and rise three days later.’ Mirwais and his wife are now committed followers of Jesus and have grown through weekly Bible studies by Skype. They are enthusiastic, have memorised the names of the books of the New Testament and even record some of the studies. Others too are benefiting from the radio ministry that is bringing spiritual life across the country.
AFGHANISTAN Population: 32.6 million Capital: Kabul Government Type: Islamic republic Religion: Muslim 99.7 per cent; other (including Christian) 0.3 per cent.
‘The radio is my teacher,’ said one listener. ‘I listen to the programmes and try my best to live according to the teachings. I hope one day to get baptised.’ Another commented: ‘I love SadayeZindagi. Now that I talk about Jesus, God is blessing me in everything I do.’ ‘There is lots of bad news but, when I listen to your programmes, it gives me a boost and joy in my life,’ said a third. Afghanistan has been in transition since the handover from NATO to local forces at the end of 2014. Sadly, casualties and desertions among the Afghan forces and civilian deaths have not ended. So it is important for Christians to help bring good news and hope for the future of their country. ‘Radio is here to stay in Afghanistan,’ said our partner. It is the number one news provider and is turned on for most of the day in every home, shop, vehicle and smart phone. Our partners produce a range of topical radio programmes including testimonies, stories of family life and current affairs. All programmes have a clear Christian ethos, leading listeners to biblical truth and values.
are open during each programme, allowing viewers to respond with their questions. ‘With 90 minutes of radio on air every day, five hours of TV per week plus 24/7 websites and social media, we are committed to sowing the word of God as broadly as possible.
The harvest is plentiful ‘This sowing is bearing fruit. Every day we hear from radio and TV respondents plus a growing number of Facebook and YouTube watchers. Many of these request a copy of the Bible.’ He added: ‘The need and requests for Bible teaching are beyond our capacity to satisfy everyone. We have Skype Bible studies with a few, but we need Afghan staff dedicated to this. Given the security climate and tensions within the country, we need to increase our capacity for distance discipling. ‘Knowing that God is using us to open the hearts of Afghans, we are determined by the grace of God to continue planting seeds in faith so that the harvest will come in God’s time.’
‘Afghans have many barriers to overcome on their journey towards becoming fully-committed followers of Jesus. Our programmes are designed to lead Afghans along this path. ‘A growing number of respondents to our programmes express their disillusionment with Islam. Some young intellectuals tell us they consider themselves atheists and want to hear more about Christianity, while some Facebook forums openly discuss life beyond Islam.’ One partner also produces TV programmes that are broadcast via satellite. These include Afghan Christians describing their journey from Islam to becoming followers of Jesus and how this has changed their lives. Phone lines to the studio 13
How you can help Your generous gift of £10 or more can enable our partners to continue to touch lives in Afghanistan. Please give using the response card attached. Give online: releaseinternational.org Call: 01689 823491 today. Thank you for partnering with us.
Impact Report Library photo used to protect those we serve
North Korea
‘Now I can trust God’ Thanks to your support for our recent appeal for North Korea, our partner Voice of the Martyrs Korea is able to help defectors such as Hee-Young grow in faith and love.
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I used to live in North Hamgyeong Province, North Korea, before I defected to China with my three children. Once outside the country, my eyes were suddenly opened. When I lived in North Korea, I had no idea about God. So when I fled to China, I went to church once or twice for the first time. In North Korea I had heard many bad things about churches, so I had difficulty trusting them. However, one Sunday I went to church and heard the hymn Lord, This Sinner. The words sounded like they were about me. I could not stop crying. I began falling in love with God’s Word and started seeking God. Later, I became a Christian. When we were travelling through China, we were treated less than humanely. It was a painful
experience. My family had to experience being torn apart from each other — it was the hardest time of my life. The Bible teaching [from Release’s partner] has helped me become more discerning and has restored my self-confidence. Before my faith was weak, but now I can trust God.
Please Pray
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Hee-Young asks us to pray for her three children, who are all living with her in South Korea. ‘Pray for my son. He wandered for a long time as he had to live alone, but he has just recently met God. Pray that he will not lose his faith and will live a victorious life in Christ forever. Please also pray that my two daughters will be used by God powerfully despite their difficulties, sorrows and sufferings.’ 14
Discipled in Love Our partner VOM Korea is discipling a number of North Korean defectors including HeeYoung, encouraging them to grow in their faith and to adjust to life in South Korea. Your support enables our partner to provide: • Life-changing biblical teaching • Pastoral and practical care • Resources for evangelism and mission Thank you to everyone who supported our recent appeal to help North Korean defectors grow in God. If you’d like to make a gift, it’s not too late. Call: 01689 823491 or visit LoveKillsHate.org.
Grace, pain and passion
Around the world Christian young people face attacks because of their faith.
Help your church youth or student group connect in powerful ways with the experiences of young Christians around the world who pay a high price to follow Jesus.
India: Maggie’s story A youth group in India were gathering for praise and worship when their meeting was suddenly attacked by a group of militant Hindus.
a number of attacks by militant Hindus in India who want to stop Christians practising their faith.
This resource pack for young people and students has everything you need to run interactive sessions.
• Order a copy at: releasepotential.org • Or call: 01689 823491
Indian Christian Maggie and her youth group were violently attacked by Hindu militants.
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Explore the grace, pain and passion of those who suffer in Persecution Uncovered.
• Price: £10 including p&p.
Maggie, 24, said: ‘We stopped worshipping. My brother Paul asked one of the intruders what was wrong. The intruder started punching Paul in the face. Everyone, men, women and children, were attacked and beaten.’ The assailants were from the local neighbourhood and the attack is understood to have been pre-planned. This is just one of
Connected
You Tube
Releasepotential.org 15
Be Inspired! Persecuted believers have much to teach the church in the UK and Ireland, says Anne Coles, formerly of the New Wine leadership team and a speaker at Release Women’s forthcoming National Conference. Why are you so passionate about our persecuted family?
Saturday 25 June, 2016 10 am - 4 pm
Emmanuel Centre
9-23 Marsham Street, LONDON SW1P 3DW Come and hear our exciting line-up of speakers…
Amy Orr-Ewing
apologist, author and lecturer: ‘Does the Bible say you will be persecuted and is it really a blessing?’
Guest speaker who has experienced persecution:
Family is the word. As they weep, we weep with them and in our weeping we reach out to them. By doing so they are not forgotten, and we are a part of them. Understanding and supporting our persecuted family blesses all of us. If we don’t know them, then we need to get to know them.
What have you learnt from persecuted believers? Life is not about comfort — suffering is part of our Christian life. Hearing their stories encourages us to pray and addresses our individualism. It gives us a heavenly perspective on our own lives that we can lose so easily.
‘If you want to be a stronger Christian, you need to be listening to the stories of the persecuted’
Anne Coles
Anne was on the leadership team of New Wine for 15 years, with special responsibility for women. She has a heart for every generation to know God better and to be equipped by His Spirit to fulfil its calling.
(name withheld due to security reasons)
‘How does it feel to be persecuted? ‘How can it be a blessing?’
Anne Coles
New Wine Network: ‘What hostility do churches in the UK face?’ ‘What can we learn from persecuted Christians?’
‘How can we prepare for the challenges ahead?’ Cost £10 - Book online at: releaseinternational.org/events Call: 01689
823491
What can the church in the UK and Ireland learn? Faithfulness and commitment. Persecuted Christians have been through terrible things, but still love Jesus. It speaks to the comfortable church which says: “If you don’t like it, don’t bother.” We can learn a lot from the Chinese house churches which are mutually empowering, encouraging and supportive.
Why should people come to our women’s conference on June 25 (see left)? If you want to be a stronger Christian, you need to be listening to the stories of the persecuted. Come and be inspired by hearing from them and about them. I’m really looking forward to it!
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Book today • Book online at releaseinternational.org/ events • Or use the pull-off section on the cover letter • For further info Call:
01689 823491
• Or email info@ releaseinternational.org
Stock photo
your Church
Introducing Keith Release’s Development Manager for Ireland
Share the stories of persecuted Christians in your church What prompted you to join Release? I’d been volunteering with Release for about two years, and had a feeling that God was preparing me for this type of role. What inspires you the most? Connecting and engaging with local church fellowships. Additionally, seeing the reality and relevance of God’s Word in the real-life suffering of today’s courageous Christians. What do you find most challenging? I’m always challenged by the lives of ordinary Christians who face extreme pressure and suffering because of their faith. I wonder sometimes if I would be prepared to go through what they experience. What are some of the most memorable moments you have had in the last year? I recently visited a nation where the cost of being a Christian is huge and
death has been a reality for many believers. I was particularly inspired by a group of secret believers who know what it’s like to face threats and violence day by day, simply for claiming Jesus as their God. How can supporters pray for you? I constantly need wisdom and discernment as I try to develop the work here and abroad; my family need protection and support while I travel locally and internationally; I need God’s presence to be a very real source of strength on a daily basis. Gilnahirk Baptist Youth Fellowship said: ‘Keith’s recent presentation was very interactive and creative, giving us a better understanding of the difficulties that our brothers and sisters face for their faith. We’d like to do more to help our persecuted family in whatever way we can.’
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Invite
a Release speaker to your church To request a speaker for your church or fellowship group, please contact your nearest Development Manager:
Richard
North of England Tel 07969 361557
Anthony
Central England & Wales Tel 01234 271855
Andrew
South of England Tel 07540 530153
Keith
Ireland Tel 028 9334 0014
Simon
Scotland Tel 07977 936554
Grace to forgive
Reflect
‘I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,’ Jesus told his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:44; ESV). That’s an easy sentence of scripture for us to read, but a challenging — even painful — command to obey. Forgiving others is a profound way of showing God’s love; it’s also evidence of God’s grace at work in our own lives. Not surprisingly, it’s a theme Jesus addressed more than once in the gospels. This month we celebrate Pentecost: the promised giving of the Holy Spirit by the crucified and ascended Christ. Since that day every genuine Christian is both regenerated and indwelt by the Spirit. And that, the Bible teaches us, should make a difference in our lives. Christians are not perfect: we stumble, we sin. We can hurt others. But our basic orientation is now not to do these things. When we do, we are moved to repent. And when others fail us, we are moved to forgive. This is not an attitude we can conjure up from within by our own strength: it is the grace of God — the outworking of the Spirit of God in us. In his letter to the Galatians the Apostle Paul has to tackle, head-on, a church tempted to undermine the power and grace of the gospel.
Towards the end of the letter he urges them to ‘walk by the Spirit’ (Galatians 5:16). Memorably he tells them that ‘the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…’ (vv. 22-23).
When you read stories of persecution give thanks to God for the grace that He gives. Ask God to go on strengthening His suffering people that they might show godly forgiveness. And then pray that God might give that same grace to you …
This gives us a wonderful picture of the grace-filled Christian life. Sometimes, in the pages of this magazine, you may read moving accounts of how persecuted Christians have been able to forgive their attackers and tormentors. But how do such testimonies make you feel? As our book Jars of Clay puts it: ‘When Christians in the West hear such stories, it is tempting to react in one of two ways. First, to say, “I don’t think I could respond like that if such an awful thing happened to me.” The second is to then gaze upon those whose stories we have heard with something of a reverent awe’ (Jars of Clay, page 67). But we shouldn’t put persecuted Christians on a pedestal: we should put God’s grace on a pedestal. 18
Order a copy of Jars of Clay today to discover what the Bible says about persecution. • Price: £8 including p&p • Order a copy at: releaseinternational. org/estore • Or call: 01689 823491
FIVE
REASONS TO MAKE A GENEROUS GIFT TO RELEASE INTERNATIONAL TODAY
1
Because the Bible tells us to see Jesus in the faces of those who are persecuted, hungry or in prison. It invites us to help them in practical ways (Matthew 25:31-46).
2
Because often persecuted Christians have lost everything. Their homes might have been destroyed, their possessions confiscated or their right to work denied. You can help them to rebuild their lives.
3
Because without our help many will continue to suffer. Your gift can help provide food, shelter, medicines, legal aid and spiritual encouragement to those who are following Jesus amidst adversity.
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prayershield releaseinternational.org
MAY/JUNE 2016
A Nigerian believer stands in the rubble of a church destroyed by Boko Haram.
May 2016
Nigeria
Heavenly Father,
Sunday 1: Pray that
Thank you that you never leave us or forsake us, even and especially in our darkest times. I praise you, Lord, for the courage of my brothers and sisters who are standing firm and staying put, despite strong opposition, persecution or even threat of death. I ask you to surround them with your angels and make them radiant with your love and your light. For your glory, Lord. Amen.
Nigeria’s Government will take effective action to protect vulnerable Christian communities against attack. It had vowed to defeat Boko Haram insurgents by the end of last year.
Monday 2: About 300 mainly Christian farmers were killed in one week in late-February when herdsmen raided villages in Agatu, Benue state. Five villages were destroyed and homes looted. Tuesday 3: Fulani militants
on horseback attacked Tombo village in Buruku, Benue state, in March, shooting
people and attacking them with machetes. At least 15 people died.
Wednesday 4: Pray for those
still coming to terms with an attack by Boko Haram on Dalori village, near Maiduguri city, in January. Up to 65 villagers were killed; some – including children – were burned to death.
Thursday 5: Pray that God will provide for the thousands of Christians who have fled their homes to escape violence in north and central Nigeria.
prayershield
Egypt Friday 6: Pray that God
will strengthen the faith of His people in Egypt. Pray he will comfort those who mourn, including the little girl pictured whose mother was killed for her Christian witness; many have paid with their lives for following Christ.
Saturday 7: Praise God
that the case against three Christians accused of blasphemy has been dropped. Fawzy Osama Ibrahim, 16, and two friends were arrested last July after Fawzy shared Christian tracts in Alexandria.
Sunday 8: Thank God
that all the equipment confiscated by officials in October has now been returned to Release’s partner, satellite TV broadcaster SAT-7, in Cairo.
Monday 9: The temporary
loss of its equipment and its inability to screen live shows or record many programmes (above) cost SAT-7 more than £140,000. Pray that God will multiply its income to cover those losses.
Tuesday 10: Pray that officials will investigate fully four suspicious deaths in the Egyptian army in nine months: all the deceased were Christian soldiers. Officials report three of the deaths as suicide: relatives reject those claims.
A young girl whose mother was killed is comforted by her church family in Egypt.
Sri Lanka Wednesday 11: Pray for
wisdom for the pastor of Voice of Heaven Church in Dumalasuriya, Kurunegala district, who has been told by officials not to hold Sunday services for fear they will ‘disturb the peace’.
Thursday 12: Pray for the
pastor of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Sri Lanka Church in Dehiowita, Kegalle district, who was threatened by a 60-strong mob recently while he led a prayer meeting.
Friday 13: Believers in
some parts of Sri Lanka are being denied a Christian burial: locals are insisting that burials be carried out according to the traditions of the majority religion in some villages.
Saturday 14: Pray for the
pastor of Apostolic Church in Alawwa, Kurunegala district, who has had to suspend all prayer meetings after Buddhist monks and other opponents made false allegations against him.
Sunday 15: As we focus on Pentecost, let’s pray that Christians in Sri Lanka and globally will be filled afresh with the Holy Spirit and know His power within them to transform their communities.
Pakistan Monday 16: Pray for wisdom for Christian leaders as they try to protect their congregations but also encourage them to be salt and light in their communities.
prayershield Tuesday 17: Christians have
been alarmed by widespread anger over the hanging of Mumtaz Qadri, the man who assassinated Salmaan Taseer, the Punjab governor and a strong critic of the country’s blasphemy laws. Tens of thousands attended Qadri’s funeral.
Al-Shabaab regard as Islamic territory. Hundreds fled their homes after the attack in February (above).
labour and prison camps. Pray that God will strengthen them and give them hope.
Friday 20: Pray for all those affected by the suicide bombing at a Lahore park on Easter Sunday, which was deliberately targeted at the Christian community. More than 70 people were killed and over 350 injured.
Sunday 29: As we hold our Great Outdoors Church Christians in Lamu County will Services today, let’s pray for persecuted Christians stand firm in their faith in the worldwide forced out of face of persecution (Matthew their churches because 24:12). ‘God has called us to their buildings have been be the salt and the light,’ said destroyed, officials have one area church leader after barred them from their the February attack. premises or because it’s too Tuesday 24: Pray that the dangerous to meet. Kenyan Government and Monday 30: Pray for the security forces will take firm action now to tackle extremist 30 Christians being trained and prepared for service to groups. other North Koreans on a sixWednesday 25: Pray for month discipleship training Somali Christians in Kenya programme run by our who are frequently a target for ministry partner VOM Korea. persecution by members of the Tuesday 31: Pray that God Somali community. will raise up more people Thursday 26: Hassan, 26, a to support the underground Somali Christian, was seriously church inside North Korea, so injured after Muslim relatives that it will flourish and draw ambushed him on his way many people to Christ. to church on the outskirts of Nairobi and beat him unconscious, apparently for his faith. Pray that God will protect and provide for his family.
Kenya
North Korea
Saturday 21: Al-Shabaab extremists killed at least four Christians in a night-time raid on the mainly Muslim village of Maporomoko in Lamu County in February. Several others were wounded or kidnapped.
Friday 27: While the precise
Sunday 22: Pray for Christians
Saturday 28: Some estimates
Wednesday 18: Punjab farm labourer Asia Bibi remains in solitary confinement on death row for ‘blasphemy’, pending an appeal to the Supreme Court. Security was tightened after Mumtaz Qadri’s execution (above). Thursday 19: Some Muslim
leaders have spoken out for Christians, at great personal risk. Praise God for their courage in defence of religious liberties.
in the northern coastal area of Kenya which Islamist terrorists
Monday 23: Pray that
number of Christians inside North Korea is unknown, Christian and secular analysts believe there are about 100,000 Christians in the country. Pray that God will multiply their number.
suggest that there are 30,000 Christians in North Korea’s
North Korea’s former leaders, Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, honoured in these 20-metre statues in Pyongyang, are treated as gods.
prayershield
June 2016 Iraq Wednesday 1: Pray for a
Release partner working with local churches in Kurdistan, northern Iraq, to provide essential supplies and vocational training to Christian refugees from Iraq.
Thursday 2: Pray for the one million people who have fled to Iraqi Kurdistan, many of whom are Christians. Pray that God will provide for them - and that one day they will be able to return home. Friday 3: Thank God for the
overcoming faith of ‘Amira’ and ‘Jaffer’ (names changed) who have had death threats from Muslim relatives. Amira was captured and tortured by Islamic State but was freed by local militia. They fled abroad, where they were baptised (pictured).
Saturday 4: Thank God for
reports that He is appearing to many Iraqi Muslims in dreams. Pray that many more turn to Christ so the church grows, both inside Iraq and among its refugee population.
Turkey Sunday 5: Pray for our brothers and sisters in Turkey who are under pressure as extremists threaten religious liberties. The Association of Protestant Churches says churches have received threats by email and text
Iraqi Christians ‘Amira’ and ‘Jaffer’, who were severely persecuted, show photos of their baptism.
message from groups sympathetic to Islamic State.
Monday 6: Churches
in Turkey are finding it increasingly hard to register official places of worship. The Ankara Kurtulus Church has been trying for years: it has now taken its fight to the European Court of Human Rights.
Tuesday 7: Pray for members of the Agape Church Foundation in Samsun whose building was recently attacked by men, who were later heard shouting jihadist slogans. Wednesday 8: Thank God
that officials in Bursa, north-west Turkey, recently withdrew an order that the last-remaining church-goers in the city should vacate their premises.
Thursday 9: Continue to pray
for justice for the families of three Christians murdered at a publishing house in Malatya in 2007: the trial of their alleged killers continues, amid allegations of a political conspiracy.
Friday 10: Thank God that the
families of the three Christians murdered in Malatya in 2007 (above) were recently awarded substantial damages after a court ruled the Government had been negligent in its duty to protect the men.
India Saturday 11: Pray that India’s
Government, led by the Hindu nationalist BJP, will do more to stand up against Hindu extremist attacks on minorities such as Christians.
prayershield Sunday 12: Attacks on Christians became an almost daily occurrence in 2015, according to one advocacy group. The 355 incidents of violence recorded included the murder of seven pastors. Monday 13: Hundreds of
Christians were arrested last year under India’s anti-conversions laws. Pray for legal reform so that these laws cannot be used to persecute religious minorities.
militants are targeting them. Pray that many will follow Mohammad Yousuf Bhat’s lead and spread the gospel.
Pray for religious tolerance in their district.
Thursday 16: Pastor Avdhesh
Sunday 19: Thank God for
Savita was recently beaten and paraded through streets in Uttar Pradesh with his head half-shaved as crowds called for him to be cut to pieces. He says he felt honoured to suffer for Christ. Ask God to protect him.
Tuesday 14: Mohammad
Friday 17: Twelve people, including a blind couple and their three-year-old son, were arrested in Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh, on anticonversion charges and held for several days – simply for being Christians.
Wednesday 15: Pray for
Saturday 18: Four of the 12 Christians arrested recently in Dhar (above) were later fined for ‘breaching peace and harmony’ and ‘picking arguments with their own family members’.
Yousuf Bhat (pictured) spent many years sharing the gospel with Muslims in Kashmir, before he was killed by Islamic militants last year. Pray that his ministry will bear rich fruit.
Christians in the mainly Muslim state of Jammu and Kashmir where Islamist
Mohammad Yousuf Bhat spent years sharing the gospel with Muslims before he was killed by Islamic militants in India.
China the recent release of human rights lawyer Zhang Kai, after he had spent almost seven months in a secret ‘black jail’. He was held because of his work with Zhejiang churches targeted for demolition or cross removal.
Monday 20: Continue to
pray for the release of other religious leaders, human rights lawyers and defenders jailed in China, including attorneys Li Heping and Wang Yu, and pastors Hu Shigen, Li Guozhi (Yang Hua) and Bao Guohua.
Tuesday 21: Pray that
churches in Zhejiang, and across China, will find a fresh unity as congregations of all denominations are targeted for attack.
Wednesday 22: Thank God
for the release of Pastor Yan Xiaojie from Wenzhou city, Zhejiang, who was jailed for five months for circulating on social media prayer requests for churches targeted for cross removal.
Thursday 23: High-profile
pastor Gu ‘Joseph’ Yuese remains under surveillance in Zhejiang, for opposing officials’ plans to demolish churches and remove crosses. He has been replaced as head of the huge Chongyi Church and chairman of the provincial China Christian Council.
to worship together. Pray that they will be able to build a church.
Wednesday 29: Pray for a change of heart among village heads who are often a key hurdle to Christians’ plans to share the gospel and build churches. Through Release-supported conferences in Thailand, Lao pastors are equipped to minister in remote areas.
Friday 24: Huoshi Church
in Guìyang city is suffering intense persecution with the arrest of several leaders, including Pastor Yang Hua; the church has been barred from its meeting place and services banned.
Saturday 25: Thank God for
the release of Cheng Jie after she had served two years in jail for ‘illegal business operations’ as director of a church-run kindergarten in Guangxi.
Sunday 26: Officials in Guangdong province have forced Huaqiao City Church out of its premises, by pressuring its landlord to end its lease. All other landlords
have refused to rent out property to the church.
Laos Monday 27: Pray for God’s
people in communist Laos where Christians in different regions continue to suffer discrimination and persecution, including imprisonment and forced displacement. Pray for two Christian men imprisoned for several months because of evangelism.
Tuesday 28: Thank God for the strong faith of 25 families of the Prai tribe in three villages in northern Laos who walk for two hours to be able
Thursday 30: Officials frequently discriminate against Christians, for example, by confiscating the ‘family books’ which combine ID papers and a ration card. Lord Jesus, Thank you, precious Saviour, for leaving us with the gift of your Holy Spirit. I pray that my persecuted brothers and sisters worldwide will be filled continually with your power, so that they can truly be your disciples, bringing radical transformation and hope to their communities. I pray this for the whole church: may your joy be our strength as we build your kingdom, Lord. In your precious name, Amen. © Release International 2016
For more information on the countries where Release works, go to the ‘Country profiles’ page at releaseinternational.org Sources: BBC; China Aid; Middle East Concern; Morning Star News; Release partners; SAT-7; UCANews; VOM USA; World Watch Monitor.
releaseinternational.org
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