MARCH ‘10
An elderly woman in Malaysia, where more than 60% of the population are muslims
VISION CHALLENGE : THE GOOD NEWS TO THE ISLAMIC WORLD Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the world, now with a significant presence in almost every country. A demographic study in 2009 of 232 countries estimates around 23% of the global population (1.57billion) are Muslims, of around 90% are Sunnis and 10-20% are Shites. The Arab world is considered the heartland of Islam, however the majority of muslims live in Asia and Africa. Islam is the second largest religion in the West including the US and Australia and in China. The Gospel is also fast reaching the Islamic world. Since 9-11 and the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Gospel is reaching various Muslim communities across the Islamic World. A leading Islamic Saudi Cleric estimated that around 6 million Muslims convert to Christianity every year during a live interview on Al Jazeera Satellite Channel. There are reports of hundreds of thousands converting to evangelical Christianity. Specific reports of conversion include, in: Afghanistan - where there were only 17 known evangelical Christians in the country before 9-11. Today, there are well over 10,000 Afghan followers of Christ and the number is growing steadily
Iraq -there were only a handful of Muslim converts to Christianity in the 70s yet today, there are more than 70,000 Iraqi converts believers in Jesus (MBBs), approximately 50,000 who came to Christ as refugees in Jordan after the first Gulf War in 1990-91, and another 20,000 who have come to Christ since the fall of Saddam Hussein. Iran -In 1979 when the Ayatollah Khomeini led the Islamic Revolution, there were only about 500 known Muslim converts to Christianity. Today, interviews with two dozen Iranian pastors and church leaders reveals that there are well over 1 million Shia Muslim converts to Christianity. Sudan - Despite a ferocious civil war, genocide and widespread religious persecution, particularly in the Darfur region, more than 1 million Sudanese have decided to follow Jesus Christ since 2001.
The Vision Challenge for March is to reach out with the Gospel that brings true peace with God to the thousands of Muslims. This is a challenge that requires much prayer and dedication to achieve. Preaching or turning to Christ in the Islamic world, is at the risk of losing one’s life. We at V2M salute the many who are working tirelessly among such people and the thousands who have come to Christ at such great risk.
BARRIERS TO ACCEPTING CHRIST Denying the Son: Muslims acknowledge Christ as a prophet, but find it unthinkable that God has a son who is equal to him in power and glory. Denying the Cross: Allah would never allow his prophet to suffer such humiliation and suffering. Muslims reject the cross because they do not understand the concept of a loving God sacrificing himself for his people Denying God’s Revelation: The Quran is vigorously promoted as the only valid measure for divine truth. Thus whatever is not in accord with the book of the Muslims is regarded as corrupt and untrue Denying the Father: The thought that God is a Father and that out of love for the corrupted world he offered his only Son, is not only strange for a Muslim, but ridiculous. He who says that God revealed himself in the man Jesus is regarded as a liar and seducer. Rejection from Family and Friends: When a Muslim seriously occupies himself with investigating the gospel it will not remain hidden for long. His wife has the right to be divorced from him. His children then no longer belong to him. Above all, his clan will begin to seclude him and could also raise the sword against him
MAJOR PRAYER CONCERNS
MISSION CHALLENGE : TO LIVE IS FOR CHRIST The Mission Challenge for this month of March, is from the ministry of brother who is from a Shia background and has come to know and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal savior. He is currently working in India and is actively engaged in sharing the gospel and ministering to the Muslim community across the world through personal evangelism, e-mails and the internet media. He writes…… “I was born in a conservative Shia family in the North of India. My father died when I was ab out four years o l d a n d mother passed away while I was pursuing my studies in theology. My elder brother and sister are married and continue to be Muslims. I grew up like other Muslim children with a vision to serve Allah. From my early youth, I was actively involved almost all Islamic rituals and practices. While in college, I was determined to be teacher of Islam with zeal to reach out to non-Muslims for Islam. The Christian faith was fascinating to me as much has been written of this in the Quran. With the aim of reaching out to non-muslims with the message of Islam, I began to study of Christianity and other religions. With the help of a local brethren assembly, I was accepted into a Seminary for a Bachelor’s
PREVIOUS ISSUES January 2010 - Uyghurs of Kazhakstan Febriaru 2010 - Rescue the perishing..Care for the dying If you would like to obtain the previous issue of V2M or if you have friends who may be interested in receiving this newsletter, please let us know at vision2missionministry@gmail.com We welcome your feedback.
degree course in Religion and Theology from 1995 to 1998. Within six months of joining the course, I came to realize an important truth i.e. the Bible has never been altered. This changed my perspective, as I have been taught from a very young age that the Bible has been changed and is a very unreliable document. This also led me to realize that the historical facts and scripture on the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ and His claims of being the ONLY way, truth and life, cannot be taken lightly. In December of 1995 I was led by the Holy Spirit to accept the L o rd J e s u s C h r i s t a s m y personal savior. I had to leave home and the state in 1998 to avoid a situation with locals and for the safety of my family. Since becoming a child of God, I have been cared for, used and protected by the Almighty. The Lord has been great source of encouragement and blessing leading me by His Spirit and preserving my soul with His precious Word. He has used me for His service in India and Central Asian countries. He has now given me a greater task of reaching out to Muslims in South East Asia through the Internet Media. The Lord has also given me a good Assembly that understands and supports my call, standing with me through their prayerful support. The Lord has blessed me with a life partner who shares the same burden and commitment to reach out to women.” Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits —Ps 103:2 Let us uphold this dear brother in the Lord’s hand as he delivers the good news at great risk. Can we join him in the challenge – To live is for Christ?
Malaysia: For increased freedom for the Christian community. Albania, Macedonia, and Kosovo: are seeing a steady resurgence of Islam Iran: For the country to open up and loosen restrictions. Birmingham, England:Pray for Christian outreach currently going on in Birmingham - one of the largest Muslim concentrations inthe U.K. Zanzibar: is predominately Muslim, and radicals have carried out several recent attacks against Christians. Lebanon: Christians have left the country in large numbers, and the potential implementation of sharia law is growing. Uzbekistan: Christian witness is very difficult and the Uzbek government has made unregistered religious activity a criminal offense. Sudan: Pray for continued peace in the region. Persecution of Christians continues. Africa: Islamic presence is growing at a rapid pace. With over 1 billion people on the continent, and 3,500 ethnic groups — the population percentage of Muslims is approximately 45 percent and increasing. Christians in Pakistan: Cases involving “blasphemy laws” continue to mount. Extreme violence against Christians continues Kazakhstan: Laws have been passed mandating severe penalties for any religious activity not approved by government authorities. There are more than 9 million Uighur Muslims of Northwest China and neighboring Kazakhstan Canada: Although only 2 percent of Canadians are Muslims, Islam is the fastest growing religion in the country. Bulgaria: has a higher percentage of Muslim population than any country in the European Union. There are radio and satellite broadcasts reaching Muslims. Pray for a genuine move of the Lord through this medium. Morocco: No Moroccan church has yet been recognized by the government. Christian workers and missionaries in Europe: Pray they would seize opportunities to witness to Muslims that might not otherwise hear about the love of Jesus. Muslim Background Believers (MBBs) in Iran: Persecution continues to be intense as Iranian MBBs face consistent threats of death or imprisonment. Christians in Somalia: Religious violence continues to be a serious threat after an underground church leader was recently shot and killed by extremists. Algeria: Arson is responsible for damage to a new church building in the city of Tizi Ouzou. Believers in Eritrea: 2,000 Christians remain incarcerated without proper charges or due process. [Source: http://Jumma.Co.nr]