Pray for Persecuted Church: Afghanistan

[The Voice of the Martyrs prayer calendar] Afghanistan remains mired in chaos as the U.S. prepares to decrease troop numbers from the ‘surge’ initiated by President Obama in late 2009. Attempts to negotiate with the Taliban have been fruitless, and relations between President Karzai (previous president) and members of parliament remain tense. The Taliban insurgency remains problematic, with political assassinations in July and an attack on the Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul June 2011. Out of 76 people groups in the country, 70 are unreached by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Category	Restricted Nation
Religion	Muslim 99.8%, Christian 0.01%
Ideology	Islam
Head of State	Mohammad Ashraf Ghani (Updated)

Converting from Islam to any religion is a crime, and proselytizing is illegal. There are no formal churches in the country. It is believed that several hundred Afghans now follow Christ. Christians experience intense persecution from family members and neighbors. Shoaib Assadullah was arrested in 2009 after giving a New Testament to a man who later reported him to authorities. The arrested Christian refused to recant his faith, despite promises of freedom if he would. Another Afghan Christian, Said Musa, was arrested after video depicting Christian baptisms was aired on national TV. Following international campaigns on their behalf, both men were eventually released.

Pray that believers will find creative and safe ways to worship and fellowship.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Pray for Persecuted Church: Pakistan

[The Voice of the Martyrs prayer calendar] Pakistan is one of the most corrupt countries in the world. It suffers from chronic sectarian and religiously-motivated violence, including frequent suicide bombings and killings. Though the constitution guarantees religious freedom, Christians increasingly suffer under Pakistan’s three blasphemy laws. One law stipulates that any person who defiles the name of the prophet Muhammad may be punished by life imprisonment or death. Four hundred forty-nine (449) of the 463 people groups in Pakistan are unreached by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Category	Restricted Nation
Religion	Muslim 95.8%, Christian 2.5%
Ideology	Islam
Head of State	President Asif Ali Zardari

Christians in Pakistan live under constant threat from fundamentalist Muslims. Muslim employers and neighbours frequently accuse Christians of crimes and blasphemy against Islam, and Christians are assumed guilty. The blasphemy laws are often used unjustly to imprison or otherwise punish Christians for practicing their faith. Government officials do not adequately protect Christians from violence, and those who attack Christians are seldom brought to justice. Last year, Pakistan’s only Christian cabinet member was assassinated for criticizing the blasphemy law and calling for Christian prisoner Asia Bibi’s release. Governor Salmaan Taseer, a Muslim, was also killed because of his support of the repeal of the blasphemy laws. On March 21, 2011, a group of armed Muslims opened fire on Christians at an open-air prayer meeting, killing two of the men. Before their burial ceremony, about 4,000 Christians protested in the streets and demanded that the police arrest the killers.

Pray that Pakistan’s blasphemy law will stop being used as a weapon against Christians

THINK BIG. START SMALL .GO DEEP.

Jesus encountered with Critics (Grace-Giver and Law-Keepers Collide)

“At about that time Jesus was walking through some grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began breaking off some heads of grain and eating them. But some Pharisees saw them do it and protested, ‘Look, your disciples are breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath’” (Matthew 12:1-2, NLT).

Jesus and his disciples were “walking through some grainfields.” Because the disciples were hungry, they began to pluck heads of grain and eat them. They weren’t stealing, God had told farmers not to harvest the edges of their fields, so travellers and the poor could partake (see Leviticus 23:22). On any other day, no one would have questioned Jesus about what the disciples were doing. Because this was the Sabbath, however, the Pharisees accused them of breaking God’s law about not working on the day they were supposed to keep holy (see Exodus 20:8-11).

The Pharisees had separated themselves from anything non-Jewish and carefully followed both the Old Testament (Jewish Scriptures) laws and the oral traditions handed down through the centuries. They were exacting, detailing and scrupulous in their attempts to follow God’s law as well as hundreds of those traditional laws (sayings of the rabbis, which are not directly inspired by God as the Scriptures). And the worst thing was – they expected the Jews to do the same.

According to Exodus 34:21, harvesting grain was forbidden on the Sabbath, and picking the grain and rubbing it could have been interpreted as “harvesting”. But, as was often the case, the Pharisees were missing the spirit of the law and focusing on the letter. The disciples were picking the grain because they were hungry, not to harvest the grain for profit (I’m sure God would allow His hungry people to eat). The disciples were not breaking God’s law as recorded by Moses, just violating one of the Pharisees’ many rules. Obviously, the Pharisees must have been following Jesus to find an offense worthy of accusation. They expected to put Jesus on the defensive. Instead, he refuted their specific accusation and their interpretation of the Sabbath.

Think about this: The Pharisees saw themselves as guardians of God’s law, so they were quick to judge and condemn anyone who might break even a minor interpretation and tradition. Emphasizing laws and rules is called “legalism,” and it’s easy to slip into, especially if we’re trying to justify our own behaviour. In the process, we can miss what’s really important. The Pharisees tried to create a religious crisis over a few heads of grain. Soon, in the next chapter of the gospel story, we’ll see them argue about whether or not to heal someone on the Sabbath. Don’t be like the Pharisees. Be graceful like Jesus.

Nobody’s perfect, so we can always find something to criticize if we look hard enough. Jesus was perfect, yet the Pharisees thought they had caught him breaking one of the Ten Commandments. Jesus said that he didn’t come to abolish the law but to fulfil it (Matthew 5:17). Instead of condemning us for our lawbreaking, Jesus treats us with mercy and grace, giving us what we could never earn by our own efforts. Based on our merits, we wouldn’t have a chance for redemption and eternal life. The Pharisees focused on the law and missed the Saviour. Don’t be like the Pharisees. Be merciful and gracious like Jesus.  Focus on Jesus and don’t miss what is really important.

Examine your own spirit of criticism or judgment of others.

Ask God to fill you with His love, mercy and grace for others.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Pray for Persecuted Church: Mauritania

[The Voice of the Martyrs prayer calendar] Mauritania is one of the world’s poorest countries and one of the most restricted. Freedom of religion is non-existent, and Islam has dominated for more than 1,000 years. Social and family matters are judged under Shariah, or Islamic law. A bloodless coup in August 2008 led to democratic elections and a new president in 2009. Fourteen of the 19 people groups in Mauritania are unreached by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Category	Restricted Nation
Religion	Muslim 99.8%, Christian 0.2%
Ideology	Islam
Head of State	Gen. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz

The Green flag is Mauritania

The government prohibits distribution of non-Islamic religious materials and the evangelism of Muslims. It is illegal for citizens to enter non-Muslim households, and anyone who confesses Christ faces the death penalty. “Shadrach,” a The Voice of Martyrs (VOM) worker in Mauritania, and several others were attached and beaten in July 2011 by an Islamic group led by a Muslim leader.

Pray: Pray for revival in underground churches and for strong Christian leadership.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus Kristus, Aku Deka Pendiau ti Baru

“Tu pun Berita Manah pasal Jesus Kristus, ti Anak Allah Taala. Munyi ti ditulis dalam bup nabi Isaiah, ‘Ku Allah Taala bejaku, ‘Dinga! Aku ngirumka seruan Aku dulu ari Nuan; iya deka nyediaka jalai ke Nuan.’ Siku orang ngagau di menua puang: ‘Sediaka jalai ke Tuhan; Gaga jalai Iya rurus!’’ John Pemaptisa pegari di menua puang, madahka pemaptisa nesal ati ke pengampun dosa. Semua orang ari serata menua Judea, enggau ari Jerusalem mansang ngagai iya. Sida ngaku dosa sida, lalu iya maptisa sida ba Sungai Jordan. Gari John digaga ari bulu unta, lalu belulang ti melit punggung iya digaga ari kulit jelu. Lalu pemakai iya buntak enggau ai manyi. Ku iya madah ngagai orang mayuh, ‘Iya ke datai dudi ari aku lebih agi bekuasa ari aku, datai ke aku enda tau meremi lalu muka tali kasut Iya. Aku udah maptisa kita ngena ai, tang Iya deka maptisa kita ngena Roh Kudus’”

(Mark 1:1-8, Bup Kudus Baru).

Enti Raja empu deka datai tentu seruan iya datai dulu lalu nyedia ka jalai, madah ka orang bakani patut nyendia diri. Iya muai penanggol dulu. Nya meh pengawa John Pemaptisa. Raja ti besai nyau ka datai, ti udah ditulis bala nabi beribu-ribu taun dulu. Dikumbai sida “Messiah” tauka “Kristus.” Iya ka niri ka Perintah Allah Taala di dunya tu, ngasoh samoa bansa nyadi rakyat Iya, ti nitih ka pesan Raja. John, nabi ti pengabis ujong, lalu pengabis besai – Seruan Kristus empu.

“Gari John digaga ari bulu unta, lalu belulang ti melit punggung iya digaga ari kulit jelu. Lalu pemakai iya buntak enggau ai manyi (madu).” Pemakai iya semina chukup ngidup ka diri aja. Iya enda ingin sekali ka utai dunya. Iya ingin ka utai ti besai agi – nyedia ka orang ka penatai Jesus, Anak Allah Taala, iya nya Kristus. Nagang pengingin tuboh kitai, nya siti jalai ngalah ka lalu ngerusak mayoh bengkah penyai. John baka nabi Elijah kelia, ti ngerusak adat Baal, petara kapir, serta enggau imam Baal 40 iko. Baka Elijah mega John ngerusak pendiau kapir ba orang Juda.

John muai penanggol. Lalu penanggol ti besai ari semoa iya nya dosa. “Nesal ati ke dosa kita, laban Perintah serega nyau semak!” (Matthew 3:2). “Semua orang ari serata menua Judea, enggau ari Jerusalem mansang ngagai iya. Sida ngaku dosa sida, lalu iya maptisa sida ba Sungai Jordan.” Iya nyepoh ka sida dalam ai. Udah nya iya ngangkat ka sida baru ari ai. Nya tanda sida ninggal ka pendiau lama ti jai lalu bulih pendiau ti baru ti tuchi.

Pia kitai mega diasoh berubah, nitih ka jalai baru lalu nyadi orang baru. Enti kitai baka nya, Tuhan kitai ka amat datai (Tuhan nang udai datai dulu). Datai dini? Ba ati kitai, ba runding enggau pengawa kitai, ba rumah, ba bilik kitai, ba dunya kitai, ba pengidup kitai, nyadi Raja amat. Suah minta Tuhan Yesus Kristus datai ngambi ka megai nuan amat-amat. Tang kati penanggol udah dibuai ari ati nuan? Iya nya dosa?

Sembiang

Datai O Jesus, dalam ati aku! Amat bisi mayoh macham penyai ti nanggol penatai Nuan.

Buai nya, Tuhan, lalu pegai ati aku, pegai pendiau aku, nuan ti Messiah, Kristus Tuhan aku.

Aku deka bulih pendiau ti baru. Amen.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Diambik, disemak, disalin ngau diubah ulih aku ari Mending Ka Tuhan: Berati ka Injil St Mark

Ditusun ulih F.A. Vergeer M.H.M.

Imprimatur: Rt. Rev. Bishop Dominic Su, D.D., Januari, 1996.

Dikeluar ulih: Diocesan Centre, 1, Lanang Road, P.O. Box 495, 96007 Sibu, Sarawak. 

Pray for Persecuted Church: Brunei

[The Voice of the Martyrs prayer calendar] Brunei’s economy is based almost entirely on oil and natural gas, and its great national wealth gives it a strong measure of global influence relative to its size. The same family has led the country for more than six centuries. Out of 26 people groups, the eight largest are unreached by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Category	Restricted Nation
Religion	Muslim 65.3%, Christian 11.4%
Ideology	Islam
Head of State	Sultan/Prime Minister Sir Hassanal Bolkiah

There are few believers in this small country. Islam is the official religion. While religious freedom is guaranteed under Brunei’s constitution, Christians face a variety of restrictions, including confiscation of religious materials intended for distribution and sale, and prohibitions on religious teaching in private, non-Islamic schools. Evangelism and conversion to Christianity is prohibited, Bible importation is forbidden and the government regularly ignores requests to build or expand churches. Even religious symbols on imported magazines are censored. There are only three registered churches in the country, all built during the colonial era. No new churches have been permitted, so believers must meet secretly. The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) has smuggled Bibles into the country for three years and effectively met the need for Bibles for every Christian in the nation in 2011.

Pray: Pray for wisdom as VOM monitors and provides for the needs of believers.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus is Able to Perform Deep Healing (or A Search for Faithful Friends)

“Soon the house where [Jesus] was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them, four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus” (Mark 2:2-4, NLT).

It helps to know a little about house architecture in the Middle East. Ralph Gower in his book The New Manners & Customs of Bible Times (2005), writes, “Initially homes were made with sun-dried mud bricks, but technology advanced until it was possible to fire the bricks in a kiln, and until rough stone and rubble houses were being built… the (flat) roof was constructed by laying brushwood across rough sycamore beams and binding them together by using mud.” Thus, face with a wall-to-wall crowd in the house and limited access to the doorways, the friends (“four men”) devised a desperate plan. They would go up on the roof, figure out where Jesus was standing below, “dug a hole through the roof,” and lower their friend in front of the Lord.

Imagine the scene indoors [Pause]. Those listening to Jesus began to notice sound overhead, and then pieces of the ceiling started to rain down. Moments later, an opening appeared and a stretcher was lowered. The crowd, driven back by the debris, had cleared a landing area.

“Seeing their [the four men] faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven.’ But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, ‘What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!’” (Mark 2:5-7). Looking down at the man clearly (obviously!) in need of one kind of healing, Jesus chose instead to offer him first a deeper healing – the forgiveness of sins. Some religious experts accused him of blasphemy, since if he claimed to be able to forgive sins he claimed to be God. Of course, that is exactly who Jesus is. (Read Mark 2:8-12. Here Jesus added significance to his statement of forgiveness. He knew talk was cheap unless he could back it up with action – which he did by freeing the man to skip home joyfully, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” The paralyzed man was healed!).

Think about this: What caused Jesus to heal the paralyzed man? The faith of the four men (Mark 2:5). Jesus honoured the faith of those friends. Remember, the paralysis of sin is the most deliberating human disease, and people all around us are walking by with the symptoms every day. Many people are spiritually “paralyze,” so the world need more friends like this man – friends that have faith in Jesus. Friends that bring others to Jesus. Moreover, friends that believe in Jesus. How much trouble are you willing to undertake to get your friends to Jesus? Know this: Jesus is all the more ready to forgive our sins and he can perform deep healing in us. Maybe you can be a faithful friend to your friend. And bring him or her to Jesus.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.