Pray for Laos: "Ministry of Healing and the Word"

“Many people in Laos have become believers because they were healed or because they have seen other people get healed. I barely need to go out and evangelise because people come to me for healing or to hear more about Jesus,” says Beun* (name change for security reason), a believer in Laos with an incredible healing ministry – he’s the man pictured above with the notebook, although we can’t show his face for security reasons. Not everyone in his community has been happy about Beun’s work sharing the gospel.

Beun became a Christian after he met Christians who cared for his dying brother. “When I heard that Jesus is the King of Kings, and when I heard that Jesus is love, I immediately decided to follow Him, even though this was the first time I had ever heard about Jesus,” Beun says. Later, when his wife became ill, he took her to meet those same Christians, who prayed for her healing. She was healed, and also decided to become a Christian.

Been then began to pray for healing for others. On one occasion, Beun prayed for a man with a brain tumour. He had suffered with pain in his head for eight years, and had visited several hospitals and doctors, but everyone told him the same thing: they couldn’t help him. He had advanced cancer, and not much time left to live. “I do not want to die, can you help me?” he asked Beun. Beun told him that there is just one person that could help him, and that he needed to accept Christ. They prayed together, and then Beun told him to go home. One week later, all the pain in the man’s head was gone and he was healed. To this day he is a follower of Jesus, and the pain has never returned.

However, Beun has also experienced persecution because of his ministry. The government of Laos sees Christianity as a Western religion, and Christians are seen as enemies of the state. Local authorities wanted to capture Beun, so they posted photographs of him in the region and asked people to contact the police if they saw him. Last year, Beun was sentenced to five months in prison. The prison cell was very small and 22 people, including Beun, shared a room of just four square meters. Beun says. “But even when I was arrested, I felt that it was a part of God’s plan.” His neighbours have also been unhappy about Beun sharing his faith with others. Beun’s animals were attacked. “Someone poisoned my chickens. They all died. A week later someone shot my buffalo.”

Along with several other pastors and leaders in the area, Beun and other Christians travel to distribute Bibles, teach and hold worship meetings in other villages. His new house is also going to be used to train others. “We are going to teach young pastors to grow mushrooms, while at the same time they receive training in the Word of God. Then they can become self-sufficient while sharing Christ with others,” he says.

Pray now:

§  That God would continue to work through Beun to bring healing and the good news of the gospel to many

§  For protection and provision for Beun and other believers in Laos.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Pray for North Korea: "The Gospel Cannot Advance Without Sacrifice"

Recently Open Doors, a Christian organization, spoke to Brother Simon* who works for them with North Korean believers. Simon has worked with the North Korean underground church for many years. He knows exactly how deadly working with Christians in North Korea is. Here I summaries this interview:

Kim Jong-Un’s government has sent hundreds of security officials along the North Korean border with China. The aim – to kidnap, and now kill, missionaries and others helping North Korean refugees.

In April 2017, a Chinese Pastor, Han Chong Yeol, was murdered by suspected North Korean agents. It was a warning to everyone helping North Korean refugees in China, and in particular Christians. Brother Simon is aware of the risks and lives everyday knowing the danger of this ministry.

Brother Simon, how did you find out about what had happened to Pastor Han?

“I heard from a person who lives near the Chinese-Korean border that his friend was called in by the police. They showed him CCTV footage of four people crossing the river: one lady and three men, one of them very muscular. They carried some sort of box. The lady was later recognized as someone who had been in touch with Pastor Han a year ago. She probably knew Han and made a phone call to him. They agreed to meet in the woods. Pastor Han fell into the trap and was brutally killed. The assassins left China before the murder was discovered.”

In recent years, missionaries and church workers have been kidnapped by North Korean secret agents. The risks are real, including for people working with Open Doors. Is this sort of ministry just too dangerous?

“No. We are a risk-taking organisation and we will never abandon the North Korean Church. God has called us to do this work. Besides, the North Korean Christians are far more dedicated than us. In a sense, they are spiritually much stronger than we (are). Yes, it’s true that perhaps some of them – especially young believers – don’t know the Bible that well. Their understanding of the Bible may be limited, but their faith runs deep. There are so many unknown heroes in North Korea and they are able to withstand torture.”

What happens when a North Korean Christian refugee is captured in China?

“When a person is captured in China and brought to North Korea, it usually doesn’t take long before there are a wave of arrests. The people this person was connected to, are then taken to prison and tortured as well. But usually they don’t arrest new people. That means the North Korean Christians didn’t talk despite the torture.”

The North Korean church has little or no access to the Bible. It seems that though they lack Biblical knowledge, they remain faithful?

“Yes, but you have to understand that when the Bible speaks about possessing knowledge, it means ‘living knowledge’. In other words, knowledge and action. We often separate Biblical knowledge and daily living. The Bible and the persecuted church cannot afford to separate the two. We still operate safe houses in China where we disciple North Korean Christians. I can’t share with you how many exactly, and I hesitate to say this because I don’t want to boast, but we are successful. Those disciples, when they are arrested, don’t collapse but remain faithful.”

In Simon’s mind, the gospel cannot advance without sacrifice. After all, Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13) North Korea’s underground Christians are even more than friends, they are our family in Christ. To support our family, we may need to sacrificially lay down our lives through speaking out, prayer and giving.

Pray now:

§  Pray for North Korean believers and those ministering to them.

§  Pray their faith and trust in God would grow, and many new believers would be added to their numbers.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Pray for India: "Sharing Jesus in Prison"

“The villagers crowded around us and started punching and kicking us, all over our bodies. They asked us to praise Hindu gods and goddesses. We refused. They kicked us harder.”

(Sohan, Indian Pastor)

This is what happened to Sohan (not his real name), pictured below, after he decided to follow Jesus and began sharing the gospel with others. His story isn’t unusual. Last year in India over 800 Christians were physically attacked, and this year that number is likely to be even higher. The rise of Hindu extremism means Christians are facing increasing levels of discrimination and attack.

But God is at work. Many are coming to faith after experiencing miraculous healings, and imprisoned believers have seen God use them to reach their fellow prisoners with the gospel. After Sohan was beaten, his attackers called the police and accused him of converting people to Christianity; there are anti-conversion laws in five of India’s states, and they are frequently abused in order to harass and arrest minorities, including Christians. “I was shivering with fear, but I was praying,” says Sohan.

He was imprisoned for four days, but he saw God work in amazing ways. Sohan says, “I preached the gospel and prayed for an inmate who was sick. He was healed and believed in Christ instantly. My other cell mate was a person suffering from intense depression. He kept saying that he wanted to kill himself. I prayed for him and the suicidal thoughts left him. He also accepted Christ. The third person I met was a young man falsely accused of raping a woman. He also used to remain very upset and felt hopeless about his life. I shared the gospel with him, and he also accepted Christ inside the prison. This way I saw God’s immense power and deliverance.”

A Christian organization help bail Sohan out of prison, and are helping him to fight the false claims filed against him. He has returned to his village, and lives among the people who beat him so brutally and had him arrested. Despite everything he has been through, he is determined to continue following Jesus. “I suffered with many physical ailments and financial troubles before I became a Christian. Now I have freedom from all those problems and have a new life. This new life I will live only for Him, even if it includes persecution,” he says.

[Source: http://www.opendoorsyouth.org/]

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Yeremia dan Pengharapan: "Semuanya Baru Setiap Pagi" (Ratapan 3:19-27)

“Ingatlah kesengsaraanku dan pengembaraanku,

pahit getir dan racun itu.

Aku terus mengingatinya

dan jiwaku tertekan dalam diriku.

Tetapi inilah yang kuperhatikan,

lantas kuperoleh harapan:

Kerana kasih setia Tuhan tidak pernah lenyap,

belas kasihan-Nya tiada akan pudar.

Semuanya baru setiap pagi.

Besarnya kesetiaan-Mu!

‘Tuhan ialah Pusakaku,’ kata jiwaku,

‘sebab itu aku berharap kepada-Nya.’

Tuhan itu baik bagi orang yang menanti-nantikan Dia,

bagi jiwa yang mencari hadirat-Nya.

Baik jika seseorang menanti dengan tenang akan penyelamatan daripada Tuhan.

Baik jika seorang lelaki menanggung beban kuknya pada masa mudanya”
(Ratapan 3:19-27, AVB)

Nabi Yeremia, penulis (atau pemilik karya) Kitab Ratapan, diberi gelaran Nabi Yang Meratap oleh orang Yahudi. Bila saya membaca kisah tentang dia, kadang-kadang saya berasa kasihan dan bersimpati terhadap apa yang dilaluinya. Dia bernubuat tentang kejatuhan Yerusalem, dan kemudian dia meratap dan menangis bila ia benar-benar terjadi.

Namun begitu, bagi saya Yeremia bukanlah seorang yang pesimis. Disebalik tragedi yang menimpa umat TUHAN, Allah telah mempercayakan Yeremia untuk menulis isi hati TUHAN di dalam Kitab-Nya: Harapan yang Teragung di dalam Perjanjian Lama. Kerana apa yang terjadi kepada Israel, hati Yeremia sendiri hancur dan semangatnya lemah, tetapi dia tahu bahawa “kasih setia Tuhan tidak pernah lenyap, belas kasihan-Nya tiada akan pudar. Semuanya baru setiap pagi.” Harapan ditengah-tengah tragedi.

Bila Yeremia bangun setiap pagi, Yerusalem masih lagi reruntuhan. Tapi dia tahu bahawa Allah itu baik – Dia tetap setia. Ada ketika bila impian untuk Israel kembali semula hampir tiada, seperti tidak akan kembali lagi, Yeremia bernubuat bahawa mereka yang dalam pembuangan di Babel akan kembali semula selepas 70 tahun (Yeremiah 29:10). Melalui Kitab Ezra dan Nehemia kita tahu bahawa nubuat TUHAN telah digenapi… umat Israel telah kembali semula.

Yeremia merupakan nabi yang benar dan tidak dinafikan seorang nabi yang meratap. Dia berhati lembut tetapi luaran dia begitu tegas. Dia dikuatkan oleh TUHAN tetapi dia juga pernah mempersoalkan rancangan Allah. Kata-katanya boleh dikatakan sangat keras dan tragik kerana dia bernubuat bagi Allah yang ingin memanggil umat Israel yang keras hati untuk kembali semula kepada-Nya. Tetapi kerana Allah itu suci, adil dan juga kasih, Yeremia bukan hanya menyampaikan mesej penghakiman dan pertaubatan, dia juga – diakhirnya – menyampaikan mesej yang penuh dengan pengampunan dan pengharapan.

Baca dan hayatilah kebenaran tentang Pengharapan ini:

“Kasih setia Tuhan tidak pernah lenyap,

belas kasihan-Nya tiada akan pudar.

Semuanya baru setiap pagi.

Besarnya kesetiaan-Mu!”

Kawan, adakah Dia pengharapanmu?

Jika ia, maka jiwa kita akan berkata, “Tuhan ialah Pusakaku”

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Pray for Eritrea: "The Closure of Churches... A Time of Intense Purification of Believers"

“As Christians we are required to love our enemies even though it is very difficult to do that when they make you suffer, or when they harm or kill your loved ones!”
(Esther, Eritrean believer)

Eritrea is one of the worst places in the world to be a Christian, acts of violence and oppression happen daily. When Esther from Eritrea came to Christ, persecution began immediately. Her parents refused to accept her new faith in Jesus. She couldn’t attend church or Bible study.

When local churches began to close, many Christians like Esther were forced to live as secret believers. It taught them that Church was not a building, but God’s people.

“The closure of churches may not make sense to us humans, but it has become a blessing as it has been a time of intense purification of believers… Forgiveness is vital. If we do not forgive, our relationship with God is hindered… Please pray that the churches in my country come to understand this forgiveness, reconcile and work with one another.”

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP. 

Book Review: North Korea's Hidden Revolution (2016) by Jieun Baek

North Korea's Hidden Revolution:
How the Information Underground is Transforming a Closed Society (2016)
by Jieun Baek

After conference at Incheon, South Korea, I and my friends stayed for two more nights at Seoul. As I walked around the city area, I stumbled upon second-hand bookstore and bought this book (after I browsed books for only God know how long!). One of the talks that I could never forget during the conference is when a student shared about some issues in North Korea. I’ve watched documentary about North Korea before, but this personal story goes deeper into my soul. Since that day, I wanted to know more about North Korea… and thank God I found this book. Lord, saves North Koreans!

 This book is an insightful look into North Korea today and how the people are slowly getting information about the outside world at the risk of harsh punishment. The author also interviews some North Koreans who have defected to South Korea and a few to the U.S. It is fairly easy to cross at certain times at narrow points of the Tumen River into China, but there are armed guards on both sides (Google it!). Some of the guards can apparently be bribed to look the other way, though (because of the economic crisis).

‘The Information Underground’ refers to the illegal radios that allow North Koreans to listen to broadcasts from South Korea and other parts of the world in addition to USBs and DVDs that are smuggled in from China into NK with South Korean movies and television shows that have enlightened many to the fact that they have been brainwashed and not allowed to know anything about the rest of the world. Young people like the fashions that they see on South Koreans in the movies and soap operas, but dare not be caught trying to emulate them.

A bit of capitalism has entered the country in the form of small markets where people sell food, clothing and other items, even illegal ones. These black markets are far from Pyongyang, the capital city, place where most elite citizens live. During the famine in the 1990s, housewives would make anything they could such as rice cakes or cookies, and sell them to make money to buy more food for their own families. These little home-grown markets have become bigger with more items for sale and the author tells about one woman who gets used clothes in bulk from China to sell.

Overall, most people in North Korea are living in fear, communism/dictatorship and delusions (for examples, a defector once believe that “Kim Il-Sung was the greatest ruler in the world” or that “our Dear Leader will save us”). But not without hope. The people – especially young people – are becoming more open minded and more connected to the world as ever before.

Jieun makes an interesting observation that there are no experts on North Korea, and she considers herself a North Korea watcher. The country is so closed off from the rest of the world that it's impossible for an outsider to study it from the inside. The prison camps are still in operation and school children are taken to watch public executions. The Kim regime governs with fear. But there is hope. Kim Ha-Young, a student-defector, told the author:

“People say mountains change in about 10 years. If something as stubborn and mammoth as a mountain can change in a decade, the hearts of ordinary North Koreans can change. I’m sure of it. I’m living proof. I’m from North Korea. North Korea is my home, and I revere the soil that my family tilled. But I grew to embrace democracy over time as I settled in my new home in South Korea. It’s hard, and lots of things are still confusing in a democratic country. But if mountains can change, humans can change. North Koreans are humans too, you know. Just like me, and the reader. North Koreans can and will adapt to newer, better circumstances. I’m sure of it.”

Oh, pray for North Koreans!

Contents:

#1 Immortal Gods: Why North Korea Is Such a Durable Regime

#2 Cracks in the System: An Information Revolution

#3 "Old School" Media: From Trader Gossip to Freedom Balloons

#4 The Digital Underground

#5 A New Generation Rising

#6 Implications, Predictions, and a Call to Action

[This is quite a well-written book and allows the reader to learn about a changing society whether the regime knows it or not]

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Pray for Egypt: "Persecution is Bringing Believers Together"

This Egyptian church met in the desert after their church building was attacked and destroyed.

“What we are seeing happening in the Middle East is bringing us all together. We churches do not have the luxury of staying separate any more. We have realised that what we have in common far exceeds what separates us.”
(Egyptian church leader)

War doesn’t discriminate against denominations, a church leader in Egypt has discovered. People have died for their faith, regardless of what church they go to. The persecution is bringing believers together as they share in their suffering.

In Aleppo, 12 bishops from different denominations came together to pray. It was the first time something like that has happened in centuries. The church in the Middle East is becoming more united and looking outwards.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Source: http://www.opendoorsyouth.org/