Meanwhile, missionary radio is having a great impact on the house church movement in nearby China. Trans World Radio’s Tim Klingbeil (kling-byl) just returned from a trip to that country where he observed their Radio Church Kit project. “It’s a project where Trans World Radio through various house church networks and others within the country, distributes kits that include shortwave radios, Bibles, and study materials or books that go along with some of the programs that are aired on our broadcasts.” Klingbeil says despite persecution, the work of Trans World Radio is meeting a desperate need for discipleship and training in China. “Some house church leaders we met with in Southern China. These two men were leaders of a house church network that included 30-thousand meeting points. There was probably a million people with in this church network. One of the men told us that about 80-percent of the people in his network listened regularly to Trans World Radio’s programs, to help them keep doctrinally pure in the church in China.”
News Archives
The President of Nigeria is calling people to pray for peace in his violence-plagued country. President Olusegun Obasanjo was the keynote speaker at the Nigerian Baptist Convention’s 150th Anniversary celebration last week. During his speech, the declared Baptist stressed the need for reconciliation between Christians and Muslims. Baptist World Alliance’s Denton Lotz attended the event, as did the head of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board. The IMB started work in Nigeria on August 5, 1850.
Next, Mainstay Church Resources is reporting success in the most recent series of the 50-day Spiritual Adventure. Mainstay’s Randall Mains says not only do the participants study the life of Christ, they also learn how to minister to the community. “It’s a wonderful year in this new millennium to really focus ourselves on the Lord, to take a fresh look at Jesus Christ , and to see how attractive He really is, even today. I mean, Christ had something about Him that people really were attracted to back then, and He continues to have that same kind of magnetism today.” Mains says this year’s theme neatly dove-tailed with the national “Lighthouse” prayer movement. “The Adventure equips these 400-thosuand participants to start lighthouses of prayer, helping them to flesh out their faith in that area through practical action steps…which enabled them to, again, pray for, care for and share Jesus with their friends and neighbors.” This year’s Adventure has five national seasons, with the most popular at Lent and Easter up through Pentecost.
Next, it’s been 12 months since the bombing ended in Kosovo, but the needs of that predominately Muslim people have not faded. International Aid’s Jerry Kitchel says, initially, they helped with emergency aid. However, on his recent visit I-A dedicated a new health clinic, which will help in two ways. “When people come to hospital and the clinics and they need physical assistance, often times that provides us with an opportunity to talk to them about Christ. Although there’s a great deal of attention to the whole rebuilding effort there’s a tremendous hunger for the Gospel.” While financial support is needed, Kitchel is encouraging people to pray for the ethnic bitterness that exists. “We need to pray that God will just break those strong holds, and touch hearts. And, that we will see more and more ethnic Albanians and Serbians come into a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Headlining today’s news North Korea is keeping its dubious honor of being one of the worst countries supporting persecution of Christians. According to Mike Yoder of Open Doors Ministries the government is killing Christians. “Our folks have found with some good authority that at least 23 believers have been put to death in public by firing squad since October of last year. A very alarming trend. We found the majority of those believers that fit this category are first generation Christians.” According to Yoder these Martyred believers received Christ in China after fleeing the incredible famine and economic trouble in North Korea. “Then felt the call to go back to North Korea to evangelize their own. They’re in particular danger because they haven’t ever lived as a Christian before in North Korea and really don’t know how to carry out God’s work in a place like North Korea and still protect yourself.”
Meanwhile, in Zimbabwe, armed black squatters have seized more than one-thousand white-owned farms and 13 people, mostly opposition supporters, have been killed. However, according to SIM’s Jim Pfiffer, the violence has not had a direct impact on their work. “Our work amongst the Zimbabweans goes on as normal, but we’re all affected by the increased tenseness. We’re just before a time of election in May and some believe that part of this occupation of the farms has a link to the elections.” Pfiffer says there’s real uncertainty about the future of ministry in that country. “Are we going to have a country where we’re going to be able to minister freely? Are we going to have a time where we can come out of this with peace? Because the country’s polarized over this issue it has potential for division amongst Christians. We’re just praying that, that won’t take place.”
American Leprosy Mission’s work is continuing in Ethiopia despite a severe famine there. ALM’s Chris Doyle says most of the world’s leprosy cases are in that country, where eight-million people are currently affected by malnutrition. Doyle says they’re not just treating leprosy patients. “Doing a lot of rehabilitation work particularly in the area of literacy and education for children of leprosy affected people. As we go into areas and we’re offering community based rehabilitation health care programs, one of the questions we always encounter is, why are you doing this?” Doyle says that’s how friendships are developed and when they can share a true salvation message. “That just opens the door to say, well, we’re doing it in Christ’s name because he’s called us to do this kind of mission work. And, conversations develop and obviously there’s an open door to sharing the Gospel there.”
Meanwhile, in the United States, more than 400 churches in North Dakota and western Minnesota are supporting the Luis Palau crusade and “Celebration 2000”. Palau has preached at nine events over the past two weeks with the crusades concluding this week in Fargo. Besides the crusades and luncheons, Palau will also have the opportunity to host a live television call-in program. Palau found the residents to be very religious and reminded his audiences that being religious is not the same as being born again. Several hundred have made public decisions for Christ.
We begin today in the Philippines where the hostage situation is forcing mission groups to curtail their work in the south. Dennis Maves with the Christian and Missionary Alliance says they’re trying to evangelize the unreached Yakan (YAH-kahn), Tausug (TOW-suhg) and Samal (sahm-ahl) peoples. “But, at the moment, because it’s not safe we’re drawing many of our workers into safer places. So, we’re not able to do front line work like we used to. And, so much of our work that we’re doing now is through different teams.” Maves says indigenous teams are sharing the Gospel since western missionaries are targets. He explains why the violence is happening. “It’s because of those who have infiltrated into the area and stirred them up and many of them have come from the Afghan war and the Pakistani Muslim factions that have infiltrated through the Philippine backdoor and funded the rebelion.”
Meanwhile, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to help disciple Christians in China. That’s the word from China Partner’s Erik Burklin. Burklin is participating in theological training there this week. However, Burklin says it hasn’t been easy getting there. “Because of the increase of more and more evangelical groups going to China wanting to help the church in China that always has to be answered to by, to the government. So, it’s becoming increasingly more difficult to get permission sometimes even to the point of, like in our case, we have been restricted with the amount of time that we can teach.” According to Burklin, because of the lack of theological education cults are forming in large numbers. “So many are coming to know Christ with lack of good evangelical training and discipleship because there are not enough pastors to do that. And, so many veer off and misinterpret a verse here and there and before you know it you have another cult.” Pray that more education will be available in the months ahead.
