Barnabas Aid November/December 2012

7/31/2019 Barnabas Aid November/December 2012

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012

THE AID AGENCY FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH www.barnabasfund.org

IN THIS ISSUE

Salvationin Christ theLord

Day of PrayerIntercede withBarnabas for thepersecuted Church

PakistanBringing joyto sufferingChristians


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Front Cover: This Pakistani Christian woman has received support from Barnabas Fund following the floods of 2010-11

Page 16: Source: Fergal of Claddagh, OP, Flickr.comTo guard the safety of Christians in hostile environments, names may have been changed or omitted. Thank you for your understanding.

Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations are taken from the New International Version.

Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders and obtain permission for stories and images used in this publication. Barnabas Fundapologises for any errors or omissions and will be grateful for any further information regarding copyright. Barnabas Fund 2012

The paper used in this

publication comes fromsustainable forests and

can be 100% recycled

his year you can spread the messa e bout wor of Barnabas Fund as you ble s your fri n sand famil with Christmas greetings. We havereated Chris as eCards that can be emailed for

free to your loved ones, alon with a personalisedmessage. There re thr e different Christmasdesigns to choose from, and the cards includ brief message a out our work along with a Bibleverse.

To send the Christmas eCards to your fam l anriends, simply visit our website atwww.barnabasfund.org/christmas-card nd fill inour details, choose the design you w uld like and

sup the email address of the rec ient.

his is a quic and asy way t spread the wordabout supp rtin the p rse ted Church, whilere emberi g your loved ones this Christmas time.

@

Barnab

as

Christ

maseC

ards

2 BARNABAS AID NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012


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WELCOME FROMTHE DIRECTOR

D

ecember 26 is celebrated in Britain and many

other countries under the rather mysterious

name of Boxing Day. There are various

theories about the origin of the name, mainlylinked to the tradition of giving gifts to servants on this

day. But Boxing Day has now developed into a sport and

spending spree with little connection to the events of the

previous day. Instead of being a day of reflection on the

enormity of the incarnation and its implications for spiritual

life, growth and development, it has become one of pleasure

and indulgence.

In some Christian traditions, 26 December is called

St Stephens Day after the first Christian martyr. The

Church, having rejoiced in the incarnation of our Lord

Jesus, is faced at once with the cost of following Him.

Stephen was martyred on a charge of blasphemy(Acts 6:11). He used words that offended his hearers, and

they silenced him by death (Acts 7:56-58). Likewise it was

the accusation of blasphemy that was used to silence his

Lord and condemn Him to death (Mark 14:64).

Today blasphemy is much in vogue. The past few

months have seen Islamic rage across the world as Muslims

have felt offended by comments about their prophet. While

we totally condemn all abuse of religious leaders, the charge

of blasphemy or offence should not be used to curtail

freedom of speech and conscience, nor injured feelings as

a reason to destroy property and lives.

Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code specifies

the death penalty for defiling the name of Muhammad, and

Section 295-B prescribes life imprisonment for desecrating

the Quran. Many Christians in Pakistan have suffered

under this iniquitous blasphemy law, and rightly there

are calls for its abandonment. Yet today the cry is going

up for similar laws to be enshrined not just in national law

but even at the United Nations.

These laws are in no way to be equated with, for

example, Britains essentially toothless blasphemy law.The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has for

years been working to pass UN resolutions to combat the

defamation of religion. But support has been dwindling

as other countries realise the alarming implications of not

being able to criticise religions. So the OIC has moderated

its demands, seeking now to combat intolerance, negative

stereotyping and stigmatization of, and discrimination,

incitement to violence and violence against, persons based

on religion or belief.

It is of great concern, therefore, that Christian leaders

are also seeking a ban on the defamation of persons (such

as prophets) deemed holy by people of faith. This callwas made in a recent letter from an Anglican archbishop

in the Middle East.

What price freedom, liberty, conscience? Are these

to be sacrificed on the altar of hurt religious sensibilities?

Recently churches have been torched and Christians killed

because Muslim feelings are hurt. How can Muslim feelings

be worth more than Christian lives? By its apathy, the world

seems to agree that Muslim feelings are worth more than

Christian lives. Was it acceptable then for the High Priest

and the Sanhedrin to soothe their hurt feelings by taking

the lives of Stephen and of Christ?

For Christians the offence of the cross brings with

it humiliation and shame. So we rejoice and glory in our

sufferings hurt feelings, destroyed property, even death

knowing that these are for the Lord. This does not mean

that Christians should not seek justice, for it is right that

people should be protected under the law. But ideas are

another matter.

Dr Patrick Sookhdeo

International Director

Martyred for Blasphemy

Contents

7 13 14Biblical ReflectionCelebrating the comingof the Lord

In TouchChristmas cards and giftcards

Barnabas International Dayof PrayerJoin us in praying for thepersecuted Church

SpotlightI felt privileged to meetthese Christians: visiting

projects in Pakistan

CampaignsHow you can help toproclaim freedom

Equipping the ChurchWhat does the Bible sayabout salvation?

NewsdeskPakistani Christian girlaccused of blasphemy

Compassion in ActionAirlift of Christians fromSudan begins

4 11 16

8 12 18

PULL-OUT 14

3BARNABAS AID NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012


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COMPASSIONIN ACTION

Barnabas Fund respondedimmediately after two churches inGarissa, Kenya, were attacked bysuspected al-Shabaab militants inJuly. At least 17 people were killedand around 65 injured.

Medical items and equipment werepromptly bought with the grantby a local ministry to care for the

wounded. Grieving family memberswere helped with the burial costs ofmany of the victims. And food wasprovided for affected families.

Timely and life-saving surgery wasalso provided for a church elder,who had sustained gunshot andblast wounds to his chest. After theoperation, a local project coordinatorwrote, The prognosis is amazing!Only Christ could have helped his

situation and we truly thank you forfunds that enabled us to save thisone life from the terrorists bullets.

[Your support] has been a bigsource of help and a glimpse ofhope for many who feel left aloneto face the worst, wrote a Christianpartner in Syria about the differencehelp from Barnabas Fund is making.

Barnabas Fund is providing

thousands of Syrian Christians withfood, childrens milk, medicines(often for heart conditions ordiabetes), personal hygiene items,money for rent and other essentials.Tens of thousands of Christianshave fled their homes amidst violentfighting between governmenttroops and opposition forces andhave been left without work orincome. Many have experiencedtargeted intimidation because of

their faith. The price of many basiccommodities has also risen two- orthreefold since the crisis began.

Hundreds of Christians fledin a panic from their homes inMaherabad village, Islamabad inAugust, after mobs of local Muslimsviolently attacked them and startedlooting their houses following the

false blasphemy accusation againstRimsha, a young teenage Christiangirl with Downs syndrome.

At night at a secret location madeknown only to the Christians, 300of the displaced Christian familieswere given cooked meals, enoughto eat for two days, through agrant from Barnabas. A few dayslater the same Christian familieseach received a food package at

the same location, which gavethem enough to eat for one monthat a cost of 25 per family.

Prompt help forchurch attackvictims in Kenya

A glimpse of hopefor Christians inSyria

Pakistan: feedingdisplaced Christiansfollowing blasphemyaccusation

Barnabas supplied medical

items to help the injured

Christians

Projectreference

00-3

45(VictimsofViolenceFund)

Projectreference

00-1

032

Projectreference

00-3

45(VictimsofViolenceFund)

7,498 for emergencyfeeding

(US$12,103; 9,385)

9,500 to help victims of

church attack(US$15,400; 11,800)

40,000 (latest grant) forfood, medicine and othernecessities

(US$65,000; 50,000)

Assembling food packages

Meeting together at a secret

location

how barnabas



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COMPASSIONIN ACTION

I was full of joy when receivingthis food. We always depend uponGod and He is giving us strengthto stand firm in faith, said Bivash,after receiving a bag full of foodand medicines through BarnabasFund in a direct answer to prayer.

He had shared with a visiting localpastor the serious problem faced byhis family and had asked for prayer.Exceptionally heavy monsoonrains had made it impossiblefor Bivash to work the farmland,either where he was employed asa daily labourer, or his own small

plot of land. Their money had runout, and he could no longer buyfood for his family. The relief fromBarnabas came soon after.

Bivashs family was one of 300Christian families, many of whomare converts from Islam, in south-eastern and north-eastern partsof Bangladesh who received rice,dal (lentils), soya bean oil, salt,sugar, antibiotics and saline for

rehydration thanks to BarnabasFund. The supplies were enoughto feed them for one month.

Parents of 59 Christian children inrural, western Burma (Myanmar)were delighted to see their childrenembark on a year at a regulargovernment school in June, madepossible by Barnabas Fund, whopaid the school fees.

The parents, who are impoverishedfarmers and belong to thepredominantly Christian Chinminority, were extremely relieved

that their children were saved fromattending Buddhist monasteryschools. Their children would havehad to live at the monasteries, awayfrom the family homes. Or theywould have gone to free governmentschools for minority groups, whichare used to coerce Chin childrento convert to Buddhism. At theseschools Christian students areprevented from practising their faith;they are frequently forced to shave

their heads and wear monasticrobes or beaten for failing to reciteBuddhist scriptures.

A group of Christians fromthe Karen people in Burma(Myanmar) fled to Thailand toescape the Burmese armysviolent campaign. But they hadto leave the land where they hadbuilt a church when the authoritiesrefused to renew their lease.

In April they started building on anew site by transferring materialsfrom their former building. They

got as far as preparing the ground,erecting posts and putting on aroof, but they did not have thefunds to complete the work.

Using a grant of 786 fromBarnabas they were able to buycheap building materials. Knowingthat their church might have to bemoved again when their new leaseexpires, they used bamboo forthe walls, sand and rocks for the

foundation, and cement for thefl

oor.They also bought chairs and a table,and 50 Bibles for the congregation.

Prayers answeredduring floods inBangladesh

Burma: a schoolyear withoutpressure to convert

Thailand: buildingfor a refugeecongregation

Bivash with emergency food

nd medicines

The opening ceremony of the

new church

Projectreference

00-6

34(DisasterReliefFund)

Projectreference

75-1

065

Projectreference

75-7

63(AidforpersecutedBurmeseChristians)

1,623 for school fees

(US$2,620; 2,032)

Your support is making it possible for us tohelp Christians around the globe as they passthrough particularly difficult times and to bringsome hope to those whose suffering for theirfaith is part of their daily lives. Highlightedhere and on the following pages are news andupdates from just a small selection of the many

projects we support. Please pray as you read.

5,524 forflood relief

(US$8,981; 6,877)

780 for building andequipping church

(US$1,270; 970)

Children in Burma about to go

to school

is helping



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COMPASSIONIN ACTION

bringing hope,

Realising that they are not alone

Equipping a new generation of leaders

Besides supporting Bible schools, BarnabasFund also encourages and equips Christianleaders in Central Asia through conferences andseminars. Participants at a four-day conference inKyrgyzstan in March were greatly encouraged todiscover that they are not alone in the problemsthey face and that many fellow-pastors arestruggling with the same needs. Most of them areconverts from Islam, as are the members of their

small, isolated congregations. And so they facemuch harassment from local Muslims. Since the

conference one group of pastors from the samedistrict, who did not know each other before, havestarted to meet and pray together.

In Tajikistan 60 students with a Muslimbackground are receiving training for two daysat a time, four times a year, from experiencedchurch planters, with the help of Barnabas Fund.The aim is to help them plant or lead churches of

Muslim converts.

The coordinators of a Bible school in CentralAsia recently realised that they had to changetheir strategy. When they started the school threeyears ago, they had invited all the senior Christianleaders of their country together for training. Butthe risk that a police raid during a class wouldresult in all the countrys main leaders beingimprisoned at the same time proved too great.

Instead, they decided to focus on equippingyounger leaders so that they could take on newresponsibilities if more senior leaders werearrested, a danger that is increasing each yearas the government steps up its attacks andsearches. Last academic year 42 studentsattended evening classes for three eveningsa week at the school, where they receivedknowledge and skills that they needed for theirministries, thanks to funding from Barnabas.

During the classes someone would always be onalert to signal that a new person had entered thechurch in case the person was a secret agent.

The students were so eager to learn more thatthe organisers decided to extend the school by amonth and a half. Barnabas Fund recently sent agrant to fund the 2012-2013 academic year as well.

A Bible school in Moldova, also supported byBarnabas Fund, has a vision to train the futureChristian leaders of Central Asia. Many of theirstudents come from Central Asia, and somegraduates are now involved in ministry at twounderground training centres founded by theBible school. Barnabas Fund also recently sentsupport to a Bible school in Kyrgyzstan, where 83students, many of them converts from Islam, arebeing trained.

Project reference00-430 (Leadership Training Fund)

Bible schools:

10,000 in Central Asia(US$16,300; 12,400)

25,000 in Moldova(US$41,600; 31,100)

7,987 in Kyrgyzstan(US$12,897; 10,000)

Conferences:

2,680 in Kyrgyzstan(US$4,360; 3,330)

6,200 in Tajikistan(US$10,100; 7,700)

Worship during a conference in Kyrgyzstan

Students at a Bible school listenttentively to their teacher

Spotlight on Central Asia



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COMPASSIONIN ACTION

transforming lives

InSeptember Barnabas Fund began amajor rescue operation to airlift 2,000of the neediest, most vulnerable

Christians stranded and endangered in Sudan tosafety and a new life in South Sudan.

After a number of significant obstacles wereovercome, the first of 12 chartered flightsdeparted from Khartoum for Juba on 19September. The rescue mission is ongoing. Abouttwo-thirds of the women are widows.

Hundreds of thousands of people of Southernorigin were stripped of their citizenship of thestrongly Islamic Sudan after the independence ofthe mainly Christian South Sudan in July 2011.Many of the Southerners living in the North had fledthere during the long and bitter civil war in which theSouth was completely ravaged, its infrastructuredestroyed and two million people killed.

After Sudan told them to get out of the country,Southerners began making their way home,

but the poorest and most vulnerable remainedtrapped in a place that is increasingly hostile totheir presence.

Sudans President Omar al-Bashir has made itvery clear that the Christians are not welcome. Hehas said that the countrys next constitution willbe 100% Islamic and has promised to strengthensharia law. When angerflared in Sudan over theAmerican film Innocence of Muslims, threats weremade against Christians in Khartoum.

As well as facing danger, the impoverishedChristians were living in dire conditions inmakeshift shelters on the outskirts of Khartoum

for many months, without the resources to helpthemselves.

But now, having been taken to safety, they areembarking on new lives in the mainly ChristianSouth Sudan. They were welcomed at temporaryreception facilities set up by the South Sudanesegovernment in Juba before moving on toextended family connections around the country.They also received practical support from theChurch in South Sudan.

The plans to evacuate the 2,000 Christian womenand children were praised by the South Sudaneseambassador in Khartoum. We and our partners,

Africa Inland Church Sudan, have workedclosely with him on this challenging rescuemission.

In addition to paying for the 2,000 flights at acost of about 175 (US $283; 219) per person we also sent a grant to help other Christiansarriving, many of them on foot, at the Hai Salaamreturnee camp in Malakal. This was used toprovide food, cooking utensils, mosquito nets,canvas and plastic sheeting for shelters and other

essential items.

Our partner in Malakal saidthe help waswell receivedwith heartfelt thanksgivingand Gods name was blessedrichly and lifted high forremembering them throughthis journey.

Project references48-1078 (airlift)

48-1056 (aid for returnees)

347,000 (US $562,000;434,000) to provideflights for 2,000 Christianwomen and children fromKhartoum to Juba

33,217 (US $53,789;41,575) to provideessential supplies forChristians at the Malakalreturnee camp

Barnabas rescue mission2,000 Christian women and children airlifted from danger in Sudan

Christian women and children helped by Barnabas to return home to South Sudan



8/24

NEWSDESK

FRAMING OF CHRISTIAN GIRL FOR BLASPHEMYHIGHLIGHTS WIDESPREAD PERSECUTION

PAKISTAN: In an incident thatgraphically highlights the plight of

the beleaguered Christian minority

in Pakistan, Rimsha Masih, a youngChristian girl with Downs syndrome,was falsely accused of blasphemy

in August. Rimsha, whose age is

estimated to be around 14, spent

three weeks in a maximum-security

jail before she was bailed on 7

September.

Rimsha, from Maherabad village,Islamabad, was originally accused on16 August of burning pages of a copyofNoorani Quaida, a booklet used

for learning the basics of the Quran.After details of the accusation were

broadcast over the loudspeakers of

the local mosque, Rimsha, her familyand other Christians in the area weresubjected to brutal violence; they

were beaten and their houses were

torched.Most disturbingly, the imam of the

local mosque, Qari Khalid Jadoon

Chistti, even called for Rimsha to

be publicly burned. Hundreds of

Christians were forced to flee the

area, as they were unable to stay intheir homes or buy groceries owing

to the vitriolic Muslim reaction to thecase. Barnabas Fund is helping themwith their practical needs.

In a dramatic twist, however,

the assistant imam and two other

witnesses later came forward and

alleged that Chistti had planted theburnt pages in the ashes found

with Rimsha. Chistti has since beenarrested and was charged with

blasphemy himself.Several Muslim groups in Pakistan

have come out in support of Rimsha, in

an unprecedented display of solidarity.

She is also the first person to be given

bail for blasphemy in Pakistan, but

this may be because she is a minor.Rimshas treatment has attracted

international condemnation.This case comes as Aasia

Bibi, who was falsely accused of

making derogatory remarks about

Muhammad in 2009, is still in a

Pakistani prison as she awaits her

appeal against a death sentence.

Aasia is able to see her family only

on rare occasions. Two Pakistani

politicians, who were prominent critics

of the blasphemy law under which

both Aasia Bibi and Rimsha Masih are

charged, were assassinated last year.

Christians and other minorities

are very vulnerable to being accusedunder the law, which demands the

death penalty for anyone who is

found guilty of defiling the name of

Muhammad and life imprisonment for

desecrating the Quran. The laws are

often misused, fuelled by prejudice

against Christians and other non-

Muslims. Violent attacks followingsuch accusations are common, and

are part of a rising tide of Islamic

extremism that has fuelled many

incidents of unprovoked violence

against non-Muslims in recent years.Furthermore, a recent report

by the National Commission for

Justice and Peace (NCJP) shows a

significant increase in the amount ofhate material targeted at Christiansand other religious minorities. Drawing

a link to the Rimsha Masih case, the

NCJPs Peter Jacob said that such

material must be eliminated from

textbooks, otherwise similar incidents

would continue to happen.Vulnerability under the blasphemy

law is only one part of the wider climate

of persecution and discrimination

endured by Christians in Pakistan.

Another serious challenge is the

kidnap, forced marriage and forcedconversion of Christian women and

girls. An estimated 700 Pakistani

Christian girls are kidnapped annually

and forcibly married to their Muslim

captors. The police often do little to

protect Christians, whether from

violent attack, sexual assault or

forced marriage, and few of those

responsible are brought to justice.While the blasphemy law and

the attacks on women and girls are

the two issues that cause the greatest

fear and distress, Pakistani Christiansalso face frequent discrimination

in education and in the workplace.

They are often from the lowest

economic strata of society, and

families can remain trapped in poverty

because their members are denied

employment opportunities. Christian

young people face great pressures atschool and for the few who can goon to further study also at university.

This can include being failed in theirexams, enduring strong pressure to

convert to Islam, and occasionally

even violence. Christians can find

that employers refuse to hire them

because of their faith, and that evenwhen they are given a job they are

paid less than a Muslim doing the

same job or denied promotion.Political representation for

Christians is also a major problem.

Separate electorates were established

for non-Muslim minorities in 1979,

which diminished their political

participation, and although these werelater abolished, the growing influence

of Islamist groups has ensured that

Christians remain marginalised.During emergencies in Pakistan,

such as the severe flooding in

2010-11, discrimination can mean

that Christians even miss out in the

distribution of aid.Please turn to pages 12-13 to read

about the projects that Barnabas Fund

supports in Pakistan.

An estimated 700 Pakistani Christian girls arekidnapped annually and forcibly married to their

Muslim captors. The police often do little toprotect Christians, whether from violent attack,

sexual assault or forced marriage, and few ofthose responsible are brought to justice

Barnabas Fund is supporting Christian families who have fled

iolence in the area after Rimshas arrest



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NEWSDESK

ISLAMISTS CALL FORCHRISTIANS TO BE

KILLED

EGYPT: Fears for the safety of

Christians in Egypt have intensified

as President Mohammed Morsi of the

Muslim Brotherhood begins to assert

his authority. Jihadi organisations

have distributed leaflets calling on

all brothers and sisters to kill or

physically attack the enemies of the

religion of Allah the Christians in

all of Egypts provinces. A monetaryreward was offered for those who

obeyed. There have also been callsfrom Islamists for state monitoring ofchurch finances.

These calls come as President

Morsi has gone back on promises

of an inclusive administration. On

12 August, he seized full executive

and legislative control, limiting the

power of his opponents. Morsi has

since been removing rivals to his

power, installing Islamists in several

prominent positions, and silencing

media critics by replacing editors of

major state-owned newspapers and

taking TV channels off the air.A new report, by an Egyptian

Christian human rights activist and aprofessor from George Washington

University, has also found that

Christian women in Egypt are more

vulnerable since the Arab Spring

uprising to kidnap, forced conversionand forced marriage.

CHRISTIANS CONTINUE TO SUFFERIN SYRIA CONFLICT

SYRIA: The humanitarian crisis

facing the large but vulnerable

Christian minority in Syria continues,as several predominantly Christian

areas have come under attack.On 28 August a car bomb targeted

a funeral procession in Jaramana, asuburb of Damascus mainly inhabited

by Christians and Druze. At least

twelve people, five of whom were

children, were killed and around 50

were injured in this attack, which

Syrian state media has attributed

to terrorists. Many Iraqi Christian

refugees live in Jaramana.In a particularly sustained and

targeted assault, 12,000 people in

the predominantly Christian town of

Rableh were under a blockade for twoweeks. Snipers from anti-government

forces shot down anyone who tried toleave, killing three men, and residents

suffered from a shortage of food andmedical supplies. A predominantly

Christian area of Aleppo was also

hit by heavy fighting in early August,and churches joined forces in a united

relief effort.Christians are particularly at risk

during the civil war as the opposition

forces, and the militant groupsthat back them, believe them to be

government supporters. Since the

conflict began, tens of thousands

of Christians in Syria have lost theirhomes and been driven out of their

cities, leaving them without basic

supplies. Barnabas Fund is helping

displaced Christian families within

Syria and in other countries with food,

medicine, money for rent and other

essentials.If the conflict leads to an Islamist

takeover, the violence against

Christians is likely to intensify. Manybelieve that they have no alternative

but tofl

ee their homeland.

CHRISTIANS KILLEDAS BOKO HARAMCONTINUES WAR

NIGERIA: In the latest in a

continuing series of violent incidentstargeting Christians, at least 20

people were killed in a gun attack ona church in Kogi state on 6 August.

On the same day, an evangelist wasshot dead in Borno state. Although

no-one has yet claimed responsibilityfor these attacks, the Islamist group

Boko Haram has previously carried

out many acts of violence against

Christians and other targets in theircampaign to create an Islamist statein Northern Nigeria. The murdered

evangelist, Ali Samari, had been

warned previously by Boko Haram

militants to leave his property.The Kogi attack targeted Deeper

Life Church in Otite, in the Okene

region. A group of gunmen stormed an

evening service, blocking the exits and

opening fire on those trapped inside.Fifteen people died at the scene andfive subsequently in hospital, while

many were wounded. Kogi state, in

the countrys Middle Belt, is more

southerly than the locations of most

previous Boko Haram attacks. This

raises fears that their campaign maysoon spread into the predominantly

Christian South.Although some Islamic leaders in

Nigeria have urged Boko Haram to

cease their violent activities, measures

by the Nigerian authorities have as

yet been unsuccessful in curbing

them. The reluctance of the US State

Department to designate Boko Haramas a foreign terrorist group has also

compounded fears that the attacks

will not be effectively counteracted.

Barnabas Fund and the WestminsterInstitute sponsored the recent visit

of Nigerian Archbishop Nicholas

Dikeriehi Okoh, the Primate of the

Church of Nigeria, to Washington D.C.

During this visit he challenged the USpolicy on Nigeria, which considers that

Boko Haram is motivated by povertyand marginalisation rather than by the

religious motives that Boko Haram

themselves have often declared.

all brothers and sisterskill or physicallyattack the enemies of the religion of Allahthe Christians in all of Egypts provinces

This church orphanage

building in Homs has been

badly damaged by the violence



10/24

per month helps to

support a displaced,

persecuted family in

Syria

per month can

provide milk powderfor a child in Syria

How you can helpBarnabas Fund works through local churchesto provide food parcels to Christians in need.Between June 2011 and June 2012 we helpedfeed 60,000 Christians in long-term projects.

For example: Food parcels from Barnabas give1,177 Christian families in Pakistan enough toeat every day. Robin Masih, whose family had toflee their home because of the violence followingRimsha Masihs arrest, said Being a Christian it isour faith that Jesus Christ is our Provider. Yes, it has

been proved that He is our Provider! We are thankful to

Barnabas Fund.

Feed aChristian FamilyGive us today our daily bread (Matthew 6:11)

Millions of Christianswho suffer pressureand persecutiongo to bed hungry

every night. These brothers andsisters live with food shortages toa degree that most of us cannot

even imagine. In many parts of theworld, discrimination, violence anddisplacement trap Christians incrushing cycles of hunger and debt.

Long-standing discrimination cankeep Christian families in poverty.In countries such as Pakistan andEgypt, Christians may be deniedthe exam result or job that couldlift their family out of hunger. Evenwhen they are hired, Christians areoften paid less than a Muslim doingthe same job and may be deniedpromotion. This can lead to a viciouscycle in which children cannot goto school because their families arepoor, and their lack of educationthen leaves the next generationstuck in poverty.

Hunger can also be a result ofhaving to flee from violence. Inthe last two decades hundreds ofthousands of Iraqi Christians have

fled to Syria, Jordan and Lebanondue to increasing anti-Christian

aggression in their own country.Unable to get jobs, once theirsavings run out, many cannotafford to buy enough food for theirfamilies. Then this year, as Syriatoo has descended into chaos andcivil war, tens of thousands of Syrian

Christians have been displaced fromtheir homes and are in urgent needof food and other basics.

The lives of very poor Christiansare extremely precarious. If thebreadwinner in a Christian family iskilled or imprisoned, or has to go intohiding, their family can go hungry asa result.

For example, Pakistans blasphemylaw is often used against Christians.If a Christian is arrested forblasphemy, there are often threatsor violent attacks against theirfamily or the whole of their localChristian community. Barnabas ishelping the families of Aasia Bibiand Rimsha Masih, who were botharrested under this law. Aasiasfamily has had to go into hiding,and Rimshas Christian communityhas been driven from their village.Having lost their incomes, they are

at risk of going hungry. Barnabas issupporting them with food parcels.

Global food crisisAround 925 million peopleworldwide do not get enough to eat.With the recent sharp rise in foodprices, this figure could increasefurther.

Experts fear the possibility of

another food crisis similar to thatof 2007-2008, which saw a recordincrease in the global number ofhungry people. The current pricerise was caused by droughts in

both the American midwest andEastern Europe, which have led toa dramatic increase in grain prices.The World Bank estimates thatglobal food prices jumped by 10%in July 2012. A statement by threeUN food agencies, released on 4September, called for an immediateresponse, saying:

We need to act urgently to makesure that these price shocks do not

turn into a catastrophe hurting tensof millions.

People in poor, food-importingcountries will be the hardest hit, andthis is not a temporary issue. Foodprice spikes are a symptom of an

underlying vulnerability caused byweather, population increase andthe fact that only a few nations arelarge producers of food staples.

ar b lping Saima M sih and her fa i w o re displaced

tt as result f ti-Christian lam bad

Barnabassupports long-term feedingprogrammes in:

Burma

(Myanmar)

Egypt Holy Land

Iraq

Kenya

Pakistan

South Sudan

Zimbabwe

per month helps a

needy family in

Pakistan with

nutritious food

Can you help us to feed aChristian family?Either a one-off or a regular gift of whatever you

can afford will make a real difference to hungryChristian families.

Barnabas is also helping Christian families inSyria who are suffering in the violent conflict there.


FEEDINGAPPEAL


11/24


12/24

EQUIPPINGTHE CHURCH

What does the Bible say about salvation?

The Synoptics echo Pauls emphasis on deliverance

from sin and entry into the kingdom of God. Jesus mission

is to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21), and

salvation includes the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:28;

Luke 1:77; cp. Acts 10:43). Jesus and His disciples equate

entry to the kingdom with being saved (Mark 10:23-26).

Salvation also brings light and peace to its recipients (Luke

1:78-79) and involves a new way of life in fellowship with

Jesus (Luke 19:1-10) and in the service of God (Luke 1:74).The other senses of salvation rescue and restora-

tion are much more common in the Synoptics and Acts

than they are in Paul. The language is used for deliverance

from various kinds of danger, including physical peril (Acts

27:34), enemies (Luke 1:74), Sa-

tan (Matthew 6:13) and death

(Matthew 27:43). It also refers to

healing, in the wide sense of pro-

moting physical life and health:

whether curing of disease or in-

firmity (Acts 4:9-10), release from demonic oppression

(Luke 8:36), restoration to community life (Luke 17:11-19),or raising from death (Luke 8:50).

But these dimensions of salvation are not seen by

the Gospel writers as something distinct from or subsidi-

ary to Jesus work of saving people from sin. Rescue from

danger and restoration of wholeness are part of the salva-

tion that He has come to bring, and Jesus acts of healing

and deliverance symbolise a saving process that involves

the whole person (Your faith has savedyou, Luke 7:50,

emphasis added).

Again like Paul, the Synoptics and Acts speak of

salvation as something that is both future and present. On

the one hand it is associated with the final judgment and

the renewal of all things (Matthew 19:25-29) and is realised

(for some disciples at least) on the far side of death (Mat-

thew 10:21-22). But on the other hand, although it belongs

to the last days (Acts 2:17, 21), these days are already here

(Acts 2:32-33), such that people can be saved in their own

generation (Acts 2:40) and today (Luke 19:9).

The rest of the NT reflects the same perspectives

with only differences of emphasis. Eternal salvation from

sin and judgment remains primary (Hebrews 5:9; James

5:19-20; 1 Peter 4:18), although its positive aspect is de-

scribed in various ways, including eternal life (John 3:16-

17) and sharing in the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). Occasion-

ally the words can also refer to rescue (Jude 5) or healing(James 5:15), though here too these references are inte-

grated within the wider view. Most of the writings place

salvation mainly in the future (Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 1:5;

2 Peter 3:15, Revelation 19:1), whereas John emphasises

its present reality (John 5:24).

Whom are we saved by?ForPaul both God and Christ are the agents of salva-

tion; indeed, in the Pastoral Epistles each is given the title

of Saviour (1 Timothy 1:1; 2 Timothy 1:10). Salvation

is by Gods grace (Ephesians 2:8) and mercy (Titus 3:5),

which means that He takes the initiative to accomplish it.But it is also received through and in Christ (1 Thessalo-

nians 5:9; 2 Timothy 2:10), and specifically through His

death and resurrection (Romans 5:9-10). The salvation of

sinners is said to be His purpose in coming into the world

(1 Timothy 1:15), and He will bring it to completion at His

coming again (Philippians 3:20-21).

God puts salvation into action through His call (2

Timothy 1:9), which He issues through the preaching of

the Gospel message (1 Corinthians 15:1-2; Ephesians 1:13).

This in turn is supported and made effective by the min-

istry and lifestyle, and even the sufferings, of those who

proclaim it (Romans 11:14; 1 Corinthians 10:31-33; 2 Cor-inthians 1:6). Salvation is achieved progressively through

the Scriptures and Christian teaching (2 Timothy 3:15; 1

Timothy 4:16).

In the Synoptic Gospels and Acts the role of Sav-

iour is again ascribed to both God

and Christ. God is the Saviour of

His people (Luke 1:47), and He

acts in might to fulfil His cove-

nant promise of salvation for them

(Luke 1:51-55). Indeed, only His

sovereign power is able to save (Mark 10:26-27). But Gods

saving intervention is made in the coming of the Messiahand Lord who exercises Gods own function as Saviour on

His behalf (Luke 2:11; Acts 5:31).

Jesus thus brings the salvation that God has pre-

pared for all peoples (Luke 2:30-32). His mission is to seek

and save the lost (Luke 19:10) and sinners (Luke 19:7; cp.

Matthew 9:13). Salvation is effected through His death

(Matthew 26:28) and resurrection (Acts 13:26, 37-39). The

book of Acts says explicitly that salvation is found in no-

one else, because there is no other name by which to be

saved (Acts 4:12).

The rest of the NT explicitly affirms many of these

claims. God is the Saviour (James 4:12; Jude 25), and so

also is Jesus (John 4:42; 2 Peter 1:1); the book of Revelation

attributes salvation interchangeably to God and to the Lamb

(Revelation 7:10; 12:10; 19:1). Jesus is sent by the Father

with the specific mission of saving the world (1 John 4:14).

Salvation is accomplished through his death as an atoning

sacrifice (1 John 4:10; cp. 1 Peter 2:24) and also through

His resurrection (1 Peter 3:21; cp. 1:3). It is administered

through the Gospel message (Hebrews 2:3; 1 Peter 1:12,

23) and nourished by preaching and teaching (1 Peter 2:2).

The letter to the Hebrews provides some especially

rich reflections on the role of Christ as Saviour, using some

terms and concepts scarcely used elsewhere in the NT. Thus

Christ is presented as the author and source of salvation(Hebrews 2:10; 5:9). His saving death (Hebrews 9:28a)

is effective because He is the great high priest who of-

fers Himself as a perfect sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 8:1-2;

10:11-18). As the risen one He is able to save completely

those who come to God through Him, because He is always

alive to pray for them (Hebrews 7:25). And He will come

a second time for the salvation of those who wait for Him

(Hebrews 9:28b).

It is important to note that by referring to both God

and Christ as Saviour the NT writers were posing an

indirect challenge to the claims of the contemporary Ro-

man emperors to be the saviours of the world. Rescue fromdanger, restoration to wholeness, deliverance from human

evil and all its harmful consequences: all these could be

derived ultimately and perfectly not from the emperor or

Jesus thus brings the salvation thatGod has prepared for all peoples.

His mission is to seek and save thelost and sinners

II BARNABAS AID NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012


13/24

EQUIPPINGTHE CHURCH


any other human ruler, but only from God in Christ. The

emperor might style himself as a god, but his claim to pro-

vide salvation was still empty, as no object of worship apart

from the one true God and His Son Jesus Christ could save.

What must we do to be saved?The letters ofPaul indicate that Gods salvation is

intended for and available to all people (1 Timothy 2:4;

Titus 2:11). At the heart of Pauls understanding of theGospel of Christ is that salvation is for Jew and Gentile

alike (Romans 11:25-26), and is provided to them on the

same terms (Romans 1:16-17; cp. 3:22, 29-30). However,

this salvation is not actually obtained by everyone (Romans

9:27); a human response is needed to the call of God in

the Gospel.

Romans 1:16-17 is a key-

note statement of Pauls view of

the Gospel. Here he declares that

the Good News of Jesus Christ is

the power of God for salvation to all who believe, first to the

Jew and also to the Greek (or Gentile). Through the GospelGod saves everyone who has faith, without making any

distinction based on religious, ethnic or social background.

The message has this power to save believers because in it

Gods righteousness is revealed His faithfulness to His

covenant promises and because that righteousness is ef-

fective only through faith (by faith fromfirst to last, NIV).

Later in Romans, quoting the prophet Joel, Paul defines this

faith as calling on the name of the Lord (Romans 10:13),

probably a dual reference to God and to Christ.

Yet despite his strong emphasis on faith as the means

of being saved, Paul can also call upon his readers to work

out their salvation in fear and trembling, because God is

at work in them to will and to do what is pleasing to Him

(Philippians 2:12-13). Elsewhere he ascribes the blessings

of salvation to those who do what is good (Romans 2:9-10)

and suggests that these can also be forfeited (1 Corinthians

9:24-27). Salvation is indeed by faith, but by faith working

through love (Galatians 5:6).

In the Synoptic Gospels the salvation brought by

Jesus is offered mainly to Israel (Luke 1:68-69; Matthew

10:5-6). But He notably crosses the boundaries laid down

within Israel between the righteous and sinners, in order to

extend Gods salvation to the latter (Luke 7:50, cp. v. 39;

Mark 2:17). And even before His death and resurrection

there are hints and foreshadowings of the inclusion of non-Jews as well (Luke 2:31-32; 17:16-19). The commission-

ing of the disciples by the risen Lord in both Matthew and

Luke includes references to all nations (Matthew 28:19;

Luke 24:47), and in Acts the Churchs mission is associated

explicitly with the sending of salvation to both Israel (Acts

13:26) and the Gentiles / end of the earth (Acts 13:46-47).

The Gospels and Acts confirm Pauls assertion that

salvation is by grace (Acts 15:11) and through faith (Mark

10:52; Luke 8:48). The faith that is effective for salvation

involves recognising Jesus as the agent of God who is able

to save (Mark 5:27-28, 34; Luke 17:11-19; cp. Matthew

8:8-10). In Acts, as in Paul, it amounts to calling on thename of the Lord (Acts 2:21) and also to believing in the

Lord Jesus (Acts 16:31) in response to the Gospel message

that brings salvation (Acts 11:14).

But again as in Paul, the Gospel writers indicate that

ones possession of salvation has to be confirmed by ones

lifestyle and continuing commitment to the Lord. Follow-

ing Peters confession of faith in Him, Jesus declares that

it is those who say no to self, who relinquish the things of

this life and even life itself for Him, and who associate

themselves with Him even to the point of death, who will

be saved (Mark 8:34-38, esp. v. 35). And His announcement

that salvation has come to the house of Zacchaeus is madein response to the tax collectors undertaking to give half

his possessions to the poor and make multiple restitution

for money he has defrauded (Luke 19:8-10).

Therest of the NT affirmsmany of the above points,

though generally more briefly or only in passing. In Johns

Gospel the universal offer of sal-

vation is emphasised: salvation

is from (and for) the Jews (John

4:22), but Jesus is also the Saviour

of the world, including those be-

lieved by the Jews to be excluded from Gods favour (John

4:42; cp. 4:9). The general letters affirm that salvation isby faith (1 Peter 1:9; cp. Hebrews 10:39), but they also

associate it with baptism (1 Peter 3:20-21) and sanctifica-

tion (2 Peter 3:14-15), suggesting again that saving faith

is expressed in action. This idea is confirmed by James

blunt insistence that faith is unable to save in the absence

of deeds (James 2:14ff.).

Salvation and Christian missionThe above overview of NT teaching enables us to

identify the many differences between the Christian view

of salvation and those of other religious groups and philo-

sophical schools. For example, the NT emphasis on being

saved from sin and judgment contrasts with the Buddhist

claim that the greatest human need is for enlightenment

from ignorance. The NTs locating of salvation in the fu-

ture and heavenly kingdom of God is very different from

the Hindu idea of multiple reincarnations within this age

and world. And the NT acknowledgment of our depend-

ence upon God and Christ for salvation stands against the

humanist view that all human ills must (and perhaps can)

be cured by humans alone.

Islam strongly affirms two of the three statements

with which we began: that there is something from which

we need to be saved, and that there is something we must

do in order to be saved. But the Muslim understanding ofboth of these statements is very different from the NT one,

and Islam denies that we need someone else to save us.

What are we saved from (and for)?In Islam salvation is understood entirely in terms

of deliverance at the final judgment, a deliverance that

involves both escaping the torments of hell and admission

to the pleasures of paradise. The Day of Judgment is one of

the six Muslim articles of faith, and Muslims believe that

on this day the eternal destinies salvation or hell of all

people will be determined by Allah (Q 23:102-103).

But the Muslim idea of deliverance fromfi

nal judg-ment is limited by comparison with that of the NT. The

positive aspect of future salvation described in the Quran

heaven as essentially a place of sensuous delights (Q 56:11-

The Good News of Jesus Christ isthe power of God for salvation to

all who believe

IIIBARNABAS AID NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012


14/24

UK

9 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EX

Telephone 024 7623 1923

Fax 024 7683 4718

From outside the UKTelephone +44 24 7623 1923

Fax +44 24 7683 4718

Email [email protected]

Registered Charity Number 1092935

Company Registered in England

Number 4029536

New Zealand

PO Box 27 6018, Manukau City,

Auckland, 2241

Telephone (09) 280 4385 or 0800 008 805


Australia

PO Box 3527

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Telephone (07) 3806 1076 or 1300 365799

Fax (07) 3806 4076


Jersey

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Jersey, Channel Islands JE3 9GB

Telephone 700600 Fax 700601


USA

6731 Curran St, McLean, VA 22101

Telephone (703) 288-1681

or toll-free 1-866-936-2525

Fax (703) 288-1682


International Headquarters

The Old Rectory, River Street, Pewsey,

Wiltshire SN9 5DB, UK

Telephone 01672 564938

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From outside UK

Telephone +44 1672 564938

Fax +44 1672 565030


BARNABAS FUND HOPE AND AID FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

EQUIPPINGTHE CHURCH

www.barnabasfund.org


38; 88:8-16) lacks any sense of our being conformed to

the divine nature and character, which Islams insistence

on the absolute uniqueness of Allah is unable to accommo-

date. Moreover, there is no present (or past) dimension to

the Muslim doctrine of salvation. We are not set free from

the power and effects of sin here and now, through the gift

and working of the Holy Spirit; the idea of present rescue

or restoration from evil is noticeably absent.

Another sharp distinction between Christian andIslamic teaching on the nature of salvation lies in the im-

portance attached to forgiveness. There is very little in the

Quran about forgiveness, and it is not guaranteed to anyone.

This uncertainty reflects the Muslim view of Allahs role

in salvation and of how salvation is received (see below).

Whom are we saved by?Islam has no concept of grace. It does affirm a role

for Allah in salvation, but this is essentially that of revealing

his commands to the prophets and supremely to Muham-

mad; aside from this he takes no

initiative to save people. Nor doeshe need to do so, because Islam

denies the need for any divine act

of redemption and reconciliation

such as the death and resurrection

of Christ.

Because Islam denies that Jesus is the Son of God

or one of the persons of a divine Trinity, it gives Him no

role in salvation except that of a prophet, whose role was

to teach people to submit to Allah. It denies not only the

saving power of His death, but even that He was crucified

at all (Q 4:156-158); Muslims believe that Allah would not

allow one of his prophets to die a shameful death.

On the Muslim view, Allah is absolutely sovereign

and omnipotent, and does whatever he pleases. So although

Islam lays down a particular way to salvation (see below),

assurance of obtaining it is impossible for anyone except

martyrs, as no one can predict what Allah may choose to

do: he forgives whom he pleases and punishes whom he

pleases (Q 2:284). Furthermore, many Islamic traditions

teach a strong version of predestination in which Allah

guides whom he wills and leaves others to stray (Q 35:8).

These ideas are far removed from the NT picture of a gra-

cious and faithful Saviour God, who initiates, effects and

completes the salvation of His people in Christ.

What must we do to be saved?Salvation in Islam is obtained through the perfor-

mance of good works and religious rituals. The Quran

and hadiths (traditions about Muhammad and his earliest

followers) prescribe five obligatory duties for Muslims to

perform: confession of faith, prayer, fasting, almsgiving

and pilgrimage to Mecca. There are other duties that a

good Muslim is expected to carry out, and also a range of

forbidden actions.

On the Day of Judgment good and bad deeds will

be weighed in the divine scales. Those whose good deeds

outweigh their bad ones will enter paradise, though most

will have to spend some time in hell first as punishment for

their sins. Those whose bad deeds are heavier will be con-

signed to hell for ever. No-one can tell if their good deedswill be greater than their bad, or how Allah will make the

assessment (see above).

It is too simple to say that the NT teaches salvation

by faith alone while Islam offers salvation only by works.

We have seen above how the NT writers affirm that saving

faith is faith that works itself out in love and good deeds;

and Islam also requires something it calls faith, defined

as confession with the tongue and belief with the heart.

But this confession is of the Muslim creed, that there is no

god but Allah and that Muhammad is his prophet, which is

very different from calling on the

name of God and of Christ.Also no place is given to

the performance of ritual acts in

the NTs teaching on obedience

to God, nor to the weighing of

good against bad deeds in its account of the final judgment.

Instead, it declares that those who put their faith in God

through Christ and express it in ongoing faithfulnss to Him

may be assured of salvation in the present and the future.

ConclusionThe Christian doctrine of salvation set out in the NT

describes Gods comprehensive provision in Christ for

sinful and broken humanity. Its analysis of our need for

salvation, Gods action in Christ as our Saviour, and what

we must do in order to be saved, offers an all-inclusive,

assured and accessible solution to our plight. It is neither

captured by nor consistent with Islamic teaching on salva-

tion, which offers a much lesser blessing, bestowed by an

arbitrary divine decree, and conditional on the performance

of religious ritual. To understand the difference is essential

to effective Christian mission to Muslims.

But the difference should not surprise or disturb us.

Just as in the 1st century the NT claim that God and Christ

are the Saviour was an effective challenge to the claims

of the Roman emperors, so in the 21st century it inevitablychallenges and subverts the claims of the god of Islam, and

indeed of all the other gods and lords in our day who

claim to provide salvation. In our mission as well as in our

worship, we should expect to confess God and Christ as

the only Saviour of the world.

Islam denies the need for any divineact of redemption and reconciliationsuch as the death and resurrection

of Christ

IV BARNABAS AID NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012


15/24

Proclaim Freedompetition last opportunityto gather signatures!We give thanks to the Lord that at the time of writing more than 23,000people have signed ourProclaim Freedompetition. We are closing it on 31December, so we would like to encourage you to use these last few weeksto gather as many further signatures as you can. The more we have, thegreater impact we can make.

A copy of the petition sheet is enclosed with this mailing. Please feel free tomake photocopies of this. Alternatively the form can be downloaded fromwww.barnabasfund.org/sign-the-petition , where the petition can alsobe signed online.

Signed petition sheets should be returned to your nearest Barnabas office(addresses on back cover) before 31 December.

Barnabas Funds Proclaim Freedomcampaignaims to press Western governments to promotefreedom of religion, human rights and justicein other countries, especially for the millions ofpersecuted Christians, and for those who incite orengage in anti-Christian hatred and violence to be

held accountable.

The Proclaim Freedomcampaign callsupon governments to:

recognise that Christians around the worldcurrently face unprecedented levels of persecution

and are one of the most persecuted groups in theworld

put the plight of persecuted Christians, bothindividually and as communities, at the forefront oftheir relations with the countries concerned

promote freedom of religion for all, usingdiplomatic relations, bi-lateral ties, aid, and agreedinternational obligations on core human rights

promote justice for all and specifically to ensure

that those who incite hatred or act violently againstChristians are held accountable for their crimes

Will you help us proclaim freedom?The Proclaim Freedomcampaign is well under way as Christiansthroughout the world join in pursuit of greater hope and freedom for ourpersecuted brothers and sisters.

The campaign aims toraise the profile of the persecuted Church around the

world. It calls on governments to promote human rights, religious freedomand justice in other countries for all minorities, but especially for the roughly200 million Christians living in contexts of persecution, discrimination anddisadvantage. It also puts pressure on governments to ensure that othercountries hold accountable those who incite or engage in anti-Christianhatred or violence.

Proclaim Freedomwill succeed only through prayerful dependence on theLord, who alone can give release to His suffering people, but we all have animportant role to play in praying and taking action on their behalf. Below is alist of ideas of how you can help support the campaign. Please consider howyou can get involved, and lets proclaim freedom together!

1. Visit the special Proclaim Freedomsection of the Barnabas Fundwebsite to get started. Alternatively, call your nearest Barnabas office formore information.

2. Show the Proclaim Freedomvideo in your church service.

3. Request a Proclaim Freedomwristband and/or lapel pin badge foryour own use and make some available at your church (1 each or 9 for 10).

4. Consider providing a special Barnabas Fund money box that could beused in conjunction with the wristbands and lapel pin badges. Also makeavailable free bookmarks and persecuted Church postcardsfromBarnabas Fund.

5. Download or request theProclaim Freedompetitionand share it withyour church.

6. Use the sample letter on our website to write to your electedrepresentative.

7. Invite people you know to set time aside on 1 November to pray forthe persecuted Church either individually or as a group, join theevent on Facebook, download a copy of the Prayer Guideand tell uswhat you have planned on our interactive map on our website.

8. Consider holding a Suffering Church Sunday in November (or anySunday that is preferable for your church). Dont forget to order a freeSuffering Church Sunday pack, designed to equip your church for thisoccasion.

9. Tell us what your church is planning for Suffering Church Sunday byposting it on our interactive online map.

10. Consider how the new childrens resource, Brothers and Sisters:Loving our Persecuted Family, could be used to support the ProclaimFreedomcampaign, either on Suffering Church Sunday or by holding a

special childrens event focused on the persecuted Church.


CAMPAIGNS


16/24

Safety for the victimised

Ithad become dark outside when we finally pulled upat a large house at the end of a cul-de-sac. We hadbeen driving through a dizzying number of back alleys,

twisting and swerving around crowds of ambling people,donkey carts and auto rickshaws. A curtain flicked back brieflyon the first floor, revealing the silhouette of a young womananxiously checking who was coming. We had arrived at aBarnabas Fund-supported safe house for Christian women andchildren.

Sparse-looking but immaculately clean rooms and stairs led usto a spacious first floor, which we were told is the living room ofsix women who are living at the safe house with three of theirchildren. Simple wooden crosses hang above doors leading totwo shared bedrooms and a large kitchen.

Gulshan, a dignified-looking young woman, regularly glancesaway while she tells us the events that brought her here. Fouryears earlier at age 16 she was raped by a Muslim man in thepresence of two other Muslim men. Her family filed a complaint,

and the man was arrested. A medical examination proved thatshe had indeed been raped by the accused. He was sentencedto a prison term, which he is now sitting out.

But after the sentence Muslim neighbours tried to pressuriseGulshan to withdraw her accusation. The risk that they wouldkidnap her and force her to retract her statement at gunpointbecame so great that she had to go into hiding. I prayed alot during that time, she said, and asked God that I can staystrong in my statement.

Even though the circumstances that have brought the six

Christian women together are diffi

cult and sad, they seem toenjoy spending time together. Gulshan says, I like living hereat the safe house. It feels as if Im at home.

At the safe house she is learning to sew. The training insewing will give me a respectable earning while living at home.No harmful incidences can happen to me at home. I often readPsalms because I feel as if some have been written especiallyfor me. They give me strength and the knowledge that God iswith me.

Accused of blasphemyCLAAS, the Christian ministry that shelters Gulshan and theother women and their children, also provides legal assistanceto Christians. Barnabas Fund supports their intrepid legal workfor Pakistans Christian minority, who often face injustice andrarely receive proper legal representation.

I met Munir Masih at the CLAAS office. He is a serious-lookingman of 35, who is husband to Ruqqiya. At the time of themeeting his wife had been in prison for almost four years,sentenced to life imprisonment for desecrating a Quran in theirhome. Munir and their six children have been living in hidingall this time after receiving threats that Muslims would kill thembecause of their association with Ruqqiya.

Munir told me that before the blasphemy incident he had agood job as a businessman, but now he can often find work foronly a couple of days in the month as a daily labourer, earninga pitifully low wage. Barnabas Fund has been providing himand his family with monthly food packages. The food fromBarnabas Fund is a big support, Munir said. I can feed mychildren and am very thankful.

Since I met Munir, Ruqqiya has been unexpectedly clearedof the blasphemy charges in the High Court with help fromCLAAS. Although this is joyful news and an answer to prayer,

the family will remain in danger of attack for the rest of theirlives and in need of practical help just to survive.

A Barnabas Fund staff member visits a range of projectsin Pakistan supported by Barnabas Fund

SPOTLIGHT

Reference number 41-980(Pakistan General Fund)

Gulshanf lspro e an hay t

he safe hou e



17/24

We have an aimThousands of other Christian families in Pakistan are receivingmonthly food packages thanks to Barnabas Fund. The majorityare not dealing with the life-threatening circumstances thatMunirs family are in, but their lives are precarious for otherreasons: decades-long discrimination has trapped them in acycle of illiteracy and poverty.

Akran and Nusrat, a cheerful young couple, have come withthree of their children to their church to pick up the bags of rice,flour, oil and other food items. The pastor who coordinates themonthly food distribution told me that Akran is a choir masterand knows many beautiful Christian songs. But, they told methemselves, both are illiterate because they grew up too poor tobe able to go to school. Their house consists of just one room.

Although they work long hours, their joint income is not enoughto support their family. Nusrat can find work only as a cleanerin a Muslim household. Working in a Muslim house isnt easy,

she explains to me. They keep on telling us that our faith is nogood. I have no choice but to listen to them.

The food support that they have been receiving from BarnabasFund for a year and a half is making it possible for the couple tosend their children to school for the first time. Their oldest son,Daud, is now attending a Christian school. He has expresseda desire to become a pastor. And the parents are even thinkingahead about showing Christian love to others in need. Wehave an aim, says Nusrat brightly and decisively. Once ourchildren are educated, we want to help other people by givingthem food.

Safe to be a Christian childThere was not time enough to visit all 34 Christian schoolsthat Barnabas Fund currently supports in Pakistan. But thefive we visited provided a good overview. To visit one in a ruralarea, we had to travel several hours on lonely, dusty roads,seeing just an occasional group of people working in the fieldsor water buffaloes lumbering after their owners. A collection oflight-coloured buildings suddenly loomed up on the horizon,and I was told they housed a Christian community, living closetogether for protection.

Classes were underway as the principal showed us around

the large school building. It was exhilarating to see classroomsfull of Christian children hard at work in their neat uniforms,and to know that this school is a place where the children canopenly express their Christian faith without fear of contempt orharassment.

Courageous evangelistsOne evening we joined a large meeting of pastors who are allreceiving support from Barnabas Fund. Many had travelled forhours on motorcycles to be there. Just as the main speakerstarted reading from the Bible, a familiar, tinny wail could beheard over loudspeakers; a nearby mosque was issuing theMuslim call to prayer. It highlighted one of many injustices,

great and small, that Christians have to face in Pakistan,namely that only Muslims may use loudspeakers.

Tarbele, an evangelist, came to talk with me. Speaking withmuch emphasis and conviction in his deep voice, he told methat he had grown up in a wealthy Muslim household, but thathe had had many questions about eternal life. Only a Christianevangelist had been able to answer them satisfactorily.

This conversation led him to dedicate his life to Christ andto become an evangelist himself, despite the many risks. Iam threatened every single day, he said, looking at me with

penetrating eyes. My life is always uncertain. And yet hecontinues to go to market places and on buses and trains to tellthe people the Good News.

When talking to Muslims I compare the Quran and Bible andtell them who gave the right answers about forgiveness ofsin and salvation. Through his work 21 Muslim families havefound the Lord. He also pastors a congregation of 150 families.

Diverse helpOn our trip we met many other Christians in Pakistan who arebeing helped by Barnabas Fund in a variety of ways. Christianstudents are attending university with scholarships fromBarnabas Fund; Christian publishers are producing culturallyrelevant Christian training material in Urdu to equip thousandsof Christians; Christian women in rural areas are receivinghealthcare instruction and are learning skills such as sewingand weaving.

I felt privileged to meet these Christians and see them strongin their faith despite very difficult circumstances. They, in turn,responded with joy when hearing that Christians in the Westcare about their problems and are praying for them.

AstreetsceneinPakistan

eerf inga Christiansong withactions

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oughly 200 million Christianslive in contexts of pressure andpersecution. This means that

around 1 in 10 Christians face thepossibility of violence, poverty and

discrimination because of their faith. Their needsare acute, and they greatly value our prayers. ABarnabas Fund project partner in Egypt said:

Please keep us in your prayers. We believe

that our mission does not only work through

projects but extremely needs lots of prayer

to seek the Holy Spirit working into peoples

hearts. We cannot thank you enough.

Barnabas Fund is holding a Day of Prayer for thePersecuted Church on Thursday 1 November.We are encouraging Christians worldwide todedicate time on this date to praying for ourbrothers and sisters who suffer because of theirfaith in Christ. Christians from all around the worldwill be taking part, from Romania to Bangladesh,from the Philippines to the United States, andfrom Malawi to Malaysia. This is a fantasticopportunity for us to come together in prayer asone international body of believers in support ofour Lords suffering family.

So please do join us in prayer on Thursday1 November, and get your friends at churchinvolved too.

How can I get involved?Truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be

done for them by my Father in heaven (Matthew 18:19).

It is easy to get involved with the Day of Prayer.

Link up with a group event in your area. Themap on our website makes it easy to find andjoin in with a prayer event. The number andvaried locations of events around the worldthat have already been registered with us is aninspiration for our prayers.

There is still time to plan your own prayer eventif one is not yet organised near you. Somesuggestions are offered below for how your

event could be set up.

Commit to praying as an individual on this date.You can join our Facebook event or Twitter feedto connect with others who are doing the same.Updates will be posted throughout the day, andthose praying can share their ideas and prayerswith others.

Come to our International Prayer Summit inLondon (for details see below).

ResourcesWhether you are praying individually or in a group, a Prayer Guide, including a

timetable with information on individual countries, will be available to help you. Every

half an hour a country is suggested for you to pray for, with some background and

specific prayer points. The fact that this will be used across time zones means that

each country will be repeatedly lifted up to the Lord. There are several ways by which

you can access the Prayer Guide:

Order free of charge from your local Barnabas Fund office (addresses can be found on the back pageof this magazine)

Download from our website (www.barnabasfund.org/scs) Follow the prayer requests as they appear on our Facebook and Twitter feeds on the day

Other resources include: Our Lent prayer booklet, which gives more

detailed profiles of countries to pray for

Recent editions of our Prayer Focus Update,with recent stories and points for prayer fromvarious countries

The most recent copy of our Barnabas Prayer

diary, which provides a short prayer point foreach day of a two-month period

Barnabas Funds website. Browsing our newsarchive will give you information on recentincidents of anti-Christian persecution tostimulate your prayers

Your daily newspaper. You could pray for howthe days news items will affect Christians who

live in the countries affected

Barnabas International Day of Prayer for the

Day of Prayer for the Persecuted ChurchInternational Prayer Summit

St. Michaels Chester Square, London SW1W 9HH.

All are welcome, so please join us at any timeand for as long as you can on

Thursday 1 November, from 1:30 until 6:00pm.There will be an Evening Prayer Service on the same theme at 7:00pm.

For more information, email [email protected]

r pray a re g cam mayanm ), whe e nabas h

r ctical n f C ristian r s

Barnabas Fund resources can be downloaded from our website or ordered through your local office(addresses on back page) provided that time remains for them to arrive with you by 1 November.

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A prayer for the

persecuted Church

For more information and resources visit www.barnabasfund.org/UK/Pray

Join our Day of Prayer event on Facebook visit www.facebook.com/BarnabasFund and choose Events.

Follow our Twitter feed for updates at www.twitter.com/BarnabasFund

Ten ways to pray for the persecuted Church

1. Praise God that He is all-knowing, that in Christ

He Himself experienced shame, pain andagonising death. Thank Him for His promise: Iwill never leave you nor forsake you. (Joshua1:5)

2. Pray that all governments will work for justice.While Jesus says that in this world we will havetrouble, He does not say that it will always bepresent in every place.

3. Pray that leaders of the liberal democracies willuse their influence to seek to reduce, if not end,

persecution in countries where it occurs. Just asPaul appealed to Caesar to seek justice, so wecan appeal to secular government.

4. Pray for growth of the Church wherepersecution flourishes, remembering that theblood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.

5. Pray for strength and courage for thoseexperiencing persecution, and for the peace thatonly God can bring. Thank Him that His graceis sufficient for their needs (2 Corinthians 12:9).Pray that their faith will not fail, but that theirsuffering will draw them closer to Him.

6. Pray that the Holy Spirit will enable persecuted

Christians to forgive and love their persecutors(Matt. 5:44) and that their Christ-like reactions willhave an impact on their persecutors.

7. Pray that the Lord will be at work in the heartsof those who currently persecute our sisters andbrothers to bring them to a saving knowledge ofHimself, as He did with Saul of Tarsus.

8. Thank the Lord for the privilege of enteringinto the sufferings of our sisters and brothers,remembering that if one part of the body suffers,

every part suffers with it. (1 Corinthians 12:26)

9. Pray that Christians who experiencepersecution will not lose the ability to acceptand genuinely trust approaches from those whohave formerly persecuted them. Pray that theLord will give them discernment and relief fromunnecessary fears as He did when the believersin Jerusalem had to accept the reality of Saulsconversion. (Acts 9:10-28)

10. Pray for yourself and for persecutedChristians to be spiritually ready for whatevertomorrow brings, be that persecution, respite fromsuffering, or Christs return.

O Triune God, Creator of all that exists, bringer ofsalvation and the hope of Your people, we comebefore You to pray for our suffering brothers and

sisters who today experience discrimination,marginalisation, alienation, injustice, hatred andpersecution, just as Jesus Himself suffered onearth.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Father of your suffering people, we adore youand bless you for your power, greatness andcovenant love. We confess that we have neitherremembered nor cared for Your suffering childrenas we should. We thank You that Your Name is

sealed on their forehead, that they are held in thepalm of Your hand, and carried in your arms. Wesupplicate You to bring them aid, and gather themto Yourself when their time on earth is over, andpray that you would give to us true compassionfor them.


Son of our loving Father God, Brother andKinsman of Your suffering people, we recognisethat Your Body is again being broken, as Yourpeople suffer at the hands of their tormentors.Fill them with Your love and forgiveness, as Youextended Your love and forgiveness on the crossto those who persecuted You.


Holy Spirit, the Strengthener of Your sufferingpeople, give them Your strength to sustain them intheir trials, Your wisdom to know how to respond,and Your perseverance to endure faithfully to theend.


O Triune God, we pray for the persecutors of Yourpeople that they will experience Your compellinglove that casts out all fear and hatred, and will turntheir hearts to You.

We pray these things in the Name of the Father,the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Amen Patrick Sookhdeo, 2012

Persecuted Church

What could your Day of Prayer look like?The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective (James 5:16).

If your church is planning to join in Barnabas Funds International Day of Prayer for the PersecutedChurch, here are some ideas for how you could set this up.

Set aside a room or space in which to pray.Make this space comfortable and welcoming for

those who will use it. If you dont plan to use thePrayer Guideto space out the day, one optioncould be to set up prayer stations for separatecountries or regions in different parts of the roomor building. Maps, Bible verses or backgroundinformation, perhaps from ourPrayer Guideorother resources, could be used to decorate yourprayer area or stations.

In order to space out the day, you couldarrange a vigil of manageable time slots thatpeople can sign up to beforehand. You could

also have a prayer leader for each slot or foreach country. The day could be arrangedaround the Prayer Guide.

You could provide large sheets of paper on wallsor tables and coloured pens, so that prayers

could be written down or illustrated. These couldhelp the prayer area to look vibrant, and keepingthem could provide inspiration for prayer overthe coming weeks and months.

Remember you do not have to set aside awhole day if this is not feasible for your church.Whatever time you could give to prayer willmake a difference. You could arrange an hoursprayer meeting, or organise a half-day or all-dayprayer session as a drop-in, when people cancome and go as they please.

Stayin touch!

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Prayer

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But like other popular Bible readings, this onecan become so familiar to us that its remarkablemessage gets muted, and then it no longerhas the impact upon us that the Biblical authorintended. The Song of Mary is an exuberantcelebration of the powerful and compassionateaction of God in Christ, for the salvation of His

people and in fulfilment of His ancient covenantpromises. As such it speaks forcefully to allChristians, as the beneficiaries of what God hasdone, and particularly to those for whom povertyand oppression are part of their daily experience.

So what is the message of this great passage forthe persecuted Church, and for us who are calledto support them in their need?

The coming of JesusThe context of the Song of Mary is the early

chapters of Lukes Gospel, in which he focuseson the birth of Jesus Christ and the eventssurrounding it. Mary has received the angels

message that she is to give birth to a child whowill be both King of Israel and Son of God. Shehurries away to visit her relative Elizabeth, who isalready bearing the infant John the Baptist, andwho greets her as one who is blessed amongwomen. Mary in turn bursts out in praise to theLord.

So the passage recounts Marys response toGods fulfilment of the promises He made toher regarding the birth of Jesus. Its purposeis to explain the meaning and the effect ofJesus coming, and also to indicate the properresponse to it. In this way the Song fits withinthe overall goal of Lukes Gospel, both to explainthe significance of Jesus and to confirm andstrengthen Christian readers in their discipleship,which they must sometimes live out in the face ofopposition.

A right understanding of what God has done forus in Christ enables us to set all our experiences

as Christians, including the sufferings that weendure for Him, in their proper context. This thenallows us to respond appropriately to them. Whenwe recognise how God has blessed and will blessus through the coming of Jesus as Messiah andSon of God, we are able to persevere and growin faithfulness to Him and in the furthering of His

purpose in the world.

Praise and joyIn verses 46-47 Mary declares her response tothe great work of God of which she has become arecipient. Her soul, she says, magnifies the Lord;she devotes herself to making His Name greatin the sight of others. Also her spirit has rejoicedin God her Saviour; her life is now constantlycommitted to jubilant celebration of His savingaction.

The nature of Gods work in Christ as the Saviourof His people will be spelled out much more fullyin the following verses. But it is Marys reaction of

The Song of Mary in Lukes Gospel, often called the Magnificat, is one of the best-knownpassages in the New Testament. Many churches use it as part of their regular worship,and it has been set to music by great classical composers and distinguished hymn-

writers. Most of us will hear it read in one of our Christmas services in the next few weeks.

My soul magnifiesthe Lord! Luke 1:46-55

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joy and praise that grabs our attention first. Marysexperience as the mother of the Lord will not bean unmixed blessing for her; indeed, in the verynext chapter she is told that as a result of Hiscoming a sword will pierce her soul (Luke 2:35).But here she recognises what God has done as acompelling reason to exalt Him and be glad; this

is the right response to what He has done.

It might seem to us that Christians who sufferdiscrimination, harassment or violence as aresult of their faith would be unable to respondto Gods saving work in the same way as Marydoes. Yet time and again they prove us wrong.

For example, the churches of what is now SouthSudan have suffered unbelievable deprivationand distress in the last 30 years; yet they arerenowned for their joyful praise. And the mainlyChin people of Burma (Myanmar), who havefaced severe persecution from their government,are also well known for their loud and livelyworship. They know that even in the face ofopposition and pain, this is the fitting response forthem to make to God our Saviour.

Concern for the lowlyIn verses 48-50 Mary sets out the basic reasonswhy she magnifies the Lord and has rejoiced inGod her Saviour. He has been actively concernedabout the lowly status that she experiences as aresult of being His servant, and He has done suchgreat things for her benefit that people of everygeneration will recognise that she is blessed byHim. He has put forth His might on her behalf, andshe acknowledges that His compassion extendsin every age to those who reverence Him.

In many parts of the world Christians have a

very low status because they have chosen to

serve God instead of conforming to the religionor ideology of the majority community. Forinstance, in Muslim-majority contexts Christianshave traditionally been regarded as inferior toMuslims, unclean and contemptible, and treatedas second-class citizens at best. This attitude isstill widespread today; it is often propagated by

the Muslim media and expressed in unofficial butvery severe discrimination.

These verses tell us that God is not indifferentto the contempt in which so many of His peoplehave been held down the centuries. In Christ Hehas taken thought for them and acted in great

power and mercy to bless them mightily. His workon behalf of those who honour Him is as real fordowntrodden Christians today as it was for Mary.

Reversal of statusEach of the next three verses comprises a pairof statements in which Gods action in Christ tobenefit His lowly people is described in moredetail. He has shown His strength to deliverthem from bondage by scattering their enemiesand His, those whose attitude is arrogant andself-sufficient and who do not acknowledge Hissovereignty. He has pulled down those who arestrong from their positions of power and hasraised the standing of those whose status is lowly.Those who are in want He has satisfied with Hisblessings, while those who have plenty He hasdismissed with nothing.

We learn here that in the coming of Jesus,God has completely reversed the status ofHis oppressed people and those who oppressthem. Christians may be consigned to a verylow standing in society because they serve God,

but in the kingdom of God that He is bringing in

Christ they are honoured and filled with His goodthings. The proud who have power and wealthmay trample on them to establish and maintaintheir own high position, but in Gods kingdomthese people are cast down into disgrace and areexcluded from its blessings.

As we read on in Lukes Gospel and especiallythe Acts of the Apostles, we see this process ofstatus reversal being worked out in the contextof the Christian community, where those whohave much care for those who have little so thatthere are no needy people among them (e.g. Acts4:32-37). So the message of Marys Song finds itsfulfilment in the practical support of despised andneedy Christians through the resources of theirChristian family. Barnabas Fund exists to help thishappen.

Faithful to His promisesFinally, in verses 54-55, Mary confesses thatGod has taken His servan

Barnabas Aid November/December 2012

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Transcript of Barnabas Aid November/December 2012