Fifth Sunday

For a considerable time, I have used these "Fifth Sundays" to merely promote one of my own books. However, in my first post of last month, I wanted to build on the assassination of Charlie Kirk, by referring to some of the millions who die, each year, in situations that most of us are incapable of even imagining.

So, since all royalties on the sale of my books are sent directly to Release International, in support of the persecuted church, I have now decided to use these fifth Sundays to share some information about the persecuted church - but to also mention one of my books! Each time, I shall endeavour to share some of the contemporary situations in which disciples of Jesus are targeted for persecution.

More than 300 schoolgirls and 12 teachers have been taken from a school in north west Nigeria, in one of the largest ever mass abductions in the country. 

The incident happened in the early hours of Friday (21 November) at St Mary’s, a school in the Papiri community in Agwara Local Government Area (LGA). The number taken includes 88 students who were captured as they tried to escape. However, 50 of those taken have since managed to escape over the weekend. It’s believed that 253 students and teachers remain held. St Mary’s is a Romanist school, though it is not yet known what percentage of those taken are Christians. 

In response to this latest kidnapping, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has ordered the hiring of 30,000 more police officers, as well as the removal of all officers from VIP protection services to focus on core duties, especially in remote areas prone to attacks. The government has instructed the closure of nearly 50 federal colleges, and public schools in some states have been shut.  

Whilst kidnappings for ransom have commonly been used to terrorise and impoverish communities, former Minister of Information, Jerry  Gana, believes that the sudden escalation in abductions could be because armed groups want to use children as ‘human shields’ following the recent increase in global attention paid to violence against Christians in Nigeria. 

The apparent failure of the government to protect civilians has widespread effects, with more than 10,000 schools closed in northern Nigeria due to the current insecurity, exposing millions of children to illiteracy, early marriage and poverty. This vulnerability makes it easier for Islamist militant groups to recruit them, worsening the spiral of violence and oppression. 

“We are deeply saddened by these latest kidnappings in northern Nigeria,” says Jo Newhouse*, Open Doors (another organisation that my wife and I support, and that works as does RI) spokesperson for the work in sub-Saharan Africa. “We are immediately taken back to the Chibok girls kidnapping in 2014, of which many girls – now women – are still in captivity. We urge the Nigerian government to do everything in its power to safely return these student and teachers to their families, and ensure that schools are protected from such attacks. Closing schools are a short-term solution and all children should be free and safe to attend school and receive an education.” 

This book, available in both paperback and e-book (Kindle) forms, uses the wording of "The Apostles' Creed" to explain, in everyday terms, the basics of the Christian Faith. There are links at the top of the blog, and you may read the beginning, free of charge! 

Charlie was not alone!

In my last English language post, I paid my personal tribute to the late Charlie Kirk - that fine young man of only 31 years of age, who was assassinated as he debated with University students in the State of Utah.

I have no idea as to exactly how much comment his assassination generated, but it was certainly a lot! However, as I typed that last post, I kept thinking of the murder of so many other people who are rarely mentioned, but who, like Charlie Kirk, are killed because they are disciples of the Lord Jesus. In their cases, that is all. No political aspect to "muddy the waters". They include young men, old men, young women, old women, and children. In their cases, the females, young and old, are often raped before they are murdered.

I am, of course, referring to what is generally known as "the persecuted church". According to the organisation Open Doors, almost 4,500 disciples of Jesus were killed, for their faith, last year.

This figure could well be exceeded for this year. It was on Sunday, 7th September, that Militant Fulani herders attacked two villages in northwest Nigeria’s Kaduna state earlier this month, killing eight Christians and wounding nine others. Local resident Timothy Kimbe said herdsmen attacked Wakeh and Gadanaji villages in Kachia county in the early hours of that day. In neighbouring Plateau state herdsmen have attacked 11 villages in the Qua’an Pan area, burning more than 30 houses and displacing at least 300 Christians, since late August, sources said.

On the following day, another series of brutal attacks took place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). At least 100 Christians have been killed, with hundreds more kidnapped.

Dozens were killed on Monday, 8th September, while attending a funeral in Ntoyo village, in North Kivu, in the east of the country. “They arrived and started killing. At this funeral place, they coldly murdered 26 Christians,” said Rev. Mbula Samaki. “Those who tried to flee were shot dead and others were killed with machetes.”  The devastating attack was carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an extremist Islamist group with links to so-called Islamic State.

Across the community, dozens more believers were killed in the same way over the course of two days. Rev. Mbula told an Open Doors local partner in a phone call: “The casualty count, as of now, stands at more than 70 Christians killed, at least 100 kidnapped, 16 houses, eight motorbikes and two vehicles burnt. It is horrible.” 

Pastor Paluku Nzalamingi, parish priest of Manguredjipa, shared with local news what he saw of the aftermath: “Women on mattresses in the living room… others in the corridor, still others outside in the plot. Some bodies are on the road, in plots close to the centre of Ntoyo. I was unable to count them. Most of them were shot dead.” 

The next morning the terrorist struck again in a nearby community, this time targeting Christian farmers. “The ADF arrived in Potodu,” says Pastor Paluku. “With machetes, they killed Christian farmers who were camped in their farms and those who were returning. It is a night of sadness and desolation for Christians.”At least 30 farmers were killed, though the true death toll may be even higher.

These are just two of the fifty, or so countries in which persecution takes place, to some extent, on a regular basis. Yet, these incidents never make the main news outlets in "the west"! If you are a praying person, please pray for those who suffer in these ways - simply because they own the Name of the Lord Jesus.

Embracing challenge!

During our recent visit to France, to collect the remainder of our belongings that were stored in a friend’s garage, my wife and I also visited some other friends. One of those friends is an English language teacher and, a few days before we left, he 'phoned with “an idea – a crazy idea”! “Would, you”, he asked, “be willing to come and speak to two of my classes about Scotland?” After some thought, I agreed to do so, and was then requested to wear the kilt for these classes, something to which I also happily agreed.

When we arrived at our friends’ home, we talked about the forthcoming classroom visits, and he suggested that some visuals, in the form of a Power Point presentation, might be useful, as well as a worksheet! So, my first day was spent attending to all of that, and making necessary changes to the lesson plan I had prepared!

My first visit to the school - Collège and Lycée (together, similar to a Scottish Secondary School) – was on the Wednesday of our week with our friends. I confess to having had some trepidation – after all, it has been more than 15 years since I had stood in front of a class of teenagers! However, I need not have feared. In every case, they were a friendly, and interested, group of young people, some of whom asked relevant and pertinent questions as I took them through a potted history of Scotland, before introducing them to a number of famous Scots from the past.

Something else had happened. My friend had mentioned to one of his colleagues that I was coming, and she had asked if I would speak to some of her classes. My friend wanted me to speak to some additional classes of his own, and I was even taken to the attached École (Primary) for one class! Altogether, I spoke with eight classes – and enjoyed every minute! Photographs were requested, and taken; the usual enquiry was made as to what I was wearing under the kilt!; and the very last class with which I met even gave me, at the end of the period, a rousing round of applause! That was a definite first in all of my 25 years of educational experience!

So, is there a spiritual lesson in all of that? I believe that there is – indeed, more than one! Having entered the ninth decade of my life, I keep wondering what the Lord might have in store for me. He has blessed me with continuing good health, and I like to think that my mind is as sharp as ever it was (my latest school experience would certainly suggest that it is!). When my friend made his suggestion, I was a little unsure, but it was only two classes! With the complete experience now behind me, I realise that sometimes the Lord works in such a way. I am drawn into something with which I am comfortable, before He increases the scope of the task – like, in this situation, six additional classes!

I was also reminded that, regardless of the apparent difficulty, it is possible to bring the Lord into situations. You see, two of the famous Scots to whom I made reference were Mary Slessor, and David Livingstone – two disciples of Jesus who served as missionaries in Africa, in Nigeria and Malawi respectively. I was also able to suggest that they do some personal research into these two disciples of Jesus. Who knows what might touch a young heart in so doing? Of course, my good friend also has an opportunity, should he be able to do so, to introduce some appropriate teaching into future lessons.

If you are a disciple of Jesus, take every opportunity He provides to serve Him. Who knows where it may lead?!

 

Width, or Depth?

It had not been my intention to send out another post for January. However, an e-mail from Jeff King,  President of International Christian Concern, that arrived a little earlier, caused me to change my mind!

In the letter he writes: "I met with a group of pastors in China who had been imprisoned for a decade or longer during the peak of the Cultural Revolution. We sat together in a private room at the back of a restaurant, and I spent the following hours absorbing their thoughts. 

I was struck and convicted by what they said. They told me that “the Church would be a mile wide and an inch deep” without persecution. Their main concern wasn’t that the Church would experience more persecution: it was that the church would lack depth without it. 

Today, there are millions of believers in China. There is a connection between faith and suffering, between pain and growth. There is a lesson in there for you and me: to hold on tight to God through the storms of this life." 

It was that comment that, without persecution, "the Church would be a mile wide and an inch deep" that caught my eye. It was not a new thought to me. Indeed, about 35 years ago, my wife and I hosted a Nigerian church leader for a week. Thomas was what might be described as "larger than life"! He was in Scotland to attend a Christian International Conference, for which I had been the organiser, and we had many interesting conversations. In one of them, I commented that the southern part of his home country was a Christian area. His comment was to the effect that it might be considered to be such, but that, having no problems, it had no depth! Certainly, the early church knew the effect of persecution. It is the early Church Father, Tertullian, who is usually regarded as having made the statement that: "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church." - meaning that as people saw disciples of Jesus die for their faith, they realised that this faith must be very important, and decided to follow it, and the Saviour Whom it proclaimed.

However, as I read those words in Jeff King's letter, I found myself thinking, not as much about the persecuted church (which, of course, is something in which I have had a deep interest for some fifty years. Indeed, all royalties from the sale of my books - see the head of the blog - go directly to Release International, the first organisation that I discovered that supports persecuted disciples of Jesus. Please consider purchasing one, or more - and telling others about them!) as about my own Christian walk!

It is so easy to become involved in many different aspects of Christian service. There is no shortage of opportunities and, it often seems, so few willing to take them! Yet is "busy-ness" the sign of great faith? Or is it just a means of ensuring that we don't have to delve too deeply into the written Word of God; or spend too much time in prayer? Is it the case, for some of us, that we have "width", but no "depth"?

It's interesting, is it not, that while the Lord Jesus was constantly helping others, and teaching His disciples, and all who would listen to His words, He also took time to be with the Father, and in prayer. If He, the very Son of God, needed that depth in His earthly life, how much more do I?

I am not one for "New year resolutions" (and the end of January is probably a bit late, in any case!), but may each of us endeavour, in the coming eleven months, to deepen our Christian lives. And, if you are not yet a disciple of the Lord Jesus, perhaps this is the time for you to give serious consideration to what God, in the Lord Jesus, has done for you - and to respond with the love, and obedience, of your own heart. It will be for your eternal good, and His eternal glory.

The end of time!

I believe that it was no less a person than Albert Einstein who established that 'time' has a beginning and an end. Of course, students of the written Word of God, the Bible, already knew that, as the fact is clear in that Word! There have also been many who have claimed, in spite of the clear statement of the Lord Jesus to the contrary (Mk.13:32), to be able to predict the very day on which the Son will return and herald the end of time.

However, although we can not know the precise point at which time will end, we may discern the seasons - and there are many indications that we are rapidly approaching that momentous event known to Biblical theologians as "the rapture". There are a few differing views as to when, in the overall scheme of things, that event will take place. The Bible speaks of a time of tribulation for the human race. I am among those who believe that the rapture will occur immediately before that seven-year period.

One of the clear signs of the times is the increase in the persecution of disciples of Jesus. Those of us who live in what is often called "the West" are often blissfully unaware of the severe difficulties faced by our brothers and sisters in the Lord, in more than fifty countries in the modern world. However, even the secular world is beginning to realise something of the extent of the persecution that these dear people face. Indeed, a recent report ordered by British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, stated that the persecution of Christians in parts of the world is at near “genocide” levels!

Having been interested in, and supportive of, the persecuted church for decades, I am aware of some of the current increase in persecution in, e.g., China, India, Sri Lanka, and the Central African Republic. I know that North Korea remains the most dangerous country in the world in which to be identified as a disciple of Jesus. I know that Muslim extremists will target Jesus' followers as much as they will Jews. This is seen, particularly, in Nigeria where two Islamic groups - Boko Haram and militant Fulani tribesmen are responsible for the slaughter of more believers than in any other country - more than 75% (if I recall correctly) of all of those murdered, are in Nigeria! Of course, there are fates worse than death!

There are, of course, many other such signs, so it is a wise person who will ensure that they are ready for the event itself! How may one do that? Simply by being "born again" (John 3:3). That, in turn, involves the ABC of admitting that you are a sinner in the sight of Almighty God; believing that the death of Jesus, the Son, is sufficient to atone for your sins; and confessing to others that you are now committed to following Him.

That is the shortened version! May I recommend two of the links below - "Do you need God?"; and "New Christian UK"? Of course, you may also contact me using the e-mail address at the top. I would also recommend the first two of my own books (remember, I receive no financial benefit at all. All royalties go directly to Release International - supporting the persecuted church). Of course, the third book is worth reading - but start with the first two!

Blessings, and shalom.

Christchurch, New Zealand - some personal reflections.

During my time in the British Merchant Navy, I had the opportunity to visit New Zealand. Indeed, at that time in my life, my plan was to emigrate to Australia; get a job in a good hotel (I was an experienced chef); be married to a nice Australian Christian girl (there were a couple of distinct possibilities!); and eventually retire to New Zealand. None of that took place, but I have friends who live in New Zealand - including a couple in Christchurch. The news of the deaths, yesterday, caused me to reflect in a number of ways.

The random killing of any human being is to be abhorred. When nearly fifty are slaughtered, our minds reel. We pray that those who have been bereaved in the Christchurch massacre will be helped by those who are able to most effectively do so. It is never easy to bring help to the bereaved - I know that from both personal, and pastoral, experience. However, I also know that those who are able to turn to Jesus, receive help, and strength, that are not available from any other source.

Death, of course, is one of the certainties of life - at least until the Rapture of the Church! Yet it is something that we tend to assume won't happen to us - certainly not if we are under some arbitrarily-chosen age! Yet death is no respecter of persons. It touches all - infants; young children; teenagers; 20s and 30s; those heading towards, and in, "middle age"; the elderly. My point is that it is highly unlikely that any of the victims in Christchurch left their homes that day thinking that they would not return! 

That being the case, is it not wise for each of us to take time to consider our readiness to meet with physical death? Of course, there are different beliefs as to what happens when that event takes place. For some, there will just be 'nothingness'. Life is extinguished - and that is that! Others believe that we have another shot at life - in circumstances that are dictated by the life we are living this time around. 

However, for those of us who claim to be disciples of the Lord Jesus, the Christ, the outlook is much more positive. The anonymous writer of the Letter to the Hebrew disciples of Jesus makes it quite clear that there is no "second" (or subsequent) chance: "... it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment, ..." (Heb 9:27). And there is the assurance that, for those who have repented of their sins, and accepted, by faith, the gift of full salvation that Jesus gained for us at Calvary, we will live with Him eternally. Of course, for those who have rejected Him, or simply ignored Him, there is only eternity without Him. That is referred to as hell - and it is not something that any thinking person would wish to suffer!

Of course, Christians are regularly the victims of deadly attacks. In Nigeria, for example, it is the Muslim terrorists of Boko Haram, and the Muslim Fulani tribesmen who slaughter Christians - not in their tens, but in their hundreds and thousands. Indeed, some 90% of all Christians who died in 2018 as a result of terrorist activities (mostly at the hands of Muslims) were murdered in Nigeria! One single attack by Boko Haram, last year, left 106 dead; while one attack by Fulani militants resulted in the deaths of more than 200! However, such events do not receive the attention of the world's media in the same way as has the attack in Christchurch!

So what is a proper response for disciples for Jesus in this situation? May I offer three suggestions?

1. to pray for the bereaved, regardless of their religious, ethnic, national, or social background.

2. to remember that, if all of those who died in Christchurch were devout Muslims, then they died without the Christ - and so without hope - and to seek to do whatever we can to bring the Gospel message to the followers of Islam. It is reported by many that more Muslims are coming to saving faith in Jesus than ever before. We may not be able to physically go to a Muslim country - but we can support, prayerfully and financially, organisations such as SAT-7 (https://www.sat7uk.org/), FEBA (https://feba-radio.org/), and Arab World Media (http://www.awm.org/),who do work amongst these people.

3. to pray for our fellow disciples of Jesus who suffer for His Name's sake - often in ways that are beyond the understanding of most of us.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God." (John 3:16-21). 

The point of tension!

Yesterday, my wife and I drove down, via Manchester, to Maidstone, Kent, where we spent the night with dear friends prior to crossing the Channel (La Manche!) in the very early hours of tomorrow (Saturday), leaving at 0030!.

As we drove down through Scotland, and northern England, I was struck by the number of wind turbines that were standing there, in the calm, almost totally still, weather conditions, with not even a hint of movement from their massive, propellor-like, vanes.  I have always thought of these monstrosities as a blot on so much of the landscape, but now they were showing themselves to be absolutely useless.  They were not generating a single watt of electricity.  They were merely taking up space!

Of course, I am aware that, as the wind strength increases, then the vanes begin to turn, increasingly quickly (although, if the wind is too strong, then the turbines must be turned off, lest the vanes spin off and cause much damage!) and that they would, then, be generating power at a substantial rate.  However, with no force coming against them, they just stood there - achieving nothing!

I suddenly found myself thinking of so many "church members"in the affluent western church.  Looking important, as they make their way to their particular meeting-place each Sunday (or less often!), they are achieving nothing!  Their idea of the Christian faith is built upon social requirements, rather than upon a living relationship with the Creator, through the Son, in the strength of the Spirit.

Then I thought of those in what we refer to, simply, as "the persecuted church".  They know what it is to face up to challenge, to hardship, to adversity.  They have experienced, and continue to experience, the harsh wind of secular humanism blowing hard against them.  And the result?  They grow!  It is in such difficult circumstances that their trust in the Lord Jesus is purified - as gold in the refiner's furnace.

The last thing that I want, for myself or for those who are nearest and dearest to me, is the same kind of physical persecution that is suffered by my brothers and sisters, in Christ Jesus, in North Korea; in northern Nigeria; in Iraq; in Iran; in a total of more than fifty countries around the world.  However, such persecution could well come!  If it does, I predict two things - (a) there will be droves of people who will leave the church (whatever the denomination) as quickly as they possibly can.  They will be those who like to look good, and who are content to stand up in the calm, but who have no personal relationship with the Lord, and no true allegiance to Him; (b) the church will grow!  This is the experience in countries in which disciples of Jesus are persecuted.  As someone has said: "A faith worth dying for is a faith worth living"!

A minister with whom I worked, a long time ago, had a background in engineering.  He was constantly reminding me that "the point of tension is the point of growth."  I have never been absolutely sure what that means in engineering terms, but I do know that is has been shown to be true in terms of church growth.   If, and when, real persecution comes to "the west", I trust that those who follow this blog (and its writer!) will be found among those who are, if necessary, "faithful unto death". (Rev.2:10).

A new year.

Perhaps you didn't actually notice the "deliberate mistake" in the heading to this first post of 2015!   You have probably looked, now, and realised that I missed out the word 'happy' in the greeting.  This is not because I do not wish all of my readers a happy, peaceful, and prosperous 2015.  I do!  However, I am also something of a realist, and am aware of some of what is happening in the world around me.

As we begin this new year, it is certainly possible - and understandable - that we would do so with a certain trepidation.  Here, in the UK, we face a little over four months of electioneering for the May General Election.  It could be one of the closest-fought, most unpredictable, elections of a generation and, as such, will almost certainly lead to a lot of 'dirty campaigning'.  The economy, in the UK, may be improving (as we are assured by some), but it is still fragile.  Most of the people with whom I associate are still feeling a lot of economic pressure.

Further afield, there is the ongoing threat from Islamic extremists.  The so-called 'Islamic State' has shown itself to be one of the most cruel, and violent, groups since Attila the Hun.  In Nigeria, Boko Haram is not much better; nor is Al Shabbab in Somalia.  Of course, such groups could have been mentioned in the previous paragraph as they have, not just the UK, but the whole of western Europe, in their sights.

One could go on, but anyone treading this is more than capable of adding to the list.

However, stepping into 2015 with anything but confidence is the wrong attitude for those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus.  Our Lord warned us: "In this world you will have trouble."  We can all instantly relate to that!  However, He continued: "But take heart!  I have overcome the world." (John 16:33).  Hallelujah!  Father God assures us: "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10).  The Psalmist testified, "When I am afraid, I put my trust in You." (Psalm 56:3).  Peter invites us to "... cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you." (I Peter 5:7).

Why do we fear the future?  Because it is unknown, and the unknown can be frightening.  And because we feel ourselves inadequate to the challenges that may lie ahead.  But, amazingly, the future is known to God (more on that in my first book - Great Words of the Faith, in the chapter on Predestination!).  And God promises to meet all our needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

Even for those who are "in Christ Jesus" (Gal.3:28, inter al), the year ahead may not always work out in the way that we had hoped.  However, we may have the confidence that all is in His will and purpose, and that as we walk with Him, He will continue to lead us - even if it is, as with so many of our brothers and sisters in the persecuted church,through storm and tempest.  

So, "take heart" indeed.  The heavenly Father knows your every need (see Matt.6:32), and He has promised never to leave you,nor forsake you. (Heb.13:5).

Of course, if you are not already His, then you need to make that transition from darkness into light.  There are a number of useful links towards the bottom of this page (right-hand-side) and, of course, I will be delighted to be of whatever assistance I can.  Please feel free to contact me using the e-mail address at the top of the page.

Blessings, and shalom, throughout the coming year.

Yes? - or No?

It's okay!  I know that there is only a fortnight to go before the referendum on Scottish independence (= separation!), but this post is going to be in no way political.

I have just come across a post on Facebook.  It's from 'Jesus Daily' and shows a picture that is obviously intended to represent the incarnate Lord Jesus.  The caption above reads: "I CAME, LIVED, AND DIED, AND ROSE AGAIN FOR YOU. DO YOU BELIEVE ME? Yes or No"

That is, indeed, an important question.  It reminded me of the one asked by a man named Pontius Pilate, almost 2,000 years ago: "Then what should I do with Jesus Who is called the Messiah?" (Matt.27:22).   What will you do with Jesus?   

There are many responses to that question - too many for me to deal with in one post.  There are those who, like the Pharisees and the priests, with the support of a mob, merely want to get rid of Him.  He challenges their traditions; their lifestyle; their philosophy.  "Let's get rid of Him", is their response.  However, He is not so easily dismissed - as those 1st century Jewish leaders soon found out!

Others have no particular animosity towards Him.  Indeed, like Pilate, they may even have a grudging admiration for Him.  They like His teaching - as long as it isn't too radical!  They admire His courage!  They even suspect that He is more than any ordinary man.   But they wash their hands of Him (Matt.27:24).  They can't, or won't make a decision for Him - and, by default, have made a decision against Him!

However, in every generation there are those who, even as did one of those crucified with Him, recognise His Kingship, and seek the salvation that is available only through Him. They commence a life that is so different from the life they have formerly led, that it is referred to as having been 'born again'.  It's a life that is under His control.  It's a life that is not necessarily a 'bed of roses' - as those of His disciples who live in Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, and about fifty countries in the world today, well know.  If you wish to find out more about the persecuted church, please scroll down to the links on this page.  However, as so many of them testify, it's His presence in even the direst of situations that proves His promise that he would never leave, or forsake, His followers. (see Heb.13:5).

The final tally of votes on Sept.18th will decide the future of Scotland and, to an extent, the remainder of the current United Kingdom, for generations.  Your 'Yes', or 'No', to Jesus will decide where you spend eternity.  I know which I believe to be the more important decision!

My life is in Your hands.

The recent abduction, by Boko Haram Islamist terrorists, of between 200 and 300 teenage girls, in Nigeria, has caught the attention of the world-wide community - and rightly so.  However, this is merely one atrocity committed by this group of evil, and violent, men.   Regretfully, they are not even the only group that targets, in particular, Christian communities.  Another group comes from the Fulani tribe - who would also claim to be Muslims.

Kumaga Agini is a young Nigerian mother, struggling to get her life together again.  Her husband was shot, and killed, earlier this year in a raid on their village by Fulani militants.  She, and her two young children, now live with relatives, dependent on their charity.

The Fulani had attacked the predominantly Christian village, in central Nigeria, determined to burn it, and to kill anyone who got in their way.  Kumaga's husband managed to take his family to safety, but then returned to collect their meagre possessions.  Sadly, he was spotted by the raiders, and shot.  When he fell to the ground, the brutal attackers mutilated his dead body, before throwing it inside the house, to which they then set fire.

Kumaga is one of many people displaced from villages in the north of Benue State as a result of attacks by Fulani.  Although herdsmen by background, the Fulani have been armed with sophisticated weaponry - prompting many to believe that they are being supported, and encouraged, by Boko Haram, or even by other Islamic extremist groups outwith Nigeria.  Living conditions for such families - who are now, effectively, refugees in their own country - are often desperate.  However, Kumaga readily witnesses to the consolation that she finds in her Christian faith, regardless of the circumstances!  She finds strength in singing, and her favourite is a song entitled Lord, my life is in Your hands. 

This young woman, and countless others like her, are a challenge to many in the "West" who claim to be disciples of Jesus, but whose lives tell a different story.  If you pray, please remember these dear brothers and sisters before the throne of grace.

Withstanding pressure.

I had a cuppa Cuppa Soup for lunch, to day.  It was vegetable soup.  As  I tried to cool it down enough for me to drink, I stirred it with some force.  The liquid swirled around in the cup.  One by one, the little pieces of vegetable, and croutons, sunk under the pressure.  Except for one little piece of vegetable.  No matter how hard I stirred, it simply refused to go under.  Eventually, I pushed it under with the spoon.

As I watched it, I saw it as an analogy - an analogy of the persecuted church.  Disciples of Jesus in some fifty countries suffer for their faith in Him.  They are subjected to pressure that we, in the relatively safe 'West', cannot even begin to imagine.  But, like that one little piece of vegetable, these dear brothers and sisters maintain their trust in the Sovereign Lord of all that is.  

One of the countries in which I maintain a particular interest, is Nigeria.  The atrocities that have been committed in that country over recent months are almost beyond belief.  In February, Islamic militants stormed a Nigerian secondary school campus early Tuesday, locked a boys' dormitory and set it on fire, killing those who tried to flee and burning the rest alive.  News accounts report that suspected Boko Haram militants killed at least 43 young men during the pre-dawn attack at the school at Buni Yadi, in the north-eastern state of Yobe. A Christian charity active in Nigeria said its sources expect the death toll to rise to 100 or more.  "I heard the cries of some people outside the school even before they invaded the school," said a student who managed to escape, as quoted by Open Doors International (see link, below), which provides aid to Christians who live under pressure because of their faith.

On April 14th, at around 10.00 pm, suspected members of Boko Haram swooped into Chibok, northern Nigeria, in seven Toyota pick-ups. Some of the attackers set government and other buildings ablaze, but others went to the senior secondary school where they overpowered the security guards before herding around 230 of the female students - all between the ages of 16 and 20 - into trucks. They then drove the girls deep into the nearby Sambisa forest. Some 40 of the girls have escaped, but the remainder are still missing.  "Almost every house has a child in this school," said an Open Doors worker. "Cries of parents could be heard all over the town as they prayed for God's intervention."  The abducted girls will probably be responsible for cooking and cleaning for the insurgents. But there is every possibility that these young girls would be forcefully converted to Islam and married off to members of the group or other Muslim men, or simply used as 'sex-slaves' for the 'pleasure' of group members.  Christians in Chibok spoke to Open Doors following the abduction.  "I am not sure of what our daughters are passing through," said Elder Emma, a church leader in the town. "Please help us to pray and seek the face of the Lord on this situation and that the good Lord will reunite us with our beloved children."

Villages have been attacked; homes destroyed; church buildings set on fire - with members inside, and those who tried to escape, shot.  But, like that little piece of vegetable in my soup, these dear people maintain a faith that shames many in the 'West'.  

Of course, there are occasions when the might of the state, or the extremists, or whoever is responsible for the persecution, is too much.  People are swamped, and 'go under'.  However, this is usually by death, and they are assured of a martyr's crown.

Please pray for the persecuted church.  If you are a disciple of Jesus, you are, with them, part of the one body.  We may not experience their physical, and emotional, pain and sorrow.  But let us stand with them, as much as we can.  You will find much more information by following the appropriate links towards the bottom of this page.  Thank you for your support. 

Nigerian Christians killed in Boko Haram attacks.

No fewer than fifty countries are on the World Watch List of places in which disciples of Jesus are subject to persecution.  These range from North Korea, which has the dubious distinction of having been at the No.1 spot every year since the List was first published, twelve years ago, to Niger which, this year, is at No.50.

In thirty-six of those top fifty countries, Islamic extremism is the main driving force behind the persecution.  The most violent region is probably Africa's Sahel belt, which runs from Senegal in the west to Sudan in the east.  In that region, some 20% of the world's Christians meet some 14% of the world's Muslims.

Of course, one of the reasons for this persecution is the growth of the Church, and persecution actually remains one of the greatest evangelistic opportunities!  The famous observation of Tertullian that, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church," has a depth of insight which is all too often lost on Western believers today.

As an individual, I am unable to pray on a daily basis for each of those fifty nations.  However, I concentrate on a much smaller number (a tithe, for those who may be interested!), and pray for others when they are mentioned in the various prayer diaries of which I make use.  One of my 'regulars' is Nigeria where the main (but not only!) extremist group is popularly known as Boko Haram - which translates as "Western education is forbidden"

Both Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), and the BBC, report that at least 22 Christians were killed by members of Boko Haram on Sunday, Jan. 26th, when the Islamists attacked a church in Waga Chakawa village, located in Adamawa state. Another 25 from the village were killed while fleeing their homes, which the attackers had set on fire. The Islamic militants locked Christians inside the church, set off bombs and shot people or cut their throats as they tried to escape through windows. They held residents hostage and burned the church and houses throughout the village during the four-hour attack. Later that day, Boko Haram killed at least 52 more people who were shopping at a market in Kawuri village in Borno state. VOM contacts in Nigeria said as many as 200 Christians have been killed by Boko Haram since the Jan. 26th attacks.

If you are a praying person, please join with me in praying for peace for the bereaved; healing for the injured; and an end to such mindless, and wanton violence in Nigeria, and so many other countries.  You may wish to access some of the organisations that support the persecuted Church by using the links further down the page. 

You may play your part!

It was the German pastor and theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who said "Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."

It's a potent thought as we learn of Rawan, aged 8, who was sold by her parents, and forced into a marriage with a man five times her age. The injuries her young body sustained from her “wedding night” resulted in her death, and her story has sent shock-waves throughout the world.  It also reminds me of Deborah, a Christian woman in Nigeria, who was forced to watch her husband and sons being murdered by Islamist extremists, and her two daughters (both under ten) being abducted - to a similar fate as that of Rawan?!

The most shocking thing about Rawan’s story is the fact that to many, her story is not shocking at all! Forced Child Marriage is a form of modern slavery and, in the Republic of Yemen, there is no law which makes it illegal. The Yemeni Government, however, has the power to bring an end to Forced Marriage forever.  The first step is to ban the marriage of anyone under the age of 18, protecting children from a life of domestic and sexual slavery.

We know that ending Forced Marriage everywhere poses big obstacles and yet, in the aftermath of Rawan’s death, and with the eyes of the world on Yemen, this may be one of few fleeting moments when we can create change. We’re not going to let down the millions of girls, vulnerable to this form of modern slavery.

Forced Child Marriage is modern slavery and can be stopped.
 
Follow this link to call on the government of Yemen to ban Forced Child Marriage.

Thank you for joining me in taking action. 

NIGERIA — Militants Kill 10 Family Members

It is some time since I shared, on this blog, about the persecuted church.  This is not because I am no longer aware of such persecution, but simply because I do not want to overload readers with information that is so horrific.

However, having just read this story, I feel that I want to share to with as many as possible.  Such reports do take time to get out of the country of origin, which is why they are often dated some weeks previous to the date of publication.

"Islamists (Muslim terrorists) killed 10 members of one family on Feb. 21 in an evening attack near Jos. Five of those killed were children, ranging in age from 9 months to 5 years old. At about 8 p.m., around 40 armed militants entered the home of the Musa family near the entrance of Kogom Village. They broke down the doors of a home shared by four adult siblings and their families, then brutally killed everyone they encountered with machetes and automatic rifles. Two family members in their 20s, Habila Musa, and Regina, the wife of Jacob Musa, were the only survivors of the attack. Regina is deeply traumatized; the militants killed not only her husband but also her three children, ages 9 months old, 3 years old and 5 years old."

If you are a disciple of Jesus, in the relatively free 'west', please do not forget your brothers and sisters in Christ, and their families, who suffer in ways that most of us can barely comprehend.  With Paul, they may truly say, "I bear on my body the marks of Jesus." (Gal 6:17)

So where were the Christians?

Bombings across Pakistan killed more than one hundred and fifteen people yesterday, including eighty-one in an attack on a snooker hall in the troubled south-western city of Quetta, in one of the country's bloodiest days in recent years. Some of those who went to help victims of an alleged suicide-bomber were, themselves killed as a car-bomb exploded.

On the same day, the co-founder of the Kurdish PKK separatist movement and two other female activists were found dead in Paris on Thursday in a suspected assassination that has dealt a blow to "historic" peace talks between the movement and the Turkish government. 

Last month, a twenty-three-year-old student was gang-raped on a Delhi bus, and died from the horrific injuries she sustained in the attack - an attack in which her male companion was also badly beaten.

Each of these incidents, involving Muslims and Hindus, have been widely reported in the British media, and there can be no decent person who is not appalled at such wanton, and destructive, behaviour by other human beings who seem to be intent on delivering death and destruction, or on satisfying their own physical lust, regardless of the cost to their victims.

However, I must have missed the reports in the British media concerning Nigeria where at least twelve Christians were killed in Christmas Eve church attacks in northern Nigeria, and fifteen others were murdered in their sleep on Dec.28th.  Boko Haram (Islamist) militants are suspected in both cases. On Christmas Eve, gunmen opened fire during a time of prayer at the Church of Christ in Nations in Jiri village, Yobe province, killing five worshippers and the pastor. The attackers also set the church on fire, and several other Christians were seriously injured. On the same night, a deacon and five other Christians were killed at the First Baptist Church in Maiduguri, Borno state. Four days later, attackers invaded the homes of Christians in Musari, outside Maiduguri, and slit the throats of fifteen Christians during the early morning hours. A number of Christians had moved to the Musari area to get away from the violence in Maiduguri. This is the third consecutive year that Christians in the north have been violently attacked during the Christmas season. Understandably, church buildings in northern Nigeria were nearly empty on Christmas Day.  

So where, in the British media, were the reports of these, and other, atrocities?  Could it be that, in a country with such a rich Christian heritage, everyone else is important, but that Christians are not?

Perhaps editors of newspapers, and of television and radio news, and current affairs, programmes would be willing to check out what is happening to people of all belief-systems, rather than apparently discriminate against some!

PS  Apologies if this is displaying in upper-case letters only.  This is not the case as I type but is in the preview!  Any expert advice, as a comment, will be gratefully received!

Islamist violence drives nearly 95 per cent of Christians from Nigerian state

One Northern Nigerian state has been almost entirely cleared of Christians; they have been forced to flee the relentless campaign of violence against them by militant Islamist group Boko Haram.
The Rev. Garba Idi, chairman of the Yobe State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), said that nearly 95 per cent of the Christians have left Yobe.

He said:

The situation in Yobe is terrible. Churches were burnt and attacked while many Christians lost their lives in the course of this mayhem…
We have to leave because the sect is hunting us; that is why we had to flee… Many Christians have left Yobe to save their lives from these attacks.

More than 20 churches have been torched in Yobe since November; homes and vehicles belonging to Christians have also been damaged. Many lives have been lost in the violence; 15 Christians have been killed so far this year.

Following a series of attacks over Christmas, Boko Haram issued an ultimatum on New Year’s Day giving Christians three days to leave the North. They followed up the threat with further killings, which are having the intended effect of driving many Christians out of the North.

Some are going to safer parts of the country while others are crossing the border into Cameroon.

While the United Kingdom government doesn't have the courage to defy the ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that hate cleric Abu Qatada cannot be deported because he risks facing trial on evidence obtained by torture; those whom he would support, and who would support him, are trampling over even the most basic human rights of Christians in a country that has had its development assistance programme doubled under that same Coalition Government! (source: http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/opinion/18738-improving-nigeria-through-united-kingdoms-aid)

The Slaughter of the Innocents

Today is also the day in the Christian Church calendar on which we especially remember those who were massacred by king Herod, as he endeavoured to dispose of this new-born 'King of the Jews', of Whom he had been informed by the Magi who had travelled to Jerusalem, from the east. (see Matt.2).

I found myself thinking of two particular groups, of much greater relevance than those infants who were so cruelly, and wantonly, murdered almost 2,000 years ago.

I thought of the victims of abortion.  Surely, if there is one place above all where a human child, at its earliest stages of development, should be safe, it is in its mother's womb.  Yet the official statistics show that, in the year ended Dec.31st, 2010 (the latest date for which figures are publicly available), some 12,000 abortions took place - in Scotland alone!  That's 1,000 per month; 250 per week; 50 every day from Mon.-Fri.!  (all figures approximate).  If we look at England and Wales, then the latest figure I can find (2009) shows more than 189,000 abortions in a twelve-month period!  That equates to almost 16,000 per month - or 4,000 per week; 800 per day. 

And, contrary to popular belief (carefully fostered by the pro-abortion lobby), this is not the removal of some tissue from the mother's body.  This is the deliberate killing of a sentient human being!  The child may be, in physical terms, totally dependant upon its mother.  But it is a separate person, not a part of her body to be disposed of as an inconvenience!  The human foetus is not an appendix!

The other group of which I thought today, is those children who die because their parents are disciples of Jesus.  I thought, again, of the village of  Kurum, in Nigeria's Bauchi State where, in May of this year, Muslim extremists killed 16 Christians. Bauchi police reported that the dead were one man, three women  - and 12 children, the youngest of whom was just omne year old!

Another of those children was 13-year-old daughter, Sum James Rike, daughter of pastor James Musa Rike.  The pastor reported: “I rushed to my daughter, only to discover that she too was cut with a machete on her stomach, and her intestines were all around her,” he said. “I held her hand and began to pray, knowing she too was about to die. She told me that the Muslim militants told her they would kill her and “see how your Jesus will save you.”

The girl told her father that she responded by telling them that Jesus had already saved her, and that by killing her they would only be making it possible for her to be with Him. Pastor Rike prayed for her as she died.

Such instances can, sadly, be multiplied many times.  Of course, not all die, physically.  Many are abducted to be 'boy soldiers', and 'sex slaves', for militant groups.  They may be breathing, and their hearts may be beating, but their captors and abusers make sure that their spirits are broken.

The Slaughter of the Innocents.  Let us do whatever we can to alleviate the suffering of children, today - anywhere in the world.  Jesus said: "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of My Father Who is in heaven. ... So it is not the will of My Father Who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish." (Matt 18:10-14; RSV).

Meeting the family!

I can still (vaguely!!) remember heading towards my first meeting with the parents of the young girl whom I had been dating (and who has now been my wonderful wife for more than 41 years!!).  It was a rather daunting prospect.  Would they like me?  Would they think that I was good enough for their daughter?  Would they be impressed - or otherwise - that I was a student of Divinity?  I need not have feared.  All turned out well.

I thought of that earlier this evening.  I had been to one of 'my' Police Stations to meet with the shift that was going on duty at 1800 (that's 6.00 p.m. for those unfamiliar with the 24-hour clock!).  I was there in plenty of time and, knowing that the civilian staff, and most of the senior officers would not be in the building, I made my way to the Sergeants' room (sergeants, in my opinion, are the back-bone of the Force!).

One young sergeant was particularly conversational - and seemed to be very interested in where I had ministered; in my having been a teacher, and a chef.  I endeavoured to answer all of his questions as fully and frankly as possible (well, this was a police officer!!!).

After I had spoken to the shift at their muster, I went back to the Sergeants' room where my "inquisitive" sergeant was still working.  It was as we continued to talk that I discovered that he is working part-time, and also attending a Christian College in the south side of Glasgow.  He belongs to an evangelical Fellowship, and has connections with St.George's-Tron where my dear wife and I first met, and where we were married.

Suddenly our new relationship changed.  This young man was no longer 'just' another officer - this was a brother in the Lord; a member of the family of God.  What a lovely surprise for me.

My mind also went back to my days in the Merchant Navy.  I always attended the "Divine Worship" service that was held on board ship if we were at sea on a Sunday.  However, I looked forward more to those occasions on which we were in port on Sunday, when I could find a Christian fellowship (denominational tag was irrelevant!) and worship with others who truly loved the Lord.

It's one of the wonderful things about being a disciple of Jesus.  One may find family members around any corner; down any street; in any town.  The motto of the Keswick Convention is words from Paul's letter to the believers in the province of Galatia: "All one in Christ Jesus" (3:28).  That's the 'cord' that holds my new friend and I together, and that makes us brothers.

Of course, that family includes believers in Pakistan; Nigeria; Sudan; Egypt; Columbia; Kazakhstan; China; N.Korea; and some fifty countries around the world where the followers of the Way are persecuted - even to death - for no other reason than their faithfulness to Him.  They, too, are my brothers and sisters in Christ, and the least that I can do is to uphold them in prayer before the throne of grace.

I trust that you will do the same!