Barnabas Aid March April 2012

1BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2012

MARCH/APRIL 2012

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

IN THIS ISSUE

Equipping and resourcing leadership for the persecuted ChurchThe Arab Spring one year on: Islamism in the ascendantJesus Christ: the divine Son of God

Breaking through the BBararriers: Leading Muslims to Chrrisist t Rosemary Sookhdeo

How can we understand our Muslim friends and neighbours so that we can share the Gospel eff ectively with them? In her latest book, Rosemary Sookhdeo lifts the veil on Muslim religion, culture and practices to fi nd the points of contact that will help Muslims respond to the Christian Gospel.

This accessible guide deals with the crucial diff erences between Islam and Christianityy and answers important questions, such asas: : Is the God of the Bible the same as Allah? IIss the Muslim Jesus, Isa, the same as the Jesesuus we know from the Gospels? How do Mususlil ms view heaven and hell? What parartt dodoeses ttheh second coming of Jesus play in MMusslilimmthinking?

This book will help yoyou u ththrorougugh ththechallenges of Muuslimm eevavanggelelisism andd enenabable you to be a gogoodod wwititnneess ffor Chrisst.t.

Isaaaacc Publishing, papep rbrbaca kk, 160 pp, off erer ppriccee £6.99 including g popoststagagee (RRRPRP £8.9999))

Understanding Shari‘a FinancceePatrtricickkk Soooookokhdeo

ThThee gloobal eecconnonomyyy iiiss experiencing a prolonongeged pepeeririiododod oooff f tutuurmmr oioioill ana d upheavalal, annd d ini somo ee coounu trtrieieiess ththe eeuro has alll but ccolo lapsp ed.

A distinctively Islamic fi nancial system has become a major player on the world economic stage in the last 20years. Muslim scholars, clerics and fi nancial organisations have generated a wide range of alternative economic products, initially in the Muslim world and more recently in the West. These are developing into an increasinglylucrative market.

InIn tthih s sisigng ifi cant ststudy of sharia fi nanancnce,e PPatatririckck SSoookhkhdedeo o did sccususses ththee prproboblemsms andnd ddanangegers pprereesesentnteded by tthehe Islslamamicc eecononomymy aandnd higighhlighttsstht e impliccatioons ffor globabal ececoonomics aandd popolitics, , whililee alsoso looking at thhe e nanatturee andd iimpmplicaatitiononss of shah ririaa ititself.

Issaaacc Publisishinggg, , papapep rbrback, 114 ppp,, offoffeer r prpricicee e £6£6.9.9999 innccludududinning g pop sstagggee(RRPP ££6.66.9999))

WhWho is tthehe Real Jesus? UUncoveriringng the TruthH. Dermot McDonald

The New Testament testifi es that the Lord Jesus Christ is both human and divine. His identity as the Word of God who became fl esh is at the very foundation of our Christian faith, and without it that faith is in vain. Yet it is often called into question, even

sometimes from within the churches, by those who claim that Jesus was just a good man. And Muslims, while they acknowledge Him as a prophet, also deny that He is God.

This new edition of H. Dermot McDonald’s compelling book clearly presents the Biblical teaching on the humanity and deity of Christ. The author fi rst sets out the evidence for Jesus’ human nature, traces ts development and explains its

signifi cance. Then he puts the case for Christ’s deity and expounds it using the titles that the Bible gives to Him. He also provides a brief analysis of Christ’s saving work and His exaltation at God’s right hand.

This robust and rigorous introduction uncovers the truth about the real Jesus, and will strengthen and deepen your faith in Him.

Isaac Publishing, paperback, 120 pp, price to be confi rmed

To order these books, please visit www.barnabasfund.org/shop. Alternatively, please contact your nearest Barnabas Fund offi ce (addresses on back cover). Cheques for the UK should be made payable to “Barnabas Fund”.

In this issue, we feature our latest book, which uncovers the truth about the real Jesus, and also Rosemary Sookhdeo’s most recent book on how to reach Muslims for Christ.

£6.99hafits

Coming soon...

al

IIfi

£6.99

RESOURCESRERRERRERRERRERRESOSOSOSOSOSOURURURURURURCECECECECECESSSSSS

WELCOME FROM THE DIRECTOR


In his 1986 collection of essays The Drowned and the Saved, Italian chemist and writer Primo

Levi described a recurring nightmare that he experienced after his liberation from Auschwitz. In the dream, Levi returns from the Second World War concentration camp and recounts its full horror to his remaining family and friends, only to see them turn away disbelieving or – worse still – uninterested.

For those who suffer and tell their experience to others, it can be excruciating to encounter a reaction of embarrassment, disbelief, apathy or even denial of what they have endured.

On 22 December the British Daily Telegraph published an article headed “How can we remain silent while Christians are being persecuted?” This was followed on 31 December by an article in the prestigious Economist magazine on “Christians and lions: the world’s most widely followed faith is gathering persecutors”. These were for me among the greatest encouragements of 2011, signalling that the persecution of Christians is being recognised as an urgent issue, no longer to be swept under the carpet. I believe that this change is due at least in part, under God, to the efforts of grass-roots Christians over many years who have signed petitions, written letters, campaigned and prayed for persecuted Christians.

As Christians we are familiar with suffering. Our Saviour is “a man of suffering, and familiar with pain” (Isaiah 53:3). Our God is a suffering God, one whose heart of love can be broken. Such thoughts will be uppermost in our minds as we approach Good Friday, and remember the suffering and death of Christ on the cross for our sins. We glory in His cross as well as in His resurrection on the fi rst Easter Day, and accept the call to share in His sufferings.

So we must not deny, dismiss or minimise the suffering of our persecuted brothers and sisters. Is such silent indifference really so far from Pilate’s hand-washing? Pilate tried to distance himself from the crucifi xion of Jesus by refusing responsibility, and thus salving his conscience. Tragically his example is followed by many governments and even Christians today.

A small community of Afghan Christians is living in Delhi. As converts from Islam, they are in severe danger in their home country. But India does not allow them to settle permanently, and Western governments, who are quick to condemn non-Western countries for human rights abuses, will not accept them. One New Zealand diplomat even said that the converts brought their predicament on themselves by choosing to leave Islam.

Even more disturbing, in this and many other cases, is the failure of Christians in positions of political power to use their infl uence on behalf of their suffering brothers and sisters. The leadership of the Church is often little different.

To be silent in the face of an abuse is to condone it and share the guilt. When the British House of Lords debated the position of Christians in the Middle East on 9 December 2011, Lord (Dolar) Popat, a Hindu who fl ed Uganda when Idi Amin persecuted the Indians in 1971, spoke of the enormity of this sin: “to witness persecution, then sit back and do nothing to stop it”.

As we refl ect on the suffering of our Lord this Good Friday, let us take every opportunity to speak up for suffering Christians where they cannot speak for themselves. Let us also remember that although Pilate washed his hands, our Father God did not wash His hands, but rather raised up Jesus from the dead, vindicated and victorious.

Speaking Out for Persecuted Christians

Dr Patrick SookhdeoInternational Director

To guard the safety of Christians in hostile environments, names may have been changed or omitted. Thank you for your understanding.Front cover: Pastor Y put aside the possibility of leading an affl uent urban church in order to pastor a small poor church in rural Java, Indonesia. He also serves in a wider ministry and is very much on fi re for the Lord. Last year, while on a ministry trip, he broke his leg in a motorcycle accident where he ended up in a canal and his helmet broke in two. Funds from Barnabas covered his surgery, treatment and rehabilitation costs.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 Fund apologises for any errors or omissions and will be grateful for any further information regarding copyright.© Barnabas Fund 2012

Contents4 Compassion in Action

Flood relief in South Asia, winter warmth in Armenia

8 NewsdeskThe “Arab Spring”: Islamists take control

10 CampaignSpeaking out for persecuted and vulnerable Christians

PULL-OUT Equipping the Church What does the Bible say about the Lord Jesus Christ?

11 Barnabas Partners

Can you help us make known theneeds of the suffering Church?

12 Spotlight

Equipping and resourcing Christian leaders

14 Learning from the Persecuted ChurchProtection and guidance through faith in Christ

16 Biblical Refl ectionPresent suffering and glorious hope

18 In TouchNew Barnabas offi ces in Scotland and Northern Ireland

4 BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2012

how barnabas COMPASSIONIN ACTION

£68,064 for support of Christian school(US$104,705; €82,441)

An Arabic Christian children’s magazine is full of Bible stories, colourful cartoons with contemporary Christian messages, attractive images and crosswords. Many of the readers, aged 7 to 15, send in their solutions to the quizzes and provide their photos to be published as friends of the magazine. Not only do they learn more about their faith, but also they gain greater confi dence in their Christian identity. This is important in a context where Christians are despised by society at large.

Barnabas’ latest grant helps pay for the salary of three members of staff as well as printing and distribution costs. Competition prizes such as books or other gifts are also bought with the grant. Thanks to this support the copies can be given away free or for a tiny sum.

“Every inch” of the school building is full of children. This was the delighted comment to Barnabas from the head teacher of a Christian school we support in Bethlehem. The school always accepts the maximum number of students it can accommodate, and the total in this academic year is 280 (aged 3-11). But even after building an extension last year, which was also funded by Barnabas, they still have to turn down many children because of lack of space.

What makes the school so attractive is its positive Christian atmosphere in a town where many of the Christians are leaving because of the many pressures they face. The good quality of the education, the clean and cheerful surroundings and the strong commitment and loving care of the teachers add to its appeal. Many Christian families in Bethlehem are very poor and needy, but with Barnabas Fund helping to cover the running costs, the school charges only minimal fees. The neediest children of all are allowed to attend for free.

“As we distributed the seed packs, we were struck by how many vulnerable people were being reached. A blind woman was led by a small girl, some disabled folk were helped by friends and many old or poor folk thanked us profusely.”

Barnabas Fund not only provided emergency relief for hungry Christians during the East Africa drought but also helped with longer-term solutions. About 3,000 highly vulnerable Ugandan Christians received seed for harvesting their own crops.

Each household received three bags with seed of sorghum, rice and soy bean. These are quick-growing plants that are ready for harvesting within 90 days.

The recipients also received instructions on how best to plant the seeds, and during the growing season the organisers visited them to advise them on the growing.

Arab World: children enthusiastic about Christian magazine

Brimming with children: Christian school in Bethlehem

Famine prevention in Uganda

Discussing a popular Christian children’s magazine in the Arabworld

Christian children in the Bethlehem area feel safe at this Christian school

Ugandan Christians on their hristiahrway home with bags of seedth batfor planting their own cropsheir oheir o

Proje

ct re

feren

ce

XX-2

07

Proje

ct re

feren

ce

65-4

20

Proje

ct re

feren

ce

25-3

59

£7,000 for Christian children’s magazine(US$10,700; €8,400)

£9,980 for seed distribution(US$15,360; €12,090)


is helpingCOMPASSIONIN ACTION

“You have put a lot of smiles on the needy, vulnerable widows and orphans in this ministry.” A group of Christians in Kenya, supported by Barnabas, are feeding 31 orphans and providing for their healthcare and school fees. With our help they are also creating opportunities for Christian widows to generate their own income.

The ministry is working in a rural area where Islam is growing rapidly. They feel called to provide hope and practical help “to His children who suffer the discrimination that results from their faith in Him”.

Last year’s severe East African drought caused them to step up their feeding programme. This was quite a challenge, because the cost of food had become extremely high. They told us that they “work hard day and night to order and bargain for the best prices”.

With the latest grant from Barnabas the ministry bought and installed a maize mill. This enables Christian widows, who work together in a shop, to earn a small income.

Barnabas Fund is helping to support the family of Aasia Bibi, a Christian mother who has been in jail for almost three years. She was falsely accused of “defi ling the name of Muhammad” in June 2009 and sentenced to death.

Because of his wife’s situation it is now too dangerous for Aasia’s husband, Ashiq, to go out to work, and the family have been left without any income. The Christian community where they live is trying to help them but are too poor to cover all their needs.

Our most recent grant provided urgent needs such as winter bedding and warm clothing. We also provide them with a monthly food parcel.

“Farkhod” and “Zukhra”, who received support from Barnabas for their upkeep, recently moved to a city in Tajikistan close to the border of Afghanistan to share the Gospel with anyone who is willing to listen to them. Almost everyone living there is Muslim.

The city is a dangerous and spiritually dark place, notorious for its drugs and arms. Large numbers are unemployed, and many people either end up working in illegal trades or addicted to drugs. A shockingly high number of people overdose on drugs or commit suicide.

The couple are in a good position to bring the Gospel there. Before fi nding freedom in Christ, both were drug addicts for many years. Farkhod converted from Islam and Zukhra’s father is a Muslim.

Kenya: caring for orphans and widows

Pakistan: help for Aasia Bibi’s family

Tajikistan: former drug addicts become Christ’s ambassadors

Orphans in rural Kenya are fed a healthy meal of maize, beans and rice

Aasia Bibi’s husband Ashiq with daughters Eisham (12),Sidra (18) and Esha (13)

Baptism of one of the fi rst believers from a dark region of Tajikistan

Proje

ct re

feren

ce

25-1

019

Proje

ct re

feren

ce

00-3

45

Proje

ct re

feren

ce

50-9

57

The Bible encourages us to love our brothers and sisters in Christ (1 Peter 1:22). Thank you for making this love practical and enabling us to help our persecuted Christian brothers and sisters around the globe. On these pages is a selection of reports about some of the many people we have supported recently, thanks to your gifts. Please pray as you read.

£5,000 for orphan and widow support (US$7,700; €6,000)

£500 winter needs for persecuted Christian family(US$760; €600)

£2,913 for evangelist couple’s upkeep (US$4,486; €3,529)


COMPASSIONIN ACTION bringing hope, Keeping warm in Armenia

Barnabas Fund helped 200 Christian families in north-west Armenia stay warm during the freezing winter months. W inters are extremely harsh from November to late May in this high-altitude region. Temperatures can drop to a staggering minus 35-40°C. Piled-up snow blocks the roads for two months, making some villages completely inaccessible.

Ever since an earthquake destroyed many of their houses in 1988, they have been living in “domings”, shacks made out of scrap metal which are very badly insulated (see photo). These huts were meant to be only temporary homes, but because the Christians are so poor they cannot afford new houses.

Many do not have gas or electricity connections in their homes and Barnabas gave them stocks of wood for fuel. Those few with connections received a small grant to cover the utility

expenses. The average cost per family was £136 (US$210; €165).

“In a short period we received so much knowledge about God’s Word which we can apply to our Christian life and church ministry.” Christian couple in Kazakhstan

Barnabas Fund recently supported two Christian training initiatives in Tajikistan and Kazakhstan.Forty church leaders, many from distant, isolated parts of Tajikistan, met together for a three-day study programme. All of them are converts from Islam. “Salman” (see photo) testifi ed, “I believed in Jesus two years ago and after that my wife came to Jesus too. We are from a very diffi cult region for sharing the Gospel. This seminar encouraged us in our ministry and helped us to be strong in faith. I had many questions when I read the Bible and I have received answers to my questions.” A grant from Barnabas paid for the students’ transport costs and stationery, as well as utilities and food for the three days.

Several churches in a city in Kazakhstan joined forces to provide a one-year Bible school. It was designed to be intensive but also to fi t into busy family, ministry and work schedules and so was held on three evenings in the week. Last year 23 students graduated from the programme. Barnabas paid for transport costs for teachers, books and teaching materials.

One student writes, “During all the period of study I was thanking God for this school, for teachers, for His love to us. Study time fl ew by as if it was just one day. It was very valuable for me that teachers shared their own experience and feelings. I felt very close presence of God during my study.”

Project reference 79-719

Project references 24-925 (Kazakhstan Bible school) 50-1003 (Tajikistan leadership training)

£27,283 for fuel during winter (US$40,000; €33,000)

Many Christians in north-western Armenia livein “domings”, draughty shacks in which theycannot stay warm during the winter months

Barnabas Fund provided Christian familieswith wood and grants for gas to keep them warm during the freezing winter

“Salman” and his wife were greatly encouraged by the three-day leadership training programme in Tajikistan

Central Asia: leadership and Bible training

• £4,345 for leadership training in Tajikistan (US$6,709; €5,255)

• £843 for Bible school in Kazakhstan (US$1,302; €920)


COMPASSIONIN ACTION transforming lives

“Our Saviour God has protected us and now he has sent people with food.” Pastor Roghu Nath Sarker, Bangladesh

Last year saw exceptional fl ooding in many countries across Asia. Barnabas sent emergency relief to Christians in Bangladesh, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Pakistan, Philippines and Thailand. The packages contained items such as food staples, clean drinking water, cooking utensils, mosquito nets and anti-bacterial wash.

In Pakistan Barnabas provided emergency aid to 886 Christian families affected by the 2011 fl oods. One church in Hyderabad relayed to us the great diffi culties they had in bringing emergency packages to Christians in three areas near to them. When their trucks were fully loaded and ready to go, the team prayed for a safe journey before departing. In many places the water had not yet fully receded and the roads were still submerged up to 45cm: “Everywhere there was stagnant water. Our truck wheel got stuck in the mud. We hired a tractor and loaded 50 relief bags. After a great struggle our truck came out from mud and we thanked God and again started our journey to Khipro.”

In Bangladesh Barnabas Fund sent relief to 935 Christian families. The organisers bought goods locally and church members volunteered to distribute the emergency packages. One of the recipients of the relief packages, Pastor Roghu Nath Sarker, who ministers to the 50 Christian families living in a large village, told us, “Our village was under water for one month. I was visiting all of the families. Many had become sick and I was praying for them and sometimes I myself became sick. We were praying for help and in fact we needed food.” He then thanked Barnabas and added, “We believe that the Lord himself has sent this relief through Barnabas Fund. Even though we do not know them and they are far away from Bangladesh.”

Lakhhi Sarker, a widow with four young children in a village in Bangladesh, lost her family’s source of food when her small rice fi eld fl ooded before harvest-time. For 15 long days they had only one meal per day. Our project partner writes that “when she received the fl ood aid relief, she began to cry and cry. She gave thanks to God and was so much grateful to Barnabas Fund.”

Helping Asian Christians survive the fl oodsEmergency fl ood relief:

• £11,195 in Bangladesh (US$17,236, €13,561)

• £11,688 in Burma (Myanmar)(US$17,995, €14,158)

• £7,490 in Cambodia(US$11,530, €9,073)

• £80,525 in Pakistan (includes long-term food support and house rebuilding)(US$123,976, €97,546)

• £8,968 in Philippines (US$13,808, €10,864)

• £5,399 in Thailand(US$8,310, €6,539)

Project references 00-634 (Disaster Relief Fund) 75-745 (Burma disaster relief) 41-919 (Pakistan fl oods feeding)

Relief and joy in Bangladesh at receiving emergency fl ood relief

Christians in Burma greet the truck as it arrives with emergency relief


NEWSDESK

ANTI-CHRISTIAN VIOLENCE RAGES ONNIGERIA: Boko Haram, a militant Islamist group in Nigeria, have intensifi ed their campaign of anti-Christian killing. Violent attacks at Christmas 2011 were followed by an ultimatum for all Christians to leave the North. Hundreds of Christians fl ed as a result. The violence, which continued into the new year, has raised fears that an Islamist terrorist alliance in Africa is taking shape, as Boko Haram strengthens its links with both al-Qaeda in the Sahara region north of Nigeria and al-Shabaab in Somalia.

The terrorist group executed a coordinated series of bomb and gun attacks on churches and the security services that killed more than 40

people in fi ve states on Christmas Day, 25 December 2011. The majority of the fatalities occurred at a church in Madalla, near the capital, Abuja;

around 35 worshippers were killed as explosives were hurled at the congregation as they left the service. The violence prompted President Goodluck Jonathan to declare a state of emergency in the most troubled areas.

On New Year’s Day the group gave all Christians three days to leave the mainly Muslim North of Nigeria. Soon after the expiry of the ultimatum,

gunmen stormed a church in Gombe, capital of Gombe State, on 5 January 2012, during a prayer meeting, killing at least eight Christians. Pastor Johnson Jauro, whose wife was shot dead in the attack, said:

“I was leading the congregation in prayers. Our eyes were closed when some gunmen stormed the church and opened fi re on the congregation. The attackers started shooting sporadically. They shot through the window of the church, and many people were killed including my wife.”

The following day (6 January), around 20 Christians were gunned down in Mubi, Adamawa state, as they gathered to mourn the death of another Christian who had been killed the night before. The assailants chanted “god is great” as they fi red Kalashnikov rifl es. They were also carrying knives and machetes. A Boko Haram spokesman has claimed responsibility for some attacks.

THE “ARAB SPRING” ONE YEAR ON HOW ISLAMISTS SEIZED THE REVOLUTIONS

ARAB WORLD: “The Islamists didn’t go out with us on January 14th but then they took the revolution for themselves.” This analysis by Tunisian demonstrator Maryam Hamim, who, like thousands of her compatriots, took to the streets in early 2011 to call for a more secular, liberal state, has been echoed by many participants and observers of the “Arab Spring”.

That extraordinary movement, which is still reverberating across North Africa and the Middle East, was initially heralded with optimism in the West as a new dawn of freedom and democracy for peoples who had long suffered oppression and injustice at the hands of autocratic rulers. One by one dictators were toppled – President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia, Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak,

Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in Libya and Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh – while, at the time of writing, others such as President Bashar al-Assad of Syria remain vulnerable.

Over a year on from the start of the Arab Spring, democracy is indeed being established in Tunisia and Egypt, where voters have been to the polls to elect new parliaments. Libya and Yemen are staging elections this

year, and pro-democracy protests in Morocco have led to some political reforms.

Democracy in these Muslim-majority countries has not, however, delivered electoral success for those secular and liberal voices that hailed the revolutions. Islamist parties, who were long-established and therefore better organised, have instead emerged with the largest share of the

“I was leading the congregation in prayers. Our eyes were closed when some gunmen stormed the church and opened fi re on the congregation...”

SceSceSceSceSceSceceSceSceSceceSceceececececeeS eeenesnesnesnesnesnesesnesnesnesessnesnessnenesnnesnesnesnesesnesness frfrfrfrfrfrrfrrfrrfrrrrom om om om om om om om mmomommom om mmomomomomomooommmom mom thethethethetheththeththethethehetheththehehetthehhthethhhhhhe “A“A“A“A“A“A“A“A“A“A“A“A“AA“A“AA“A““A“““AAAArabrabrabrabrabrabrrabrabrabrabrabrabrabaarabr bbr SpSpSpSpSpSpSpSpSpSpSpSpSpSSpSpSSSpSppSpSppSprinrinrinrinrinrinnrinrinrininrinrininrininnr nrinrinnnrinrrrring”.g”.g”.g”.g”.g”.g”.g”.gg”.g”.g”.ggg”g .ggggggg LeLeLeLeLeLeLeLeLeLLLLeLLLeLLeLeLLeLLLLLeLLeLLeL ftftftftfftftttfttftftftfft to to to ototo toto tto tototoootooooooo rrigrigrigrigrigrigrigrigrigrigrrigrigrigrigrirrrigrrrr ght:ht:ht:htht:tht:ht:hththt:hththhthththhhthhhthhthhtthththhthh EgEgEgEgEgEgEgEEgEgEgEgEgEgEgEgEgEgEgEgEgEEgEgEEgEggEEEE yptyptyptyptyptyptyptyptyptyptyptyptyptyptypyptyptypty typptyypyyypttyyyyyyypy (So(So(So(So(So(So(So(S(S(So(So(So(So(So(So(S(S(So(So(So(So(So(So(S(S(S(So(S(So(((SoS( urcurcurcurcurcurcururcurcurcrcurcururcrccuurcuru cuuurcuruuuu ccruurccrr ee:e: e: e: ee: e:e:e:e:e:e:ee:ee:ee:e:eee:ee:eeeee: monmonmonmonmonmonmonmonmononononmonmoooonmonmonmonmononmoonoonomononmonmmomommonooonoo asoasoasoasasoasoasoasoasosasooooasoasasoasoaaaasaaasoasooosh,sh,sh,shsh,ssshsshsshshshsssh,,,,,,,,, FlF icki r.cr. omm ),),, TuuTuTunisnissn ia iaia (So(SoSourcurcurcurce: e: HabHabib ibbbbbbb M’hMMMMM ennnnnnni, i,, Wiki ipedia.orrg )))g ),L bLLibLibLibLibLLiLibLibibibbLibibbbLLiiiLibLLLibLLibLLibLLibLLibbbbbyaya ya ya yayaaayayayaayaaaaaaaaaaaaaayaya (So(So(So(So(SoSo(So(So(So(SoooooSoo(SoSoo(Soo(SooooSooooooo(Soooooourcurcurcurcurcurcurcurcurcururcuuurcurcurcuurcuuuurcuuuuuuuuurcu ccuurce:e:e:e:ee:e::e::e::: VOAVVOAVOAVOAVOAVOAVOAVOAVOVOAVOAVVOAVVOAVOAVOAVOVOAVVVOAVOOOAOVOOOVOOVOVV -------- E.E.E.E.EEEEE.E.E.EEEEEEE ArrArrArrArrArrArArrArrArrA rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrottottottottottottottottottoottottotttottottoooootoooooo WWiWiWWiWiWiWiWiWiWiWWWWWWWWWWWWW kipkipkipkipkipkipkipkipkipkipkipkikipkipipppppkk pi ediedidediediediiediediediediediediediediieddiediidiiiidiiiddedddedddidd aaa.oa oa.oa.oa.oa.a.oaaa.oaaaa oa org rg rg rgrgg g ggrg g ggrgggrg grg g rggggggggg ),),),),),),)))))),),),)),),),)),), SySySySySySySySySySySyySyySySSySySyyyyyyriariariariariariaririririarirrrrr s(So(So(So(So((S(So(S(So(So(So(So(So(So(So(So(S(So((S(S(((S((S((S(( ooourcurcurcurcurcururcurcururcuruurcur e: e: e:e: ee:ee: :e:ee:::::::e:e:ee:eeeeeee SyrSyrSyrSyrSyrrSyrSyyrrSyrSyrSySyrSyrSyrSyyrSyrSyrSyrSyrSyrSyrSySyrSyrSyrSyrSyrSyrSyrrSyrrSSyryryS rSyria-ia-ia-ia-ia-ia-ia-ia-iaa-a-ia-aiaiaiaiaiaaiaaiaia-ia-iaia-aiaaia-aaaiiaaaiaia FraFraFraFFrFraFraFraFrFrFrFrFrFFrFraFrFFrFraFrFFrFrFrraFFFrFrrramesmesmesmesmesmemeemesmemeeeeeeeeeess-OfO -FrFreedee om, FlFlickickr.cr ccom)om)omms


NEWSDESK

CHRISTIAN LEADERS

IN WOODEN STOCKS FOR

16 DAYSLAOS: Eight church leaders were arrested in December 2011 for holding a Christmas celebration in Boukham village. Initially four were placed in handcuffs and wooden stocks. One of the detainees was set free, but the other seven were asked to admit to fl outing the village’s law by conducting a Christmas worship service.

The Christians declared their innocence, citing the Lao constitution that guarantees freedom of religion. On 27 December all seven were clamped to one long wooden plank. They were each fi ned a large sum and a cow on 30 December for violating the traditional cult of the village, but they still denied the charges and refused to pay. After the intervention of higher authorities the fi ne was reduced, and the leaders were fi nally set free on 12 January 2012.

ACID ATTACK ON CONVERT PASTOR UGANDA: Pastor Umar Mulinde had acid thrown in his face and on his back outside his church in Kampala on 24 December 2011. The substance caused burns to the right side of his face, neck and arms, and partially blinded his right eye. It is believed that he was targeted because of his conversion from Islam to Christianity and strong critique of Islam.

The attack occurred at around 9pm in the church car park, shortly after the conclusion of a seven-day evangelistic campaign. Pastor Umar later testifi ed:

“I was attacked by a man who claimed to be a Christian. He called out to me shouting ‘pastor, pastor’, and as I turned to see who he was,

he poured acid which burnt part of my face. As I turned away from the attacker, another man poured the liquid on my back and ran away shouting ‘Allah Akbar [god is great].’” The pastor was quickly rushed to a hospital in Kampala by church members.

Pastor Umar came from a strict Muslim family and his father was an imam. He was a sheikh (Muslim teacher) before turning to Christianity, a decision that caused a strong reaction in the Muslim community. He revealed that he had been receiving threats for some time but says he did not take them seriously until now. He had also been a key opponent of Muslim plans to introduce Kadhi

courts (sharia courts) in Uganda.Specialists in the hospital in

Kampala had been struggling to restore the sight in his right eye. Pastor Umar was moved to a medical

centre in Israel on 5 January, after it was decided that he needed more advanced treatment. Barnabas Fund is assisting with the costs of surgery.

vote in Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco. Ennahda, the main Islamist group

in Tunisia, insists that its approach to sharia is consistent with the country’s progressive traditions, but deputy leader Hamadi Jebali sparked alarm in November when he referred to the country’s future in terms of a “Caliphate”, historically a single trans-national Islamic state based on sharia. In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) has been promoting itself as a moderate Islamic group, but the Salafi st party al-Nur is much more explicit about its intentions to impose a strict interpretation of Islam. The Islamist Islah Party is expected to be the main

force in post-Saleh Yemen, while the Libyan National Transitional Council has stated that sharia will be the principal source of law in the country’s new constitution.

This new Islamic political order can lead only to a worsening of conditions for Christian minorities in the region; they suffered decades of discrimination and restrictions, even persecution, under the old regimes, but the fallen dictators did at least keep Islamist extremists in check.

There has been a surge of anti-Christian violence since the ousting of Mubarak in Egypt, prompting an exodus of an estimated 100,000 Christian families. Meanwhile, Syrian

Christians are fearful that they could suffer a repeat of what happened to their Iraqi counterparts in post-Saddam Hussein Iraq if Assad falls; Islamist extremists were free to wreak havoc on the Christian community in Iraq, and hundreds of thousands were forced to fl ee their homes as a result. Many went to Syria, which was one of the last bastions of peace and equality for Christians in the Arab world.

As the Arab Spring spread through the region around this time last year, Barnabas Fund sounded one of the early warning sirens that it could lead to a Christian Autumn; sadly, this prediction is increasingly becoming a reality.

PasPasPastortorororrtorrr UmUmUmUmUmUmUmmarar araraa MulMulMulMulMulMulMu indindindindindinde ae ae ae aftetefteteefteeer ar ar aaar aaaaaaaacccidcidciddcccccidc wawawaw s ts ts tts hrohrohrooownwnwnwnnnnnwnnnnnn oveoveoveoveoveooo r hr hr hhisisisss facfacfacce ae ae ae aae and nd ndnd bacbaccck (k (((kk k SouSouSouSouSoououuuuuurcercercercercerrcercrcrcercrrc : V: V: V: V: Visiisiisiisiisionononononon GroGroGroGroGroup upupupupp / N/ N/ N/ N/ N/ NNNNNNNNN/ N// NNew ew ew ew ew eew VisVisVisVisVisVV ionioniononioni PPPPPPPrrPPPPPrPrrPP intintintntntntinttttttingingininingingininniiiinii ananannnd Pd Pd PPublublublubublublishishishingingng ComComComCommpanpanpananpanpanpanpanpanaaaap y)y)yyy


PROCLAIM FREEDOM

1 “How can we remain silent while Christians are being persecuted?”, The Daily Telegraph, 22 December 20112 “Christians and Lions”, The Economist, 31 December 2011.3 As cited by the OSCE Chair on Combating Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination, also Focusing on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians and Members of Other Religions.


1 “How can we remain silent while Christians are being persecuted?”, The Daily Telegraph, 22 December 20112 “Christians and Lions”, The Economist, 31 December 2011.3 As cited by the OSCE Chair on Combating Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination, also Focusing on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians and Members of Other Religions.

“How can we remain silent while Christians are being persecuted?” This was the headline of an article published in British newspaper The Daily Telegraph days before Christians throughout the world celebrated Christmas.1 The article was also printed in The Spectator. The Economist has also recently reported on the growing levels of persecution experienced by Christians around the world. In his New Year address at the beginning of 2011 France’s President Sarkozy condemned “the perverse plan of religious cleansing in the Middle East” that targets Christians.

The emerging dominance of Islamists following the “Arab Spring” is unlikely to result in any improvement in human rights for religious minorities in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt or elsewhere in the Arab world. The situation is just as serious for Christians in many other parts of the globe. Last year Islamist groups in Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and Somalia, for example, also carried out attacks against Christians. In Nigeria, the President declared a state of emergency on 1 January 2012 in response to a spate of Islamist attacks against Christians. In Central Asia a number of legislative restrictions on freedom of religion have

been imposed in several countries. Converts from Islam in countries such as Afghanistan and Iran can face the death penalty. Aasia Bibi, a Christian mother, remains on death row in Pakistan after being convicted under the notorious blasphemy laws. In North Korea, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Burma (Myanmar), Sri Lanka and parts of India, life has been getting worse for many Christians, to mention but a few contexts.

Christians are one of the largest and most persecuted groups in the world.2 Yet they often appear to be the most neglected group in Western governments’ foreign policy. There is little concrete engagement with the issues, even though governments may recognise that respect for minorities and human rights is a foundation stone for national and international peace and security.

Governments have signifi cant potential infl uence with other countries. Massive amounts of foreign aid are given to poorer countries; this aid can be well directed or unwisely directed. States maintain diplomatic relations, bilateral ties and security arrangements and cooperate in many fi elds. Most countries have signed up to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other conventions, some of which have specifi c legal mechanisms for dealing with countries who do not meet their responsibilities. There is plenty of scope for positive infl uence.

“If you believe in the cause of freedom, then proclaim it, live it and protect it, for humanity’s future depends on it.”Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson (1912 – 1983)US Congressman and Senator

Barnabas Fund’s Proclaim Freedom campaign will run to the end of 2012 and will seek to raise the profi le of the persecuted Church around the world. It will have two specifi c aims:

• to press governments to be active in promoting human rights in other countries for all minorities, but especially religious freedom for the roughly 200 million Christians living under the shadow of persecution, discrimination and disadvantage

• to press governments to work to ensure that other countries bring to justice citizens who either incite anti-Christian hatred or engage in anti-Christian violence

A copy of the Proclaim Freedom petition is enclosed with this magazine. It provides us all with an opportunity to inform our governments that the time for words is over and that decisive policies should be followed, aimed at putting pressure on states that persecute or condone the persecution of Christians and assisting other countries to improve the lot of minority groups within their borders.

Please sign this petition and promote it within your church and community. You can help us infl uence government policy, which in turn could bring greater hope and freedom to our brothers and sisters throughout the world. You can obtain additional copies of the petition sheet by contacting your local Barnabas offi ce (addresses on back cover), or by downloading them from www.barnabas.org/proclaim-freedom-petition. You are also welcome to photocopy the sheet yourself.

IBARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2012

Introduction

T he Lord Jesus Christ is the heart and soul of the Christian faith. Without Him every one of its dis-tinctive claims about God and His relation to us falls to the ground in ruins. Only because He is

the Word of God made fl esh (John 1:1, 14), the One who was in the form of God but was made in human likeness (Philip-pians 2:6-7), can He reveal God perfectly to us and open for us the way back to Him. So any attack on the Person of Christ is an attack on the integrity of Christianity itself.

But for Christians, Jesus Christ is not just the Lord but our Lord, not just the Saviour but our Saviour. With God the Father and the Holy Spirit, He is the most important Person in our lives, the One who makes us what we most truly are, and (at least ideally) our closest friend. So those who call His identity into question are challenging not only the content of our faith, but also our most vital and signifi cant relationship.

The New Testament (NT) paints a series of very rich and varied portraits of Jesus Christ, which together make up a powerful and coherent picture. But the principal non-Christian religions all deny some of its central elements. They do this either by putting other human beings or gods on the same or a higher level with Christ (such as the many gods of Hindu-ism) or by rejecting key Biblical statements about Him (such as those relating to His deity and divine Sonship).

Islam does both of these things. It places many other proph-ets on a level with Jesus (whom Muslims call Isa), and it elevates the prophet of Islam, Mu-hammad, to a vastly higher place. It also declares that Jesus was just a human being and not God; that someone else was crucifi ed in His place; and that He did not rise from the dead. Yet because the Muslim Isa seems to resemble the Christian Jesus in some other ways, many people, even some Christians, believe that the two fi gures are essentially the same.

How are we to respond to these claims and witness effectively to our Lord? The fi rst step must be to understand clearly what the NT has to say about Him. In this paper we will look briefl y1 at its teaching in four main sections: the fi rst three Gospels and Acts; the letters of Paul; the Gospel and letters of John; and the rest of the NT. We will then look at

how this relates to and challenges Muslim (and other) views of His Person.

The NT writers paint their picture of Christ like a group of skilled workers putting up a magnifi cent building. Matthew, Mark and Luke lay a solid and extensive foundation; Paul raises a beautiful and complex structure; and John adds the roof with its soaring pinnacles. Other authors add various rich adornments. As we shall see, their completed work reveals the majestic glory of the Son of God, who is both fully God and fully human.

The Person of Christ in the Bible

The Synoptic Gospels and ActsThe accounts in the fi rst three Gospels of Jesus’ public

ministry present Him as a prophet, someone who declares an authoritative message from God in the power of the Holy Spirit. The title is found once on His own lips (Luke 4:24 and parallel passages), and He is also hailed as a prophet by others (e.g. Matthew 21:11; Luke 24:19). His ministry is empowered by the Spirit (Luke 4:14); and He proclaims a Gospel from God (Mark 1:14-15).

But although the title of prophet is an accurate descrip-tion of Jesus, it is not a suffi cient one. When He asks His disciples who people say that He is, their list of suggestions

includes various prophetic fi gures (Mark 8:28). But when Jesus asks who they say that He is, Peter replies “You are the Christ” (“Messiah” in Hebrew) (Mark 8:29). Jesus is not

only a prophetic fi gure, but also a royal one; He is the Christ, God’s anointed King of His people Israel.

Jesus’ identity as the Christ is revealed at various places in these Gospels, including His baptism when He is anointed by the Spirit (Matthew 3:16) and His triumphal procession to Jerusalem when the crowds acclaim Him as Son of David (Matthew 21:9). As Messiah, Jesus brings in the Kingdom of God, His saving rule, through His preaching and powerful works (Matthew 4:23; Luke 11:20). In His Person and min-istry the great Old Testament (OT) promises of salvation and restoration begin to be fulfi lled (Matthew 1:21-23; 4:15-16).

But the three Gospels also show us that Jesus’ role as Messiah can be fully understood only in terms of His suffer-

EQUIPPING THE CHURCH

We continue our series on some of the key teachings of the Christian faith by focussing on the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ.

What does the Bible say about Jesus Christ?

Any attack on the Person of Christ is an attack on the integrity of

Christianity itself.

II BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2012



ing and death. The Christ is also the Servant of the Lord who suffers for the sins of His people (Matthew 12:15-21; Mark 10:43-45). Immediately after Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Christ, He says that He must suffer, be rejected and killed (and also rise again) (Mark 8:31); it is this way that He fulfi ls His special calling from God and enters into the glory of His kingship (Luke 24:26). At several points in the story of Jesus’ death the Gospel writers draw our attention to that kingship, to emphasise that His reign is put into effect through His suf-fering (e.g. Mark 15:26, 32).

Then in His resurrection and exaltation Jesus is given universal authority as Lord at the right hand of God (Matthew 28:18; Acts 2:32-36). From there He continues to exercise His rule as King, as the Kingdom of God comes with power (Luke 9:1; 24:49-51); from there He provides forgiveness (Acts 5:31). He will also judge the world on the day God has appointed (Acts 17:31).

In these three Gospels and Acts Jesus is also called “Son of God” (Mark 1:1; Luke 3:22; Acts 9:20). Here this term means the same as “Messiah” or “King”, but the idea of divine Sonship also carries the sense of a special or unique relationship to God (Matthew 11:27; Mark 12:6; Luke 22:42). As Son of God Jesus has authority over evil (Mark 3:11), but again that authority is expressed principally on the cross (Mat-thew 27:54).

Jesus’ preferred title for Him-self is Son of Man. It is especially associated with His authority to for-give sins and re-state the Sabbath law (Mark 2:10; Matthew 12:8), but like the other titles, its primary reference is to His death (Mat-thew 20:18, 28). It may also point back to the “son of man” in Daniel 7, suggesting that while Jesus takes a place of humility and humiliation in His earthly ministry, He will also be exalted to the place of authority.

Paul’s writingsPaul teaches that Jesus is a human being, a representa-

tive both of the whole human race and of God’s own people Israel (Galatians 4:4). He has a real human nature (Romans 8:3), although He is without sin (2 Corinthians 5:21), and experienced not only a human birth but also a human death (1 Corinthians 15:3). Paul calls Him the last Adam (1 Corin-thians 15:45), who undoes the effects of Adam’s sin (Romans 5:18) and is the fi rst fruits of a new humanity (1 Corinthians 15:48-49).

Like the Gospel writers, Paul presents Jesus as the Christ/Messiah of Israel (Romans 9:5) who is sent by God to set His people free (Galatians 4:4). He is a crucifi ed Mes-siah (1 Corinthians 1:23) who died for the ungodly and for sinners (Romans 5:6, 8), but God has also raised Him from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:5) and exalted Him to heaven to share God’s own authority (Philippians 2:9-11).

According to Paul, at God’s right hand Christ takes on many of the roles fulfi lled by God Himself, along with Him. Thus, like God, Christ is the object of His people’s faith (Galatians 2:20); He gives divine blessings to them, notably salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:9) and eternal life (Romans 6:23); and He will come as Lord and Judge (1 Corinthians 15:24;

2 Corinthians 5:10) to gather them to Himself (1 Thessalo-nians 4:16-18).

These really amazing claims indicate that Christ is a unique human being, far greater than any other. But the let-ters also show that He has a heavenly origin and that He is Himself divine. Philippians 2:6-7 indicates that Jesus was pre-existent; that is, He existed before the world was created; and that He was also equal with God, but chose not to use his divine status and qualities for His own advantage, but set them aside to become a human being. In obedience to God He then humbled Himself still further to die on the cross.

Paul also applies the title “Son of God” to Jesus. As in the Gospels and Acts, this is used to mean “Messiah” or to indicate Jesus’ special or unique relationship to God, but in at least some cases it appears to mean much more. God “sent” his Son (Galatians 4:4) to be a sin offering (Romans 8:3), which indicates His pre-existence. In Romans 1:3 Paul places side by side Jesus’ status as a descendant of David “according to the fl esh” and His standing as Son of God “according to the Spirit”, indicating that He is both human and divine.

Paul identifi es the Holy Spirit as “the Spirit of [God’s] Son”, implying that the Spirit is related to Christ and to God in a similar way. To be “in Christ” is apparently equivalent to being “in the Spirit” (compare for example Romans 14:17

with Philippians 4:4). Paul also says, however, that it is God who gives Christ authority over all things, and that He will be made subject to God (1 Corinthians 15:28).

The letter to the Colossians contains an extended statement about the Person and work of Christ (Colossians 1:15-20). He refl ects the very image of God; He was God’s agent in the creation of the world; and He is now also God’s agent in the reconciliation of all things to God. Some of the key terms in this statement were used in Jewish writings to refer to God’s pre-existent Wisdom, which is the means He used to make the world and the goal of all things (see Proverbs 8:22-31). Colossians tells us that this Wisdom has become a human being in Christ (Colossians 2:3), and that in Him all the fullness of deity dwells bodily (Colossians 2:9).

Christ may even be explicitly called “God” in the Paul-ine letters (Romans 9:5 and Titus 2:13). In any case, the texts reviewed above strongly indicate that He is divine as well as human. It is for this reason that He is able to fulfi l His role as the one Mediator between God and humanity (1 Timothy 2:5).

The Gospel and Letters of John2

In John’s Gospel the teaching of the NT on the Person of Christ reaches new heights. The picture of Him that we fi nd here is in some ways very like that in the other three Gospels. In particular, Jesus fulfi ls several of the same roles, although John develops our understanding of these in new directions.

In John, as in the other Gospels, Jesus is seen as a prophet by Himself and others (John 4:44; 9:17). But here He is also identifi ed with the prophet, the fi gure like Moses whose coming was foretold by him in Deuteronomy 18:15. So Jesus is not only commissioned by God and given by Him an authoritative message to proclaim, like the other Biblical prophets; He is also the fi nal bringer of God’s revelation. Af-

Christ is divine as well as human. It is for this reason that He is able to fulfi l His role as the one Mediator

between God and humanity.

IIIBARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2012



ter Him God has nothing more to add to what he has spoken.Once again Jesus is presented as the Messiah, the one

anointed by God as the vice-regent of His kingdom (John 1:41; 4:42; 11:27). The idea is sometimes present even where the title is not mentioned, in places where John emphasises the kingship of Jesus (e.g. John 6:15; 18:33-37).

The title “Son of God” is again used in some places with the same kingly sense (e.g. John 1:49; 20:31). But in John’s Gospel “the Son” means much more than “the king”. As Son of God, Jesus is very closely connected to God the Father, who is His Father in a unique sense (John 1:18; 20:17). He knows and reveals the Father (John 17:25-26), speaks His words (John 14:10) and performs His deeds (John 10:25).

And “Son of Man” continues to be heard in John as a title used by Jesus for Himself, even though it is less dominant than in the other Gospels. As before, it is especially connected with His death and exaltation to heaven (John 3:14; 12:23), and here also with His role as the meeting-point of heaven and earth (John 1:51; 6:27).

But John has much greater things to say about Jesus even than these. In the prologue to the Gospel he identifi es Him with someone called “the Word”, whom He both dis-tinguishes from God (He “was with God”) and identifi es with God (He “was God”) (John 1:1). This Word was with God in the beginning (John 1:2); He is both God’s agent in creation (John 1:3) and the way in which God ex-presses Himself and makes Himself known (John 1:4-5). Astonishingly, He has also become fl esh (incarnate) and made His dwelling among us (John 1:14).

So as the incarnate Word, Jesus is the supreme and fi nal revelation of God the Father. So close is the relationship between them that anyone who sees or knows or honours or denies Jesus can be said to see and know and honour and not have the Father (John 5:23; 14:7, 9; 1 John 2:23). He is also God’s principal agent on earth: He performs the full range of divine tasks, those that only God is supposed to do, includ-ing working on the Sabbath (John 5:17), raising the dead and exercising judgment (John 5:27-29). He brings God’s salva-tion to others (John 3:17; 1 John 3:5), and because He shares in God’s eternal life, He is able to reveal that life to them and pass it on to them too (John 17:2; 1 John 1:1-2).

The author of 1 John identifi es Jesus with “the true God” (1 John 5:20), and the letter also emphasises the humanity of Jesus. It identifi es the human Jesus very clearly with the divine Son (1 John 3:8; 5:20), and says that the divine Spirit confesses that “Jesus Christ has come in the fl esh” (1 John 4:2).

The rest of the NTThe other NT writings play a set of variations

on these great themes from the fi rst three Gospels and Acts, Paul and John, developing them in different ways and occasionally adding some new ideas. For example:

• The letter to the Hebrews presents Christ as both the exalted and unique divine Son, the supreme revelation of God ful-fi lling all that went before (Hebrews 1:1-4), and one who shares our human nature (Hebrews 2:14-18), yet without

sin (Hebrews 4:15). It spells out His superiority both to the angels (Hebrews 1:5-14) and to Moses (Hebrews 3:1-6). He is an everlasting high priest in an order greater than that of the OT priests (Hebrews 7). He is also the mediator of a better covenant than theirs, established by his death, which is a better and permanent sacrifi ce for sin (Hebrews 8 – 10).

• The fi rst letter of Peter associates Jesus with the Spirit of God as the inspirer of the OT prophets (1 Peter 1:11). The same reverence is to be shown to Him as to God (1 Peter 3:14-15), and His exaltation to heaven is above all other heavenly beings (1 Peter 3:22).

• The book of Revelation asserts that worship is to be offered to God alone (Revelation 19:10; 22:9), but the exalted Christ receives worship along with God, implying that He is Him-self divine (Revelation 5:8-14). Nothing higher could be said about Him than that He is the proper object of worship.

The Person of Christ and Christian mission

What does this NT understanding of the Lord Jesus Christ mean for our mission to Muslims and others? In par-ticular, how does it address the claims made by Islam about

Him? In this section we will look at the two areas outlined above: the Muslim downgrading of Jesus rela-tive to Muhammad, and the Muslim denial of His nature and work.

Jesus – more than a prophetAccording to the Quran, Jesus was just one prophet

in a long line, all of whom had equal status as prophets of Islam. The list includes Abraham, Ishmael, Jacob and Moses. His main message was submission to the god of Islam. Islam teaches that Jesus was given a book, called the Injil or Gospel, as a revelation and law for His time, but this has now been corrupted by Christians and needs to be superseded and cor-rected by the more perfect revelation given by the god of Islam to Muhammad, the last and best of the prophets.

For Muslims Muhammad is vastly superior to Isa, and in Islamic practice the veneration of Muhammad is widespread. In fact, they believe that he has some of the qualities and fulfi ls some of the roles that the NT ascribes either to Jesus or to the Holy Spirit. Islamic tradition has made him an eternal fi gure, for whose sake the god of Islam created the world, and the only real mediator between that god and the world. The fake 15th century Gospel of Barnabas also ascribes to him the role of the Parakletos (the Spirit) described in John 14 – 16.

We have seen above that the NT affi rms that Jesus is indeed a prophet. All four Gospels record His claiming the title for Himself and others applying it to Him, and their accounts of His ministry show Him commissioned with an authorita-tive message from God, which He proclaims in word and deed and in the power of the Holy Spirit. But various aspects of the picture we have sketched contradict the Muslim view of Him as just one prophet among equals.

First, the Gospels all agree that the title is not adequate for Jesus. His use of it is sparing, certainly when compared

As the incarnate Word, Jesus is the supreme and fi nal

revelation of God the Father.

IV BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2012

UK9 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EXTelephone 024 7623 1923Fax 024 7683 4718

From outside the UKTelephone +44 24 7623 1923Fax +44 24 7683 4718Email [email protected]

Registered Charity Number 1092935Company Registered in England Number 4029536

New ZealandPO Box 27 6018, Manukau City, Auckland, 2241 Telephone (09) 280 4385 or 0800 008 805Email offi [email protected]

AustraliaPostal Suite 107236 HyperdomeLoganholme QLD 4129Telephone (07) 3806 1076 or 1300 365799Fax (07) 3806 4076Email [email protected]

JerseyLe Jardin, La Rue A Don, Grouville, Jersey, Channel Islands JE3 9GBTelephone 700600 Fax 700601Email [email protected]

USA6731 Curran St, McLean, VA 22101Telephone (703) 288-1681 or toll-free 1-866-936-2525Fax (703) 288-1682Email [email protected]

International HeadquartersThe Old Rectory, River Street, Pewsey, Wiltshire SN9 5DB, UK Telephone 01672 564938 Fax 01672 565030

From outside UKTelephone +44 1672 564938Fax +44 1672 565030Email [email protected]

BARNABAS FUND HOPE AND AID FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH


www.barnabasfund.org


with Son of Man, and although He accepts it from others He seemingly does not encourage it either. This seems to be because He wants people to recognise that He is more than a prophet, specifi cally that He is also a royal fi gure – God’s own anointed King. The Bible teaches that Jesus’ role as a prophet is not the limit of His signifi cance; it is just the starting-point of a vastly greater story.

Secondly, John’s Gospel clearly marks out Jesus’ pro-phetic ministry from that of former prophets by identifying Him with the prophet like Moses promised in the OT (Deuter-onomy 18:15-19). For John this makes Him God’s last word to the world; there will be no new revelation to add to, supersede or correct what has been spoken in Him. So the Muslim claim that Muhammad has provided in the Quran a fuller and better revelation than that of Jesus, or even just an extra one, can-not be accepted without doing violence to Biblical teaching.

And thirdly, the NT portraits of Jesus make Him far greater even than the fi gure of Muhammad in Islam. He ex-ceeds the prophet of Islam in every place: whether in the Gospels’ picture of Him as the regal Messiah and Son of God, in Paul’s teaching about His pre-existence and heavenly origin, in John’s description of Him as the divine Word made fl esh, or in the worship offered to Him, with God, in the book of Revelation. These are not a few insignifi cant details that can be easily set aside, leaving us with a mere prophet like the Muslims’ Isa. They are fundamental to NT teaching, and without them the whole edifi ce of NT Christianity comes crashing to the ground.

Jesus – more than a manIslam gives many titles to Jesus that are also found in the

NT. In addition to “prophet”, these include “messiah”, “serv-ant” and “word of God”. It also affi rms various Gospel events, including Jesus’ sinless life, His ascension and His return. It is for this reason that the Muslim Isa is often mistakenly thought to be virtually equivalent to the NT fi gure of Jesus.

But this impression is seriously misleading, even leav-ing aside for a moment Islam’s explicit denials of many Bibli-cal teachings about Christ. The titles used in the Quran are no more than names for Jesus, much the same as Isa (the origin and meaning of this Quranic name are obscure); the Quran does not give them anything approaching their NT meaning. And Muslims understand the Gospel events in quite different ways: for example, when Jesus returns, He is expected to do so as a Muslim who will destroy Christianity and make Islam the only religion in the world!

In any case, what Islam denies from the NT portraits of Jesus is much more signifi cant than what it affi rms. The Quran fi rmly denies His deity, and also His divine Sonship in

the strong sense maintained by Paul and (especially) John; it makes Him only a created being, formed from the dust of the earth. It also fl atly denies the death of Jesus on the cross; most Muslim commentators interpret the relevant passage to mean that a substitute was made to look like Jesus and was crucifi ed in His place while He was taken straight up to heaven. And because Jesus does not die, His death cannot be a sacrifi ce for sin, and He cannot rise from the dead.

These denials, if well founded, would do far more than trim a few edges or corners from the NT portraits of Jesus; they would punch huge holes in the centre. Christ’s deity is stated explicitly and unambiguously in several places, and these ex-press a conclusion that is quite unavoidable from a wealth of other NT evidence, much of which is mentioned above. The same is true of Jesus’ divine Sonship, which follows naturally from His deity and His unique relationship to God.

There is also excellent reason to believe that the death and resurrection of Jesus were fundamental to the Gospel from the earliest days. Certainly they are found in every ma-jor strand of NT teaching, and they are essential to many of

its affi rmations about Jesus, such as the Gospel titles of Messiah, Son of God and Son of Man, Paul’s teach-ing on Christ’s humbling Himself even to death and then being exalted to heaven, and the picture in He-

brews of Jesus as the eternal high priest of a new and better covenant. This last theme (which is found in other forms in Paul and the Gospels) also indicates the importance of Jesus’ death as a sacrifi ce. The authority of Jesus as Lord, which is the earliest and most basic Christian confession, is fi rmly grounded in His resurrection.

So there can be no compromise with the Muslim deni-als about Jesus, and no reducing Him to a purely human and uncrucifi ed prophet. After that hatchet work is done, little is left not only of the NT pictures of Jesus, but of Biblical Christianity itself.

Conclusion

We have seen that the Muslim view of Jesus is funda-mentally inconsistent with the New Testament, and that to accept it is to reject the authentic Christian faith. It is vital to understand this if we are to share our faith with Muslims without compromising its integrity.

But as we suggested in the introduction, there is even more at stake: our relationship with our Saviour, Lord and Friend. We owe it to the one who loved us and freed us from our sins by His blood to uphold the honour of His great Name, by thinking Biblically about who He is and confessing it boldly in the face of challenge. To Him be the glory for ever!

2: 2 and 3 John contribute little to our understanding of the Person of Christ, so only the fi rst letter is mentioned here.

1: A comprehensive treatment of everything that the NT says about Jesus Christ would require a large volume! We will focus here on its most important affi rmations about Him, especially those that are particularly relevant to mission among Muslims and others.

There can be no compromise with the Muslim denials about Jesus, and no reducing Him to a purely human and uncrucifi ed prophet.


“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the fi rst day until now.” Philippians 1:3-5

Barnabas Partners

ChrChChChChrChrChhChhhhChh istististtianiananniannanannnnnnnnnnnnnns ps s s s pss ps ps ps ps ps ps ps ps ps ps ps ps ps ps ps ps ps ps ps pss ps pss pss pppprayrayrayrayrayrayrayrrayrayrayrarrarayrayraarayrrrararayrarayyingingingingngingnggingngingnginingnggininingginngining iniiiiinininnnnn ZZiZiZiZiZiZiZiZiZiZiZiZZiZZiZZiZiZZZZ mbambambambmbambambambambambabambmbambambambambambmbambambabambaabababaam abwebwebwebbwbwbwbwewebwbwbwbbbbbbbwbbbb ebbbb

Church PartnerAs a Church Partner, you can support our ministry in any or all of the following ways:• Distributing the Barnabas Aid

magazine and other printed materials at your church

• Encouraging prayer at church prayer meetings and services or through your notice sheet

• Alerting your church leaders to emergency needs

• Promoting special events such as the annual Suffering Church Sunday, and encouraging church members to support our petitions and campaigns

• Motivating individuals and churches to support Barnabas Fund and to receive Barnabas Aid

Area PartnerArea Partners promote the work of Barnabas Fund across a local area rather than within just one fellowship. We would like to have at least one Area Partner in each county or district, but the area covered by each person can be tailored according to the time that you have to give.

In this role you might help to promote special Barnabas Fund meetings in the area, distribute material to local churches, look for opportunities for speakers and support Church Partners.

SpeakerWe are also looking for individuals who have experience in public speaking (and maybe preaching) to give a voice to persecuted Christians who cannot speak for themselves. As a Speaker you may be approached by Barnabas Fund to undertake a few speaking engagements each year in local churches or for Christian groups, though we understand that these must fi t with your own schedule. You will also be free to initiate your own engagements.

Prayer PartnerPrayer is our leading priority. If God has given you a burden to pray for persecuted Christians, you may like to become a Prayer Partner by joining one of our dedicated prayer groups or setting up one of your own. We will provide Prayer Partners with a Prayer Group Starter Pack, and with regular prayer updates.

At Barnabas Fund we are very grateful for the prayers and generosity of our supporters, which enable us, with the help of our Lord, to transform the lives of so many Christians who suffer for their faith. But the needs are immense, and we want to share them with as many people as possible. The Apostle Paul rejoiced that his readers in Philippi were partners with him in his ministry of proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. And we too recognise our need for partners in our ministry of making known the plight of the persecuted churches.

In addition to our regular material, Area Partners, Church Partners and Speakers will receive a bi-monthly briefi ng which will highlight key information for you to pass on to your church. You will be supplie d with extra resources (such as DVDs, PowerPoint presentations, posters and leafl ets) about our ministry and the projects we support. You will also be invited to regional briefi ng events, when you can learn more about persecuted Christians around the world and how to be effective in your ministry with Barnabas Fund.

We greatly appreciate the efforts of all our Partners, regardless of how much time they can give to helping us. If you are interested in taking on one of these roles, please apply online at www.barnabasfund.org/partnership, or by email to [email protected], or contact your national offi ce (addresses on back cover).

BARNABAS PARTNERS

Our partners include the numerous Christian individuals, churches and organisations through whom we channel our aid to the persecuted Church in many countries. They also include the voluntary representatives who give selfl essly of their time and energy to support what we do in many churches

and regions across the UK. If you share our passion for serving our suffering brothers and sisters and have the time and desire to join us in this work, then we would like to invite you too to become a Barnabas Partner. There are several roles you can choose from.

SPOTLIGHT


Barnabas Partnership with Persecuted Leaders

A priority in Barnabas Fund’s ministry is to strengthen, equip and encourage Christian leaders who are serving the

Lord in contexts of pressure or hostility. From senior leaders who head up large organisations to simple pastors caring for their fl ock, Barnabas Fund partners with them to enable them in their ministry.

“Barnabas Fund has been a real source of inspiration and encouragement to us … strengthening our hands in ministry over the past seven years. They have not only made us strong, bold and courageous but have given to us through their fi nancial support the will and resolve to take the message of the Gospel across Guyana and the Caribbean”Paul Mursalin heads up a ministry in Guyana, South America, that is reaching Muslims with the message of the Gospel via television.

“You made it possible for us to remain in the Lord’s service when every reason urged us to retreat from discouragement, retreat from lack of suffi cient funds and retire from insuffi cient know-how. You have encouraged us, funded us and educated us when we so much needed it. If we are a kite the Lord is fl ying, you are the string in his hands.”Francis Omondi, senior ministry leader, Kenya

I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the fi rst day until now (Philippians 1:4-5).

Partnering with Bible and Theological Colleges“This study is blessing of God for me. It is an answer to my prayer.” This was the testimony of a church leader in Uzbekistan who attended training sponsored by Barnabas. The 60 leaders who completed the course are serving God in a situation of great persecution. They bore witness to the way their studies had given them vision, purpose and strategies for ministry, and encouraged them in teamwork.

In situations of hostility or pressure from other religions, Christians need to be well grounded in their faith and need a thorough understanding of why they believe in Christ. For this purpose effective leadership is vital. Whilst we profoundly believe that it is the Holy Spirit who guides, encourages and supports His people, particularly those in leadership positions, it can also be very helpful for them to be equipped and resourced.

But in some countries, many dedicated and hard-working church leaders have not had the opportunity of training to equip them for their ministry. In the last two years, Barnabas Fund has supported 10,240 Christians who are equipping themselves for service by studying. We support theological colleges, Bible colleges, and other Christian training institutes in 26 countries, including Algeria, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Tajikistan.

A Bible school in Kyrgyzstan is equipping men and women to become pastors and missionaries in their own country. One graduate said, “Knowledge that I get here helps me very much in ministry… It is especially important because we live in Islam majority country. Therefore we need to know Christian dogmatic questions to talk about Jesus and to explain many problems.”

We also fund specialised training to equip leaders with particular skills needed in their own ministry contexts and to help them face persecution. Workshops, Bible courses and conferences help individuals to develop ministry skills and bring leaders together for teaching, encouragement and to share about the challenges they face, seek solutions and develop strategies to respond.

Barnabas also invests in the church leaders of the future through seminars for Christian students. For example, in Bangladesh young people are the key to the health of a Christian minority that is despised and marginalised. We funded 73% of the costs of four regional conferences, attended by 320 students in total. The conference theme was Hebrews 10:22-24, and there were workshops on mission, culture, and dealing with the frustrations of life as a Christian student or seeking work in a country where Christians are discriminated against.

Partnering through Resources

“It was my great desire to get this Bible… The whole congregation will be blessed through this book.” Pastor Sharif Khokhar received an Urdu Study Bible from Barnabas Fund to help him in understanding the Bible and preparing sermons for his church members. Discrimination and fear of violence are part of daily life for many pastors in Pakistan. Many also live in deep poverty.

During 2010 and 2011 Barnabas provided 1,480,834 pieces of Christian literature, including Bibles and other items, in 14 languages and 24 countries.

Many Christian leaders are desperately short of the ministry resources that we take for granted in the West. Christian books and study materials are especially important. Barnabas Fund provides for the translation, printing and distribution of Bibles and other Christian books, booklets and magazines in various languages. For example, in Pakistan an Urdu study Bible and a synopsis of the four Gospels have been produced for the fi rst time.

Partnering with Pastors and Evangelists

“I thank you and the brothers and sisters in Barnabas Fund organisation who are a great blessing to me and my family, as you have been my partners in the work which the Lord has accomplished through me. I am truly very encouraged and relieved on the issue of fi nance for my needs and the needs of my family.”

Pastor H. in AlgeriaCourageous and faithful, enduring hardship and persecution, hundreds of evangelists, church-planters and pastors are faithfully serving the Lord in their own homelands with support from Barnabas Fund. In the last two years, our assistance, together with local donations or small income-generation projects, has enabled 573 full-time Christian workers to continue serving the Lord in 33 countries.

During 2010 and 2011 Barnabas provided 1,480,834 pieces of Christian literature, including Bibles and other items, in 14 languages and 24 countries.


SPOTLIGHT

Reference numbers: 00-430 Leadership Training Fund

00-360 Christian Literature00-362 Bibles and Scriptures

00-477 Pastors’ Support Fund00-478 Evangelists’ Support Fund

PasPPasPasasasasPastototorortototo KhKhKhKhKhokokaokoookoooo r ((((fffront nnnttnnn lefleflefl ft) tt)t) reccceiveiveivvvivvvingingg hihihis Us Us Urdurdurdrduuuuuud StuStuStuuuudydydy y dy BibBibBibBibB lelelelelee elee from the hhhhhh Pakakkkistann n nn BibBibB le le SocSocSoS ietietiietttyyyyyyyyyyy

92 92 9292 92 92929 yeayeayeayeayeayeayeayears rsrs rs rsrs rs oldoldoldoldoldoldoldold,,,,,andandandandandandandandana ststststststststillillillillillillillilll chchchchchchchchchurcurcurcurcurcurcurcurcurch-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-hplaplaplaplaplaplaplaplaplaplantintintintintintintintinting ng ng ngng ngng ngng amoamoamoamoamoamoamoamoamamongsngsngsngsngsngsngsngssngsg t t ttt t tttMusMusMusMusMusMusMMussMusMuslimlimlimlimlimimlimlimlimmlims is is is is is is is is iin nn n nn nnIndIndIndIndIndIndIndndIndIndoneoneoneoneoneneonenoneonon siaisiasiasiasiasiasiasia, w, w, w, w, ww, wwwwithithithithithithithithith supsupsupsupsupsupsupsupsu porporporporporporporporroporp t ft ft ft ft ft ft ft ft ft fromromromromromromromromomromrom BarBarBarBarBarBarBarBarBarrBarBarBaBa nabnabnabnabnabnabnabnabnabababnabbasasasasasasasasasas

Spiritual hunger fed by Bible training in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Wracked by bloody confl ict for many years, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is also a desperately poor country. Many trained pastors have been killed in the violence and churches are being led by those who have had no opportunity to train. Some do not even own a copy of the Bible.

“The atmosphere throughout the week was vibrant and there was an air of expectation and excitement... These pastors are hungry for teaching,” reported one of the organisers about a leadership training event funded by Barnabas in DRC.

One hundred senior pastors and 20 leading women workers from all over the DRC attended the training and each received a copy of the Africa Bible Commentary. Another 40 were so eager to learn that they “attached” themselves unoffi cially to the session, sitting at the back, listening and taking notes.

“Debbie” came from a strict Muslim family in a Muslim-majority country. Her father was an infl uential businessman with contacts in the government. Here is her testimony.

Trying to fi ll an empty heartDebbie says, “Growing up I had everything I wanted. I always felt the need of being close to the creator, I did all my Islamic requirements to be a good servant to Allah; I also followed and obeyed my father’s rules… But I was angry and lonely growing up. When I was 17 I wanted to run away from my life. Of course that was not possible … so I came up with a plan of going out of the country to study. I expected that my father would not easily accept this plan, because I am a girl and girls should stay home, but surprisingly he agreed to send me to England to study.

“I moved to England in 1998 and found that it was very different from my country. I started my studies and … after a while I started making friends and learning the life that was offered to many young people in England: parties, alcohol and even drugs.

“I was so lost in my heart and felt so lonely and rejected for my whole life that new friendships were a way to fi ll my empty heart. It did not take me long to understand that nothing was fi lling that emptiness… I felt like I was so far from the creator and as a Muslim girl I was not doing the right

things by drinking and going to parties. This made me feel even more depressed and lost. The last straw in my life happened when I found out that my fi ancé was cheating on me.”

Love and hope at churchLate one Saturday night Debbie found herself at a small church. She was met by the church leader, who gave her some leafl ets and prayed for her. “Please come again tomorrow morning for the Sunday service,” he asked. In shock, Debbie ran and told her aunt what had happened. When asked if she was going to go back to the


LEARNING FROM THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

Leaning on the

Lord a story of persecution

church, she replied, “That it is not ever possible. I am a Muslim girl and I know that Christianity is corrupted; why would I go to listen to lies of the people when I knew that Islam is the fi nal religion on earth?” But the next morning, Debbie was at church! How had she ended up back there, and why did all the people there look happy and act like they loved each other when they were not even related?

Every Sunday for two months, Debbie went to church to try to understand what they were saying and how they were so full of love and hope. She decided Christianity was a “happy loving religion” and thought, “I should just become a Christian and maybe that is the way I will be like them; happy, joyful and loving. I could still believe in Allah.”

Happy with her decision and thinking this would not be a problem for anyone, she called her father to tell him that she had become a Christian. To her surprise, he did not like it, and she found herself out on the streets within two weeks. Debbie says “I was rejected by all of my friends, my aunt and everyone I knew. They were all against me just because I said I had become a Christian. As I was

thinking that this is the worst thing to happen to me I realised my father was sending his friends to take me back to my home town. If I went back, many bad things could happen to me, including death.

“It was a cold rainy day and I was wet and hungry. I was fi ghting with God saying, ‘just because I said I will believe you and be a Christian look at what is happening to me’. I cried out asking for my life back even if I hated it; then I said, “Give me a family and friends, make me happy and feel like I belong, I can trust again, then I will give you my whole life and will serve you until the last day of my life.” Nothing happened. No angels came down from heaven, nor did I hear a sound, but a peace took over my mind.”

A new familyA few minutes later, Debbie’s phone rang. A couple from the church (S and B) wanted to meet her for lunch. When they found out she no longer had a place to live, they gave her a room in their house.

“Shortly after I moved into their house they got me a Bible in my own language. I started reading and fell in love with the Word of God. It was so deep but also so easy to read and understand. It was so touching and full of love that I was weeping and laughing; all of my emotions were upside down and I could not understand why or how this book was touching my heart so much. I would read and take notes and ask a lot of questions every day. I came to an understanding of who Jesus really is, why He died on the cross and what salvation means. In April 2000, I was baptised.”

KidnappedShortly after her baptism, Debbie was kidnapped outside her home. Her abductors said they would kill her unless she returned to her country as a Muslim. Refusing, she started to sing her favourite worship song.

Debbie recalls, “I was a believer and a follower of Jesus with my full heart and not even death could separate me from Him. I was not scared nor did I feel pain from the cuts on my neck. After all that they had done and said to me, I was still peaceful and could sing a song. That was not what they

were expecting.” Confused, her captors let her go, and after a short stay in hospital Debbie returned to S and B.

Seeking God’s pathDebbie had applied for asylum in the UK, but one day she learned that her father’s contacts had taken her passport and identifi cation documents and sabotaged her application. The Home Offi ce said that her case was missing.

“I prayed and asked God to show me a way. I was alone and had no family, no money, no ID and no passport. I was not going to go back to my father or to my religion; I have Jesus and I am not leaving Him no matter what but what do I do, where do I go, how could I stand against the people who want to kill me? I knew they were not done with me yet and the only way to protect myself was to run away, to hide.”

After a time of prayer, Debbie decided she wanted to go to Bible school and study the Word, but without a passport doors would be closed in the UK. She says, “I prayed and cried out to God and that night, I had a dream where Jesus asked me

to trust Him and follow Him no matter how diffi cult it seemed. He said he would lead me and I was to follow Him. In the morning I knew He wanted me to go back to my home country, where there was a secret Bible school that would take me and hide me. I could learn and study the Bible in my own language and share the Gospel with my people.”

But going back could mean possible death, because her father could easily fi nd her. Debbie declares, “When faith rises up, nothing can stop God from what he has planned. I had faith and trusted him to take care of the details.” Despite her lack of paperwork, passport or ID, she managed to leave Britain. When she arrived in her home country, the computers were not working, the customs offi cers were unable to check her name against their records, and she passed through without diffi culty. She says, “It was like I did not exist. I was not in England and nobody knew that I was in my home country. I could be free to study the Word of God.”

Bible school blessingDebbie met her husband at Bible school, and they were married in 2001. Despite her husband being arrested and tortured by the government countless times, they served the Lord and preached the Gospel together for eight years and started a number of churches in their country. However, they were forced to fl ee in 2009.

Debbie and her husband are now in a country where they are free to worship and to share the Gospel with local Muslims. Debbie says, “Ministry is our life, not our job. Our desire is to help and awaken Christians. His immeasurable and everlasting love is for all of us.”

Give thanks for the way the Lord has brought Debbie through her trials over the years. Pray for those with whom she comes into contact, that they may see the love of the Lord through her words and her actions. Pray for her and her family, that the Lord will bless and guide them in the years ahead. Barnabas Fund has assisted Debbie.


LEARNING FROM THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

“My Jesus, My Saviour, Lord, there is none like you; all of my days I want to praise the wonders of your mighty love.”

Debbie’s favourite worship song, which she sang to her captors


BIBLICAL REFLECTION

Eritrea is an extreme example, but only because persecution there is so severe. In this and every issue of Barnabas Aid

we tell the story of Christians in many parts of the world who suffer because of their faith in Christ. For many thousands of our brothers and sisters, discrimination, oppression and persecution are part of their daily experience. Even for Christians in the supposedly more tolerant West, the insidious and relentless pressure of mockery and marginalisation can often be hard to bear.

How are these sufferings for Christ to be endured? In other words, how can we stay faithful to our Lord in the face of them, continuing to confess His Name and maintaining a consistent Christian lifestyle? This is one of the questions that our passage, from Paul’s letter to the Romans, is intended to answer.

The pain and the gainAll over the world athletes are preparing vigorously for the Olympic Games to be held in London later this year. They have to take on a strict training schedule that includes diet, exercise and frequent practice, and that generates varying levels of physical and mental pain. But they are able to endure this demanding challenge in the hope of attaining a reward in a few months’ time: a place in the Olympic squad, a medal, a new world record. For them the future gain is worth the present pain. Paul uses the picture of the athlete in his writings to refer to the discipline and effort

required for Christian discipleship (1 Corinthians 9:24-27; 2 Timothy 2:5).

On a much greater and vastly more important scale, this is also the message of our passage. Paul says to his readers, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in [or to] us” (verse 18). He acknowledges that suffering is an inescapable part of authentic Christian living here and now: in the verse just before he has said that our status as “co-heirs with Christ” is conditional on our suffering with Him (verse 17). But this anguish fl ies upwards on the scales when weighed against what we will receive later, because those who suffer with Christ will also have the amazing privilege of being glorifi ed with Him. For us too, the future gain is most defi nitely worth the present pain.

The immediate context of Paul’s argument is his teaching in 8:1-11. Here he explains how God, through Christ and the Spirit, has set believers free from the fl esh (which is the sinful state of human beings), from sin and from death. In doing this God has made it possible for us to fulfi l His law; so if we live our lives according to the Spirit’s promptings and in the Spirit’s power, He will bring us life and peace, and in the end God will raise us from the dead.

In light of this great act of God, Paul goes on to explain how Christians are to endure suffering for

the sake of their Lord. The passage falls naturally into two sections: verses 12-17 and verses 18-30.

Life in the Spirit (8:12-17)Paul says that because of what God has done for us, w e are in debt to Him, and we pay that debt by living our lives not according to the fl esh but according to the Spirit. The whole of Romans is about how God has acted to make us righteous: fi rst by sending His Son to deal with our sin, and then by sending His Spirit to enable us to live for Him. So if we persist in living by the fl esh, we will die; but if we put the misdeeds of the body to death by the Spirit, we will receive God’s gift of life.

In fact, it is as we are led by the Spirit that we enjoy the great privilege, and fulfi l the high calling, of being God’s children. The Spirit adopts us into God’s family, and puts on our lips the cry to God that Jesus Himself used: “Abba, Father”. The Spirit gives us the inner conviction that we are God’s children, and therefore also His heirs. But we will enjoy these blessings – we will share in the glory of the exalted Christ – only if we also suffer with Him.

So Christians must not expect to be able to fulfi l our obligation to live a righteous life in a cosy and supportive environment! This responsibility must be worked out in the heat of suffering for the sake of our Lord, and the process is diffi cult and painful, especially for those brothers and

Suffering and Glory Romans 8:12-30

For Christians Eritrea is one of the most repressive countries in the world. Many of its church leaders and members have been imprisoned in atrocious conditions for years on end, where they are subject to hard labour, starvation and torture. Even those who stay out of jail may lose their jobs or be forbidden to leave the country.


BIBLICAL REFLECTION

sisters who suffer acute forms of persecution. But the past action of God on our behalf urges us on from behind; the future promise of God about our glory draws us on from in front; and the present enabling of the Spirit empowers us from within.

Hope of glory (8:18-30)In this second section Paul encourages his readers in the midst of their present sufferings, on the basis of their future glory. He does so with reference to the coming new creation (verses 18-25), the prayer of the Spirit (verses 26-27) and their adoption as God’s children (verses 28-30).

The overarching reason why our present sufferings as Christians are not worth comparing with the coming glory is that the whole of creation is going to be liberated by God. In a cosmic re-enactment of the great exodus of God’s people from Egypt, and of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, the created order will be set free from its slavery to decay and its inability to fulfi l God’s intention for it, to refl ect His glory

as it should. As part of this great deliverance, the bodies of believers will also be redeemed, as we rise to share Christ’s resurrection glory and His rule over the renewed and redeemed creation.

We do not fully understand how the distress of the persecuted churches, or even our own, is used by God for our good, but we know that the end result is greater blessing than we can imagine.

Life for Christians is not easy in the meantime! Although we hope confi dently for these great blessings, we do not possess them yet, and are still bound up with the pain of the unredeemed creation. But even though we do not even know what is right to pray, God’s Spirit within us intercedes on our behalf. In the midst of our sufferings we have someone to stand with us before God, whose groaning, too deep for words, expresses what we long to say but cannot.

And God works everything together for good for His people, those whom He has called to Himself and who love Him. Even the most extreme sufferings that we may have to endure for Him are worked into His purpose to transform us into the image of His Son, a process that ends in our being glorifi ed with Him. We do not fully understand how the distress of the persecuted churches, or even our own, is used by God for our good, but we know that the end result is greater blessing than we can imagine.

When the gain of our glorious hope is unpacked in this way, we realise that it really is more than worth the pain of our present sufferings. Not only are we promised a share in Christ’s resurrection and reign in a world made new; we also have the Spirit to lead us there through His intercession, and God’s promise to use even our trials to fulfi l His wonderful purpose for us. These convictions, sealed on our hearts by that same Spirit, enable us to stand fi rm in the face of persecution.

1. How do you react when you face criticism or hostility because of your love for Christ? What methods do you use to sustain your faith in such conditions?

2. How important to you is the promise of “the glory to be revealed” (v. 18) as an encouragement in the midst of “present sufferings”?

3. What do you think it means to be led by the Spirit (vv. 13-14)? How in practice do we “put to death the deeds of the body”?

4. What condition does Paul lay down for our being children and heirs of God (v. 17)? How ready are you to face this?

5. What promise about the creation does Paul provide in verses 19-25 to sustain us in our sufferings? What will these involve for us individually?

6. How have you experienced the Spirit interceding for and in you (vv. 26-27)? What results have you seen from such prayer?

7. How have you seen God working “for good” in the negative circumstances and events of your life (v. 28)? What will be the end result of this process (v. 30)?

8. How can you use the great promises in this passage to help yourself stand fi rm when your faith is under pressure? How can you use them to help others?

QUESTIONS FOR PERSONAL STUDY OR GROUP DISCUSSION


IN TOUCH

Did you know if you are selling an item via eBay, you can now donate between 10% and 100% of the sale proceeds to Barnabas Fund? First, visit our eBay charity “About us” page. To fi nd this, go to www.ebay.co.uk and go to the “Sell” menu. Select the “Sell for Charity” option and then “Browse our charities” in the right hand column. Next, click on “sell now”. You can then list your item/s in the usual way and

specify the amount of the sale that you wish Barnabas Fund to receive. In addition, if you are a UK tax payer, just select Gift Aid and 25% will be added to your donation at no cost to yourself.

for Barnabas Fund

We are pleased to announce that we now have regional offi ces in Scotland and Northern Ireland. We are thankful to the Lord for the great interest shown in these posts and have been able to appoint outstanding individuals with relevant previous experience.

Robbie Toop is our new Barnabas Fund Scotland Coordinator. He can be contacted by email on [email protected] or by phone on 07798627376.

Kris Baraniuk will be the Coordinator for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. He can be contacted by email on [email protected] or [email protected] or by phone on 07867854604.

Introducing Barnabas offi ces in Scotland and N. Ireland

Barnabas has been working hard to prepare different versions of our website for our supporters in various parts of the world. In addition to those for Australia, New Zealand and the USA, we now have sections for supporters who speak Russian, German, Spanish and Chinese. To view these sites, go to www.barnabasfund.org and click on the relevant fl ag in the top right-hand corner. Please note that these websites are still under construction and they contain different amounts of translated content.

Barnabas Fund website in different languages

Barnabas Fund will have a stand at the International Christian Resources Exhibition, which is to be held from 8-11 May 2012 at Sandown Park, Esher. Our staff and volunteers will be happy to welcome you at Stand S70, so please come by and see what Barnabas Fund is doing in 2012. We will be delighted to meet you.

For more information, visit www.creonline.co.uk

Christian Resources Exhibition

Wa

Ba

Bd

Barnabas Fund would like to give a special thank you to Josiah Davis,

age 6, from London for raising money to help Christians in Pakistan.

Josiah writes, “Dear Barnabas Fund, I sold my chocolate tiffi n at our church toddler group. I collected £26. This money is for the Christians in Pakistan who are living under tarpaulin because of the fl oods in 2010. From Josiah Davis.”

Baking for Barnabasbb

JosJosJosJoJo iahiahiahahiah (r(r(r(r(r(r(righighighighighghghhiggghg t) t) t) t)t)t)t)t) ) ) ) )) ))) rairairaiairairairairaairairairarairaiaiairairaiararairrr sedsedsedsededssedsesss dssedssssss £2£2£2£22£2£2£2£2££ 6 f6 f6 f6 f6 f66 6 6 f6 f6 f66666 ooooorrr rooorooo ChrChrChrChrChrhChrChrChrChhrrrristististististististististsististstststtsttiii nianiianaianianianniananianiaia s iss issssssssss s n PPn PPPn PPPn PPn Pn Pn PPPn Pn Pakiakiakiakiakikakiakiakiakiakakikikkiakakiakiakikakiakiakiakikakikakkiaa ikistatattstastatstastastastastaststastastastastastastaastaaatasss nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

nThe weeks leading up to Easter provide a good opportunity for us to focus on the needs of the persecuted Church, in both prayer and practical giving.

We are pleased to include with this magazine a copy of our 2012 Lent prayer booklet. We hope you fi nd this a useful tool to inspire and assist your prayers for Christians around the world in the weeks before Easter. Further copies are available to order from your nearest Barnabas offi ce (addresses on back cover) or from our website (www. barnabasfund.org/resources).

Please would you also consider making a donation or asking your church to take up an Easter offering to help our Christian brothers and sisters who are suffering for their faith at this time?

Thank you for your faithful support for persecuted Christians.

Praying for the persecuted Church in Lent


Yes, I would like to help the persecuted ChurchHere is my gift of ______________________

Please use my gift for

Wherever the need is greatest (General Fund)

Other ___________________________________________*

I enclose a cheque/voucher payable to “Barnabas Fund”.

Please debit my

Visa Mastercard American Express

Maestro CAF card /other charity card

Number

Maestro issue number or issue date /

Expiry date / Signature ____________________________

I do not require an acknowledgement of this gift.

I would like to give regularly through my bank. Please send me the appropriate form. (UK supporters may use the Direct Debit form below.)

Alternative Gift Card To make an alternative gift for a loved one, please contact your national Barnabas offi ce.

DIRECT DEBIT for UK supporters who would like to give regularly I/We want to bring hope and aid to the persecuted Church by a regular gift, to be used

where it is most needed (General Fund) or for ________________________________*(give reference number of project to be supported)

Gift Aid Declaration (Applicable to UK tax payers only)I authorise Barnabas Fund, registered charity no. 1092935, to treat all donations I have made since 6 April 2007 and all subsequent donations as Gift Aid donations until I notify you otherwise. Signature ___________________________________ Date ____________If you have previously signed a Gift Aid Declaration for Barnabas Fund, you do not need to sign again. To qualify for Gift Aid, what you pay in income tax or capital gains tax must at least equal the amount of tax reclaimed on donations to registered charities in the tax year. Please inform us if you change your name or address or stop paying tax.

Name (Mr,Mrs,Miss,Ms,Rev,Dr)

Address

Postcode TelephoneEmail

Please return this form to Barnabas Fund at your national offi ce or to the UK offi ce. Addresses are on the back cover. Barnabas Fund will not give your address or email to anyone else. Phone 0800 587 4006 or visit our website at www.barnabasfund.org to make a credit card donation. From outside UK phone +44 1672 565031.Registered Charity number 1092935 Company registered in England number 4029536*If the project chosen is suffi ciently funded, we reserve the right to use designated gifts either for another project of a similar type or for another project in the same country.Supporters in Germany: please turn to back cover for how to send gifts to Barnabas Fund. Mag 03/12 Mag 03/12

Name (Mr,Mrs,Miss,Ms,Rev,Dr)

Address Postcode

I would like to give a regular gift of £_______________________________(amount in words) _____________________________________________

Starting on 1st / 11th / 21st _________________ and then every month/quarter/year (delete as applicable) until further notice.

This Direct Debit is a new one / in addition to / replaces an earlier Standing Order / Direct Debit in favour of Barnabas Fund. (delete as applicable).

THE DIRECT DEBIT GUARANTEEThis Guarantee is offered by all Banks and Building Societies that accept instructions to pay Direct Debits. If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit Barnabas Fund will notify you 14 days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed. If you request Barnabas Fund to collect a payment, confi rmation of the amount and date will be given to you at the time of the request. If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit by Barnabas Fund or your bank or building society, you are guaranteed a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from from your bank or building society. If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back when Barnabas Fund asks you to. You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank or building society. Written confi rmation may be required. Please also notify us.

*If the project chosen is suffi ciently funded, we reserve the right to use designated gifts either for another project of a similar type or for another project in the same country. Mag 03/12

Instruction to your bank or building society to pay by Direct Debit

Please fi ll in the whole form including offi cial use box using a ball point pen and send it to: Barnabas Fund, 9 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EXName and full postal address of your bank or building society

Name(s) of account holder(s)

Bank/building society account number Branch sort code

Service User Number 2 5 3 6 4 5Reference (Barnabas Fund to complete)

Signature(s)Date

Instruction to your bank or building society: Please pay Barnabas Fund Direct Debits from the account detailed in this instruction subject to the safeguards assured to by the Direct Debit Guarantee. I understand that this instruction may remain with Barnabas Fund and, if so, details will be passed electronically to my bank/building society. DD18

Please send _________ free copies of the Lent prayer booklet


Petition Delivered to UK Foreign Offi ce

Barnabas Fund would like to express our gratitude to 69,013 people from a variety of countries who signed our Apostasy Petition in 2009-10. The petition called on national governments to support all efforts by Muslims to have the Islamic apostasy law abolished, so that Muslims who choose to leave their faith are no longer liable to any penalty but are free to follow their new convictions without fear, in accordance with Article 18 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The British signatures, numbering 55,976 including electronic as well as paper, were delivered on 21 July 2011 to the Foreign and Commonwealth Offi ce, where the petition was accepted by the Human Rights and Democracy Department.

Abolishing the Law ofApostasy – future action

Barnabas Fund will continue to press in 2012 for the abolition of this iniquitous law. According to all schools of sharia (Islamic law), an adult male Muslim who chooses to leave his faith should be killed. The punishment for a Muslim woman who apostatises is either imprisonment (with or without beatings) or death, according to the school of sharia.

The sharia laws were codifi ed by Islamic scholars in the 8th and 9th centuries. They interpreted two basic sources – the Quran and the hadith (traditions recording what Muhammad said and

did) – to create the laws, which have remained unchanged ever since.

But the medieval interpretations are being challenged by a number of courageous Muslim scholars of the 21st century. Some of these scholars point out that the death penalty for apostasy is not clearly sanctioned anywhere in the Quran. They also argue that the examples in the hadith of executing apostates were really punishments for treachery against the Islamic community. Others hold that Muhammad’s commands to kill apostates were only applicable to the time and place that he issued them, and should not have been made into a universal law by later Muslims.

Barnabas Fund is in discussion with some of these Muslim scholars to see how we can help them to achieve our shared goal of abolishing all penalties for Muslims who choose to leave Islam. Please pray with us and for us in this new venture.

How to Find UsYou may contact Barnabas Fund at the following addresses:

UK9 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EXTelephone 024 7623 1923 Fax 024 7683 4718

From outside the UKTelephone +44 24 7623 1923 Fax +44 24 7683 4718Email [email protected] charity number 1092935Company registered in England number 4029536For a list of all trustees, please contact Barnabas Fund UK at the Coventry address above.

AustraliaPostal Suite 107, 236 Hyperdome, Loganholme QLD 4129Telephone (07) 3806 1076 or 1300 365 799 Fax (07) 3806 4076 Email [email protected]

GermanyGerman supporters may send gifts for Barnabas Fund via Hilfe für Brüder who will provide you with a tax-deductible receipt. Please mention that the donation is for “SPC 20 Barnabas Fund”. If you would like your donation to go to a specifi c project of Barnabas Fund, please inform the Barnabas Fund offi ce in Pewsey, UK. Account holder: Hilfe für Brüder e.V. Account number: 415 600 Bank: Evang. Kreditgenossenschaft Stuttgart Bankcode (BLZ): 520 604 10

JerseyLe Jardin, La Rue A Don, Grouville, Jersey, Channel Islands JE3 9GBTelephone 700600 Fax 700601 Email [email protected]

New ZealandPO Box 27 6018, Manukau City, Auckland, 2241 Telephone (09) 280 4385 or 0800 008 805Email offi [email protected]

USA6731 Curran St, McLean, VA 22101Telephone (703) 288-1681 or toll-free 1-866-936-2525 Fax (703) 288-1682 Email [email protected]

International HeadquartersThe Old Rectory, River Street, Pewsey,Wiltshire SN9 5DB, UK Telephone 01672 564938 Fax 01672 565030 From outside UK: Telephone +44 1672 564938Fax +44 1672 565030Email [email protected]

www.barnabasfund.org To donate by credit card, please visit the website or phone 0800 587 4006 (from outside the UK phone +44 1672 565031).

© Barnabas Fund 2012. For permission to reproduce articles from this magazine, please contact the International Headquarters address above. The paper used is produced using wood fi bre at a mill that has been awarded the ISO14001 certifi cate for environmental management.

barnabasaid the magazine of Barnabas FundExecutive Editor Steve Carter Published by Barnabas Fund The Old Rectory, River Street, Pewsey, Wiltshire SN9 5DB, UK Telephone 01672 564938 Fax 01672 565030 From outside UK: Telephone +44 1672 564938 Fax +44 1672 565030Email [email protected]

Tackling Islam’s Apostasy Law

Documents

Barnabas Aid March April 2012