Displaying items by tag: Evangelism

In this Islamic country, only 0.4% of Albanians are evangelical Christians; 14.3% live below the poverty line, and there are over 8,000 refugees. We can praise God for the relatively good sense of unity and peace among people of different religious faiths, and the Church continues to grow. Many claim that concentrated intercession is responsible for Albania’s openness to ministry. May a prayer movement be raised up within the country, to pray for all the region. Pray that unsaved members of Christians’ families will come to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. There are three complete translations of the Bible in Albanian: one literal, one paraphrased, and one Catholic. Pray for widespread use of the Scriptures.

The best and most authentic evangelism takes place in the context of relationship. Mission Academy Live launches on 16 September, using 10 video-based sessions to empower thousands of 11-18s across the country to reach out - intentionally, authentically and relationally - to six friends for Jesus.

(Phil Timson, Hope Revolution)

On 11 September the UN human rights chief called the military operation targeting Rohingya Muslims ‘a textbook example of ethnic cleansing’, and urged the government to end its current cruel ‘security’ operations. High-profile individuals have publicly criticised Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi for doing virtually nothing to stop the killings and destruction in her country, and 400,000+ people have signed an online petition calling for her to be stripped of her award. Myanmar has a history of violence against minorities, including Christians. Many people are held captive by widespread drug use, spiritism, occult beliefs, and astrology. 84% of the population, including the Rohingya, have still not heard the name of Jesus. Even so, in recent years, there has been a growing openness to Jesus, especially among Buddhist monks. Prayers can change their physical and eternal reality. See

In countries where shame is used as a tool to change people’s behaviour, the love of Christ has a powerful effect. That’s what is behind Mohabat TV, a Christian satellite television ministry to Farsi-speaking people. Dr Mike Ansari says, ‘Mohabat is a Farsi word, meaning Agape love. Our audience is the Farsi speakers of Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. When people talk about love, it really resonates through that culture. It’s a culture of honour, it’s a culture of shame. It’s a culture where love really speaks volumes, so what better name for our ministry than the love of the Father for His children?’ Mohabat TV strives to present the Gospel in a ‘non-threatening, non-political’ way; it partners with eighty ministries who supply programming, distribute Bibles, and help believers connect with each other.

Nizar Shaheen, of Light for the Nations (a Christian programme aired in Muslim-dense areas), says, ‘I've seen many, many Arabic-speaking people turning to Christ, accepting Him as Lord and Saviour. It's happening all over the Arab world; in North Africa and the Gulf countries; in Europe, Canada and the United States. Everywhere, people are accepting Jesus.’ Also in the Middle East, Coptic priest Father Zakaria Botros is confronting Islam with an in-your-face style of television and internet evangelism. He reports Muslims turning to Jesus: ‘young and old, educated and not educated, males and females, even those who are fanatical.’ It is not uncommon these days to hear of Muslims encountering God as they slept. Around the world, many who have converted to Christianity say they have done so after dreaming of a person who they believe is Jesus Christ.

Thousands of missionaries worldwide depend on our prayers for strength. Afghanistan is just one of the nations where people groups have not yet heard about Jesus Christ. Cultural traditions that have survived centuries of invasion are guarded and observed, like that of offering extraordinary hospitality. A strong national identity and their characteristic hard work ethic will doubtless serve community members well as Afghanistan rebuilds. In addition to Islamic beliefs, spiritism (using charms and amulets) is also widespread. Pray for the Christians in the extra American military soon to be deployed to Afghanistan by President Trump. May God inspire them with a spirit of evangelism as they meet the locals who have known frequent war and internal tribal strife. Ask God to restore political peace and stability among tribes, and call for more Christian workers who are trained in the various language dialects to enter Afghan’s mission fields. Pray for Christian relief workers in Pakistan as they witness among displaced Afghans. See also https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/14372/AF

The Commission on International Religious Freedom has issued a report on blasphemy laws globally. The five worst-scoring nations are Iran, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and Qatar, while 71 of the world's 195 countries penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment and death. In Indonesia the influence of radical Islam is being felt, with some districts adopting highly restrictive bylaws; but, praise God, a Jakarta Baptist pastor reports that Christianity is growing there. Pakistan’s Christians fear a rise in persecution after the removal of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Pray for God to cover them with His canopy, particularly the growing 24/7 prayer cells. The Iranian government is particularly concerned about the rise of Christianity, especially among youths. Islamic seminary officials are calling on the government to ‘stop the spread’ of the faith. Ask God to release even more of His angels into the battle between dark and light over Asia.

CBN News joined 46 Christians from Russia going to remote Mongolian provinces where few have heard of Christ's love. 17-year-old Alena Barsokov said, ‘What I am attempting to do is raise a new generation of Russian believers who will have an understanding of Christ's love for the world and the role they must play in bringing that Good News to the unreached.’ This is her third visit to Mongolia. She has wanted to be a missionary since the age of 9. Accompanying her was Natasha Gorodnuk, on her first trip. She wants to serve as a missionary to Nepal. ‘Every time I think about it, my heart breaks because I know the calling on my life and I know what I'm supposed to do,’ Natasha said. For several weeks Natasha, Alena and 44 other Russians partnered with Mongolian Christians to hold evangelistic camps for young people in remote regions of the country.

As an evangelist my greatest calling is to reach my family. ‘Your whole family is going to be in heaven with you, son’ was the whisper of the Spirit into my heart months ago as my youngest daughter met Jesus. Years of prayer answered. Pray daily for your wider family: I still pray with that promise in my heart.
(Carl Beech, the Message Trust)

Poetry is significant in Arabic culture, and Christians in the Arabian Gulf are using it to communicate with Arabs about Jesus. Through a series of short films, local believers from a Muslim background are writing and filming poems to communicate the life-changing power of Jesus in their lives, using a medium that their audience respects and understands. ‘Historically, when Arabs lived among other lands, they didn’t know if someone was a true Arab,’ says Basma, a local believer and poet who is one of the producers of the series. ‘When in doubt, they would often test someone by asking him to recite poetry. If his poetry was good, they knew he was a true Arab’ Many Arab Muslims perceive Christians representing a ‘Western’ culture. By speaking about their newfound faith through poetry, Christian converts are removing the stereotype and showing it is possible to be a Christian without abandoning their cultural heritage.