history makers magazine 05

7/31/2019 History Makers Magazine 05

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ISSUE6Y O U T H M I S S I O N S M A GA ZI N E

HistoryMakers is a ministry of AsiaLink. Registered Charity No. 327165


2/8

C O N T E N T S

P E R S E C U T E D C H U R C H 0 2

N E PA L C O U N T RY P R O F I L E 0 3

FA Q S 0 4

R O S E A L L E N M U N T 0 4

R AY C O M F O RT I N T E RV I E W 0 5

F R O N T L I N E N E W S 0 6

INTRODUCTION

Rescue those being ledaway to death; holdback those staggering

toward slaughter.P R O V E R BS 2 4 : 1 1

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the worlddoes. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.2 C O R I N T H I A N S 1 0 : 2 - 4

Dear friends,

Theres a rule in the Armed Forces, Always obey the lastorder you got until you get new orders from command

headquarters. The last command Jesus gave is: Go,

make disciples of all nations. This should be first priority

for Christs followers.

The world is a spiritual battle-field in a cosmic war for souls

in which we are all called to serve as soldiers. The task? To

please our Commanding Officer, Jesus. Across the planet there

are areas where the enemy defences have held for centuries

places where entire people groups, tribes and languages

are without any Christian influence. Travel around Asia and

youll soon see that most people have never ever heard of

Jesus. Sometimes we think its bad where we l ive but try for

a moment and imagine what society would look like if it

were completely devoid of churches, the Bible or Christians!

E Q U I P P E D & W I L L I N G

Paul the Missionary recognizes we are all in a battle. If it is

war we are in then we should firstly prepare. That means every

soldier will need to be trained and equipped. Read Ephesians 6.

Its not good looks, intellect or a great personality that God

is asking of us. The prophet Isaiah reminds us that all God

requires is our willingness to serve and our obedience to go

where he tells us to (Is. 1:19).

E N D U R A N C E

We will at some point face hardships and sufferings that are

not always in the guise of persecution or imprisonment.

They come in other forms to being a disciple also meanssimplifying our lifestyles. We are also challenged to

persevere, endure hardships like a good soldier and to be

content whatever the circumstances.

F R O N T L I N E S

There are different roles in a wartime scenario. There are

those, for example, who send supplies to keep the soldiers

equipped on the front-lines. For us, that simply means

encouraging, praying and giving. Many indigenous workers

live on next to nothing and are inexpensive to support.

Most of all they need your prayers!

S E A R C H & R E S C U E

By staying informed we are able to search out areas of the

world that need our prayer and intercession the most. Ourobedience in sending others or going to the nations ourselves

is how we rescue those who are in the clutches of death.

W A R F A R E

Satan sets up strongholds in many cultures, ethnic groups

and religions that gain strength with every passing generation.

People are killed or mistreated, children go hungry, injustice

reigns. The key to unlocking these principalities and powers

begins with our obedience to Jesus commands. Prior, during

and after this, we are to engage in bold, aggressive and

determined spiritual warfare. It doesnt matter how hard we

try to persuade people to believe in Jesus, unless we are serious

about prayer and intercession, then the lost will remain lost.

God has to work.

This issue, we take a look at some of the countries where

the war for souls is raging the most. Why not pick one or two

nations mentioned and start praying for them. There are

other ways to get involved like telling your friends about the

unreached people groups, supporting the ministry or even a

short-term trip in the summer.


3/82Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those

who aremistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. H E B R E W S 1 3 : 3

PERSECUTEDChurch

We regularly receive requests for prayer from our

partners in Asia. The plea from workers is not that

we pray for the persecution to stop, but rather that

they would have the strength to endure.

IraqThe non-Muslim population has largely

been decimated in the last 10 years.

Kidnapping and murder in broad

daylight are commonplace.

Believers are few and far between.

Converting from Islam is a huge risk.

Pray for fearless Christian living.

N.KoreaFor the 6th year in a row, North Koreaheads the list of most severe and

consistent persecutors of Christians

in the world. State-imposed opposition

has purged the land of believers

for over half a century.

Pray for resolute perseverance.

LaosOne of the worlds most persecuted

countries, especially among minority

groups. Murder, forced registration,

abduction, torture and prison are a

reality for Christians. Pastors have

disappeared. Still the Lord builds His

work. Pray for unwavering disciples.

ChinaWhile over half of Chinas believers

belong to unregistered house churches,

they suffer from acute shortages of

Bibles, teaching materials and trained

leaders. Persecution is intense,

especially among recognised church

leaders. Pray for strength.

BurmaChristians among Burmas hill

tribes face persistent harassment.

Restrictions on movement,

public gatherings and public

evangelism are commonplace.

The Church continues to grow!

Pray for faithfulness.

MaldivesLeaving Islamis a frightening step

for many. Believers in these

islands dare not even meet together

for fear of reprisal. No churches

and no Bibles allowed here.

Pray for wisdom.

KashmirHistorical, political and cultural

tensions only accentuate dangers

for those choosing to be different

and express faith in Jesus Christ.

This is a Muslim-populated,

Hindu-controlled hot-bed of violence.

Pray for safety.

IndiaViolent Hindu opposition to

believers has led to deaths and

displacement. The state of Orissa

has taken the lives of many of

Gods people over the years, Indians

and foreign missionaries alike.

Pray for the Living Light to shine.


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NEPALP O P U L A T I O N 28 Mill ion

C A P I T A L C I T Y Kathmandu

R E L I G I O N S Hindu 75%; Buddhist 16%;

Muslim 5%; Christian 1.9%; Other 2.3%

L A N G U A G E S 124

P E O P L E G R O U P S 332, of which 308

are unreached

The Himalayan region includes a number of independent

countries as well as provinces of India. Some areas have

experienced remarkable revival for over fifty years and have

been sending out their own missionaries around the world.

Other places remain tightly closed, satanically bound and

deeply persecuted.

Nepal has never been colonised in the way many of her

neighbours have been. On the contrary, the country remained

tightly closed to outside influence until 1951. Since 1990 there

have been a series of destabilising influences, ranging from

civil unrest to the murders of the royal family in 1999. Nepal

remains heavily dependent on foreign aid and especially on

good relations with India.

C H U R C H / M I S S I O N A C T I V I T Y

Nepal is a Hindu kingdom which allows people to choose

their religion but prohibits the conversion of others.

Hindu extremists are often violent in the opposition to the

Church. Hindu extremists, Maoist guerrillas and even family

members are sometimes violent in their persecution of

believers. Nevertheless, the Church has grown and there may

be around 500,000 believers today.

M A I N U N R E A C H E D G R O U P S

Tibetan refugees and Tibetan-related Nepalese living in

the mountains have just a few congregations springing up.

Most of these peoples are Lamaistic Buddhists. Muslims with

Kashmiri, Bengali or Urdu backgrounds are increasing but

with only a dozen or so known believers among them. The

Awadhi (0.5 million) and the Maithili (3 million) from the

lowlands Indian border region have been generally unresponsive

to any Gospel approaches. The Tharu (1.3 million) have an

animistic rather than Hindi background and churches have

been appearing among them.

W H AT Y O U C A N D O

Prayer: Pray for this country, one of the poorest in the

world. Pray for the government. Pray for Christian leaders

to emerge and assume positions of responsibility. Pray

for national believers and churches within the country to

be strengthened.

Short-term: Please prayerfully consider your partnership

with us as we travel to Nepal in the summer. You could

also financially support those who are going or

contribute towards the cost of sending our Youth Officer.

25 buys 500 copies of John or 1000 copies of the Life

of Jesus tract to be distributed by our Nepalese partnersand short-term teams.

Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted amongthe nations, I will be exalted in the earth. P S A L M 4 6 : 1 0

CHINA

INDIA

BURMA

BHUTAN

BANGLADESH

THAILAND

LAOS


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?R O S E A L L E N M U N T , E N G L A N D 1 5 5 7

Rose Allenjumped from her bed and peeked out the window.

There in front of her door stood a sheriff, two police officersand a crowd of people carrying torches. They were talking

with her father on the doorstep. She looked at the clock on

the mantel. It was two in the morning. Roses mother, Alice

Munt, had also been awakened by the loud pounding on the

door. What is it, Rose? she whispered. Theyve come to

get us, Mother, Rose whispered back. Rose could hear her

Father, William, letting the men in below. Then she heard

footsteps coming up the stairs. Friends had warned them of

the danger of not attending the official church, but their sense

of duty to the truth was stronger than their fears. They continued

to worship in secret places with few men and women of like

faith. Now the authorities had come to take them away...

T O F I N D O U T O U T W H A T H A P P E N E D T O R O S E

go to www.historymakers.info/martyr

MARTYR

I tell you, myfriends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that havenothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, afterhe has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! L U K E 1 2 : 4 - 5

INFORM

INSPIRE

So I can stay at home, live a comfortable life and just show up

at my local church every week, great!

No! This is a misunderstanding for many believers today. Go, means go!

It might not be your calling to go and plant a church among an

unreached people group but it doesn't mean you can't get involved in

numerous other ways.Like what?

Frontline missionaries and agencies need our prayers. Its this type of

intercession that breaks demonic strongholds in some of the darkest

places on the planet. Jesus also told us to pray for more workers because

the labourers are few.

Is that all?

Missionaries and mission agencies need our financial support.

You can give directly to missionaries or to ministries like AsiaLink and

HistoryMakers as well as to many others.

Anything else?

Yes! Short term trips can be life-changing. Ask anyone who's been andyoull get the same response. Amazing!. Often, seeing God at work in

some of the remotest corners of the earth is an unforgettable experience.

Plus, indigenous believers get the benefit from our hard work. Whether its

carrying literature into Communist countries or distribution among tribal

groups, national believers value our short term support.

Surely thats it!?

If God has called you to stay at home, then you can mobilize others

to go to the nations!

What if I feel God calling me to go to the ends of the earth?

Great! Email us at [email protected] well do our

best to advise you on ways you can be trained and equipped to

move into full time missionary work.

What is Missions?

Missions is calling the world to do what it was created to do,

namely, to enjoy making much of God forever.

I cant see the word used much in the Bible, where did it come from?

The word mission derives from a Latin word meaning send. It is

also a modern term for the Great Commission Jesus finalcommand to his followers.

Is the Great Commission for all Christians?

Yes. The Command that Jesus gave us is imperative. That means its

of vital importance that we respond to the authority of the One who

gave the command and we will be judged on how we obeyed it.

Surely it cant be that important? I don't see any mention

of it in other parts of the Bible.

A missionary in Asia once said if you take missions out of the Bible, all

you'll have left is the covers. From front to back we see one overriding

theme, God redeeming all peoples. Check out Genesis 12:3, Psalm 87,

Isaiah 49:6, Luke 24:44 and Revelation 7:9 and youll notice a lot of

talk of peoples and nations. This is the promise that the Church of

Jesus Christ will be established among every people group on earth!

So the jobs nearly done?

Its a common misconception that the task of missions is almost finished.

We're closer than weve ever been, but theres still lots to do.

Whats left to do?

Thousands of tribes, tongues and peoples are without a single Christian

witness and over 2000 languages are without a single portion of

Scripture. Approximately 2 billion people have never even heard of Jesus.

Do I have to go to the ends of the earth to obey the

Great Commission?

Not everyone will leave their homes to go to some far off place.

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FAQS


6/8

INSPIRE

Way of the Master season 3 is now

available. What is the main difference from

the previous episodes?

Its the same theme running throughout the

series (reaching the lost). However, it has

jumped up much higher in product ion value,

thanks to some very talented people.

How would you encourage people who dont

feel bold enough to witness to their own friends

and family, let alone complete strangers?

The issue isnt really one of boldness, but one

of love and compassion. If you saw a woman

and her children trapped on the third story ofa burning building, it is love and concern that

drives you to reach out to rescue her. The Bible

says And on some have compassion, making

a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling

them out of the fire . . . (Jude 22-23). If you are

not concerned for the salvation of others,

Im very concerned for yours.

How effective do you think street preaching

is in this fast-paced generation?A good street preacher can reach more sinners in

30 minutes than the average church does in 30

weeks. Sinners dont go to church, they go where

sin is. They hate the light, and they wont come

to the light in case their sin is exposed. We have

to go to them, as we have been commanded to

do (see Mark 16:15). If I didnt believe in open-

air preaching, I wouldnt have stood on a box

5,000 times and done it. It works. Jesus did it,

Paul did it, Stephen did it, and Spurgeon did it.

So did Wesley, Whitefield and Billy Graham. This

fast-paced generation wont hear the gospel if

we dont take it to them: And how shall they

hear without a preacher? And how shall they

preach unless they are sent? As it is written:

How beautiful are

the feet of those who

preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad

tidings of good things! (Romans 10:14-14).

Why is The Way of the Master method of

evangelism so relevant and contemporary?

It is relevant because its biblical. It speaks to

the conscience. Every generation has a

conscience that can be awakened by the Law of

God (the Ten Commandments). This generation

is no different in that respect than any other.

Remember, every generation thinks that its

modern. In 20 years time we will look backand laugh at todays advanced technology

like we laugh at dial-up connecting for the

Internet, audio cassettes and typewriters.

What would you say to Christians who think

that The Way of the Master method of

evangelism is the only correct method to use?

The question should never be, Is it the only

correct method, but Is it biblical?

If it is, then we should use it. If its not, it

should be discarded, as should every other

man-made method.

In your book, God Does Not Believe inAtheists, you discuss the analogy of

a painting as evidence of a painter

(and thus the creation as evidence

of a Creator) as an axiom of reason.

Has this proved to be successful?

The building, builder; painting, painter does

work. I have watched lights go on in the eyes,

where there has been nothing but darkness. I

have seen atheists backslide when they hear

that. This is because it is biblical: For every

house is built by some man; but He that built

all things is God (Hebrews 3:4), For since the

creation of the world His invisible attributes

are clearly seen, being understood by the

things that are made, even His eternal power

and Godhead, so that they are without

excuse (Romans 1:20).

What are the most effective facts you use to

prove that evolution is nonsense?

The fact that there are no species-to-species

transitional forms in the fossil record, the fact

that evolution has no explanation for what was

in the beginning (the initial cause) and how

we have ended up with male and female

throughout all of creation. Did both male and

female of every species evolve together? I have

expounded these thoughts in The Charles

Darwin Bible (Holman Bible Publishers), due out

on Feb. 12th 2009 (Darwins 200th birthday).

How essential is prayer in the ministry to

which God has called you? Do you have any

tips for youngsters on how to improve their

prayer lives?

Make sure that you dont substitute prayer for

obedience. Prayer is the oxygen of Christianity,

but if we pray without preaching the gospel as we

have been commanded to, we are drawing near to

God with our lips, but our hearts are far from Him.

Make sure you put legs to your prayers and reach

out to those who are going to Hell. A.W. Tozer

warned, Have you noticed how much praying for

revival has been going on of late-and how little

revival has resulted? Considering the volume ofprayer that is ascending these days, rivers of

revival should be flowing in blessing throughout

the land. That no such results are in evidence

should not discourage us; rather it should stir us

to find out why our prayers are not answered....

I believe our problem is that we have been trying

to substitute praying for obeying; and it simply will

not work.... Prayer is never an acceptable substitute

for obedience. The sovereign Lord accepts

no offering from His creatures that is not

accompanied by obedience. To pray for revival

while ignoring or actually flouting the plain

precept laid down in the Scriptures is to waste

a lot of words and get nothing for our trouble.

What has been the most memorable

answer to prayer you have experienced

since becoming a Christian?

It has been God answering my prayer to raise up

labourers. I cried out to God during the early

1980s for Him to use me to stir up the Church

to its moral responsibility to reach the lost. I am

overjoyed that our TV program now goes to 70countries and is on 31 networks. An amazing 22

million of our tracts are sold each year. More

than 14,000 sets of our Basic Training Course is

being used to train up Christians, and thousands

come to our Transformed conferences. It is a

great encouragement never to give up praying,

and never doubt the faithfulness of God.

Ray Comfort has been equipping Christians across the world for more than 30 years. His literature is used by the Moody Bible Institute, Campus

Crusade For Christ and the Institute for Scientific & Biblical Research. He has also written more than 60 books and is a regular platform speaker.

HistoryMakers interviewed Ray who has recently pioneered the fantastic Way of The Master course alongside Kirk Cameron.

EVANGELIST

The issue isnt really one of boldness,but one of love and compassion

If I didnt believe in open-air preaching,I wouldnt have stood on a

box 5,000 times and done it

I have seen atheists backslidewhen they hear that

put legs to your prayers and reachout to those who are going to Hell


7/8

DEVELOPPROJECTSIRAQS DISAPPEARING CHRISTIANS

The Lord has always clearly directed

AsiaLink and brought us into

partnership with like minded people.

A staff member recently travelled to

Iraq to help us discern whether this

was a place where God was inviting

us to work with Him.

Iraqi Christians have been texting aMiddle-East Christian TV station

requesting urgent prayer: In the name

of Jesus, pray for Christians in Nineveh

province. Were under the weight of

killings and displacement.

Christians is an all-encompassing term

here. It includes Assyrians and Chaldeans,

Syrics and even Yezidis. They are non-Arabs

but among them are also found many of

Iraqs believers.

Their fears are justified. Many have lost

their lives in recent months. Some 3,000

Iraqi Christians have fled the northern city

of Mosul. Other reports have stated that

Christian homes have been bombed,

leaflets circulated and text messages sent

threatening Christians with death unless

they convert to Islam.

As security tightens in Baghdad, so Al Quedamoves northwards. One believer I met had

just lost his brother in law, shot dead the day

before in his own shop.

Not long ago there were over a million

Christians in Iraq from various backgrounds.

Now, there are possibly only 80,000. Some

have been kidnapped. Others killed. After

last years August bombings of four churches,

Iraqs own Minister for Migration estimated

that some 40,000 Iraqi Christians fled the

country within a space of two weeks. Here,

the Christian Church is barely surviving.

Praying for Iraqi pastors is a humblingexperience. They stood together in a row and

one by one we went down the line beseeching

the Lords help for them. Some were young

men, passionate and zealous for God. All had

witnessed firsthand what it means to follow

Christ. There is no cheap discipleship here.

CHINA BIBLESThe simple goal here is to help equip

China's Christians with God's Word.

The church in China is estimated tonumber 100 million (some say 30,000

new believers each day). AsiaLink has

for many years been serving

Christians inside China who are

print ing Bibles .

Cost: 1.50 covers the cost of

print ing and distributing one Bible.

150 provides enough for 100

Bibles. 100% of funds designated

for printing goes to this Bible

production.

The economy of many places like rural

Nepal, Kashmir or Burma is so poor that

there is little or nothing left in the localchurch for big expenses such as sending

an evangelist or a missionary to an

unreached area. In China, some house

church evangelists have even sold their

own blood at the hospital, receiving just a few pence as payment. They

then buy a few meals with this money, giving them enough strength to

continue to preach the Gospel for another week or two.

The Asian Workers Fund assists many of those workers who are

doing strategic work in Asia .Please pray about whether you, your

family, home fellowship or church could help support one or more of

these workers with 25 per month each. 100% of your gifts go to the

workers in need.

Poor use of pesticides and the

legacy of the massive abuse of

herbicides during the Vietnam War

have resulted in the birth of

thousands of Vietnamese children

with severe medical difficulties.

Project Smile helps children from

poor families in Vietnam who were

born with disabilities such as cleft

palates, cleft l ips and club feet.

Cost: A gift of 40 will help one child

to have a better life, and an opportunity

for his or her family to hear about

Jesus Christ for the first time.

Our youth ministry endeavours to work

alongside young people and help them

discover a passion for missions.

The goal is to awaken the next generation

in the Church to realize their potential in

Christ and in reaching the nations.

We believe that God has a history-making

role for every young person in His purposes. This missionary perspective

can only continue if we keep informing and inspiring young people.

Its a vital role of the ministry to partner with youth and church leadersin order to help them assume responsibility for the Great Commission.

Invest in the next generation of world-changing young people!

Cost: 1 100. Please pray about your partnership with us.

There are multiple ways in which you can financially support the work. Go to www.asialink.org.uk/giving to find out more.

HISTORYMAKERS

ASIAN WORKERS

6

PROJECT SMILE


8/8

for the unreached people of Asia

HistoryMakers is a ministry of AsiaLink. Registered Charity No. 327165

This summer, invest yourself in something completely life-changing.

Take a missions trip to the rooftop of the world!

From the sanctuary of Annapurna

to the famed hills of Mustang,

Nepal is one of the truly great

must-see-before-you-die places.

Its also home to 23 million Hindus,

3 million Buddhists and 310 of the

worlds least-reached people groups.

And thats why were going!

This August, join AsiaLinks youth

department, HistoryMakers and

our Nepalese partners in sharing

Jesus Christ with people who have

never ever heard the Good News.

For more details, contact

[email protected]

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