Sep
4
Focused prayer for Muslim world
Filed Under Around the Church, Blogging, Culture, Current Events, Evangelism, Islam, Missions, Prayer | Leave a Comment
In our prayer meeting during September we will spend a portion of time praying for the power of the Gospel to reach mightily into the Muslim world. 30-Days International (www.30-days.net) produces the “30-Days of Prayer for the Muslim World” Christian prayer guide coinciding with Ramadan each year.
The origin of this international prayer network came about as a group of Christian leaders were praying during a meeting in the Middle East in April 1992. God put a burden on the hearts of these men and women to call as many Christians as possible to pray for the Muslim world. The annual, worldwide, 30-Days Muslim prayer focus gives Christians the opportunity to learn about Islam and pray for Muslims during Ramadan (Islam’s important annual month of fasting and religious observance). This year’s motto is: “Loving Muslims through Prayer.”
Each year a new prayer guide booklet is published in a number of languages and locations around the world. The booklet is illustrated and contains daily readings with prayer points and informative background articles focusing on the Muslim world. Printed copies of the prayer guide are sold out, but an online daily blog version is available here.
Jul
14
Ave atque vale: John Brawand
Filed Under Ave atque vale, Bible, Missions | Leave a Comment
Wycliffe Bible Translators informed us today that John Brawand, 84, entered the Savior’s presence on 18 June. FPC Kosciusko has supported John and his wife Alice for many years. The Brawands went to Guatemala in 1961 to translate the Scriptures for the Rabinal Achi people. Before leaving Guatemala in 1973, they reduced the Rabinal Achi language to writing, taught many to read their own language for the first time, and translated a number of the books of the New Testament. Over the next quarter century John served a number of important administrative roles for Wycliffe. Alice anticipates going to Guatemala son to assist the translation team in the final stages of publication of the New Testament.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for those who serve him with faithfulness, zeal and joy, making glad tidings known to “other sheep.”
Jun
3
Andy & Bev Warren in PCA mag
Filed Under Around the Church, Current Events, Missions | Leave a Comment
Our own Andy and Bev Warren are featured in the current issue of byFaith, the web magazine of the PCA. The Warrens have been in Ethiopia with MTW since the mid-90s, and have been involved directly with ministry to AIDS patients in Addis Ababa since 2002.
Feb
26
El Caballo out to pasture
Filed Under Culture, Current Events, Missions | Leave a Comment
Ailing Cuban dictator Fidel Castro has stepped down and handed over power to his brother Raul, and now seems ready to fade into history. The ‘revolution’ was nearly ten years old when I was born, so I know nothing of the Cuba of an older generation, who could travel there and speak first-hand of the beauty of its land and people–the Cuba of Ricky Ricardo and the delectable (albeit now illicit) cigars. The Cuba of my lifetime has been the Cuba of refugees clinging to flimsy boats off the coast of the Florida Keys, of the Soviet communist foothold in the Western Hemisphere, of Elian Gonzalez, of oppression–in short, the Cuba of El Comandante, the bearded supremo in the green fatigues. [Did you know that Forbes estimates that Castro's personal wealth is about twice that of Queen Elizabeth II?]
In 1996 I met a Cuban pastor at a ministers’ conference in Pennsylvania and gained new insight into the condition of the Church in Cuba. In his first two years in power, Castro ordered a confiscation of Bibles that the Cuban government claims resulted in the destruction of more than 100,000 copies. Hundreds of Protestant ministers were imprisoned and shot, and Protestant churches were bricked up or burned down under the pretense that they were CIA “front” organizations. Pope John XXIII excommunicated Castro in 1962.
However, in 1992 Castro eased restrictions on religious practices and welcomed a papal
visit in 1998, even ending a 30-year ban on the celebration of Christmas. Since 1992, there seems to be something of an accordion policy toward religious freedom in Cuba, with restrictions easing then tightening when the government fears that Christianity is flourishing too much, especially in the rural areas, where tens of thousands of house churches continue to thrive and grow.
For years Castro sympathizers have praised the high literacy rate in the Cuba (in reality, it seems to be no higher than it was prior to the 1959 revolution). But that literacy was and is now intended to be a literacy that enables the citizens to read what Castro wants them to read and know. A leading Roman Catholic prelate in Santiago recently commented, “Life in Cuba continues without the greater transformations.” And that is part of the beauty of the gospel. It does not require a particular form of government in order to prosper. It transcends cultural boundaries–and it transforms cultures.
Of course, that has always been part of the rub. The Roman Empire of the 1st century was quite willing to allow the existence of a Jewish reform movement that some were calling ‘The Way.’ Its adherents could say ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and there was no problem. The problem came when those folks would not say, ‘Caesar is Lord’ too. Then they were viewed as rebels who disrupted the unity of the state. For Rome, the goal of any true morality and piety was subordination of all things to the State. The Christian faith presented an alternative order and law and ultimate allegiance that quickly became interpreted as a treasonable faith and a menace to social and political order.
Joe recently reminded us in his opening sermon on 1 Thessalonians that we are on a mission of world conquest, make no mistake about it. It’s just that we are not doing so by force but by the death of discipleship, not for our own utopian dreams but for the worship of Christ Jesus, who is Lord of all, whom we acknowledge and serve everywhere at all times.
On one level, the oppression of the Church in Cuba seems ridiculous. And if Jesus is Lord in some, abstract, upper-story (as Francis Schaeffer would say), ‘religious’ sense, then persecution is silly. But at another, more fundamental level, Castro and dozens of others like him get it right. Cuban Christians confront Havana with the inflexible claim of Christ’s imperial authority. Jesus is God’s only-begotten Son; he is God; he is King; he is Savior. ‘Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him‘ [Psalm 2:10-12].
Back in the 18th century, John Howie wrote The Scots Worthies, a collection of biographical sketches of stalwart Scottish heroes of the Reformation and ‘the killing times’ of the late 17th century. The edition which the Banner of Truth Trust has reprinted does not include part of Howie’s original edition. The omitted section included sketches of some of the chief persecutors and enemies of the gospel, focusing on what painful and shameful deaths they suffered (how wonderfully Celtic!). Will Castro fade out quietly and peacefully, rather than brutally and violently? It does not matter. Will Cuba soon see ‘the greater transformations’? Who knows? There are thousands there who worship Christ and live for him daily. They are our brothers and sisters. They are more than conquerors through Christ. I’ll light a cigar to that, even if it’s ‘just’ a Dominican.
Dec
4
AIDS and ministry in Ethiopia
Filed Under Culture, Current Events, Evangelism, Missions | 1 Comment
World AIDS Day was designated by someone somewhere as 1 December. The record will note that The Sweet Dropper is three days late in posting in this regard. But, here is a letter we received yesterday from our friend Andy Warren, who works in medical and church planting ministry with Mission to the World in Ethiopia. Andy and his wife Bev are dearly beloved among us here at FPC Kosciusko and were with us in October for our World Mission Conference. Below is the text of Andy’s letter:
Dear Friends,
December 1st is World AIDS Day. For me it is a day to think about the people I know personally that have been, and still are, being affected by this epidemic. In spite of being
thousands of miles from Ethiopia I still see their faces clearly in my mind, and the first ones I see are the children. They are the ones who regularly visit my office, show me
their report cards, beg for candy, scavenge in my desk drawers, and sit in my lap.
I cannot imagine anything in my life being more satisfying than helping these HIV+
children. While it still isn’t clear how long, or what kind of life these children will have,
it is thrilling to see them alive today and thrilling to see them well and going to school
and living normal lives.
We started out treating four children, Selam, Mikias, Leul and Estifo. Today we have at
least twenty children on treatment and another group that we monitor so that they can
start treatment when they are eligible.
Another satisfying part of work this last year was expanding into two new communities. Bole was the first new community and Danny, the manager for this new work, has done an amazing job. I met Danny eleven years ago when he was a 13-year-old boy. He has grown into a mature and talented young man. He recently sent me the story of one of the
new HIV+ women in the Bole community. Lemlem is a young woman who was idnapped as a young girl and held as a slave until she escaped and fled to Addis Ababa. he tells some of her story:
In Addis, I began to work in a grocery store as a cashier. While I as working there I had an affair with a man who was a driver. During he affair, I got pregnant but I aborted it after 7 months. I used traditional medicine to cause the abortion. The traditional medicine hurt me very much.
After this, I stopped working in the grocery because the owner transferred the store to another person as a contract. While I was there I had TB. Then I got a job at a draft house (bar). I still felt sick. I worked for 7 years at the draft house. Then, I got really sick and I wanted to stop working. I asked my boss to give me my salary but she would not give it to
me. I had no money and I was feeling very sick. I suffered a lot. When Selam, Mikias and Leul the grocery lady, who I had worked for before, heard, she called me and began to treat me. When my sickness got worse, Megenbesh, who is one of the project’s beneficiaries, told me to have my blood checked. I did and I found out I was HIV positive. When I heard that, I was shocked and I fainted. The doctors advised me to calm down and not be sad. I stopped working but refused to take any medicine. One day, I was very sick and someone knocked on the door. I was unable to stand up and open the door so I just said “get in.” It was the project staff (Danny).
Now I thank God because I am in a better position in life. I feel like I have been healed from the death. There are people who do not get the opportunity to experience this, but I do. So I am thankful. What matters for me now is my mom. I want to see my mother if she is alive. If she is not, I would like to see my brother. That has been my dream since my childhood.
On World AIDS day, I am thankful for the privilege of serving people like Lemlem,
Selam, Mikias, Leul, and Estifo. I am also thankful for the people who support us in the
many ways that make this possible.
Peace,
Andy Warren
AIDS Care and Treatment
Project Director
Nov
19
Baghdad Muslims seek Christian neighbors
Filed Under Apologetics, Current Events, Evangelism, Islam, Missions, The Church | Leave a Comment
According to an article that appeared in the April, 2003, issue of The Banner of Truth, Presbyterian missionaries began working in Iraq in 1836. Some five congregations belong to the Assembly of Evangelical Presbyterian Churches-Iraq. The oldest of these congregations dates to 1840 and is located in Mosul. The National Presbyterian Church in Basra dates to 1940. Other congregations are located in Kirkuk and Baghdad.
According to tradition, in the first century the apostle Thomas evangelized the region on his way to India. Prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, an estimated 600,000 Christians lived in the country of 22 million people. By far the largest group is the Chaldean Catholic Church, followed by the Assyrian Church of the East (called the Nestorians), the Syrian Orthodox Church, and the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Informed accounts tell us that the Ba’ath party of Saddam Hussein tolerated the presence of Christians in Iraq. After the March, 2003, invasion and toppling of the Hussein government, radical Islamic forces felt free to harass Christian churches. As a result, it is believed that most Iraqi Christians fled to Jordan, Syria or the northernmost region of Iraq.
In an article by Michael Yon on his personal website last week, he tells the story of a 15 November church service held at St. John’s Church in Baghdad. The story includes some beautiful photographs. It was the first service held in St. John’s in years–since nearby St. George’s Church was destroyed and a number of clergy in the area were kidnapped and killed. Yon reports that a crowd of locals welcomed home the Roman Catholic bishop. “They were joined at the service by soldiers from the 2-12 infantry battalion, many of whom had fought hard to secure these neighborhood streets. Members of the hard-fighting Iraqi Army 3rd Division were also here for this special day.”
Many local Muslims were in attendance at the service (and yes, it was a Mass–and yes, there are huge theological issues with the Mass–just hold on that for a few minutes, OK?). The locals sent out a plea for their Christian neighbors to come home.
I’m not going to engage in analysis about the American news media or speculate about the significance of the presence of local Muslims at a Catholic mass in a Baghdad neighborhood. What is interesting is the “Y’all come home” plea to the Christians who have fled. Whatever relationships were like prior to 2003, whatever politics are in play, whatever kind of understanding these folk have or don’t have about the gospel, the local Muslim neighbors want their Christian neighbors to come back. That says a lot for the kind of people these Christians are. Could the same be said in your neighborhood if the Christian folk moved out?