Asia Update

Blog re Riverside Vineyard 2010 Thailand Trip

2010-04-05T18:26:00.001Z

http://riversidethailand10.blogspot.com/2010_04_05_archive.html

Burma and Forced Migration

2010-02-10T19:34:00.017Z

Last night I went to hear Douglas Alexander MP, the Secretary of State for International Development, speak about the work of DFID (Department for International Development) for the UK Government. Whilst not answering my question quite so directly as I'd hoped, he assured the voters present that he understood something of the Thai/ Burma border situation, having visited Burma (http://www.fmreview.org/FMRpdfs/FMR30/6.pdf)

The situation I raised was regarding the Shan, a people (amongst others) who have lacked the public profile maybe afforded to the Karen and Karenni peoples, and yet, like many minority groups in Burma, filtering into Thailand, without identity papers, surviving through prostitution, fuelling the trade in human trafficking that haunts the border of Thailand and Burma. I heard a while back of someone going, credit card in hand, to buy children (they then set up an orphanage).

When children are a commodity like a bag of groceries, we realise (one hopes we do) that there is something deeply disturbing with the devaluation of human life. Or do we? After all, we fail to address this dilemna in the family planning clinic when advising on abortion, or in the elderly care home when considering the dignity of a client in the final phases of death who might be considered for euthanasia one day.

Is there a space in us that needs to review our 'compassion fatigue'as it was once coined so cruelly? Perhaps there is something that needs to happen to us that took hold of Wilberforce - a deep and unrelenting passion for people in God's image that fuels our lives to fight for them to the last. I mean not just feel mildly pitying but profoundly, life-capsizing, political-corridors-storming, Church-and-Society alarm-clocking compassion that weeps and sweeps change.

Contextualization - an Asian and European perspective

2010-02-01T15:14:00.003Z

This is an essay I recently wrote regarding the issue of contextualization -an issue vital to missions today.

In this essay I have sought to highlight both the concept of contextualization and explain its broader significance and current issues that I have encountered in missiology. Communicating to a diversity of culture and context is a challenge. For example, one hundred separate ethnic groups were recognised in North Vietnam in 1958 , Martin Saunders of Youthwork Magazine talks of a complexity of youth culture in the UK that can only be reached in broad brushstrokes by a local church. Enlarge that worldwide and the task of addressing each one seems overwhelming.

Contextualization is a concept facing Christians in every situation. Contextualization addresses the question: how does the gospel and Christian faith ‘translate’ successfully from one culture to another, without losing its integrity? The origin of such a need is rooted in the fact that God has a message to bring into the context of humanity (Philippians 2:7-8).But for us, we may not so readily let go of (what are assumed) superiorities or priorities.

Biblical pioneers were faced with bringing the gospel to a different context, and the ensuing challenges (e.g. Acts 14:8-18 the sacrificial response in Lystra and Derbe or Acts15:5-6 and Galatians 2:11-14, with questions regarding following Jewish customs). Sometimes cited as an early approach to contextualization, Count Zinzendorf, on preparing Moravians for work in Greenland (begun in 1733), advised them not to use terms regarding sacrifice, as this was not understood by autochthonous shamanism. Zinzendorf emphasised the point of greatest need as providing the key reference in the understanding of the need for a saviour.

Newbiggin highlights the danger of an assumption that we are delivering a gospel untainted by our own culture. Likewise, a recipient culture may value issues that are less than central, even quite contrary to gospel values. The interaction between Modern Christian culture, Biblical culture and Target culture, (a Three-Culture Model) gives us a picture of an ongoing conversation. This is significantly different to ‘Indigenization’, ‘Adaptation’ or ‘Accommodation’, Newbiggin argues, in that the culture with a message and the culture receiving it are both dynamic.

Hiebert demonstrates a process of evaluating existing Muslim customs, gathering information on them and reflecting theologically in order to put them in the light of biblical teaching. This can create a new contextual practice. When existing customs are accepted uncritically or rejected and customs are still practiced despite Christian faith, syncretism can develop. If the gospel cannot address existing customs, the gospel can be seen as foreign and rejected.

Lingenfelter describes contextualization as an appropriate framing of the gospel – making it applicable in terms of ‘language and communication forms’. It has to do with the gospel being meaningful, connecting to what matters most in the culture. Contextualization is about the gospel ‘making sense’ and ‘coming alive’ as Newbiggin describes, in the context of the culture to which it is being received. But this necessitates some critical acknowledgement – not all cultural approaches to the Christian message will be the same, and a theological analysis is required by the missiologist. Newbiggin exemplifies this within a pluralist society (both India and, as he argues, such is true increasingly in European culture). The ‘domestication’ of the gospel, as he terms it, can change its core identity.

Contextualization, in the view of Hesselgrave and Rommen, is necessary for world evangelization to be successful . Kirk states that contextualization is something that acknowledges the reciprocal influences involved when the gospel interacts with a cultural context.

The first widespread use of the word ‘contextualization’ seems to have originated in the 1970’s largely as a realization that a shift was developing. The Two-Thirds World had a growing Church, and with it, new approaches to theology were being considered. The term ‘contextualization’, surfaced amongst the circles of the Theological Education Fund (TEF) in the issue of educating and forming people for the church’s ministry. As Hesselgrave and Rommem outline, the developing first (“advance”) and second (“re-think”) mandates of the TEF and discussions within the World Council of Churches (WCC) led to questions that the new committee of the TEF sought to implement in a third (“reform”) mandate. Some of the dispute around contextualization is immediately apparent: the TEF committee sought to address a ‘crisis of faith’, development and social justice issues and the debates between local contexts and ‘a universal technological civilization’ .

Bosch outlines various aspects of contextualization: both indigenization models and socio-economic ones, and suggests the concept of part of the process of a new paradigm – a major shift towards an ecumenical missionary paradigm. This is a far cry from the persecution of sects considered quickly as heterodoxy or heresy , and often suffering for what we might consider less syncretic or denominational differences in faith or practice today as the Waldensians did .

Nicholls cites that concerns developed regarding the WCC approach to theological matters as the authority and role of scripture came under discussion in the 1960’s and early 1970’s. This had a huge impact on approaches to the issue. The widespread debate over contextualization soon becomes apparent, in that discussions regarding the gospel and its interactions with culture were evident at the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in 1974 and prompted the Lausanne Committee’s Theology and Education Group to explore these further in a consultation at Willowbank in 1978, resulting in LOP2 ‘The Willowbank Report: Gospel and Culture’. This was later followed by a consultation in Haslev, Denmark in 1997 called Gospel Contextualization Revisited sponsored by Theology and Strategy Working Group of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization and the Institute for the Study of Islam and Christianity.

As a need, the contextualization of the gospel is essential as a process for translating the scriptures, communicating core dogmas, and enabling the culture to receive the gospel clearly. An issue as crucial as the nature of God’s very being, requires careful thought in bible translation. A recent dispute arose in Malaysia over the use of the word Allah as being a name for God amongst Christians. Traditionally, in many Islamic countries, including Indonesia nearby, this has been acceptable (e.g.in Arabic translations of the scriptures). A similar conflict has arisen in Mongolia between different translation groups over the concept of God as Burhan: a word more familiar to Buddhists. The complexities of the Mongolian context were highlighted further by Gibbens this January in writing about the Church’s response to a culture heavily influenced by Shamanism .

In a Skype conversation recently (25 January 2010), a missionary friend in Thailand struggled to make sense of cultural passivity: young believers passively accept the views of those who are older. What are cultural styles of communication that are effective? What about the lack of commitment, or difficulties in decision-making or the way people cannot seem to act disloyally to their elders, even when told to engage in sexual activity to provide for a parent’s new business premises? Where is the line between ‘yes’ and ‘no’ to others you should respect? To what extent is ‘missionary paternalism’ a failure in a culture where paternalism is expected? Ubolwan Mejudhon suggests colonization, modernization and the Vietnam War have caused enormous damage to relationships between Christians and the Thai. Mejudhon argues reconciliation is a vital part of Thai relational culture and is a necessary focus to heal relationships between Western missionary workers and the Thai people .

Contextualization is a critical issue for the Church in Europe too. In an interview on Premier Radio, Martin Saunders, editor of Youthwork Magazine spelled out the challenges of a highly digitally-networked generation, and the so-called ‘missing generation’ in many churches of 18-30 year olds . Has the Church missed many of them through irrelevant models and approaches? It was recently announced that the average age of Church attendees in the UK is 61 years of age (the general population being 48 on average) , but the same article noted that other institutions are losing membership, as inherent distrust in institutions deepens. In reference to the Scottish Church, Ross points out the difficulties now faced by a younger Church (from continents with vibrant growth) revisiting Europe, only to find an aged parent apparently confused and somewhat embarrassing to be associated with . The growing ethnic churches , especially in London, may also need to consider how to cross-culturally reach the white British population, or at least to more effectively partner with them.

In conclusion, contextualization is necessary for worldwide situations, such as those mentioned, including in a secular climate in the UK or Europe. It is vital in connecting mission and culture globally. There has been considerable concern at times that it might ‘muddy the waters’ of mission although at the same time bring relevance to the message. The necessity of aligning a contextual process with a biblical analysis of such is, in my mind, as essential as sensitivity to culture. Much can be gained from reflecting on past endeavours at contextual approaches – both successful and those that have ended as syncretism or unsuccessful. In doing this, alongside conversation with indigenous believers wherever possible, lessons can be gained. A wider discussion, as has occurred through initiatives such as those by the WCC and LCWE, are important to assess and reassess methodologies, especially in a world where all cultures are dynamic and practitioners are constantly learning by the application of contextual mission.

Bibliography

Hesselgrave, D.J. & Rommen, E. Contextualization: Meanings, Methods and Models (Leicester: Apollos,1989)
Heibert, P.G. Anthropological Insights for Missionaries (Grand Rapids:Baker,1985) cited in Encountering the World of Islam Edited by Swartley, K.E. (Milton Keynes: Authentic Publishing, 2008)
Kirk, A.J. What is Mission? Theological Explorations (London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 1999)
Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization The Manilla Manifesto an elaboration of The Lausanne Covenant fifteen years later (Pasedena: The Castle Press, 1989)
Lingenfelter,S. Transforming Culture : A Challenge to Christian Mission 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids:Baker Book House Company, 1998)
Newbiggin,L. The Gospel in a Pluralist Society (London: SPCK, 1989)
Nicholls, B Contextualization: A Theology of Gospel and Culture (Exeter: Paternoster,1979)
Van, D.N Ethnological and Religious Problems in Vietnam (Hanoi:Social Sciences Publishing House, 1988) cited in Asian Minorities Outreach The Peoples of Vietnam (Bradenton,FL: Asia Harvest,1998)

Reports and Articles

LOP 2: The Willowbank Report: Consultation on Gospel and
Culture Lausanne Occasional Paper 2 (Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, 1978)
http://www.lausanne.org/all-documents/lop-2.html [accessed 27 January 2010]

Mejudhon, U. ‘The Thai Way of Meekness’ p.277-286 in Peoples of the Buddhist World: A Christian Prayer Guide Hattaway,P. (Carlisle: Piquant Editions,2004)

Ministry in Context: The Third Mandate Programme of the Theological Education Fund (1970-77) (Bromley, England: Theological Education Fund, 1972)

‘Old Church and New Evangelism – A Scottish Perspective on Christian Mission in Today’s Europe’ in Missiology: An International Review, Vol.XXXVII, no.4, October 2009

Web articles and blogs

Beckford, M & Bloxham, A. ‘Average age churchgoers now 61, Church of England report finds’ Daily Telegraph 22.1.2010
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/7054097/Average-age-of-churchgoers-now-61-Church-of-England-report-finds.html [accessed:31.1.2010]

Blake,D. ‘English Church Census 2005 Reveals Hope Amid Further Decline’ Christian Today 22.9.2006 [accessed: 31.1.2010] http://www.christiantoday.com/article/english.church.census.2005.reveals.hope.amid.further.decline/7709.htm [accessed: 31.1.2010]

Gibbens,J. ‘Mongolia: A lesson to learn’ in Evangelicals Now, Aug.2007
http://www.e-n.org.uk/p-3923-Mongolia-a-lesson-to-learn.htm [accessed: 31 January 2010]

Peck,A. ‘The Leadership File’ Interview with Martin Saunders, editor of Youthwork Magazine 31.1.2010 (online podcast will be downloadable on:
http://ondemand.premier.org.uk/leadershipfile/AudioFeed.aspx
[accessed: 31.1.2010]

Tiplady,R. ‘From Spirituality and Community into Mission-the Moravian Model’
http://www.tiplady.org.uk/pdfs/Moravians.pdf [accessed: 31 January 2010]

Unspun ‘The Allah Issue: the difference in Malaysia and Indonesia’
http://theunspunblog.com/2010/01/13/the-allah-issue-the-difference-in-malaysia-and-indonesia/ [accessed: 31 January 2010]

Watt,I. ‘News from Mongolia- John and Altaa Gibbens’ Asia Update, 24.1.2010
http://illustatedlife.blogspot.com/ [accessed: 31 January 2010]

News From Mongolia - John and Altaa Gibbens

2010-01-24T09:42:00.004Z

My good friends John and Altaa Gibbens have been involved in Bible translation and later humanitarian work, in Mongolia since the early 1970's. Altaa (Altaanchimeg) was possibly the first Christian convert in Mongolia in the twentieth century - in 1970's and early 1980's you could probably count the number of Mongolia believers on one hand, spread across a country of about 3 million, but the size of western Europe.

After alot of initial interest in Christianity and a revival of Buddhism, many Mongolians have now returned to Shamanistic beliefs -below gives a bit of insight about what this means in Mongolian society.

QUICK PRAYER POINTS No. 73
========================

Thursday 21st January 2010

Some people have requested some matters for prayer. These are:

• Please give thanks to God for the continued work on the translation.
Now a good proportion of the Bible text has been edited after the
second read-through. Editing started in September 2009. Following
completion of that, the whole will need a quick read through, to
ensure the changes made read correctly and well. After that it can be
typeset. Work on compiling the glossary is going along steadily. That
and the introduction will both need to be translated.
• Since the early 1990s Mongolia received very many international
loans amounting to many billions of dollars. It was widely alleged
that the main of this money disappeared into the pockets of people
through corruption. These loans now have to be repaid.
• In recent years, there has been a decline of Buddhism and
“Christianity” yet the very strong and very widespread rise of a far
more natural Mongolian religion. This is shamanism, the religion which
Genghis Khan followed, the name in whose power he conquered Euro-Asia
to be the world’s largest empire. Mongolians do not question the
strength of the supernatural power that is being talked about here. It
is deeply revered as very strong and people are very much afraid of
it. No one jokes about it or plays with it. Mongolians believe they
are connecting with the power in space, the “eternal sky ruler”.
Nowadays most families have one of their members as a practising
shaman.

Professor, Dr Bum-Ochir, who studied anthropology at Cambridge
University appeared on Mongolian TV channel 8 03/01/2009 and stated,
“many people are becoming shamans”. This is mainly people aged 18-25.
He said, “any of them are well off and well educated and have been
abroad to live or to study”. Some are giving up well paid careers to
do that. “It is not a backward, blind faith”, he said, “Many have had
visions and spiritual experiences”. Tuva is a province in Russia, to
the north of the Mongolian border. He said, “A man who became a shaman
had no knowledge at all of the Tuvinian language, yet under the power
of the spirit possessing him, he could speak the language perfectly
and intelligibly”. Bum-Ochir said “society is suitable for that now as
for the 70 years under Socialism shamanism was illegal”. He stated,
“it is not a religion, as it lacks any monastery, books or structure,
but depends on supernatural power falling on people who become
shamans”. “No one can volunteer to become that”. Only the “eternal sky
ruler” can send a spirit on a person and they have to receive it.
“Most of shamans are completely genuine. People do not desire to
become shamans. At first they refuse it. They then face getting ill or
dying unless they do become shamans. Many people come to me and say
they cannot live unless they become a shaman”.

There is no human mediator, it is a direct relationship between
“eternal sky ruler” and the person themselves.

The period under Socialism merely meant that these kind of beliefs
went underground, but they did not at all disappear. Thus, in
Mongolia, proof for the resurrection is never asked for, nor is an
argument for creation as against Darwinism. The reason is simple.
Mongolians have within their society a very strong belief in spirit
powers. For them, the question about the resurrection is not whether
the resurrection occurred, but whether or not it was a material body
as against a purely spiritual event and result. Mongolians believe in
supernatural and thus are very different from the materialistic West.
Evangelistic materials developed for the West do not work in Mongolia.

On 03/01/2009 three Mongolian girl students were overheard talking
with each other on a bus in Ulaanbaatar. They talked of a person they
knew who hade received the spirit of a hunting dog. That spirit helped
them get into college and have success. One of the girls had two
relatives who became ill. One became a shaman and the other a
Christian. The girls mocked the one who had become a Christian as they
knew shamanism is more powerful. The person whao had gone to a
Christian church later gave up the church. The 3 girls very obviously
strongly believed in shamanism.

It is true the era of 70 years of Socialism left a “spiritual vacuum”
but these people were not searching for God. There was no desire to be
set free from sin before the perfection and sinlessness of God. What
has excited them is the resurrection of the sort of faith that
genuinely is Mongolian. Shamanism has many seeming advantages over
either Buddhism or Christianity. These are:

o it is completely Mongolian, not foreign
o it requires no training but a spiritual experience from above
o no foreign language study is ever needed
o no big change to Mongolian life is needed
o it helps everyday life as it deals with curses
o it feels imminent
o a woman has complete equal rights, unlike Buddhism and Christianity
which have men at the top
o becoming a shaman is quick
o not the slightest risk of any persecution
o plenty of money as people pay them to place curses on others, have
curses placed om them by others removed, and all sorts of spiritual
things such as telling of a dead relative. Like the witch of Endor in
the Bible, they get the voice and all the rest of the dead person. It
is completely convincing as the person for whom this is done knows the
shaman has never met the dead relative and knows nothing at all about
them. People do not dare to refuse money, as they may be cursed, and a
shaman curse wrecks a family and brings death
o in Christianity the minister is seen as only a volunteer and in
Mongolia they are seen as merely getting money to live on. No shaman
will ever do that. They become shamans due to a spirit call.

Christianity has therefore spread in direct relation not only to the
amount of money a “church” has, but to the extent to which that form
of Christianity is alike to shamanism. Mongolians expect blessings
from the supernatural world. Thus talk of anything supernatural
attracts them. They are certainly not interested in sin and repentance
and the work of Christ on the cross, but in blessing. Many Mongolians
and missionaries frequently comment on this. Thus, without repentance,
the big interest has ben in talk about the Holy Spirit to give spirit
power and blessings, it is said. The missionary has not realised this
Mongolian desire for magic and the supernatural. They are used to the
West, where there is skepticism and materialistic concepts and the
idea of science having disproved the supernatural. In Mongolia,
existence of the supernatural is not doubted. Thus, new age teaching
and so on is extremely popular. Mongolians pretending to be “pastors”
realise this and use that sort of interest to attract more people,
talking much about the family and blessing. In this way they hope to
attract more foreign money. Mongolians do not have the concept of the
family and do not concentrate on it. This is a foreign, Western idea.

• Very recently International Support Service (ISS) needed to render
accounts to the Mongolian tax authority. The tax officer, a woman in
her 40s said she once went to a church, and said it was full of
screaming, crying women. She quickly escaped from it. She said people
tell each other to “go and get free coal” from this or that “church”.
(They attract people by giving out aid goods.) She sat in the office
reading the New Testament in Mongolian. She said it sounds OK. She
asked why people go to Gandan to the Buddhist monastery to donate, but
go to Christian groups to get. Underneath she seems interested. She
asked why though people connected with Christianity commit suicide. He
husband refuses to let children to read anything about Christianity.
He hates the way people from religious groups come and knock the door.
This is due to the suicides. Some say this is due to the demonic
activity from mixing shamanism (tenger) and Buddhism (burhan) with the
Bible. It was seen that the dislike she spoke of is due to the
suicides.
• There are major problems with ISS taxation. Most people in Mongolia
evade taxation. They do all in cash only. A new law has been produced
that if an organisation pays for something to some who does not pay
tax, the organisation buying the goods has to pay 10% tax on all such
to the tax authority. In Mongolia, many provide receipts. Many are
given by people who are not registered for tax. One can never get a
receipt from such as a market trader or a taxi driver. This new law is
not known by people. ISS then did not pay realise it had to pay taxes
in this way. ISS bought goods and obtained receipts, not realising
they were false and not printed as for tax. The tax inspection is over
the years 2007-2009. ISS is then being fined for not paying, and has
to pay over $1600 for this. This looks like it is a real tightening on
religious organisations in Mongolia. Christianity has created due to
giving aid and the suicides and the halls full of screaming women is
even more creating a very real hatred of even the word “Jesus”, or
“Christian”.

Another problem is in relation to another new tax law. I, John get
support from UK, etc., so tax is an issue that end. Of course I do not
get paid from ISS, etc. However, the new tax law is that if a person
is connected to an organisation, but not paid by it, the whole of the
money they have brought into Mongolia is taxed at 10% on all. We had
no idea of that new law. That means we could be fined to pay 20% of
all the money we have brought to Mongolia to live on 2007-2009. They
are no concessions nor are they any “tax-free” allowances at all.

We have been hit hard by the recession in two ways:

- our income has dropped by 25% in a year
- this end has become now more costly than ever

This all means we need your prayers for all this.

We have an enemy:

NIV Ephesians 6.12 …our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but
against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of
this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly realms.

The Bible does NOT say such do not exist. It does very much exist. It
should be noted that these things concerning shamanism are not made
up. The curses and so forth really do work.

NIV Ephesians 2.1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and
sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this
world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is
now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among
them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and
following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature
objects of wrath.

The Mongolians have who they think is a friend, named, “the ruler of
the kingdom of the air”. That is where their power comes from.

That is why Paul writes:

NIV Ephesians 6.19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth,
words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery
of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I
may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

We need you to pray FERVENTLY for God's work here and much for us.

John and Altaa in Mongolia

QUICK PRAYER POINTS No. 74
========================

Friday 22nd January 2010

There is a question arising from “Quick prayer points 73” which I sent
out yesterday. I need to answer it.

How do we, as believers, see the shaman? Are we also afraid of his
powers and curses?

Yesterday afternoon, just before I started to write that letter, a man
in his late twenties Uuraa was visiting us in the office. He runs a
stall in the market from which we buy mutton. Some months ago he had a
serious car crash so one of us went to see him in hospital. Yesterday
afternoon he came to say “thank you”. Whilst he was here, a Bible
Society employee talked to him about God. I left her to it and started
writing the letter. She told him who God is and that due to the
salvation she has in Christ, she is not afraid of any shaman. Uuraa
was absolutely astonished at that. No Mongolian ever says such a
dangerous thing. He left with a copy of the translation of Brownlow
North’s book on the rich man and Lazarus to read.

The shamans maintain they are in touch with the very greatest power of
the sky. That is why no Mongolian will ever say they do not fear them.
They advertise on TV, to come and offer sacrifices, to heal, to deal
with curses and so on. Everyone knows they are not pretending, but
really do such things. That is why they boldly advertise their
services. They know it really does work.

In 1980 a plumber in Ulaanbaatar wanted help. He told how one day he
was drunk and fought with a man who then cursed him and his family. In
a short time after that, his wife and children all fell ill and died.
Then the man started getting visits at night which woke him up. It was
some evil being which was ripping at his stomach. He could do nothing
about it. He was so scared that he became a night worker so as to try
to avoid going to sleep. This man was delivered by God entirely from
that.

We know first hand these things are real. It is nothing to do with
deception using strings and mirrors and so on. Exodus states the
magicians in Egypt could turn a stick into a snake (7.11-12); turn
water into blood (7.22); produce frogs (8.7). It was not pretence, but
real. When the witch of Endor called up the Samuel for king Saul, that
was not pretence. Every sinner in the world is in fact following satan
so being in touch with him is nothing exceptional or interesting. It
is the normal human condition, due to disobedience to God.

ESV Ephesians 2.1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in
which you once walked, following the course of this world, following
the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in
the sons of disobedience—3 among whom we all once lived in the
passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the
mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

Seeing the reality, the fear of all Mongolians, how is it that the 30
year old single mother Bible Society employee can look a Mongolian man
straight in the eye and say with complete conviction she has no fear
of that which every single Mongolian is terrified? It is because she
knows that God has saved her and that she will never be condemned by
him for sin. (Romans 8.1) She knows that God has not merely saved her,
but that she and all of God’s children are seated with Christ in God’s
presence:

ESV Ephesians 2.4 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great
love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our
trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been
saved—6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the
heavenly places in Christ Jesus…

She knows that passage and is certain it applies to her. Where is that
place? It is God’s throne! That is what Christ did for her. He sent
God in the flesh, Jesus, who was punished instead of her on the cross
and she, the 30 year old single mother, by faith is united with him,
her sins are forgiven, she is married to Christ, as are all believers,
and as they all are, one with him are seated there. That is where
Christ is:

ESV Ephesians 1.15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith
in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not
cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that
the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a
spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having
the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the
hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious
inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness
of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his
great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the
dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far
above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every
name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

That is important, as Christ, and she seated with him, are far above
satan and anything else. Satan is a mere creation of God. He has no
more power and authority than he received from God.

ESV Genesis 3.1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast
of the field that the LORD God had made.

Jesus came and destroyed what satan did:

ESV 1 John 3.8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil,
for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son
of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

How? There is an important difference between God and satan. Satan is
proud. The mark of someone who is genuinely called by God to serve him
is:

ESV Numbers 12.3 Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people
who were on the face of the earth.

One attribute of God is that of boundless and utter humility. That is
why anyone he has sent must be humble. This applied to the King of
Kings:

ESV Philippians 2.5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in
Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count
equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing,
taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And
being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to
the point of death, even death on a cross.

You see what Christ made himself? God of Gods, gave himself into the
hands of his wicked creation, to be tortured, humiliated and hung
naked as a common criminal on a cross. It was no rapid death. He was
abandoned by God the Father himself, accounted as guilty of all sin.
That is the ultimate in humility. Only God could be that humble. That
then resulted in:

ESV Philippians 2.9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed
on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the
earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father.

All, whether the devil or man is below Christ. Seated with Christ
above all and very power and authority, the Mongolian single mother
has not any fear of the shaman. She knows the position God has placed
every believer in Christ. God alone did that.

Yesterday evening, when reading the Bible with Tegshee (Tiki for
short) about Sodom, he commented, “It sounds better than Ulaanbaatar”.

Let us praise and give thanks to God for what he did for us through
Christ, for his unfathomable humility and meekness, for his grace and
favour on us, that has seated us with him, far above all.

John and Altaa in Mongolia

IRIN Asia | NEPAL: Why are so many women killing themselves? | Asia | Nepal | Gender Issues Health & Nutrition | News Item

2010-01-22T12:00:00.001Z

Commodity Crises and Capturing the Moment

2010-01-03T08:32:00.008Z

There is much talk of the commodity crisis these days. I just noticed in the papers yesterday, the position of China in terms of rare earth elements [1].

The role of Mongolia also, seems to be coming to the fore in recent news this autumn that vast mineral resources may open up to the wider world.[2]

In a country of around 3 million, the least densely populated nation (excluding only the Antartican continent) the spread of a significantly nomadic and pastoral people is vast. Will the development of mining opportunities bring into Mongolia and it's economy a broader range of skilled expertise that will benefit the nation? In the communist era, Russian influence moulded architecture, medicine, politics and faith (or atheism at least).What benefits economically, culturally or spiritually could this bring - or not?

The increasing veneer of Western Capitalism has had some impact, and yet investors have been slow to see it as an open door with the control government policy still has, state ownership within operations, not to mention the level of siphoned resources that seem to be so mismanaged, some would strongly protest.

In this instance, there is the typical blessing and curse of the 'colony by default' - not a geographical territory exactly as in the mode of 19th Century Africa, but in the form of increasing economic influence. Maybe for this reason, the loss of the culture, identity and religious foundations that have re-emerged post-Russia are not going to be relinquished easily.

Meanwhile,from that corner of the world, an influence and resources of a different mine are being dug out. The treasures of wisdom sold and distrubuted on the open world market are not simply copper or rare earth elements (Job 28:2,12, Colossians 2:3). The Dalai Lama (the 'Ocean of wisdom') is on a drive to influence the West, just as much (perhaps more than) we seem intent on influencing the East. Germans, for one, in their spiritual seeking, rated the Dalai Lama more highly as a figure of wisdom in a 2002 poll in 'Geo Wissen' magazine than Pope John Paul II.[3]

It is time perhaps for us to rise to the occasion to pray once more for the Buddhist World. For it is a world who's economic and religious influence is unsurprisingly more than we would like to admit. The Dalai Lama's message to Canadians in 2007 'Global Citizenship through Universal Responsibility' to mark his visit there, appeals to a generation looking for worldwide inclusive solutions to peaceful co-existence.

His popularity in Austrailia, Canada, Germany and many other places in the West, require Christians to address the spiritual needs of this generation again. At a time when Islam is seeking to win the West, by fair means or often foul from our perspective, the same is true of Buddhism: but in a gentle and non-violent manner which is far more subtle at times. It is time to win hearts with the love of God afresh in the Buddhist world (both in traditionally Buddhist countries and in the Western Buddhist population too), and to do it by prayer, with grace and wisdom and the in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Footnotes:

1 http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article6374603.ece

2
http://seekingalpha.com/article/165235-what-mongolia-s-mines-mean-for-metal-etfs

3
http://www.tibet.ca/en/newsroom/wtn/archive/old?y=2002&m=5&p=19_1
http://www.geo.de/GEO/fotografie/portfolio-des-monats/54055.html

4
http://www.tibet.ca/_media/PDF/commemorative_book.pdf

Plans for Italy and Europe as a base for Missions

2009-12-23T11:25:00.003Z

We have been looking at the feasabilities of spending more time in Europe and especially Italy, and developing missions relationships there. In September 2009 we went to visit the OM Italia team based at Torre Pellice in Piedmont, right up in the Alps of Northern Italy. Later, in November, I was able to meet up with Stefan Mickel and catch up about issues to do with Cornerstone Asia, in Worms, Germany. This was combined with a prayer trip through France, Belgium and Germany.

Historically, the south of Germany has been crucial in the missions movement - and along with the UK, was a great sending centre prior to the wars of the twentieth century. That has not been completely lost, and the legacy of movements such as the Moravians and Waldensians is at the heart of what Europe needs to rediscover in it's Missions heritage.

We visited a centre that has the potential to being one of these bases for Missions - Forterocca, a converted army base in Bobbio Pellice - up the Pellice Valley from Torre Pellice. The area is steeped in history in regards to the Waldensians, and is in many ways still the central focus for the Waldensians today. Hudreds, if not thousands, were martyred in this valley, especially in the great persecution of 1655, although prior to this waves of persecution came through the centuries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldensians

We visited Gaertringen in Southern Germany in 2007 and 2008, and have seen God begin to open a door there for a friend to establish a centre of ministry and teaching, we see the possibility of key locations for both refuges in difficult times and mission-sending/ intercession bases being established in certain places on the continent.

This is a short video of the Forterocca project

OM Italia - some of the work done with the team at Torre Pellice (OM Italia headquarters)

Asia Missions - some recommendations

2009-12-23T10:31:00.002Z

Gospel for Asia

http://www.gfa.org/ Gospel for Asia - set up by K.P.Yohanan - and check out K.P.'s regular broadcasts on Premier Radio 'Road to Reality'

http://www.premier.org.uk/features/azofmission/gospelforasia.aspx

http://www.premierradio.org.uk/ministry/road%20to%20reality.aspx

Asia Minorities Outreach

http://www.asiaharvest.org/pages/faq.html
Asia Minorities Outreach publish resources and support projects among some of the most unreched groups of people witihn Asia.

Good Friday .....what he did!

2009-04-13T15:23:00.001Z

Good Friday 2009 - Ending from buckheadchurch on Vimeo.

North Korea - you can help .....

2009-04-13T09:58:00.001Z

Friends

This is an excellent site ... http://www.nkchildren.org/

Working with the Akha people Northern Thailand

2009-04-13T09:53:00.004Z

http://loriandpaul.hopedenver.com/index.php

The Vernons are based in Chiang Rai - worth a read...

Suppose one of you wants to (re)build a tower...

2009-04-12T23:23:00.005Z

Luke 14:27-28 Isaiah 61:4 Nehemiah

If you have felt discouraged, if you have forgotten 'the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone..'Acts 4:11 (Jesus)...then watch this - this is God's plan for you - to recover, rebuild, restore, reconstruct, redeem, renew, ressurect you - and do the same for others! We look forward to a city with foundations who's builder and architect is God!

A Doctor's analysis of crucifixion - from Rob de Luca

2009-04-11T16:26:00.002Z

What did the body of Jesus of Nazareth actually endure during those hours of torture?
This is a study of the practice of crucifixion itself; that is, torture and execution by fixation to a cross.
Apparently, the first known practice of crucifixion was by the Persians. Alexander and his generals brought it back to the Mediterranean world - to Egypt and to Carthage. The Romans apparently learned the practice from the Carthaginians and (as with almost everything the Romans did) rapidly developed a very high degree of efficiency and skill at it. A number of Roman authors (Livy, Cicer, Tacitus) comment on crucifixion, and several innovations, modifications, and variations are described in the ancient literature. For instance, the upright portion of the cross (or stipes) could have the cross-arm (or patibulum) attached two or three feet below its top in what we commonly think of as the Latin cross. The most common form used in our Lord's day, however, was the Tau cross, shaped like our T.
In this cross, the patibulum was placed in a notch at the top of the stipes. There is archeological evidence that it was on this type of cross that Jesus was crucified. Without any historical or biblical proof, Medieval and Renaissance painters have given us our picture of Christ carrying the entire cross. But the upright post, or stipes, was generally fixed permanently in the ground at the site of execution and the condemned man was forced to carry the patibulum, weighing about 110 pounds, from the prison to the place of execution.
Many of the painters and most of the sculptors of crucifixion, also show the nails through the palms. Historical Roman accounts and experimental work have established that the nails were driven between the small bones of the wrists (radial and ulna) and not through the palms. Nails driven through the palms will strip out between the fingers when made to support the weight of the human body. The misconception may have come about through a misunderstanding of Jesus' words to Thomas, "Observe my hands." Anatomists, both modern and ancient, have always considered the wrist as part of the hand.
A titulus, or small sign, stating the victim's crime was usually placed on a staff, carried at the front of the procession from the prison, and later nailed to the cross so that it extended above the head. This sign with its staff nailed to the top of the cross would have given it somewhat the characteristic form of the Latin cross.
But, of course, the physical passion of the Christ began in Gethsemane. Of the many aspects of this initial suffering, the one of greatest physiological interest is the bloody sweat. It is interesting that St. Luke, the physician, is the only one to mention this. He says, "And being in agony, He prayed the longer. And His sweat became as drops of blood, trickling down upon the ground." Every ruse (trick) imaginable has been used by modern scholars to explain away this description, apparently under the mistaken impression that this just doesn't happen. A great deal of effort could have been saved had the doubters consulted the medical literature. Though very rare, the phenomenon of Hematidrosis, or bloody sweat, is well documented. Under great emotional stress of the kind our Lord suffered, tiny capillaries in the sweat glands can break, thus mixing blood with sweat. This process might well have produced marked weakness and possible shock.
After the arrest in the middle of the night, Jesus was next brought before the Sanhedrin and Caiphus, the High Priest; it is here that the first physical trauma was inflicted. A soldier struck Jesus across the face for remaining silent when questioned by Caiphus. The palace guards then blind-folded Him and mockingly taunted Him to identify them as they each passed by, spat upon Him, and struck Him in the face.
In the early morning, battered and bruised, dehydrated, and exhausted from a sleepless night, Jesus is taken across the Praetorium of the Fortress Antonia, the seat of government of the Procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate. You are, of course, familiar with Pilate's action in attempting to pass responsibility to Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch of Judea. Jesus apparently suffered no physical mistreatment at the hands of Herod and was returned to Pilate.
It was then, in response to the cries of the mob, that Pilate ordered Bar-Abbas released and condemned Jesus to scourging and crucifixion. There is much disagreement among authorities about the unusual scourging as a prelude to crucifixion. Most Roman writers from this period do not associate the two. Many scholars believe that Pilate originally ordered Jesus scourged as his full punishment and that the death sentence by crucifixion came only in response to the taunt by the mob that the Procurator was not properly defending Caesar against this pretender who allegedly claimed to be the King of the Jews. Preparations for the scourging were carried out when the Prisoner was stripped of His clothing and His hands tied to a post above His head. It is doubtful the Romans would have made any attempt to follow the Jewish law in this matter, but the Jews had an ancient law prohibiting more than forty lashes. The Roman legionnaire steps forward with the flagrum (or flagellum) in his hand. This is a short whip consisting of several heavy, leather thongs with two small balls of lead attached near the ends of each. The heavy whip is brought down with full force again and again across Jesus' shoulders, back, and legs.
At first the thongs cut through the skin only. Then, as the blows continue, they cut deeper into the subcutaneous tissues, producing first an oozing of blood from the capillaries and veins of the skin, and finally spurting arterial bleeding from vessels in the underlying muscles. The small balls of lead first produce large, deep bruises which are broken open by subsequent blows. Finally the skin of the back is hanging in long ribbons and the entire area is an unrecognizable mass of torn, bleeding tissue. When it is determined by the centurion in charge that the prisoner is near death, the beating is finally stopped. The half-fainting Jesus is then untied and allowed to slump to the stone pavement, wet with His own blood.
The Roman soldiers see a great joke in this provincial Jew claiming to be king. They throw a robe across His shoulders and place a stick in His hand for a scepter. They still need a crown to make their travesty complete. Flexible branches covered with long thorns (commonly used in bundles for firewood) are plaited into the shape of a crown and this is pressed into His scalp. Again there is copious bleeding, the scalp being one of the most vascular areas of the body.
After mocking Him and striking Him across the face, the soldiers take the stick from His hand and strike Him across the head, driving the thorns deeper into His scalp. Finally, they tire of their sadistic sport and the robe is torn from His back. Already having adhered to the clots of blood and serum in the wounds, its removal causes excruciating pain just as in the careless removal of a surgical bandage, and almost as though He were again being whipped the wounds once more begin to bleed. In deference to Jewish custom, the Romans return His garments. The heavy patibulum of the cross is tied across His shoulders, and the procession of the condemned Christ, two thieves, and the execution detail of Roman soldiers headed by a centurion begins its slow journey along the Via Dolorosa.
In spite of His efforts to walk erect, the weight of the heavy wooden beam, together with the shock produced by copious blood loss, is too much. He stumbles and falls. The rough wood of the beam gouges into the lacerated skin and muscles of the shoulders. He tries to rise, but human muscles have been pushed beyond their endurance. The centurion, anxious to get on with the crucifixion, selects a stalwart North African onlooker, Simon of Cyrene, to carry the cross. Jesus follows, still bleeding and sweating the cold, clammy sweat of shock, until the 650 yard journey from the fortress Antonia to Golgotha is finally completed. Jesus is offered wine mixed with myrrh, a mild analgesic mixture. He refuses to drink. Simon is ordered to place the patibulum on the ground and Jesus quickly thrown backward with His shoulders against the wood. The legionnaire feels for the depression at the front of the wrist. He drives a heavy, square, wrought-iron nail through the wrist and deep into the wood. Quickly, he moves to the other side and repeats the action, being careful not to pull the arms to tightly, but to allow some flexion and movement. The patibulum is then lifted in place at the top of the stipes and the titulus reading, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews," is nailed in place.
The left foot is now pressed backward against the right foot, and with both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees moderately flexed. The Victim is now crucified. As He slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the wrists, excruciating pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain - the nails in the wrists are putting pressure on the median nerves.
As He pushes Himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, He places His full weight on the nail through His feet. Again there is the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the metatarsal bones of the feet. At this point, as the arms fatigue, great waves of cramps sweep over the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push Himself upward. Hanging by his arms, the pectoral muscles are paralyzed and the intercostal muscles are unable to act. Air can be drawn into the lungs, but cannot be exhaled. Jesus fights to raise Himself in order to get even one short breath. Finally, carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream and the cramps partially subside. Spasmodically, he is able to push Himself upward to exhale and bring in the life-giving oxygen.
It was undoubtedly during these periods that He uttered the seven short sentences recorded:
The first, looking down at the Roman soldiers throwing dice for His seamless garment, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."
The second, to the penitent thief, "Today thou shalt be with me in Paradise."
The third, looking down at the terrified, grief-stricken adolescent John - the beloved Apostle - he said, "Behold thy mother." Then, looking to His mother Mary, "Woman behold thy son."
The fourth cry is from the beginning of the 22nd Psalm, "My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?"
Jesus experienced hours of limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain where tissue is torn from His lacerated back as He moves up and down against the rough timber. Then another agony begins -- a terrible crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart. One remembers again the 22nd Psalm, the 14th verse: "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels."
It is now almost over. The loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level; the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissue; the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air. The markedly dehydrated tissues send their flood of stimuli to the brain. Jesus gasps His fifth cry, "I thirst." One remembers another verse from the prophetic 22nd Psalm: "My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou has brought me into the dust of death." A sponge soaked in posca, the cheap, sour wine which is the staple drink of the Roman legionaries, is lifted to His lips. He apparently doesn't take any of the liquid.
The body of Jesus is now in extremes, and He can feel the chill of death creeping through His tissues. This realization brings out His sixth words, possibly little more than a tortured whisper, "It is finished." His mission of atonement has completed. Finally He can allow his body to die.
With one last surge of strength, he once again presses His torn feet against the nail, straightens His legs, takes a deeper breath, and utters His seventh and last cry, "Father! Into thy hands I commit my spirit."
The rest you know. In order that the Sabbath not be profaned, the Jews asked that the condemned men be dispatched and removed from the crosses. The common method of ending a crucifixion was by crurifracture, the breaking of the bones of the legs. This prevented the victim from pushing himself upward; thus the tension could not be relieved from the muscles of the chest and rapid suffocation occurred. The legs of the two thieves were broken, but when the soldiers came to Jesus they saw that this was unnecessary.
Apparently, to make doubly sure of death, the legionnaire drove his lance through the fifth interspace between the ribs, upward through the pericardium and into the heart. The 34th verse of the 19th chapter of the Gospel according to St. John reports: "And immediately there came out blood and water." That is, there was an escape of water fluid from the sac surrounding the heart, giving postmortem evidence that Our Lord died not the usual crucifixion death by suffocation, but of heart failure (a broken heart) due to shock and constriction of the heart by fluid in the pericardium.
Thus we have had our glimpse - including the medical evidence - of that epitome of evil which man has exhibited toward Man and toward God. It has been a terrible sight, and more than enough to leave us despondent and depressed. How grateful we can be that we have the great sequel in the infinite mercy of God toward man - at once the miracle of the atonement (at one ment) and the expectation of the triumphant Easter morning.
Are you moved by what Jesus did for you on the cross? Do you want to receive the salvation Jesus purchased for you at Calvary with His own blood? Pray this prayer with me:
Dear Lord Jesus,
I know that I am a sinner and need your forgiveness. I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and rose from the grave to give me life. I know You are the only way to God so now I want to quit disobeying You and start living for You. Please forgive me, change my life and show me how to know You. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Rob's website http://www.hiswaychurch.com/hisway_church_new_zealand_homepage.htm

North Korea and Christian Persecution

2009-03-27T11:52:00.009Z

The Christian Solidarity Worlwide website ( www.csw.org.uk ) has alot of relevant information regarding the horrendous situation in North Korea, and they have historically sought to campaign for change to happen and to bring the issues to the front stage of international agendas. There is stil much to be done in this area - and much waking up in terms of concern from the International community.

I have just finished reading another (not a light read) book cataloguing the ignorance around what was going on about the death and prison camps of Nazi Europe.

This is not far off the situation in North Korea today: 200,000 people suffer in prison camps and more than 20 million in worsening national poverty and famine ....with little outcry - not just for a few years, for some it has been more than 50 years.

http://dynamic.csw.org.uk/country.asp?s=id&urn=North_Korea

Vitit Muntarbhorn (UN Special Rapporteur) on North Korea

2009-03-21T11:20:00.001Z

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL CONSIDERS SITUATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA
Concludes General Debate on the Promotion and Protection of All Human Rights
16 March 2009

The Human Rights Council this afternoon heard the presentation of the report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, after which it held an interactive dialogue on the report.

The Council also concluded its general debate on the promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development, hearing from a series of non-governmental organizations which raised various issues, including violations of these rights in specific countries; the need for inter-religious dialogue; trafficking in human beings; the impact of the fight against terrorism on human rights; the rights of minorities and religious minorities; the effect of climate change on human rights; and the need to protect human rights defenders, among others.

Vitit Muntarbhorn, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, said the country was under a one-party rule. At the pinnacle was an oppressive regime bent on personal survival, under which the ordinary people underwent intolerable and interminable sufferings. With regard to food and basic necessities, food grants based on rations provided by the State were practised from the early days of the regime as a means of State control over its inhabitants. The system had failed drastically in the 1990s with a critical food shortage leading to rampant malnutrition and other tragedies. Although prohibited by law, torture was extensively practised and abhorrent prison conditions resulted in a myriad of abuses and deprivations, ensuring that many prisons were a death trap for the inmates. The country should, inter alia, immediately ensure effective provision of and access to food and other basic necessities for those in need of assistance and cooperate constructively with United Nations agencies and other humanitarian actors on that issue.

source:
http://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/(httpNewsByYear_en)/B8D1FA23EB8613E4C125757B005DA2DB?OpenDocument

The Hidden Gulag - North Korea

2009-03-21T10:46:00.003Z

The situation in North Korea seems to continue unabated and despite numerous reports the suffering continues.

A detailed report is to be found on the link below in regard to the prison camps:

http://www.hrnk.org/HiddenGulag.pdf

The following video gives a little more insight based on a North Korean's testimony:

NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES IN CHINA

2009-03-02T07:46:00.000Z

http://www.hrnk.org/refugeesReport06.pdf

report regarding North Korean refugees in China.

IT IS TIME FOR NORTH KOREA TO COME TO LIGHT

2009-03-02T07:19:00.002Z

North Korea has probably the most severe violations of Human Rights
A number of years ago I met Soon Ok Lee who wrote a book about her experiences in North Korean prison camps in her book 'eyes of the tailess animals'.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3071464/

Full report about the prison camps:
http://www.hrnk.org/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/this_world/3440771.stm

Shoe manufacture in SE Asia -Jamie Chang's letters to Clarks

2009-02-22T10:05:00.001Z

Source: http://jamiechang.com

An email I wrote to Clark's:

August 27th, 2008
Hello,

I have been a big fan of Clarks for years now. In fact, for several years, Clarks were the only brand of shoe that I bought. I've was recently disappointed however, when I went to buy a new pair and discovered that Clarks are no longer made in England. According to the sales person at the Clarks store in Mill Valley, California, no Clark shoes are made in England. She informed me that Clarks are all made overseas, primarily in China. This greatly disappoints me. Not so much because I am concerned about the quality of Clarks, but more so because I am concerned with supporting brands that care more for profit than fair, decent wages, building infrastructure in countries used for overseas production, fair healthcare and retirement possibilities, and the impact on the environment. I do not believe in exploitation of people for industry profit. If you can send me information on what Clarks comments are on these matters, I would appreciate it.

Otherwise, I would like to make it known that I would gladly pay the extra $20 or $40 dollars for a pair of shoes, if I had the peace of mind that the hands that crafted them are treated fairly.

Thank you for reading through this, regards,
Jamie Chang

Clark's response:

August 28th, 2008
Dear Jamie,

Thank you for your recent email. Clark’s Customer Service is here to make it easy for you to do business with us. It’s as simple as that.

We understand that you need information on where our shoes are manufactured. Currently, we manufacture shoes in over 12 countries including Brazil, China, India, Italy and Vietnam. We source our products globally due to various factors including cost, availability of materials, and capacity issues within individual countries.

Because we have a diversity of sourcing options, we are not overtaxing any of our factories. We also are continually exposed to new technologies, materials and shoemaking techniques from different areas of the world which each have their own expertise.

Our shoe making processes are up to the same high standards no matter where our factories are located. Leathers, cutting dyes, lasts, and machinery are consistent in quality in all of our factory locations.

While the countries that we produce our shoes in might not have firm labor standards, we here at Clark’s do. All of our factories have to follow our strict standards including hourly wage and work conditions. If these standards are not met, we no longer do business at that location.

If you prefer, or if you have further questions, you may contact our Customer Service Center directly by calling 800-4-CLARKS.

We are grateful for your continued support of the Clark’s family of products.

Thank you,
(employee's name)
Clark’s Consumer Services

My response:

September 3rd, 2008
Hello,
Okay, great. Thanks for your email back. You mentioned that you have strict hourly wages and working standards. I would appreciate it if you elaborated on these things. How much, for example, does a Clark's worker get paid in China and Brazil? Do Clark's factories adhere to individual nation's environmental standards, or something better? Does Clark's provide health care and retirement benefits to workers overseas?

Thank you, regards,
Jamie Chang

Whom am I walking over?

2009-02-22T09:42:00.005Z

I just found a great blogger - Jamie Chang -who has written to companies to find out where they make their products.

I visited Cotswold Outdoor at Newnham Court Shopping Village on Friday. Looking around I found the shoes and clothes and many other items were, by and large, made in Vietnam or Cambodia or China or Phillipines or Thailand. A few things were manufactured in Spain - very few.

It was at that point I checked my own (Clarks) shoes - to realise they were manufactured in Cambodia.

Ironically as I left the shop, nearby is another retail outlet called 'Sweatshop'. A sad reminder of the realities of many workers in South East Asia.

Check out Jamie's blog and his letters to Clarks - I think I might try the same - where does what I wear, what I eat, what I consume today come from - who's life was broken, which child sweated to produce the shoes I walk in this day?

Lord have mercy on me and those who dressed me, shod my feet rather than went to school this week.

http://jamiechang.com/?q=blog/2

Josh McKague of Whisper Productions on Cambodia

2009-02-22T08:21:00.004Z

http://www.joshmckague.com

http://www.joshmckague.com/blog/

Josh McKague is a film maker and has made films for Transform Asia - the film on Cambodia is particularly interesting and worth a watch.

Cambodia Documentary Rough Draft from Whisper Productions on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/1223290 web link for video

Josh was interviewed recently on Pastor Rick Smith's 'double-popped' series.

http://rickwsmith.com/blog/2009/02/16/double-popped-joshmckague/comment-page-1/

link for post on Rick_Smith's blog

http://vimeo.com/3248746 web link for video

The Reason Your Church Must Twitter

2009-02-15T12:20:00.002Z

The Reason Your Church Must Twitter

Posted using ShareThis

What is the point of going to (virtual) church?

2009-02-15T11:51:00.002Z

What is the point of going to (virtual) church?

Posted using ShareThis

Human Trafficking report on Reuters News Network

2009-02-12T20:50:00.001Z

http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-37989220090212?rpc=46

reuters published a good article highlighting human trafficking today.

Prayer for missionary family in Chiang Mai

2009-02-12T06:52:00.004Z

Dear All

Stefan Mickel has a friend called Jurgen who works for a large German mission called the Marburger mission. The other day Jurgen and his family were involved in an accident where a juggernaut shed it's load. The family car impacted the load and their three year old child was killed. The rest of the family were injured and or heavily bruised.

As you can imagine, this has been devastating to many who know them and ofcourse the family themselves.

Please pray for God's grace in this situation in incredible tragedy. Thanks

The future of the internet and a thought

2009-02-11T21:12:00.002Z

The future of the internet and a thought

Posted using ShareThis

Prayer Letter Mickels Feb 2009

2009-02-11T20:38:00.002Z

Prayer Letter Stefan & Tina

February 2009

Family

We are doing well as a family, being rather satisfied with our lives here in Chiang Mai. Tobias is doing very well at school and at home. He is just bursting with energy and life.

One major change occurred in our family. 19 years old A* has moved in with us about 4 months ago. Due to unacceptable circumstances within his family we had no choice but supporting him and ultimately providing him a safe and loving environment in our family. He is doing reasonably well now, as God is working in his heart and life, healing and restoring him from past experiences. He loves Jesus and knows deep inside that he is his only real hope.

Ministry

We still teach English and have activities for children and youth. On Saturdays we are telling bible stories and certainly seeing the fruits coming out of that. The kids are very aware of God’s love and presence in their lives.

We started a home group now, where we have worship, sharing our lives and pray for one another. And God’s presence is really there. A* had a beautiful picture last week where he’s seen Jesus coming and sitting in our little room encouraging us and promising us that He will be there for us all the way. We could sense His presence in the room.

A*, one of the women who is coming on a regular basis is already sharing what she learns with us in her Akkha village.

We still do house visits, pray with and support people in the community. When needed we take them to hospital or take them to visit a relative who might live far away or simply have an outing.

On one of those occasions I took S* to the hospital. Do you remember her? She is the one who had tuberculosis, almost died and met jesus right there and then. she got baptised and really follows Jesus now. She told me of the dream she had.: she has seen heaven opening like a curtain and Jesus was standing there all in white blessing her. She was very encouraged by that and is even more determined to follow Jesus all the way.

We are moving Kham Siri to a new location. It is inside our community again. It is an old wooden house on stilts with a garden. We have a lot of space there for fellowship, eating together, teaching crafts and skills, language, bible and different activities. It is also much more cost effective.

God also opened a door into the homeless community here in Chiang Mai where we are building relationships, pray with and support some homeless people in whatever way we can.

There are also working girls who we get to know and we are currently seeking ways how to teach them some life skills to move out of this circle of poverty.

Prayer points

-Please pray that our home group will be well established , grow and we’ll make disciples who will be sold out for Jesus.

-May we have a strong sense of community.

-Please pray for A* to grow in Christ, as he teaches the bible and English more and more at Kham Siri. Also for his final examines as a tourist guide and a smooth transition into university where he wants to study to become a teacher. May God bless him in every way.

-Changing and moving Kham Siri. May we be even more established in the community.

-The right way forward with the working girls and the homeless.

-Please pray for our physical safety as well as we seek to establish justice here in Chiang Mai.

How to contact us:

We will be distributing regular news for prayer. This will be

· By group email

· Hard copies

· Through prayer gatherings.

For those in our home church - Riverside Vineyard, London

admin@riversidevineyard.com

For others contact Ian Watt - hallelujah150@yahoo.com

Or if you want to support us in any way, you can contact us here in Chiang Mai.

Our email address is mail@mickels.org our website is www.khamsiri.org

We are also on skype now. Our address is “khamsiri” we’ll try to be online on Sundays 7-11pm Thai time. We’d love to hear from you.

Thank you all so much for your support and prayer. We miss you a lot, but it is great to know that you are right behind us.

Lots and lots of love

Stefan, Tina & Tobias

News from the Mickels in Chiang Mai

2009-02-06T07:00:00.000Z

February 2009 News

It’s a lot going on at the moment and I try to just condense it to some prayer points:

A major change occurred in our family 4 month ago. 'A' the young man who've we know for a long time moved in with us permanently. The situation within his family was difficult and we had to act very sudden. He is doing reasonably well now, as he depends on God and God is healing him. Actually we are amazed how quickly God is healing him and he even gained in confidence a lot already. But he still needs a lot of prayer.

Kham Siri is changing at the moment. We shift our emphasis from teaching English to run a Thai homework club run by A. We keep Saturday activities going, where we tell bible stories, play games and have lunch with the kids.

But most importantly I focus more on discipleship. On Thursday we teach the bible and on Saturday mornings we have a homegroup setting with worship, sharing our lives, praying and I also introduced communion last week and somebody straight away had a picture seeing the father and Jesus sitting with us and blessing\helping us. We’d love to establish and grow this homegroup into a house church. .

In 3 weeks time ,on the 21^st Feb. we are moving Kham Siri again to a new location inside the community. We feel that God will establish us there. We want to start with a big party, where the community is involved.

An elderly couple from New Zealand joint us. They’ve been in Calcutta for 10 years living in the slums and teaching a trade to working girls there. They want to do the same thing here. For many years now I reach out to working girls here in Chiang Mai and some show interest in learning a trade. Our new place, which is a wooden house on stilts is very suitable to do this kind of thing.

KHAM SIRI WEBSITE

2009-01-31T22:27:00.003Z

updated info re Kham Siri in Chiang Mai

http://www.vineyard.sg/post/pastors-blog/1041
info on Singapore Vineyard website

http://www.khamsiri.org/ New Site for Kham Siri

New Move for Kham Siri

2008-02-12T12:47:00.000Z

After a period of nearly 5 years, Kham Siri is about to move to a new bigger location. This will enable the Mickels to develop the facilities for young people, discipleship and the current children's work. There is potential for medical services and other outreach programmes from the new base as well, which is just a short distance from the current location.

More details to follow. Please keep them in your prayers and any further support for the project is always appreciated.

Further information can be obtained from : Ian Watt email: hallelujah150@yahoo.com

Recommended website- http://www.compassbraille.org/

2007-05-28T15:52:00.000Z

I have come across a good website recently - a charity that is working with many different languages and enabling them to get Christian literature out to many languages in Asia and beyond.

Compass braille are doing amazing work in getting the scriptures and other Christian literature out to Thai, Mongolian and many Indian languages as well as now European, Oceanic and African languages.

Chexk them out on www.compassbraille.org

RE Comments - welcome! (In most cases)

2007-04-20T07:24:00.000Z

Dear blog readers - just a quick note: I have changed settings and still allowed comments, but these are hidden at present. Sadly someone sent 3 nasty (and rather incomprehensible!) comments that forced me to do so. I really appreciate the responses people have made recently, and welcome discussion and feedback.

Even if you disagree strongly with my posts and blog, I'd like to hear from you. There is no point however in writing offensive ranting comments about unrelated topics, because this does not convince bloggers that you have something worth saying.

When the blogosphere has calmed down a bit I may change back to where I was. Some bloggers insist now people leave an IP address (some programmes automatically do so). I think that is intrusive personally, and being anon can be a helpful vehicle, despite abuses.

India's North-East - Hope for India

2007-04-18T09:31:00.000Z

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rctravel/sets/513184/

Missions challenge of North India

India, not least the North of India, has long been regarded as a challenge for the gospel. Since the times of early missionaries such as William Carey, the North has been a particular challenge.
Today the South of India has proportionally larger numbers of Christians in it's states than the North. States in the north with a significantly largely population of muslims, with strong Hindu nationalist movements and the Punjab with it's Sikh population, present challenges to the gospel. Northern states such as Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh and Gujarat have experienced unrest from both internal and external sources.

But one part of India that has seen a move of God, despite some of the challenges, is the North-East and particularily Nagaland.

In this article I want to share some of what God has been doing. This acts as a shining example in Asia of what God can do, and how he can inspire a people with a vision to reach beyond their own people into the region. A region surrounded with such places as Burma, Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, China and many unreached peoples within India itself.

Nagaland

Nagaland- not exactly the most well-known of places on the global directory,... did you know where it is?

But for those concerned about missions and intercession in Asia, Nagaland is significant. Undoubtedly the state in India where there are more Chistians by percentage than any other. Nagaland has experienced tremendous revival in the 1960's and 1970's even in the midst of great difficulty and persecution.

The context of the Nagaland revivals, in the midst of feeling betrayed by greater powers such as India or Britain, exemplifies the mercy of God to a forgotten people.

I recommend Paul Hattaway's recently published work on the Nagas :

'From Head-Hunters to Church Planters' (Piquant editions ISBN 1-903689-37-6).

The testimonies of native Naga believers read at times like chapters of the book of Acts, as God intervened in mercy (and on occasion in judgement too).

Useful links:

http://www.piquanteditions.com/http://www.asiaharvest.org

(re outreach to Asian Ethnic groups)

Let me share an extract from the story just to whet your appetite:

(source

http://www.asiaharvest.org/pages/WhenHeavenCameDown2.htm)

Nagaland, India
When Heaven Came Down
(Part 2)

Deliverance from Attack
In April 1959, a well-known Indian Army Officer, Major Thomas, decided to completely annihilate all the people living in Sendenyu village, a Rengma Naga village near Tseminyu. This village had gained the wrath of the Indians because it had been one of the first villages to hoist the flag of the Independent Republic of Nagaland, and the villagers were known to be active in helping the Naga armies who were hiding out in the mountains.

Two days’ prior to the arrival of Major Thomas and his men, the occupants of Sendenyu were alerted to his diabolical plans to wipe out the people and destroy the village to ashes. The trembling villagers gathered in the church and prayed to the Merciful God for deliverance from the cruel hand of the devil. The Holy Spirit spoke through various members of the congregation and instructed the people on how to receive Major Thomas.

The Lord told them not to be afraid because He was with them. They were to receive the Major at the village gate, on the eastern side, by singing a hymn entitled ‘Let Him In’.

Let us continue the story in the words of eyewitnesses of that day.... “They were to stand in a row, with the Pastor in the front, followed by the little children, then the young girls and women folks and so on. Upon his arrival, everyone should greet him by shaking hands with him, all the while singing the proposed hymn as they escort him to the church.

It was further instructed that once they reached the doorstep of the church the Major’s shoes should be removed and his feet washed. Then he must be made to sit at the pulpit next to the Pastor, and time allotted for him to give a speech....

Before reaching the village, the Major and his troops burned the shacks in the fields that lay on his way. This terrified the villagers, but the Lord God reminded them not to be afraid because He was with them. Upon his arrival at the reception gate at the village entrance, the Pastor, children and everyone in the row greeted him by shaking his hands, singing songs, and escorted him to the church.

At the church entrance, the believers took off the Major’s shoes, washed his feet and made him sit with the Pastor at the pulpit. The congregation prayed for him and gave him time to deliver a speech to them.

Major Thomas then stood up in the pulpit and started to tremble. His voice stammering, he said that he had been sent by the Government of India to destroy the village of Sendenyu. ‘I, therefore, have come to burn down Sendenyu village to ashes and wipe out the people in it.’

The Major continued, saying that his intentions had completely changed at the village gate when he saw the little children singing joyful songs. The next day, Major Thomas left the village with his troops and went to Tsosinyu village, another Rengma village situated on the other side of the Nra River.

Reaching the village, he looked back at Sendenyu and announced that he would supply rice to them [because he had destroyed their fields] as soon as he reached his station at Chiechama village, until the time of the next harvest. And true to his promise, he supplied rice to the village of Sendenyu till harvest that year.”

Lost and Found Child
"Everyone who asks receives; and he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks the door will be opened.” (Luke 11:10)

One way that the Lord Jesus Christ showed his loving concern for the plight of the Naga people during their years of turmoil, war, and famine was demonstrated by several examples of lost people being found.

Nichulo Rengma of Nyishunyu village became deeply traumatized when he saw the dead and mutilated body of his father, who had been butchered by Indian soldiers. Nichulo, without saying a word, took a gun and went into the forest, and did not return. The villagers organized search parties, but after three days there was no sight of the boy.

Seven days after his disappearance, a message was sent to various churches, asking the believers to pray for the missing boy. As they prayed, the Holy Spirit gave a vision to the Christians.

In the vision they saw the lost boy sitting under a big brown tree in the forest, east of the timber mill in the Nyishunyu area. When a message was sent to the relatives of the boy, they immediately went to the tree and found the boy sitting there, exactly as the Lord had revealed.

The village of Nyishunyu is far from the church where God gave the vision, so the Christians had absolutely no knowledge of the surroundings where the boy was found.

Release from Execution
“Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell.... Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.” (Acts 12:7)

In May 1962, Ngaseng Kent and Solomon Kent were arrested by the Rajput Regiment of the Indian Army and were handed over to the 11th Gorkha Regiment for interrogation. They were bound together with iron chains and delivered to the military barracks at a place called Zubza. The two prisoners continually prayed for God’s protection and help.

The church members were also crying out to God and interceding on their behalf. Despite their prayers, their situation seemed to get worse and they were ordered to be shot dead. The two Christian men were forcibly taken outside the tent to be shot. While they waited for the executioner to arrive, the two Naga men prayed and committed their souls to the Lord’s care.

While they were praying, the Holy Spirit revealed to Solomon Kent that he should not be afraid because the Lord was with him in his trial. The executioner arrived and took aim at the two men, bound like animals. They closed their eyes and waited for the bullet to send them into eternity with their loving Savior.

After a few seconds they looked up and saw that the rifle had failed to fire. One of the Indian officers became outraged at the failure of the weapon. He checked the rifle and the bullets and out of intense anger he went to beat the two defenseless men with the rifle butt. As he drew the weapon above his head, however, it stuck in a rope that was holding the tent, and the officer struck himself in the forehead. The officer threw away the gun and began to weep, for he knew the presence of a greater power was against him and his evil intentions.

The prisoners were sent back to their cell, as those in charge thought about what action to take against them. After a while Ngaseng Kent dozed off and had a dream. In his dream the Lord revealed to him that the believers were praying earnestly for him and that he should get up and escape immediately. When he awoke he noted the time was 2 p.m.

After a short prayer, Ngaseng Kent touched the iron chain, which suddenly broke off, setting him free from his shackles! The Indian guards gave chase but could not catch him.

This testimony was not the first time that a Naga Christian had experienced such a miraculous escape. Earlier, in 1957, Kesinga Seb was arrested and taken to the jungle. After praying to the Lord of Lords and asking Him to show Himself strong, the chains binding Kesinga loosened by themselves, allowing him to escape. As he ran off, bullets were fired and grenades were thrown at him by the Indian soldiers, but the Living God granted Seb’s prayer and he escaped unharmed.

Prophecy regarding hailstones

“The Lord hurled large hailstones down on them from the sky.” (Joshua 10:11)

During many revivals around the world, God speaks through the weakness of human vessels with words of prophecy, challenge, or exhortation. Although there are always people who abuse prophecy and claim God is speaking when it is just their own flesh and imaginations, certain messages were surely uttered in the power of the Holy Spirit during the Nagaland revival.

On one occasion at Sendenyu, Rosenle Seb brought a prophecy that if people continued to murmur against the workings of the Holy Spirit, hailstones would be poured down from heaven to undo their unbelief.

No sooner had she finished speaking this message when a storm of hailstones came from the heavens, crashing down on the church roof in broad daylight, without a single drop of accompanying rain. Through many such signs and wonders the fear of God fell on the entire village and many were added to the church.

Raised from the Dead
“He sent forth His Word and healed them; He rescued them from the grave.” (Psalm 107:20)

Of all the miracles that God performs during revivals, the one that causes the most skepticism in the logical minds of many Western believers is when a dead person is raised back to life again. It is particularly strange that some Christians mock such an occurrence, as there are more than ten clear instances of the dead being raised in the Scriptures.

In Nagaland, at least four people were raised from the dead during the revivals. These miracles were witnessed by hundreds of people who have given firsthand testimonies to what they saw. One day, Pastor Kegwahi Kent, the leader of the Sendenyu Baptist Church, fired his weapon; an old muzzle-loading gun such as is used by many people for hunting in Nagaland.

On this occasion, Pastor Kent’s gun exploded near the firing pin, causing serious injury to his face and hands. Over the ensuing days his condition grew worse until he fell unconscious and died. A doctor was summoned who confirmed that Pastor Kent’s heart had stopped functioning and he was indeed dead.

According to Naga tradition, the church bell was rung to notify the community of the tragic death. Funeral arrangements were made. The believers who were attending to the corpse, however, continued to pray for his life, refusing to believe their beloved pastor had so suddenly departed from this life. They pleaded for the Lord to bring Kegwahi Kent back to life. Inwardly, the intercessors sensed the death was the result of a Satanic attack, rather than the will of God wanting to take His servant home.

According to Pastor Kent, after he died he was approached by a person or angel dressed in white who told him not to worry because God had ordained that he would be healed. As the man in white left, Pastor Kent returned to life in his conscious state. Over the coming weeks Kent gradually recovered from the effect of his injuries, and was able to return to the ministry of preaching God’s Word for many more years.

Other Naga men from the Sendenyu area whose lives were supernaturally extended by God include the Rev. Tsonthonga Kemp, and David Kemp.

Conviction and dumbness
“As many as I love, I rebuke. So be earnest, and repent.” (Revelation 3:19)

During the revival countless people committed their lives to Christ, but some sinners held out and resisted the conviction of the Holy Spirit. One such man was Gwanilo Seb, a notorious drunkard who had been excommunicated from the church membership because of his unrepentant heart.

Gwanilo was furious at the church and was looking for a way to humiliate and persecute the believers whom he felt had rejected him. One evening, although he did not believe the revival was God-sent, Gwanilo Seb and two of his gang members came near the door of the church to satisfy their curiosity.

An elderly Christian man, Jihlo Bukh, saw Gwanilo standing near the door, took hold of his hands, and pulled him towards the pulpit at the front of the sanctuary. Gwanilo started to tremble from the fear of God. All of a sudden an invisible hand struck him so hard on the back of his head that he fell to the ground and could not speak.

Gwanilo was unable to regain his speech for one full day, as the conviction of the Holy Spirit broke down his stubborn heart. Finally, Gwanilo motioned for a piece of chalk. He wrote on the church blackboard, requesting the believers to forgive him and to pray for his re-admission into church membership.

The church prayed for him, but he still could not speak. But the instant they took out the church membership book and wrote Gwanilo’s name in the register, he regained his speech. Gwanilo remained a committed and active member of the Sendenyu Baptist Church.

Miraculous literacy

As for Jihlo Bukh, who had taken Gwanilo by the arm and led him into the church, God did an unusual miracle for him. Jihlo had never received a formal education in his life, and now that he was an old man, he regretted that he had never been able to read the Bible or the church hymnbook.

During the revival, he received a divine enablement from the Holy Spirit so that he was suddenly able to read fluently. This gift completely changed Jihlo Bukh’s life. He was so grateful to God to be able to read His Word day and night.

God continued to work powerfully in the hearts of the Naga people, purifying and empowering them for service. The fear of God gripped the whole community. All that mattered to believers was obedience to God’s will. People desired the meat of God’s Word more than they desired their lunch and dinner. Some of the miracles that took place were unusual.

Healings
“For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 30:17).

The gift of divine healing was also in evident in Sendenyu village. In fact, Naga believers from many locations have heard about God’s grace and power to heal through the believers there, resulting in many sick and injured people traveling to Sendenyu for prayer to the present day. Literally hundreds of people have been dramatically and often instantly healed, many from life-threatening illnesses.

There are too many wonderful healing testimonies to start listing here, so let us just examine the background of one story, as a representative of countless others.

Raised from the Dead -1994
On the 4th of January 1994, the prayer group of the Sendenyu Baptist Church was notified of the grave situation of a boy named Atobu, son of Kholie of Botsa town. Atobu was terribly ill, with profuse bleeding from his nostrils and mouth. Doctors had been unable to diagnose the problem, and had prepared the boy’s family to prepare for the worst. Atobu’s condition worsened until he could neither talk, move, eat nor drink.

But when the prayer team laid hands on the boy he was instantly healed. He started to move his hands and feet, and asked his awestruck parents and onlookers for food and drink. Atobu soon regained his full health.

Crossing a River
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not overflow you.” (Isaiah 43:2).

In Nagaland the monsoon season lasts from around April to November every year. During the wet season roads and trails turn into mud, landslides are common, and rivers prove impassable.

On one occasion during the revival, the Lord spoke to the prayer group at the Sendenyu Church that they must take the message of repentance and faith to surrounding communities and tribes. Through prophecy, the Holy Spirit told the believers the time and date that they should go across the Nra River to share the Gospel with various villages of the Sema Naga tribe living west of the river.

On the set day, the Christians obeyed God’s command and proceeded towards the Nra River. The Nra is the largest and widest river in all the territory occupied by the Rengma Naga tribe. When they reached its bank, they found it in full flood and impossible to cross. There were no bridges at that time, and no boats to take people across.

Some of the evangelistic team wanted to turn back, but others reminded the team how the Lord had spoken to them and commanded them to go on that day. The group decided they must obey God’s command at all costs. They prayed and asked the Lord to protect them from the raging waters and to enable them to witness for His glory.

The faithful believers took a step into the river, then another, then yet another. They were surprised to find that the water wasn’t as deep as they had thought, so they boldly walked across the river to the other side. As they walked across, they could feel the bottom of the river on the soles of their bare feet.

To this day, the Christians are not entirely sure how God enabled them to cross the Nra River. They seem to think the Lord somehow made the river shallow for their crossing.

At the place they crossed it was later found the water is at least 20 to 30-feet deep during the rainy season! These accounts of miracles all took place in and around the one village of Sendenyu, but they are typical of hundreds of similar testimonies that took place throughout the length and breadth of Nagaland during the revival years.

Peace in village
According to one account from Sendenyu, “Peace, tranquility and health, economic progress and prosperity prevailed in the village. Disputes, quarrelling and social disorders were hardly heard of or seen, or experienced during the first seven years of revival in Sendenyu.”

Slavery Today? Human Trafficking happened this morning again

2007-04-02T06:53:00.000Z

In line with many others, not least the UK government, the bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act 1807 (followed by the 1833 Abolition of Slavery Act) is an appropriate time to highlight the issues of human trafficking.

I cannot emphasise enough that such battles are not won in a fortnight; it was decades of Wiberforce's political career and the joint efforts of many, including a very large segment of the population who got truly 'on board' as it were. 'On board' in a very true sense here as well, as it needed hard facts, figures, diagrams and accurate accounts of the slave ships - as wonderfully portrayed in the recently released Bristol Bay Productions 'Amazing Grace'(2006).

Rather than duplicate resources, the links list at the end of this article hopefully serves as helpful for those wanting to be more involved.I urge readers to get behind campaigns such as Stop the Traffik and organisations such as Tearfund.

Below is a snapshot from the not-so-lovely tourist attractions of the Thai borders. Tearfund works to assist small projects that enable former victims of trafficking to start afresh. Tearfund partner Cambodia Hope Organisation (CHO) in Poi Pet runs a workshop.

It's projects like this which are part of the solution to keep those most vunerable from the hands of traffickers.The promise of work and dreams in a place like Cambodia are translated into misery and sex slavery in a richer nation like Thailand. Income from trafficking enables organised gangs to bribe officials and police. There is a similar air to the slave pits of Zanzibar in a place like Poi Pet.

Children are bought and sold for sexual slavery in Bangkok and other locations. Truckloads of orphaned and traumatised children likewise are gathered up at Thailand's northern border. These days payment may be by credit card.

4 million were slaves in the days of Wilberforce, today it's over 12 million. Check out the following links and let's play our part to change the future for those being trafficked.

Thanks for taking time to read the article.

Trafficking and Slavery Links:

http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries/thailand

http://www.arcppt.org/eng/thailand.html

http://www.stopthetraffik.org/

http://www.tearfund.org/Extra/Freedom+Day/Slavery+in+our+back+yard.htm

http://www.ukhtc.org/index.htm

http://www.chaste.org.uk/about/vision.html

http://www.tearfund.org/Extra/Freedom+Day/Stop+the+Traffik+Video.htm

http://www.tearfund.org/Extra/Freedom+Day/Film.htm

http://www.gvnet.com/humantrafficking/Thailand.htm

http://www.american.edu/TED/thaiwomen.htm

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/slavery/?WT.srch=1&google=amazing-grace&gclid=CPH25aq3o4sCFQUvlAodaDOtfg

http://www.amazinggracemovie.com/

http://www.ctlibrary.com/ch/1997/issue53/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Wilberforce

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clapham_Sect

Flags in High Places

2007-03-23T08:48:00.000Z

Many are familiar with the Tibetan Buddhist practice of putting prayer flags at significant sites. This is not just a quaint local custom, but is part and parcel of Buddhist and indeed pre-Buddhist religious activity:

see http://www.prayerflags.com/download/article.pdf

Not only so, but there is a clear promotion of this belief system into western culture - not only through political activist involvement but through seemingly innocent websites for children!

https://shop.theliteracysite.com/store/item.do?itemId=8836&siteId=2001

http://www.atc.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;id=230&Itemid=89

The Bible talks also of banners - in fact three references in Isaiah talk of them being set up on high places (Isaiah 13:2, 18:3 and 30:17). We must realise however the thinking behind prayer flags in this aspect of Tibetan culture - and not least the source of power invoked is very different as prayerflags.com explains in detail.

As Christian believers, who love the Tibetan people and desire to see them experience God's eternal salvation, how might we respond? What does the bible say about God as 'The Lord our Banner' (Jehovah Nissi)? In Exodus 17 we read that Moses '..built an altar and called it the Lord our Banner' after the defeat of the Amalekites.

The key in this battle was it seems a significant but simple act. The lifting up of the hands of Moses at Rephidim (meaning Rest) over the battle. The battle is decribed in the imperfect tense when it talks about the fighting - ie. it was a repeated action. They seemed to be winning, Moses hands tired, they seemed to be losing, Moses got his hands up again, the battle turned, and so on.

Bearing in mind we are not talking about 10 minutes or half an hour, but clearly hours of fighting, it's hardly surprising an elderly man would get worn out keeping his arms in the air!
So Aaron and Hur came alongside and Moses was supported: he was given a seat and they held up his arms on either side.

So what has this to do with banners and flags? There seems a clear indication that a battle standard in future warfare (take a film like The Patriot (Emmerich,2000) for example) has the role of rallying, encouraging re-grouping, often weary fighters, back to the cause.

Banners are a symbol of rallying, caling together:

He lifts up a banner for the distant nations (Isaiah 5: 26)
In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him and his place of rest will be glorious (Isaiah 11:10)

They also have a place in victory and God's overshadowing protection:

We will shout for joy when you are victorious, we will lift up our banners in the name of our God (Psalm 20:5a)
His banner over me is love (Song of Songs 2:4)

Lastly, they help to identify who we are:
The Israelites are to set up their tents by divisions, each man in his own camp under his own standard (Numbers 1:52)

A Prayer:
Lord raise up a banner to the peoples of Tibet, let it be seen in the high places, let it be unfurled against every demonic spirit that binds. The Tibetan ethnic groups are seeking for a salvation that can only be found in you.

Set your banner of them - your covering protection a lover to your beloved, spread your garment over them to include them in your people as Boaz did for Ruth at harvest-time.

Lift up the hands of those who have been travailing, battling and contending for these peoples despite the setbacks. Draw alongside them those who will take over when they weary, support them and encourage them.

We lift up a banner now over the Tibetan peoples and fly the flag of the kingdom over Tibet.

(Homework suggestion: If you have a banner and a map of Tibet, worship the Lord and plant your feet prophetically on that part of the map. Use some of the scriptures above - or others that God gives you - proclaiming 'the Lord is my banner' and 'the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples').

All quotations from NIV (1984).

Why Pray for Tibet - here is one good reason

2007-03-10T08:46:00.000Z

Reproduced from Catherine Brown's website http://www.gatekeepers.org.uk/

Catherine is a widely recognised prophet in the body of Christ and contributes to postings on the Elijah List http://www.elijahlist.com/

A WORD FOR TIBET AND THE MONGOLIAN NATION

I received this vision in the year 2000. This morning (21 October 2002) I was sent an article about Tibet with a subsequent call to united prayer for the pulling down of Bhuddist strongholds in all the earth and was prompted by the Holy Spirit to review this word and post it for global prayer at this time. The article I was sent is posted at the foot of this prophetic word. I believe it is critical that the church prays fervently and in faith over these next forty eight hours for the salvation of Tibet and Mongolia.

Whilst in prayer for Tibet and Mongolia some time ago, I was caught up into the heavenly realms and the Lord revealed the following images:- A false god with many arms had been raised up in the high places. The idol looked like a 13th century Thai art representation of Buddha, with strongly arched brows, aquiline nose and delicately carved lips. Suddenly seraphim appeared flying in the air, each with six wings. They were coloured as copper and bronze and they glowed with the glory of God. They came and broke off the arms of the false god. A thunderbolt from heaven struck the head of the false god and it was severed from its body and fell to the ground.

Many people had gathered in front of the idol to worship and pray each had a prayer mat with them. When the head was severed from the body of the idol, those who were praying were caught up and ensnared in a huge mat and their screams resonated in the air. Their spiritual eyes had been opened to the reality of the judgement of God upon idolatry and worship of false gods. ‘Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth – to every nation, tribe language and people. He said in a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgement has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.’ Rev 14:6,7. I was moved to cry out to the Lord, ‘Surely, some will be saved?’

The Lord answered, ‘Yes, child, now look upon the mystery of My salvation’ and I watched as the Lord descended as the Ancient of Days from the heavens. He was arrayed in Light and in His hands he held a scroll. He pointed the scroll at the mountain as it was opened and His sovereign plan of salvation began to be outworked. On the mountain was a magnificent white horse (representing the conquest and victory of Christ Rev 19:11) and it was engaged in battle with a white unicorn (representing the spirit of enchantment over Tibet). The unicorn was slain by the sword that came out of the Lord’s mouth (Rev 19:15).

At this point multitudes began running into the Lord’s embrace. They disappeared into the belly of God and became one with Christ Jesus. The Lord smiled at me and said, ‘This great harvest of souls from among the Tibetans and the Mongolians, from those blinded by Hinduism and Bhuddism, these are part of my inheritance and I shall not be complete without them. I commission my Bride to pray for these souls, that they might run into the shelter of their Saviour.’

The scene on the mountain depicts a displacement of power in the heavenly realms, as the Lord’s sovereign plan of salvation for every tribe and every nation (Rev 7:9) is released through prayer and fasting. The vision portrays a paradigm shift in the heavens through strategic corporate prayer. It portrays the absolute supremacy of Christ over all (Col 1:15-20).

I am reminded of the fall of Dagon as I write this vision down and believe it is relevant to this word. Dagon was a false god, worshipped by the Phillistines.

‘After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon. When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained.’ 1 Sam 5:1-4
‘The Lord’s hand was heavy upon the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastation upon them and afflicted them with tumours.’ 1 Sam 5:6

The church must rise up in prayer, worship and fasting to break the bondage of Bhuddism in the earth.

BUDDHIST KALACHAKRA for WORLD PEACE, GRAZ AUSTRIA – 11-23 OCTOBER, 2002

It is now 20th October, and the meeting of 8 – 10,000 Buddhists and head Lamas in Graz, Austria, is reaching a critical stage of releasing the demonic spirits into Europe through a Kalachakra Ritual.

The aim of the visits and Kalachakra rituals and the teachings upon it, are said to have been chosen by the Dalai Lama for the purpose of bringing awareness to the plight of the Tibetan people, and of the nation of Tibet, which was occupied by China in 1950, and is since then occupied territory.

For these p.r. purposes the Dalai Lama has chosen to expose more of the Tibetan Buddhist ritual arts because, it is explained, he believes that misunderstandings about Tibetan Buddhism and its rituals are more harmful than a partial lifting of the secrecy. The ritual arts are: sand mandala’s, butter sculptures, ritual chanting, music and dance.

The Kalachakra ritual is an initiation of and an offering by those who take part. This Dalai Lama performed it for the first time, since he was in exile, in 1953. Since then he has performed it numerous times, in India, in many cities in the US, in Australia.

A number of times special monks have constructed and dismantled sand mandala’s as a preparation for the culminating ritual by the Dalai Lama himself. According to Simson, also in Europe more than 20 sand mandala’s have been constructed and dismantled, sometimes by monks, sometimes by the Dalai Lama.

The ritual that is planned for Graz is meant to be the biggest ever. The tantric aim is to release “an everlasting stream of continuity” (demonic spirits is our understanding) upon the partakers, onlookers, and, of course, the peoples in Europe.

The information in and the challenge of this report is passed on, primarily with an eye on the performance of the Kalachakra ritual, in Graz, from 11-23 October 2002, However, the spiritual effect of the ritual is meant to be such, that also after the event is over, the challenge to Gods children to awake, to pray and to do spiritual warfare, will remain relevant and has increased.

Catherine Brown (http://www.gatekeepers.org.uk/) 21 October 2002

Cornerstone Asia -Taking the Tibetan Heights?

2007-02-11T00:05:00.000Z

The Chinese Government have developed one of the most challenging projects of railway engineering in recent years. On July 1st 2006, it opened the rail link to Lhasa, the highest railway in the world. You can now travel for 49 hours all the way from Lhasa to Chengdu, Sichuan Province, as Romana Chapman points out.(2).

Providing an high-altitude journey for the intrepid train-traveller, the rail route to Lhasa, in the Tibetan Autonomous Region is designed to draw tourists to the area.

What affect will this have on this remote and politically sensitive part of China? The history of Tibet and it's people in the last 50 years or so has been characterised by uneasiness between Tibetan groups and the increasingly present Han Chinese. The decision of the Dalai Lama to leave the region and be based in India reflected this. (See 'Kundun' (1997), Martin Scoresbee's portrayal of the exile of the Dalai Lama. (4).But change and opening up the region could be a catalyst for many other things. Will it simply strengthen the Bejing influence over Lhasa and the remote tribal groups? Will it bring materialism, AIDS, environmental damage and the other unhelpful spin-offs of tourism in Asia?

One nomadic group who live on the Tibetan Plateau are the Drok-pa. About half a million live on the Chang Tang, Tibet's northern plain. Many have put their faith in a favourite Buddhist lama whom they will consult for the important steps of life, auspicious days for weddings, journeys and children's names. Once powerful landlords and monasteries controlled the social order of Tibet, but now the Chinese influence has significantly changed this, many feeling this has been both harsh and destructive.(3).

This presents a huge challenge to Han Chinese Christians and foreign Christians with a heart to reach Tibet. Wisdom and servant-heartedness are needed to demonstrate the mercy, tenderness and grace of Jesus. This is more powerful than the force of cultural invasion, the authority of traditional feudal or religious systems. The Dalai Lama seeks to court the favour of westerners both within and without the Church, but Christians' engagement with Tibet must not exclude the uniqueness of the gospel to set Tibetans free from demonic power or deception.

This does not mean a denial of identity, but much discernment is still needed. What does the Church in Tibet look like? Believers are small in number, but God is at work. Many groups remain almost entirely without the gospel. But small numbers exist amongst for example amongst the Gtsang Tibetans and the Jone Tibetans. (1).

The story of Nyima Chothar, a Tibetan monk who found salvation in Christ, illustrates the journey for someone deeply involved with Tibetan monastic society to come to faith in Jesus. It involved contact with christians over a considerable period of time, and overcoming many cultural barriers.(1).

Identifying with the pain and loss many Tibetans have experienced is essential in reaching them as well as a very real encounter with the reality of God's power, compassion and mercy. In a culture where forgiveness and redemption are strange concepts, and actions merely lead to inevitable karma in the next life, Christianity offers real hope.

There are amazing examples of mission that has been well-received in Tibet in the past. The heart of Sadhu Sundar Singh, the famous early-20th Century Indian evangelist, was towards reaching Tibet.(5). He eventually did get there, and saw some villages very open to the gospel. William Carey had planned to reach Tibet, but ended up never getting there but rather focussed on West Bengal. others too however, have gone to Tibet and sought to spread the gospel, including Chinese believers, despite the great challenges. Evangelists, even within the last twenty years have been martyred there by buddhist lamas. The Chinese House Churches have actually found the intense opposition has drawn interest from the local population - what is it that the Buddhist Lamas are so afraid of that makes Christianity a challenge to them?(1).

The first church in Lhasa, Tibet was built by Jesuits in 1726. A number of people attended and became believers it seems. In April 1742 it was destroyed, the believers punished, but the bell was left. This bell remained in the basement of the Jokhang Temple until 1996.(1).

(Reference: 'A Tibetan Monk's Story' p.317, and other sections on Tibetan peoples: 'Peoples of the Buddhist World' P.Hattaway, Piquant Editions, 2004).

Opposition may have raged against the Church being established, but God has not forgotten the Tibetan peoples.

Father, we cry out to you for those who come to Mount Kalais in western Tibet, with the hope of being released from the sins of their lifetime in the two lakes nearby.

You only can give us a clean heart and put a new spirit within us (Ezekiel 36:26,27 and Psalm 51). Lord do this for the thousands of followers of Buddhism, Bon, Hinduism and Jainism. what can wash away that sin - 'nothing but the blood of Jesus!' (1)

Reference Material:

I have asterisked (*) those from a Christian perspective - be aware that many sites and interested parties in Tibet are coming from a very different perspective and so I would suggest exercising caution before dialogue or attending events/ tours etc.

(The position of the Dalai Lama and others with Tibetan Buddhist interests may appear in sympathy with Christianity and interested in dialogue and engagement. However, this is not always the experience of Christians or enquirers in the Tibetan Buddhist world, where there can be considerable direct opposition to the gospel).

1.To mention again, I am deeply indebted to Paul Hattaway's work in 'People's of the Buddhist World' (ISBN 1-903689-90-2) and his excellent sources within that volume.*

2.Another excellent visual source is http://www.flickr.com/ if you are seeking pictures from a particular part of the world, and the following pictures from Romana Chapman, are excellent. (Do be aware that though there are other and varied sources of Tibetan photos, they are often more holiday snaps in some cases and mayalso be poor on guessing ethnography of the peoples they came across! Havig said that, there are still excellent photos around).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rctravel/sets/72157594397230970/show/ - general photos of Tibet

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rctravel/sets/72157594397235756/ - Photos of the new railway (ignore Nov 2007 - presumably 2006!)

http://www.sim.org/PG.asp?pgID=81&fun=1
- summary information on SIM's web pages re Tibetan peoples*

3.'Nomads' Glenn Myers and David Phillips, Briefings - Paternoster Lifestyle, Paternoster Publishing 2001 (ISBN 1-85078-435-3)*

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119485/plotsummaryPlotPlot Summary for Kundun (1997)
4.The Tibetans refer to the Dalai Lama as 'Kundun', which means 'The Presence'. He was forced to escape from his native home, Tibet, when communist China invaded and enforced an oppressive regime upon the peaceful nation of Tibet. The Dalai Lama escaped to India in 1959 and has been living in exile in Dharamsala ever since.
Summary written by Deki
In 1937, in a remote area of Tibet close to the Chinese border, a two year old child is identified as the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, the compassionate Buddha. Two years later, the child is brought to Lhasa where he is schooled as a monk and as head of state amidst the color and pageantry of Tibetan culture. The film follows him into adulthood: when he is 14, the Chinese invade Tibet and he is forced into a shaky coalition government; he travels to China to meet with a cynical Mao; and, finally, in 1959, ill and under siege, he flees to India. Throughout, he has visions of his people's slaughter under Chinese rule.

5. Sadhu Sundar Singh' Phylis Thompson, OM Publishing 1992 (ISBN 1-85078-099-4) p.120.

A Mission to Cyberspace?

2007-02-01T11:14:00.000Z

Recently media interest at the end of 2006 and beginning of 2007 has
highlighted the virtual communities developing in Cyberspace.

Myspace.com, the world of bloggers and so on, have taken a new
direction with the advent of virtual worlds - of which there are a number, not
least the three milion subscribers to the 'Second Life' metaverse.

Is this a new people group - a transnational one in a sense, possible
to reach more easily within a virtual world     ure of their avatars
than in a face-to-face situation.

Unreached peoples in some cultures may be more reachable through
technical means in hi-tech societies.

Japan has one of the foremost hi-tech societies as have some other
Asian societies. We already know the capabilities of internet, satellite
reception and radio, to reach vast audiences within areas hard to access
more directly - not least in places such as Iraq, Iran and China.

We must take up this challenge as FEBA, TWR and other Christian Radio
networks have done, as Sat-7 have done for some time in the Middle East,
as God-TV and others are now doing.

Easily-transported, hand-held technology that allows access to the
internet, perhaps via satellite phone networks may be one way, and might
even reach nomadic peoples where many other communication means have not
yet done so.

We need apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers and evangelists to invade
these virtual and technical worlds. The fields are ripe for harvest!

Oh Father, there are thousands, millions now, who are lost in the world of
cyberspace and virtual worlds such as 'Second Life'. Father equip us, empower us,
anoint us, send us out in the power of your Spirit to live and work for you in
these metaverses! Come Holy Spirit and fill us with wisdom, discernment, grace, hope
and your great compassion, mercy and loving-kindness.

Proclamation over North Korea

2007-01-20T22:48:00.000Z

Proclamation of ‘2007 Year of Prayer for North Korea ’

We give God all the honour and praise that the Great Revival which broke out on 14th January 1907 in Pyongyang was the greatest demonstration of God’s powerful plan of salvation for the Korean Peninsula .

As we mark this centenary day of the outbreak of the 1907 Pyongyang Great Revival, we desire to see love, freedom and peace restored in Korea . We thus proclaim 2007 as a Year of Prayer for North Korea and call the global Church and Christians worldwide to join the South Korean Church in actively praying for North Korea this year.

A hundred years ago God started the flames of repentance and revival in Pyongyang Jang Dae Hyun Church , but His work did not stop there. As the miracles of the revival spread from Pyongyang across the Korean Peninsula , Pyongyang became known throughout the worldwide Church as ‘The Jerusalem of the East’.

We are aware, however, that in this day North Korea is in a time of deep suffering; that her people face great hardship and that many have died as a result. We mourn with those who mourn and are deeply concerned for the welfare of the North Korean people.

In light of the current situation, we call on all churches and Christians around the world to pray urgently for North Korea during 2007. We urge for fervent prayer for an end to the deprivations and sufferings, and for the day to come when the love of God and the blessing of salvation breaks out once again throughout the nation and touches the lives of the people of North Korea .

Furthermore, the South Korean Church lays before God the pain caused by the division of Korea and proclaims the week of 25th June, the anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, as the ‘Global Week of Prayer for North Korea’.

We hereby call on denominations and ministries around the world to promote the ‘2007 Year of Prayer for North Korea ’. We urge for intercession to be rallied for 2007 to be the year in which walls of darkness fall in North Korea , crosses are restored in every corner of the land and a historical tide of repentance and revival breaks out and brings peace to Korea and beyond.

The centenary day of the outbreak of the 1907 Pyongyang Great Revival
14 January 2007

President Rev. Park Jong Soon
Executive Secretary Rev. Choi Hee Boum

The Christian Council of Korea (CCK) is the representative Christian alliance in South Korea made up of 61 denominations and 21 Christian agencies (http://www.cck.or.kr/).

We ask you to kindly publicise this proclamation as widely as possible amongst denominations, agencies, churches, media outlets and individuals all over the world.

Check out some helpful info on this blog:
http://magicstatistics.com/category/asia/eastern-asia/north-korea/

CSW - North Korea (recent press release)

2007-01-20T22:46:00.000Z

Christian Solidarity Worldwide

For immediate release

15th January 2007

SOUTH KOREAN CHURCH ANNOUNCES INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF PRAYER FOR NORTH KOREA IN 2007

HISTORIC PROCLAMATION MADE AT SEOUL OLYMPIC STADIUM COMPLEX ON REVIVAL CENTENARY DATE

On the centenary day of the Pyongyang Great Revival, the South Korean Church proclaimed an international Year of Prayer for North Korea in 2007. The announcement was made at the Seoul Olympic Gymnastic Stadium before an audience of 15,000.

The proclamation states ‘As we mark this centenary day of the outbreak of the 1907 Pyongyang Great Revival, we desire to see love, freedom and peace restored in Korea. We thus proclaim 2007 as a Year of Prayer for North Korea and call the global Church and Christians worldwide to join the South Korean Church in actively praying for North Korea this year.’

The proclamation was made by Rev. Choi Hee Boum, the Executive Secretary of the Christian Council of Korea, the representative Christian alliance of South Korea, and co-signed by the body’s President, Rev. Park Jong Soon. The announcement came in the culmination of a week of meetings at the Olympic Stadium leading up to the revival centenary date.

A new website address was launched during the week as a vehicle for prayer for North Korea. The inter-agency site at http://www.pfnk.org/ carries information and resources to inform and equip Christians everywhere to pray for North Korea and its people.

The proclamation concludes with the words: ‘We hereby call on denominations and ministries around the world to promote the ‘2007 Year of Prayer for North Korea’. We urge for intercession to be rallied for 2007 to be the year in which the walls of darkness fall in North Korea, crosses are restored in every corner of the land and a historical tide of repentance and revival breaks out and brings peace to Korea and beyond.’

The appeal for prayer reflects the grave concern that exists over the situation in North Korea in both spiritual and physical terms.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide’s International Advocate, Elizabeth Batha, spoke earlier at the Olympic Stadium Complex, highlighting the grave need for concerted worldwide prayer for North Korea: ‘The contrast between the spiritual climate in North Korea today and one hundred years ago could not be starker. That Pyongyang has moved from being a city known throughout the Christian world as ‘the Jerusalem of the East’ to now being the capital of probably the most brutal suppressor of Christianity is chilling. The population is subject to enforced idolatry of the political leadership, there is a ruthless ban on the gospel and Christians are brutally persecuted, imprisoned and executed. All these reasons make it imperative that the worldwide Church recognises North Korea as a top prayer priority and stands in the gap to intercede for these most beleaguered of people.’

Stuart Windsor, CSW’s National Director, who also spoke at the Stadium Complex events said: ‘May God awaken the Church and cause a tidal wave of prayer to arise, bringing down the walls of darkness and pouring His love and light into the nation, just as He did one hundred years ago. We hope that all Christian groups and individuals will respond to this call to pray.’

For more information on North Korea, please visit http://www.pfnk.org/ or http://www.csw.org.uk/. Further information on the Christian Council of Korea is available at http://www.cck.or.kr/.

Photos and additional information are available from Christian Solidarity Worldwide in South Korea on 018 696 1180 or in the UK on 020 8329 0043 or by e-mailing mailto:alexa@csw.org.uk.

CSW is a human rights organisation which specialises in religious freedom, works on behalf of those persecuted for their Christian beliefs and promotes religious liberty for all.

Cornerstone Asia - pray for India

2007-01-20T20:17:00.000Z

Writing as I am, from England, we are not unfamiliar here with many aspects of Indian culture.Our historical links with India go back a considerable length of time, from the East India Company and the British Raj. One of our family's grandparents, wrote of his experiences and views from serving in the British Army in the region and as the independence of India was debated in parliament.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Raj

Many people from the Indian sub-continent have connections with the United Kingdom. Close neighbours that we know came here many years ago, and now four generations have come and settled - or travel between India and England.

Yet, surprisingly, I read on the front pages of British newspapers (Wednesday January 17th), the controversy over comments made on the reality TV show 'Big Brother'. Shilpa Shetty, a Bollywood actress, is driven to tears over cruel bullying, the papers say. She is mocked about her cooking, her standard of home accommodation and another contestant says her name is unpronouncable.

Bollywood and other films still reflect the difficult and painful history between India and it's British rulers under the British Empire. Films such as 'Lagaan' (2001) by Ashutosh Gowarikar , the award-winning 'Ghandi' (1982) by Richard Attenborough and the drama series 'Jewel in the Crown' (1984) by Christopher Morahan, show some of the oppression that existed. Shilpa hoped to demonstrate Indians as 'modern, intelligent and glamourous' on British TV. Instead, she came up against stereotypes, (and perhaps Bollywood could be criticised for stereotypes from history in portraying the British at times?)

But what of the future? India remains a vast challenge for missions, both to the Indian Church itself and missions around the world. Now fast catching up with China, and likely to overtake her as the most populated nation on earth.

The huge social move of Dalits changing religious adherence from Hinduism to Buddhism or Christianity, is unsettling higher castes and ruling BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) Hindu political interests. Since November 2001, this has had a huge impact - challenging a social order in place for over 3000 years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalit_(outcaste)

http://www.cswusa.com/Reports%20Pages/Reports-India.htm

British relationships ith Gujurat actually began in 1608, with ships from the British East India Company arrived at Surat. Gujarat is probably the most staunchly Hindu of the India's states- so it appears to westerners who have visited. I asked some of those familiar with Gujarat about their impressions of the state. They mentioned the hospitality, the fact that few people speak English, the concern that westerners do not understand the social system. To help a poor member of the community can easily be misunderstood there. Many Gujaratis are now in the UK, frequently recognized as a Patel family running a newsagent or corner shop.

http://www.countercurrents.org/comm-puniyani030206.htm

And this year, millions will visit Allahabad, in North India for the Ardh Kumbh Mela (see www.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/6224659.stm ). Many seek to wash their sins away, but the waters of the Ganges cannot do it. The bible talks of a better cleasing, an inward one, (see 1 Peter 3:21). The river of life the bible talks about in Revelation 21 and Ezekiel 47 is the only source of life- the fountain of living water that Jesus himself promised would spring up to eternal life in John 4.

Many in India can only dream of the fame, wealth and public interest of Bollywood stars such as Shilpa Shetty. They will never make headlines in the newspaper, never own a floor of a luxury apartment block, never hit the silver screen.

We have been particularily impressed with the heart of C V Vadavana - a dear brother who is working in India in some of the toughest areas, ministering with others through the work of Sathyam (Truth) Ministries. Please have a look at the website : www.sathyam.org

'Father, we ask for your heart for those in Asia particularly India, that you see, but people have despised, neglected, forgotten and discarded. The Dalits, the tribal groups, the children in India. Those who are child prostitutes, those who are with HIV/AIDS, those without hope'.

Cornerstone Asia- Praying for Tibet

2007-01-20T20:13:00.000Z

There can be few more remote regions of the world that still contain many unreached groups of people as the Tibetan plateau. Behind the peaks of the Himalayan mountains, much of Tibet is a high-altitude plateau, inhospitable, severe and largely untouched by the gospel.

There is a great need for fresh vision to come to the church for reaching Tibet - although there are those historically who have such. Even today, many Christians in China have such a vision in reaching areas West of China as part of the 'Back to Jerusalem' missions movement.

One of the most significant missionaries to the region was Sadhu Sundar Singh, an Indian believer who spent much time reaching Tibetans often at tremendous personal cost.

In recent years prayer trips by intercessors have been part of God's strategy for opening up the heavenly places, to quote Isaiah, 'oh that you would end the heavens and come down.'. In the words of Jesus: 'your kingdom come.on earth as it is in heaven'.

Tibetan Buddhism is a vast subject in itself, since it's influence spreads into surrounding areas such as Bhutan, Arunanchal Pradesh, Qinghai Province and Mongolia. In recent years its influence in the west has grown immensely through the talks, books and profile of the fourteenth Dalai Lama.

Useful Links:A number of interesting articles can be found if you do a www.google.co.uk search under 'Tibet Christians'. Bear in mind that some are about historical references to missions, some are more recent and not all are in sympathy to an evangelical position.

www.backtojerusalem.com Has a recommended booklist regarding the Asian Missionfield, some of which might also be obtained via www.amazon.com I recommend Marku Tsering's 'Sharing Christ in the Tibetan Buddhist World' (1993).

I highly recommend 'Peoples of the Buddhist World-a Christian Prayer Guide' by Paul Hattaway, Piquant Editions. Again, try amazon or www.piquanteditions.com. This has some of the most detailed misions information on Tibetan and other groups I have found in book form.

Try also www.ad2000.org/peoples And the Joshua Project listed in my general recommended links.

A good general introduction to understanding Tibet, would be to watch the film 'Himalaya' (1999-Director Eric Valli, see www.kino.com/himalaya/gb_accueil), or read the book by the author Michael Palin 'Himalaya' (ISBN 0297 84371) - which talks more widely about the regions around also.

It's worth doing a search on the internet for further information - there is no shortage of images on www.flickr.com : try searching under 'tibet' or 'amdo' for example.

'Father bring your light into every tribe and people and ethnic group in Tibet. Reveal your truth and hope. Let your glory be manifest in the heavens over Tibet and your kingdom come on earth in the Tibetan plateau'.

The Heart of Asia

2007-01-08T07:11:00.000Z

Surprising though it may seem, the heart of Asia is not China, nor India but Israel.

Why do I make such a strange assertion? In Isaiah 2:2-3 (NIV) we read the following:

'In the last days the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as chief among the mountains;it will be raised above the hills,and all nations will stream to it.

Many peoples will come and say,"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.
"The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."

Many other scriptures point to the unique and vital purpose that God has for Israel, most of all being his special instrument to fulfil the purpose of sending his Son into the world to be the sacifice for sins, once and for all people for all time.

The heart of God and the heart of his purposes has a special focus on Israel and the Jewish people. He said to Solomon at the building of temple:

My eyes and my heart will ALWAYS be there (2 Chronicles 7:16)

Have a look at the following scriptures especially: Romans 9:1-5, 11:28-29, Psalm 122:6-9.

Israel -the Jewish people as a nation -has never been given her P45 (told to leave her job) as God's testimony on earth.

This divine purpose is to be a blessing began with Abraham's calling in Genesis 12:2-3.

God's restoration of the Jewish people to their ancient land, and their spiritual restoration are inextricably linked to his salvation of the nations (see Isaiah 49:5-13).

Israel must also have a two-way role:

1.To be in the place of God's favour in order to be a source of blessing to the nations,
(Psalm 67:1-2).

2.To seek God for his blessing for the Gentile (non-Jewish) nations, that they might experience his blessing,
(Psalm 67:3-7).

There are websites and biblical scholars who might communicate these things more adequately, but I hope these thoughts are helpful.

God chose one of Jesus' ancestors - a Gentile -to be redeemed and partner with the spies, in assessing and entering the promised land. This was Rahab (see Joshua 2).

God chose one of Jesus' ancestors -a Gentile- to be married to Boaz and redeemed in order to be a mother in Israel and great-grandmother of David (see the book of Ruth).

Our participation as Gentiles in the riches of God's mercy is only by a joining as 'one new man' (see Ephesians 2 especially 15b).

It is a grafting into the root of Jesus for us as Gentiles (Romans 11:17-18), remembering that when the Jews return to their Messiah, it will be the most natural thing (Romans 11:24). The fruitfulness that results, will be beyond our imagination (Romans 11:12,15).

Father, make us watchmen on your walls day and night until you establish Jerusalem and make her the oraise of the earth (Isaiah 62:6-7).

Cornerstone Asia - pray for the Tsangla

2007-01-05T08:34:00.000Z

We continue with a special feature on prayer for the eastern Himalayan Tsangla. About 250,000 Tsangla live in Bhutan, Aunacahl Pradesh in India and Tibet. FEBC Christian radio are broadcasting in the Tsangla language and the Jesus film has now been translated also. Like many Tibetan Buddhists, their belief practices are are superficial level over older Shamanistic and Polytheistic rituals. In attributing all disease to demons, the Tsangla believe they must appease angry demons by sacrificing often quite valuable animals. They also believe that humans may, in some cases, be demons. Such individuals,and those who marry them, are 'demon families' and must intermarry only with one another.

Father, bring your hope and freedom to the Tsangla - the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work (I John 3:8) - liberate these dear people in your compassion and mercy, as you did for that Canaanite child tormented by evil spirits, during your ministry on earth (Matthew 15:21-28).

(Source: Peoples of the Buddhist World P.Hattaway, Piquant Editions, www.piquanteditions.com)

Send workers into this harvest field!

2007-01-03T07:41:00.000Z

Father - release workers into this great harvest field of Asia - especially those who right now have a heart to go. Prepare them, guide them, direct them, anoint them! Let your presence fall on them and fill them with your Holy Spirit and the power of your grace , mercy and love.

Let your glory fall on Asia! Send a spirit of wisdom and revelation on those who have yet never been reached with the knowledge of Jesus - to meet you. Amen.

Pray for Thailand

2007-01-02T18:54:00.000Z

Still things are unclear - please pray for peace in situation in Thailand regarding security after the New Year's Eve bombs in Bangkok.

Father, have your hand on those who are there seeking to reach the lost and reach out to minority groups especially in the north. Let your presence and peace surround them - especially the Mickels and those in Chiang Mai Christian Fellowship.

See:

www.cornerstoneasia.co.uk

www.ccfth.org

for more information on those ministries

Recommittment Prayer for 2007

2007-01-01T20:09:00.000Z

Father, I come to you today and just need to rededicate everything to you all over - the pains, the struggles, the fears, the hopes and dreams, the expectations, the successes and failures, the pressures, commitments, the things that really matter to you and need priority and first place and the things that you want to fall away and take a second place.

Jesus, be the centre, be the focus again, be the one I turn to the cross, where all of history stopped and changed course for every person on earth to find salvation and wholeness and to know you intimately.

Holy Spirit, come as a wind and a fire and purify again, renew, refresh, fill, lead me into all truth.

Lord let your fire fall again - give us your heart for your purposes and compassion for this nation again, for Asia again, for the many many unreached peoples there. Give us your heart of mercy, of grace, of wisdom. Today again.

Draw together those you want to join here, make it a place of prayer, make this holy ground on the net, let your glory fall here in this room, in this blog, in this space, in every post and podcast, to every reader - let them know your heart for the things that matter to you and your purpose for them - that your kingdom might come, that we become everything you want us to be as the bride of Christ - the bride you long for, for your Son.

Draw us back to your heart, your presence, your word, your glory, the place of prayer again.

Amen and Amen!

Cornerstone Asia - pray for Bhutan

2007-01-01T14:53:00.000Z

A really helpful book I have been using for prayer for the Buddhist world is called 'Peoples of the Buddhist World - A Christian Prayer Guide' by Paul Hattaway check out the website www.piquanteditions.com for his stuff. Also Asia Harvest have some fantastic detailed newsletters on unreached Asian Peoples - see www.asiaharvest.org.

I owe alot of the information on these areas that I pass on to you, from Paul's existentive work on the subject. I am interested to receive any further more accurate information on areas and peoples I mention if my facts are not quite correct.

Many parts of Bhutan are remote by western standards and the country remained very closed until the mid-sixties. The Leprosy Mission had a key role in setting up hospitals as did the Norwegian Santal Mission in the 1960's and 1970's. As Christianity has been seen as a threat to national cohesiveness. 210 years ago this March, William Carey actually visited Bhutan with a view to setting up some work there, but the hope was not fulfilled and he focussed on his Bengal mission work that had been established already.

Proverbs says: 'A longing fulfilled is a tree of life' and 'Hope deferred makes the heart grow sick' (Proverbs 13:12).

Lord, how long does it have to be for the deferred hope of the nations to come to Bhutan - to the Lap people, the Kurtop, the Western and Eastern Khampa, the Drokpa-speaking majority and the many tiny groups who have never heard? Surely 210 years is too long to wait. Open up the gates and those ancient doors - may the King of glory come in! Send us, release us, anoint us, challenge us to give, to pray and to go.

Cornerstone Asia

2007-01-01T09:53:00.000Z

My intention in due course is to organise prayer information, prayers and podcasts from this blogspot for those interested in Cornerstone Asia. This is the charitable organisation set up to help promotion of missions in Asia see http://www.cornerstoneasia.co.uk

Here we go

2006-12-31T17:20:00.000Z

Welcome to all my friends - add, tell me what's up and let me know anything that needs discussion!

Illustated!

2006-12-31T17:04:00.000Z

Well, a spelling mistake, but since there are no illustrations - there are stated comments at the present time!

Ian of England

2006-12-31T17:01:00.000Z

Today is new year's eve I'm just starting my blogspot for the first time.