Unlocking the
Gospel Door
With the
Key of Medicine
April / May 2010
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Unlocking the Gospel Door With the Key of Medicine |
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April / May 2010 |
No Honest Commitment
Violence and unease continue in Nigeria although it is not all making the
headlines. The Sunday after I left last month, 3 Christian villages were
attacked in the middle of the night by Muslim men armed with knives and guns.
The carnage and loss of life was great especially among women and children; some
as young as 4 months old. Then a week later, about a dozen women and children
were attacked in the field as they tended to their herds and viciously murdered.
Reports that I am now receiving from our friends in-country are that "things
have come down", but that "meeting with Muslims produce no lasting impact, no
honest commitment". I have also received reports of "secret killings", where the
Muslims are "killing Christians by driving them out to remote places". The
Internet is reporting the finding of fresh graves around Jos as well as the
killing of a pastor and his wife in the adjoining state of Bauchi. The city of
Maiduguri, where we base our operations, had to call in the military because of
emails that were intercepted about pending violence against the Christian
community. Outspoken Christian leaders have been placed on Muslim ‘hit lists'
because they are filming, reporting and speaking out about the true story of
violence that the Muslims are perpetrating on the Christians.
Could It Happen Here?
Could it happen here? A time when we would be cautious, even fearful of
attending church for fear of being attacked and brutalized or even murdered
because of our faith and believe in Jesus Christ the Son of God? When openly
declaring our faith and assembling to worship would make us targets of those who
oppose our faith? This is the question that I asked last month in reporting on
my return from Nigeria due to the violence and tension that the Christians there
are facing for their faith. Could it happen here? NO! It could never happen
here, you say?
Martyrdom
A pastor friend of mine shared recently that he remembers hearing a speaker of
Pakistani background back in the ‘80's who warned that America's greatest threat
was not the communists but rather the Muslims! Then at another conference, the
guest speaker made a remark that some of us were preparing for martyrdom because
of the areas in the world where we minister. I think he spoke right but just not
inclusively enough. I believe that we Christians here in America will face,
sooner than later, the very real prospect of martyrdom for the testimony of
Jesus Christ. Our religious rights and moral convictions have been eroding for
decades and we the church for the most part have stood by and allowed it. You
only have to turn on the news everyday or pick up a newspaper or magazine to
hear of some new lawsuit that has been filed to stop praying at school
functions, take GOD out of the pledge of allegiance, remove preaching from the
public airways, etc, etc,. Now Islamic followers have been emboldened to push
for more and more recognition and freedom in all walks of our society. Islamic
doctrines are being taught in schools from coast to coast and the highest court
in the land is condoning this practice by refusing to hear arguments against it.
States are allowing Islamic beliefs to supersede the law of the land such as the
wearing of veils when taking pictures for driver's licenses.
A Different Letter
This is not, I realize, a typical newsletter containing news and information
about the work that we are accomplishing in the field where God has called us to
labor. However, I have felt strongly impressed to write this report to you for
this past month. In fact, it has taken me all month to accomplish it as I began
to prepare it for the first of April's newsletter. I have not written this to
scare or worry you, but rather that the truths behind the headlines and reports
that we have seen and heard on many biased news organizations, can be known. I
welcome your feedback on this writing and encourage you to search for yourself,
as I did, the Internet and other publications that support, in much more detail,
what I have written here.
Expenses Met
I rejoice to report that because of your faith and believe in this work all the
outstanding expenses for our recent outreach have been met! Thanks to all of you
who have so sacrificially and unselfishly given so that the Gospel can be taken
to those who sit in darkness, where others will not go.
Your Servants In Christ,
Larry - Sarah