Asia

"If you kill me, I'll be with Jesus," Fakar told his torturers. In Spring of 2004, Fakar had been given a green booklet explaining the Gospel using statements in the Koran about Jesus (Isa). Convinced, he was baptised, along with his wife and three daughters, and could not stop speaking of his new faith. After a few months, the local Islamic leaders warned and threatened him. One day, a dozen men attacked and beat him. He died of his injuries. Our partners have started almost 50 house churches among Muslims in Kashmir, India, and the new believers helped others following the recent earthquake in the region. They provide people with a roof over their heads and warm clothing, and make sure they also feel the warmth of God's love.

Raju, a devout Muslim, had a dream in which two corpses were lying in the street. According to Islamic tradition, the dead must be buried immediately. Raju buried the first, but the second one spoke to him, saying "I am not dead. I have eternal life, and you can have it too. Go to your friend. He has a black book. Page x tells you how to find eternal life."
The following day, Raju visited his friend, who was a secret follower of Isa. His friend opened his "black book" (the Bible), and Raju found eternal life, just as he had seen in his dream. He has now started 30 house churches!

Marina was married to a Wahabi warrior who aimed to exterminate all Christians. Every day, Marina prayed that Allah would exterminate them. Marina's husband was killed in battle, and her life worsened. Her parents-in-law took her son away from her and chased her away. Then she heard the Gospel, and Isa appeared to her several times. She was baptised about one year ago, and attended the first church planting school in Sochi in May of 2005. Encouraged, she returned to Chechnya to get her son. During our visit a few weeks ago, she told us that he also likes to worship Isa Masiach, the saviour of the world. Marina's mother suffered from Tuberculosis, and would not listen to the Gospel, so Marina prayed and fasted for her. Isa appeared to her mother, saying "You are healed." She was completely healed, opened her heart to Jesus, and was baptised a few weeks ago.

Some years ago, H.P. Nüesch, leader of Campus für Christus (Campus Crusade for Christ) in Switzerland, gave an evangelistic sermon in northern Russia. Victor, an oil worker, was touched. He visited his sister Sina, who was married to an Muslim businessman in Dagestan; she was saved, and told her husband Arthur about the Gospel. Arthur was also saved, and planted the first national church in an Islamic people group in the Caucasus. That church grew to around 300 members, and has since planted churches in ten other places in Dagestan. Arthur told the Gospel to Juri, another businessman who was going to commit suicide. Juri's family was heavily involved in the Occult. When Juri opened his heart to Jesus, demons attacked and killed him, but after prayer in Isa's name, "he returned to life." He was sent out to North Ossetia-Alania, and has so far planted churches in two villages. I'm amazed by this 'genealogy': Hanspeter Nüesch - Victor - Sina - Arthur - Juri - churches in North Ossetia-Alania. That's almost a biblical list!

On a hot day in 1983, Tom, a missionary on his way home in a rickshaw, saw a young man on the side of the road, and asked him if he wanted a ride. The young man, Abdul, had been through a tough time, including being locked in his room, solitary confinement, beatings, death threats and suicide attempts, because he had questioned the Koran. He went home with Tom, who gave him a Bible. When he returned home, Abdul read the entire New Testament in one night. John 3:17 astonished him, because it told him that God does not damn people but save them. That very night, he opened his heart to this God! One week later, he had read the entire Bible. His salvation was the start of the most dynamic present-day evangelistic movement in an Islamic nation, currently numbering hundreds of thousands of Muslims now following Isa, and around 10,000 who are baptised each month. That's a millennium event!
Source: Kingdom Ministries, Switzerland. KM is a team which aims to help start church-planting movements.

"Sister Ling is a simple, plain-looking farmer's daughter, but Christ's beauty and grace shines in her eyes," in the words of a report from Revival Chinese Ministries International (RCMI). "In 1991, the house churches in the central Chinese province Henan suffered heavy persecution. Sister Ling's family was torn apart. She and her husband had to leave their 7-year-old daughter in the care of another Christian. In the midst of this terrible time, Sister Ling's church decided to send her and another believer to far north-eastern China as spiritual pioneers. At 2 a.m. the night before she left, she and her husband sneaked into the village where their daughter now lived. The little girl woke, and cried when she saw her parents. After the traumatic goodbye, Sister Ling set off on her 2,500 km (1,600 mile) journey. It looked like it was going to be a difficult job; two years previously, several young believers had been sent to the region, but they had not been strong in their faith. Their work had resulted in eight new groups. The two women's job was now to choose a few key people from each group and train them in Biblical truths. Four months later, the Christians were filled with God's love for the lost, so they went out to evangelise. Many came to faith, because the Holy Spirit was with them. Sister Ling's home church decided that the two women should stay longer, so they discipled ten Christians who subsequently each went to different places to pass that which they had learned on to others. More and more people came to faith in Jesus. Ling declared January 1994 to be "Gospel Month". The churches fasted and prayed, and covered the streets with tracts, going from house to house evangelising. Over 4,000 new churches were planted in the surrounding towns and villages. Countless signs and wonders happened, and the believers were filled with joy; their experiences reminded them of the book of Acts. Sister Ling and her team prayed for more leaders and workers for the growing flock; God answered by speaking to thirty people who then worked full time for the Gospel. They travelled in pairs, training new leaders and giving the rapidly-growing church a Biblical foundation. Sister Ling's leadership team has no pastors or elders, and nobody has any theological training. Everything they teach they have heard from God themselves. The team now consists of 120 full-time staff, working in three provinces in north-eastern China, Inner Mongolia, Hebei and Shandong. 300,000 people have come to faith in Christ, and gather in 5,000 churches."
Source: RCMI, Dennis Balcombe

If a Western church grew from 70 to 5,000 members in only three years, the Christian media would be all over it. In China, though, churches are experiencing growth considered almost unprecedented in the West. Here's one report:

"Guangxi is a province in south-western China, on the Vietnamese border. The city of Guilin, with its unusual cliffs, has become a symbol of China's beauty," reports Dennis Balcombe, leader of Hong Kong's Revival Christian Church. Spiritually, though, Guangxi was until recently a desert. Idol worship was the normal religion, and the few Christians could not imagine revival. Now, though, the light of the Gospel is burning brightly, and the churches are growing rapidly. Only 3 years ago, a house church in one region had 70 members; today, it has 5,000! The movement is led by a middle-aged couple; he is a simple and uncomplicated man, she a strong character and conscientious. They were both expelled from the state church in 1998, so started a house church, where they met, sitting on the floor in simple surroundings. Signs and wonders started to happen: the lame walked, the deaf heard, and people were healed of cancer. Everyone in the area recognised the believers' love for one another.

Three days after funeral: raised from the dead
An elderly Christian woman in Sichuan Province became sick and died. Three days after her funeral, the Holy Spirit revealed to another Christian that the dead woman had just returned from Eternity. The woman hurried to the cemetery with her relatives and the church leader. They opened the coffin and saw the dead woman return to life. The woman continually told of how God had raised her from the dead from that time on until she again went to be with Jesus some years later. Through her testimony, many came to faith and remained staunch under persecution. That church grew the fastest of any in the region.

Source: Revival Chinese Ministries International