HistoryMakers is a ministry of AsiaLink.

Registered Charity No. 327165

AS I AL I NK YOUTH OF F I CE R
237 WELLINGTON ROAD NORTH
STOCKPORT, ENGLAND, SK4 2RQ
TEL: +44 0161 442 3349
E- MAIL: hi stor ymaker s@asi al i nk. org. uk
TO RECEIVE MONTHLY E-MAIL UPDATES & FREE ISSUES OF HISTORYMAKERS MAGAZINE FILL IN THE DETAILS BELOW & DETACH
THIS FORM THEN POST IT BACK TO US: ASIALINK, MILL FARM, FLEETWOOD ROAD, WESHAM, PRESTON, ENGLAND, PR4 3HD
Yes, I would like to receive HISTORYMAKERS Magazine: (please use CAPITALS)
NAME:
ADDRESS:
POST/ ZIP CODE:
COUNTRY:
AGE:
E-MAIL:
Were offering you the exciting opportunity to inspire your youth group through
the HistoryMakers presentation. Using dynamic media including exciting videos
as well as teaching from the Bible about missions, evangelism and living passionately
for Christ we want to challenge your youth and student groups to move out of
their comfort zone!
Yes, I would like HistoryMakers to come to my church or group.
Are you:
A church leader
A youth worker
A member of a church youth group
At College/University
None of the above
If you would like more than one copy of HMKS Magazine to use in your
youth or study group, please indicate how many copies you would like:
5 10 20 30 40 50
CHURCH/ ORGANIZATION:
!
WILLIAM CAREY
JIM ELLIOT
PAUL HATTAWAY
I NTE RVI E W
CHINA
COUNTRY PROFI LE
PROJECT PEARL
SMUGGL I NG ONE MI L L I ON BI BL ES
ASIALINK
MI S S I ONARY AGE NCY
ISAIAH
GOD S PROPHET
EVANGELIST
THE OBEDI ENCE OF SI STER CHANG
>FREE
BROTHE R DAVI D
In June 1981, a huge barge containing one million
Chinese bibles slipped past Communist border patrols
and anchored off a beach in South China.
Time magazine described it as A remarkable missionthe
largest operation of its kind in the history of China. Many
Chinese church leaders today say that Project Pearl was a
pivotal moment in their history. The Church had only just
started to re-emerge after decades of brutal oppression and
the desperate need of believers everywhere was for Bibles.
A quarter of a century later reports are still being received
of the tremendous impact those Bibles had on whole
communities. Chinese Christians consider Project Pearl a
key event which contributed greatly to the mighty revival
presently sweeping the worlds most populous nation.
COURAGE OUS VE NTURE
Project Pearl was led by former U.S. Marine Brother David.
Along with 19 crew members, he risked his life to bring the
Word of God to the spiritually hungry Chinese believers.
Operating under a cloak of secrecy because of the highly-
sensitive nature of the work, Brother David and his team
worked closely with house church leaders inside China and
settled on the bold and risky plan to take one million Bibles
into China by boat in one go. Thats 232 tonnes of Bibles!
Starting with no money, no resources, not even a boat, God
supernaturally provided everything needed. The barge sailed
from the Philippines to Hong Kong and then on to China.
The delivery was successfully completed on the evening of
18 June, 1981. More than 10,000 Chinese believers gathered
along a beach near the city of Shantou in southern China
and took the one million Bibles away in trucks, cars, donkey
carts, on bicycles and strung across bamboo poles. The army
arrived at the beach several hours after the delivery but the
vast majority of Bibles (at least 90%) had already been
successfully moved by the Chinese Christians. Later, the
official registered Three-Self church and others denounced
Project Pearl by claiming all the Bibles had been confiscated
or swept out to sea. It was not true. Within weeks, Project Pearl
Bibles had made their way to hungry believers in 18 different
provinces and letters of overwhelming gratitude poured in
fromChristians who had received their first copy of Gods Word.
THE ME ANI NG OF TRUS T
Project Pearl, and indeed Brother Davids life fromthe time of
his conversion, was focused on seeking first the kingdom of
God. He knew what it meant to follow the Way of the Cross,
where faith came before comfort and the cares of life and
where nothing less was expected fromJesus but to give all for
the kingdomof God. Pearl could have failed if the Lord allowed
and that would have meant certain imprisonment, torture
and possibly even death. Yet Brother David was willing to give
his life in order to obey the commands of Christ.
Lets thank God for faithful servants like Brother David who
give their all for the kingdomof God. The story of Project Pearl
has just been published, the author Paul Hattaway comments:
The paradox is that Brother David is also an ordinary man,
with weaknesses like the rest of us. Yet if the King of kings
has been pleased to use him, He can use you and me too.
2
AND HE SAID TO THEM, GO INTO ALL THE WORLD AND PREACH
AND PUBLISH OPENLY THE GOOD NEWS (THE GOSPEL) TO EVERY
CREATURE OF THE WHOLE HUMAN RACE MARK 16: 15
Project Pearl by Paul Hattaway, published by
Monarch Books, is available in good Christian
bookshops or from Asialink.
INSPIRE
MISSIONARY
C ON T E N T S
PROJ ECT PEARL 02
CHI NA 03
E VANGE L I S T 04
AS I AL I NK PROF I L E 05- 06
PAUL HATTAWAY (Interview) 09-10
I SAI AH 11
RE S OURCE S 12
INTRODUCTION
Dear Friends,
Welcome to the third edition of HI STORYMAKERS
magazine.
When we come to the Cross of Calvary we our presented
with grace and, through faith with broken and contrite
hearts, we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. We
turn away in repentance from our old ways and, by the
Holy Spirit, we make our peace with God through the
finished work of Jesus on that Cross.
The Cross is the only true symbol of Christianity. It
encompasses everything God is. There on that Cross,
God kissed a guilty world in love. It was there that
the floodgates of His mercy opened wide. It was there
that His wrath was spent and His love was demonstrated
in its fullness. But it does not stop there. The Cross is
not only a symbol of our conversion: it is something to
be carried through our lives as we walk with Christ.
It speaks of a determination, a single-mindedness, a
self-denial and, of course, of an immeasurable love.
It also speaks of a joy that lies ahead.
Throughout the ages, we hear of great men and
women of God who have displayed what it means
to walk the Way of the Cross. All over the planet
today, tens of thousands of Christians are walking this
path. We see them in China and in North Korea, in
Vietnam and in Laos forgetting what the world has to
offer and embracing the Cross. The challenge is there
for us all.
Jesus calls us to follow. In fact, He tells us six times in
the Gospels that in order to find life, we are to lose our
own lives for His sake. Its a living sacrifice. There have
always been martyrs but that is not what this is about.
Rather it is a lifestyle everything we do, every act of
our bodies ought to be a demonstration that Jesus is
more precious to us than anything else.
For that joy set before Him, Jesus endured the Cross.
For us to glorify God, we too, must deny ourselves, take
up our cross and follow in His footsteps. In this issue of
HistoryMakers, we will focus on just some of those who
have been walking in this Way. Hopefully it is a lifestyle
we will all consider worth taking.
AS THE TIME APPROACHED FOR HIM TO BE TAKEN UP TO HEAVEN,
JESUS RESOLUTELY SET OUT FOR JERUSALEM. LUKE 9: 51
THE OBE DI E NCE OF S I S TE R CHANG
The reason I wrote to you was to see if you would stand
the test and be obedient in everything. 2 Corinthians 2:9
When God spoke to Sister
Chang, a housechurch
leader from Henan, He
told her to do something
that made no earthly
sense at all. He told her to
go and preach the gospel
on the steps outside the local police station. Such an
action may lead to arrest even in Western nations and
in Communist China it is a sure way to invite severe
punishment. But the more Sister Chang prayed about it,
the more clearly the inner voice of God continued to tell
her to do it. Finally, she saw no option but to obey God.
BOL D PROCL AMATI ON
Standing on the top step outside the police station, she
boldly preached the Gospel to astonished onlookers. Within
a few minutes several officers dragged her inside and
placed her under arrest. To the human eye her obedience
looked foolish but God can see things that we cant.
Sister Chang was sentenced without a trial and sent to
the local womens prison, where she was placed alongside
thousands of spiritually lost souls. She boldly and lovingly
proclaimed the Gospel to her fellow prisoners. The light of
the gospel spread like wildfire. Within just three months, 800
women believed in Jesus! The entire atmosphere of the
prison changed and new sounds of praise and worship were
heard echoing down the prison hallways and in the courtyard.
The prison director was greatly impressed at the change in
the atmosphere and was able to trace it to the preaching
of Sister Chang. He brought her into his office and said,
You have made my job easy! There is no more fighting
between the prisoners and the women have become gentle
and obedient. We need more people like you working here.
From today, we have decided to let you go free. We want to
give you a full-time job here in the prison, and we will pay
you 3,000 Yuan per month (about 200, a fortune in rural
Henan). He continued, We will also give you a car and your
own driver, and will find you comfortable housing.
AL L I WANT TO DO I S PRE ACH!
Sister Chang briefly considered the offer, and then replied,
Twenty years ago I became a disciple of Jesus Christ and
He has been wonderful to me. I dont believe your offer
of a car, driver and salary is in line with what Jesus wants
to do with my life and I belong to him. All I want to do
is preach the Good News.
Despite her rejection of his offer, the director released her from
prison that day and she continued her ministry for the Lord.
It always pays to do what the Lord tells us to do. Dont
argue, dont fight it, and dont try to work out all the
details with your mind. Just do it. That is one mark of a
true disciple of Jesus Christ.
EVANGELIST
JESUS SAID, PEACE BE WITH YOU!
AS THE FATHER HAS SENT ME,
I AM SENDING YOU. J OHN 20: 21
Illustration taken from
Conventional Wisdom
by A. Auderset Used with
the kind permission of
Monarch Books.
4
INSPIRE
CHINA
PE RS E CUTI ON I NDE X: 10TH
China is the third largest state in the world with close to
500 different languages. China now has a population
of around 1.3 billion, including 100 million from ethnic
minority people groups. The Han are the main people
group with over 780 million Mandarin speakers and 600
different dialects. It is estimated that by 2010, half of
Chinas population will live in urban areas as people
move in search of better work.
CHURCH/ MI S S I ON ACTI VI TY
The Marxist aim has always been the elimination of all
religious groups and so tight restrictions are in place on all
Christian and Muslim activity. After half a century of strict
Communist rule, millions of people have forsaken all
outward religious beliefs. While over half of China's
believers belong to unregistered and house churches, they
suffer from acute shortages of Bibles, teaching materials
and trained leaders. Persecution is intense, especially
among recognised church leaders. There is also a need for
the movement to spread more from rural areas to effect
change among urban intellectuals as also for the Chinese
church to begin to seriously impact the rest of the world
through Chinese missionaries. This is already taking place.
Migration from rural to urban areas is a dramatic current
social reality through which the government anticipates
half of Chinas 1.3 billion population to be living in the
megacities by 2015. Many young believers have been a part
of this migration as they head to cities in search of work.
Chinese believers are also making a serious impact on world
mission through their own Back to Jerusalem vision.
MAI N UNRE ACHE D GROUPS
There are over 250 people groups without any known believers
and about another 100 groups which are less than 1%Christian.
There are 25 million Muslims scattered among smaller tribes,
60 million communist party members who are, by definition,
atheists. It is illegal to hold Sunday School or youth groups
in many official and controlled Three Self Patriotic
Movement churches or to teach themChristian doctrine.
Reaching the 800 official Chinese cities is another important
challenge as has been mentioned. The phenomenal church
growth to date has largely been restricted to the coastal areas
of the East andSoutheast where the Gospel was first introduced.
WHAT WE DO
1 Bibles: The simple goal here is to help equip Chinas
Christians with Gods Word. 2 Sunday School Curriculum:
Training over 10,000 Sunday School teachers. China has over
500 million children under 15 years of age and it is illegal in
many places to tell themabout Jesus. 3 Leadership training:
The majority of Chinas one million pastors and church
workers will never have the opportunity to attend a Bible
School. 4 Supporting evangelists: Many Chinese workers
have experienced serious persecution for their faith.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
go to www.asialink.org.uk/china to see how you can help.
INFORM
6
struggling believers, not only in China but now too in North Korea,
Vietnam and Laos. We go and help train effective church leaders
in the Himalayas and in Burma. In other places, we respond
with relief and rehabilitation in crisis-hit areas like Kashmir
or North Korea. We try and creatively make a difference in
Tibet or even the Maldive Islands. In Mongolia we help with
something as simple as teaching nomadic children to read and
write. How great is that!
HOW WE DO I T
We network with likeminded agencies and we are blessed to
partner with Asian church leaders who are responsible for
small groups, and in some cases, thousands of believers.
Why partner? We work with local Asian Christians who already
understand the context and the challenge. They are passionate
about sharing Christ with their own people and with nearby
unreached people groups. They understand the culture. They
already speak the language and move more freely across frontiers.
They exist at the same economic level as the people around them.
They and their families work in extremely difficult circumstances,
often risking persecution, imprisonment and even death. We consider
our partners some of the humblest and greatest people on earth.
WHY WE DO I T
Partnering with nationals is an effective and efficient way to do
missions in todays world. It maintains a continuing Christian
presence in areas of the world where the church is often only a tiny
minority, newly born, or under threat by a militant religion or
political force. The presence and training of Godly national leadership
is vital to the long-term survival and growth of the Church.
For more information on AsiaLinks ministry, visit our website:
www.asialink.org.uk
INFORM
ASIALINK
AS I AL I NK
HistoryMakers is part of a wider ministry called AsiaLink, an
evangelical mission agency connecting churches across the world
with ministry among the unreached peoples of Asia.
The organisation began in 1999 with its focus very much
on providing Bibles for China. Since then, the work has grown
substantially to now include ministries in 12 countries across the
continent. What ties it altogether? Our passion is the challenge
of those who have little or no opportunity to hear the Gospel.
WHAT DO WE DO?
We visit churches. We are convinced that the task of the local Church
and of each believer is to assume responsibility for Christian mission
and will do all we can to awaken and encourage missionary
vision. We firmly believe that God wants churches to work alongside
Him to fulfill the Great Commission. Ministering in hundreds of
church meetings, mission conferences and Bible studies every year
in the UK, Ireland, Europe and the USA, is a critical feature of
AsiaLinks work is the investment we make in these congregations.
Our task is also to raise awareness of the persecuted church in
Asia and practically support those suffering, we provide information
and resources to friends and partners and stimulate intelligent
prayer for the unreached and those ministering to them. The role
of HistoryMakers is to do all this with todays youth, to instill this
same passion and vision for missions among the next generation
of world-changers.
What else do we do? We work in some of Asias least-accessible
and least-reached areas. We resource and train Asian workers for
ministry, encouraging them in their efforts to challenge unreached
groups with the Good News. We still get Bibles into the hands of
MONGOLIA
> Literacy classes in needy
areas where church-planting
is a priority.
BHUTAN
> Supporting local evangelists
and bible translation work.
" nagaland
> Equipping evangelists to minister
across Himalayan regions.
tibet
> Literature, teaching, outreach
and radio broadcasting.
nepal
> Helping nationals
in pioneer work.
CHINA
> Providing bibles, audio media
and Sunday School materials
for the rapidly growing house
church network. Also
supporting persecuted
evangelists.
MALDIVES
> Bible translation work.
Tract production and
ministry to Maldivians
living overseas.
INDIA
> AsiaLink partners
are working in 20
villages around Krishna.
Childrens ministries
including providing
shelter for orphans.
KASHMIR
> Correspondence
courses and follow-up
ministries. Supporting
evangelists. Major
relief work
VIETNAM
> Helping children born with
cleft palate and harelip.
Supporting and training local
evangelists and pastors.
Bible printing.
BORNEO
> Training local pastors,
evangelists and missionaries
to reach ethnic minorities.
LAOS
> Providing bibles, teaching
materials and literature.
burma
> Training and
equipping local
believers to reach
the unreached
tribes.
n.korea
> Helping to provide food for
the most needy. Assisting
with medical needs. Prayer
networking, supporting
refugees in China and
working in a variety of ways
to bring the Good News to
the people.
"
Paul Hattaway is Director of Asia Harvest, an inter-denominational
Christian ministry working in various countries throughout Asia.
His goal? He works alongside Asian church leaders, helping and
equipping them to focus on reaching the lost. He wants to see
effective churches planted among unreached people groups.
Paul has also authored many books including: The Heavenly
Man, Back to Jerusalem, Peoples of the Buddhist World, Project
Pearl and Operation China.
HistoryMakers met with Paul in January 2008.
HM: When did you first realize the importance of Missions?
PH: I became a Christian when I was 19 in Australia. Three months
later I went back to New Zealand to witness to my family. The only
church within walking distance of my parents house was a small
Baptist church where for two weekends the speakers happened to be
housechurch pastors fromChina who had spent 15-20 years in prison.
I didnt know anything about Christianity at that time. I didnt know
if everybody in China was a Christian or if nobody was. I had
absolutely no clue.
The first pastor was
Harry Lee. He began
to unbutton his shirt
during the message, to reveal wounds and scars where they had
tortured him in prison. A Chinese pastor named George Chen spoke
the following week. He had been in prison for fifteen years, where,
for most of his time, he had to shovel human waste up to his chest
in the cesspool. He said that this was the best time because it was
the only place the guards werent watching because of the smell.
He could sing and pray and he kept his sanity all those years by
volunteering to shovel the human waste. So, as a new teenage
believer sitting on the front row, my eyes were huge as I was trying
to take in this form of Christianity. It totally changed me. That is
when I got a burden for missions and just weeks later I was in
Hong Kong smuggling Bibles into China on a six week trip that has
extended to 20 years!
HM: Out of all the Christians you have met and worked with in
Asia, which group have inspired you the most?
PH: The Chinese housechurches. Theyre not perfect. God is still
forming their character but there is a tremendous zeal and love of
God which Ive seen in other parts of the world too. Nevertheless,
it is particularly concentrated in China. The passion the Chinese
Christians have for Jesus is not because they are in some way
intrinsically more Godly than the rest of us. Rather, the passion and
wholehearted commitment of the Chinese believers has come about
as God has
orchestrated
events in China
that have
brought about a tremendous revival and hunger for Him.
Communismbrought persecution and difficulties to the Church in
China, and today many church leaders fear that if things become
easier and persecution decreases then the Chinese Church may lose
its fervour for the Lord. I havent heard any Chinese believers pray for
an end to persecution. In fact, some pray just the opposite that
persecution will continue to keep them on fire for God.
HM: What was your first encounter with Brother Yun like?
PH: I met Yun for the first time in the late 1980s. I didnt know who
he was as we met on a mountain in Southern China. A Western
missionary introduced us to a number of Chinese believers. I just
remember something about a Brother somebody who had fasted for
74 days in prison without food and water. It was all a blur to me and I
didnt meet himagain until the late nineties when we seemed to strike
up a good relationship with each other right from the beginning.
shovel human waste up to
his chest in the cesspool
I havent heard any believers
pray for an end to persecution
PAUL HATTAWAY
EXCLUSIVEINTERVIEW
We understand each other on a heart level. I felt like the Lord told me
I should write his testimony in a book but I only told my wife.
God told Yun I should write it so that is how that connection began.
I ended up writing his story and thankfully it has inspired a lot of
people around the world.
HM: In order for you to write your new series of books on the
history of the Chinese church Fire and Blood you have
conducted hundreds of hours of interviews and read over 1500
books. The first book in the series, entitled Chinas Book of
Martyrs, was recently released. What impact would you like the
book to have on believers?
PH: Id like all
readers to be
inspired by the
testimonies.
In China's Book of Martyrs, Ive tried not to make it gory but instead
to focus on them as individuals and give family background and as
many stories as I could find that were personal about them. Not just
heads being chopped off and blood spurting out and so on though
there is some of that as well. People will read it and be inspired and
become more dedicated to Christ as those martyrs were.
Apart from that, I wanted to have an historical record of whats
happened in China. There was never one specific book just dealing
with Chinese Christian Martyrs before. They were the first two
motivations. The third and main one was to get the same book
done in Chinese for the Chinese Church they dont know about
their own martyrs as the information has been hidden from them
through Communism. Its especially powerful for them to hear
of the Westerners who laid their lives down for the sake of the gospel.
HM: Why do Christians in the west generally not display the same
kind of passion and vision that the Chinese Christians do?
PH: Well Im a western Christian, so I speak for myself. To be honest,
I dont believe we display that kind of passion because we dont
have to. It is as simple as that. Being a Christian in the West does not
carry the same threat of persecution. We might be discriminated
against if were a genuine believer in our workplace or at school but
were not physically persecuted. If we can have a more comfortable
life we tend to take it because its nice to the flesh. Usually, when
someone is forced out on the edge through their circumstances and
surroundings, it pushes and drives them to be more zealous for God
and for the kingdom. Before the arrival of Communismand the
subsequent persecution, the Church in China was much like the Church
in other parts of the world now. The pressure Christians were forced to
live under resulted in a sifting. Many believers abandoned their faith,
but many more became serious, wholehearted disciples of Christ.
Revival has resulted. So its not a cultural or ethnic thing, its more
about the circumstances.
HM: How can we develop the same kind of passion?
PH: You won't get
a fire and
passion for God's
kingdom by
sitting around waiting for it. If you start preaching the gospel
around your own country, proclaiming the truth, you too will soon
experience real persecution. Passion for Christ comes to those
who have taken up the cross and followed Him. The Bible promises
that those who live a Godly life for Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
It doesnt say in one particular country or time. So if were not
persecuted we have to ask are we really living a Godly life in Christ
Jesus? Are we really preaching the Gospel? I believe that in England if
you really started preaching the Gospel, you would get persecuted
pretty quickly. Thats the difference. Conversely in China, the believers
don't necessarily have to experience persecution its a choice. If they
want to, they could just relax, go to a government church and have no
persecution. They would probably still go to heaven.
The Chinese
housechurch Christians
are persecuted by choice.
They choose to be
persecuted because they wake up every morning and decide to carry
the cross and take the hard road and not sit back, relax and take it
easy. There are millions in China who have no persecution but there
are millions more who choose to preach the gospel zealously and
obey the Great Commission and they are hunted like animals.
You too, regardless of where you live, also face a daily choice of
whether you will live as God commands, or whether you will take
it easy and accept the status quo.
HM: In view of the Great Commission, what must the western
church do to make a bigger impact on the mission field? Should
we send more missionaries, what kind of numbers would it need
in order to bring completion?
PH: Basically its not about numbers. Its about each individual follower
of Christ doing what God has told themto do. The Bible says that all
believers are to go into the whole world and preach the gospel to
every creature. That doesnt just mean a certain ethnic group has to
go or Christians have to go froma certain country. It means that all
believers have to obey and follow him. Wherever that is, whether its
Scotland, London or Siberia. It depends where God sends you. If you go
where He is not sending you you wont be very effective.
The bigger problemis that believers need to follow Christ and hear His
voice. In Isaiah 30:21 it says Whether you turn to the right or to the
left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, This is the way;
walk in it That is the key. It is not about us asking do we need to send
500,000 missionaries in the next 20 years. It is about you following
Jesus with all your heart and are you doing what He told you to do?
If you focus too much on the big picture then you lose sight of the
small picture. I get asked all the time, should I go here or should I go
there, would I be more effective if I went to China? I cant answer,
because Imnot God. Every Christian has to find out fromGod what
He wants themto do.
Some people get
frustrated because it is
sometimes easier to ask
another person than to seek the Lord for His will and direction.
Each Christian has to go where God is telling themto go. You see
it with the Apostle Paul in Acts. He didnt just make his own schedule;
the Holy Spirit directed him. Conversely, it doesnt mean we just sit
in our home waiting for some great spiritual revelation to drop on you.
I knew an Australian Christian who always made hints that he wanted
to be involved in missions, but he never went anywhere. One day he
went in his bedroom, locked the door and prayed and said God if you
want me to be a missionary overseas then turn the light on and then
I will know its a sign. Nothing happened and he was much happier
because he didnt have to go anywhere!
Does your life belong to you or does it belong to God? Is He the
boss or are you the boss? Unfortunately most Christians, if the truth be
told, are the boss of their own lives. We have our own desires, plans and
money-making schemes and God is a secondary part of that. Lots of
people pray these are my plans, please bless them instead of show
me your will and Imwilling to go anywhere and do anything. If we
pray that prayer then God knows if we really mean it or not. If He sees
you do, then look out, youll be going somewhere soon and usually
amazing things happen. Go, and God will show you where to go and
what to do. Its an imperative command. Not a request or an idea
its a command. So every person, including everyone who reads this
article, will be judged on whether we obeyed the command or not.
To find out more about Asia Harvest and the Chinese church,
go to www.asiaharvest.org For more information on short-term
opportunities to serve in Asia, e-mail historymakers@asialink.org.uk
...be inspired and become
more dedicated to Christ
they wake up every morning
and decide to carry the cross
8
This is the way; walk in it
INSPIRE
RESOURCES
CHI NA BI BL E S
One of the biggest
problems that Chinese
Christians face is a
shortage of bibles.
The believers in many rural areas are
drastically short of Gods Word, so we
are please to announce that our
partners are now able to place a full
copy of the Bible for 1 ($2).
For less than the cost of a cup of coffee,
a Bible can be produced and delivered to
a Christian family in China, making a
huge impact both in their lives and in the
lives of those they reach.
If you would like to help provide bibles, great!
You can give by Credit or Debit Card online.
Go to www.asialink.org.uk/china Alternatively,
you could raise money in an inventive and
fun way, like a sponsored carwash-athon or
bike-ride! Just think, 100 ($200) would
provide 100 Chinese bibles!
S OUTHE AS T AS I A BI BL E F UND
In association with our partner, Asia
Harvest, we are launching the Southeast
Asia Bible Fund to co-ordinate ministries
such as providing Bibles for tribal Christians
in Vietnam. The goal of the Fund is to print
the Scriptures in a number of different
languages as the need arises.
The Communist nations of Laos and
Vietnam contain more than 250 different
tribes, dozens of which had full Bibles or
New Testaments translated into their
languages prior to the arrival of
Communism in 1975. Since then, these
believers have been deprived of Scriptures in
their languages because their governments
oppose the spread of Christianity. The
need for the Word of God in a variety
of languages also remains critical.
To date, we have seen 85,882 Bibles and
New Testaments printed and distributed in
21 different Southeast Asian languages.
Please pray for this strategic opportunity and
consider if you, your church or group are able
to participate by praying or giving financially.
Again, each Bible will cost 1 ($2).
STUDYAT CAPERNWRAY
Our Mission is to proclaim the
transforming presence of Jesus Christ
through Biblical teaching and practical
training, equipping men and women for
service in His Church worldwide
Capernwray Missionary Fellowship is
an international Christian missionary
organisation involved in evangelism
and Bible teaching.
The work has developed to include
Bible Schools and Conference Centres
in Europe, Canada, USA, Costa Rica,
Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia
and New Zealand.
THE AI M:
To come to know the indwelling, risen Lord
Jesus Christ more deeply and personally
In your study of the Scriptures, to
understand the written Word and its
revelation of Christ
To understand God's will for your life
To develop your God-given abilities so
that you may become a more effective
member of the Body of Christ, His Church
To discover and prove in everyday
experience the reality and relevance of
the Christian life as Christ Himself is
allowed to work in and through your life
To gain a working knowledge of the Word
of God to be equipped for full-time service
regardless of your occupation
www.capernwray.org.uk
BIBLES
10
DISCIPLE
PERSECUTED CHURCH
OUTCRY mobilising
young people to speak up
for the persecuted Church
Launched in January 2008,
Outcry is Christian Solidarity Worldwide
(CSW)s new youth and student programme
for 14-25 year olds. It is a passionate movement
of young people who speak up for Christians
across the world who are persecuted
because of their faith, making a difference
through prayer and by campaigning for
religious liberty and human rights.
Outcry uses CSWs accurate and reliable
information to produce up-to-date and
exciting resources for youth and student
workers. Each pack is produced termly and
contains an A5 leaders guide (which
includes 2 complete session plans with Bible
studies, case studies, discussion questions
and activities), a CD-ROM with additional
resources and activities and giveaways for
the members of your group to remind them
of the sessions and to encourage them to
find even more ways of protesting injustices.
Regular email updates will
also ensure that you remain
informed of the current status
of each case.
For more information, to find out how you
can get involved as a young person or to
sign up to receive CSWs free Outcry youth
leader resources, please visit:
outcry-uk.org
THEN I HEARD THE VOICE OF THE LORD SAYING,
WHOM SHALL I SEND? AND WHO WILL GO FOR US?
AND I SAID, HERE AM I. SEND ME! I SAI AH 6: 8
ISAIAH
I SAI AH FACTF I L E
The prophet Isaiah was active during the reign of five different Old
Testament kings yet he did not set out to be a prophet. By the time
King Uzziah died around 740 BC, Isaiah was most probably
already working as a scribe in the Royal palace in Jerusalem. It was
a respectable career but God had other plans for him. Isaiahs
account of Gods call on his life leaves little doubt as to what
motivated the prophet during his 60+ years of ministry.
THE VI S I ON
His vision of God in Chapter 6 of the book was life-changing
and unforgettable. In awe of the holiness of God, he cried out
I am ruined! Realising his sin in the presence of the Lord
Almighty, he felt utterly unclean. God responded with His mercy
and grace as fire from the altar touched Isaiahs lips and his
guilt was removed, his sin atoned for.
It was at this point that Isaiah heard the Lord ask the definitive
question facing every Christian today Whom shall I send? And
who will go for us?" His famous response was Here am I. Send me!
This encounter with God permanently affected Isaiahs persona.
He began to reflect the God he represented in holiness, humility
and passion. He was bold and spoke with purpose and perspective.
His messages were sometimes comforting, sometimes confronting.
When God called Isaiah, He did not promise him great success.
He simply gave him a task to do and Isaiah chose to respond
obediently. God even warned him that the people would not listen!
Whats your career-plan looking like? You may have set out to be
successful in business, sports or the arts. You may be planning to
be the best husband, wife, mother or father that you can be.
Yet it could just be that God has an infinitely bigger plan for you.
Just as he called Isaiah to be a prophet, the Lords calling is for you
to be a disciple, His disciple and to follow His footsteps.
NO E AS Y J OURNE Y
Some will tolerate your faith as they initially did with Isaiah
but after a while anyone living out a no-compromise lifestyle will
face choppy waters, testing times, faith-stretching, lonely, arduous
periods. Its not an attractive job description! It probably even cost
Isaiah his life. Many missionaries endure the same difficulties that
Isaiah faced. The Gospel is preached to millions of people yet there
is no apparent response, no fruits for the labour. In some cases
missionaries have had to wait decades for even the slightest sign
of change from the people they have been sent to reach.
Isaiahs life is an example to us all. His patience, endurance and
self-control under trial are a challenge. And of course, Isaiah (the
book) is an ongoing witness that has blessed literally millions
of people, challenging, encouraging and inspiring by his life of
faithfulness and the words the Lord gave him to say. The task of
reaching the unreached around the world will get done. Thats
Gods promise! You may preach the Gospel, witness to your friends
and family, hand out tracts and even travel the world over telling
others about Jesus. You might never see a single response. But
don't give up. It is not your talents, looks, intelligence or strength.
It is your willingness to do all that He has asked, your obedience to
His commands. The rest is up to Him. In doing that, you will eat
the best of the land (Isaiah 1:19) Sacrifice? What sacrifice? Its
a life of privilege!
DEVELOP