Veritas, my beloved family,
On November 3rd Veritas held a night of prayer for the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church in solidarity with the global body who suffers and endures extreme opposition. I write to our body because the Holy Spirit directed an encounter with one of the very people among one of the persecuted churches we prayed over in Panjab, Pakistan. I’ll refer to him as “Z” to for his safety. We met in what was absolutely a divinely directed exchange while attending a virtual international Business As Missions (BAM) conference online. We exchanged emails, and began communicating over the phone the last couple of weeks. With his permission, I want to share some notes from our last couple of phone calls.
God Answers our prayers and the prayers of His people around the world:
Z was feeling discouraged recently and after God’s work to connected us, hearing that there are real people praying for him and their churches, he is excited and encouraged. Likewise, I was encouraged to meet one of the people from the churches we prayed over. We shared testimonies, which is a wonderful way to connect as believers, and we need to do this more often.
Z grew up in a Christian household, suffered abuse by someone early in life, turned away from Jesus and the church becoming an agnostic. However, as he approached his twenties, he wholeheartedly turned to Jesus after a friend, a YWAM missionary, revealed they had been praying for him to become a follower of Yesu Misa (their Urdu way of referring to Jesus Christ, differing from the Islamic/Arabic reference to Isa). The love of God’s people and His inability to find any other way to live or to die, though Z had explored several options, led him back to Jesus, to truly follow him. Though I have summarized his testimony greatly and probably with some misunderstandings on my part, our time of sharing testimonies with one another.
Z’s story continues in his more integrated life:
Z shared that he was at the BAM conference after recently helping a group with little education navigate the government requirements to legally have a Sunday school. He recognized his business education background could be used in his community to intertwine one’s work and education with their faith. Rather than treating them as separate worlds, he sees them as overlapping with Jesus at the center of both. He told me this change came about after helping the church register for that Sunday School, one of the men, a father, came to him weeping with gratitude that his young daughters could have a place to learn about, experience, and “have a stage” on which to express their life with Jesus. Z said it was so simple for him, but he can do so much more. This speaks to the importance of offering those same opportunities to our children where we have no need to register our Sunday schools with the government and nor do we have to be concerned with our church being burnt down on false charges of blasphemy.
Questions Z and other Christians in his setting are asking about us and our church:
Very early in our first visit Z politely asked, “I know there are churches who are more liberal or conservative in their understanding of the Bible, but where do you stand on LGBTQ?” I said no, the behavior is still sin and not acceptable for us to affirm as Christians, but the deeper issue is an identity issue and truth issue. Those who identify in that community are made in the image of God, and Jesus calls them to repent, believe, and receive His Holy spirit, the same as any sinner like you or me.” He let out his breath and with audible relief, said, “Praise God.” We spoke further about how this is an issue that is becoming more prevalent in Pakistan in the secular, government circles, even in a more conservative religious state. This was news to me, but even in Pakistan they are wondering how to address this issue in a way that honors Jesus, the same as us.
In our second conversation he asked me, “Why do Christians in the West drink alcohol?” He didn’t ask if it was Biblically permissive, or what our church bylaws say, or the ethics of consuming alcohol. If you have never answered that question the way it was phrased in genuine curiosity and a hint of sadness, answer it. To save space, I’ll summarize my answer as “it depends. We are a people who appreciate freedom, and in that freedom we have a tendency to turn to alcohol as a source of pleasure, often replacing our ultimate source of pleasure.” In essence the discussion revolved around how we could say this about many things, but that I cannot reduce the truth of alcohol consumption within the church in our American context to a single reason. I shared my own failings and sins tied to alcohol, particularly in college and in the military. At this point we had a cross-cultural moment, where our guilt-innocence framework met the honor-shame worldview, which I would love to expound on (and am happy to with you later), but there is something more important I’d like to end with.
I asked Z “do you have a word for our church you would like to share?”
Z said, “I really appreciate how much the people in your churches honor and respect one another.” As I said, that we don’t always live up to that reputation, but it is good that the people he has encountered from among us have represented what we should be and do as disciples. He said, they have had people who have caused trouble among their own churches, even some who hurt their own leaders or fellow members they have a disagreement with, sometimes using their government as a weapon.
One of the stories he shared about someone who brought persecution upon their community, a Muslim Background Believer who used to believe in Jihad, tried to rescue the Christians from an injustice, but it only brought violence and opposition from the community around them. Praise the Lord for peacemakers who were respected by the village leadership, who protected this man and the church as the church leaders counseled him in their new life, the way of Jesus that requires not jihad but a witness to the gospel. At great cost, they mentored him as a disciple of Jesus, restoring him and seeing him transformed. We could learn from this, taking the position of Japheth and Shem who walked backward to cover their father, Noah’s, shame in his sin, allowing him to recover with dignity. We need peacemakers and cool heads as disciple makers, helping one another to grow in the likeness of Christ as we consider our cultural practices or worldviews in light of Jesus’ way.
There were so many stories and lessons we shared in these two lengthy conversations (and more to come). It is a joy to receive the Holy Spirit’s gift of a new connection to the universal body, a oneness that has been somewhat distant at times. It was as the Scripture says, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” (Proverbs 25:11)
In grace and peace,
Brad
If you would like to encourage Z and his church: Please feel free to write/type a letter, scan it, and email or text the pdf or jpg to me and I’ll forward it along.
Ways to Pray for the Punjabi church in Pakistan: click here to access the Pakistan prayer guide
What you can pray for Z specifically:
That he would be reminded his prayers are heard and to remain a faithful witness of Jesus Christ.
For eyes to see the opportunities to use the skills and education the Lord has given him to bless the church and the community.
