Pray for the Courageous working in Afghanistan

Last August a Christian woman serving the Afghanistan people in Kabul was gunned down as she was walking to work. Her organization and others like it had already experienced kidnapping and attempted murder. After prayer and mutual consultation the organization she worked for, which had been ministering to the Afghanistan peoples for over forty years and was widely appreciated there for their service, decided it would be unsafe to keep their staff in Afghanistan. Within a few days virtually all of them left the country; it was a sad day for all of them and for the Afghanistan people. A couple of years ago, as an agreement to obtain release of someone who was kidnapped, the Korean Christian servants in Afghanistan were obliged to leave the country.

Few expatriates are able to serve in Afghanistan because of the threats to the wellbeing to them and their families. We need to pray for God to honor their faithfulness, their courage, and dedication.

Despite the setbacks the gospel has been flourishing in that country, even though surreptitiously, as it is still illegal to worship Christ there. With limited possibilities for service by expatriate Christians and severe punishments for those who follow Christ, the need is all the more urgent that we pray for God to work among the Afghanistan peoples — only now it may be largely through the ministry of the local peoples themselves.

Some of us remember when the rise of a Communist government seemed to be a huge loss to the witness of the gospel in China, as virtually all the missionaries were forced out of the country. But God’s project to reach the world was not thwarted: under the Communist regime, somehow undetected, the church grew. Today there are many more Christians in China that ever.

Recently we had lunch with two Chinese Christian leaders. Each was involved with a small group of believers who meet regularly for encouragement and prayer. They believe they can continue to operate, even though the government is aware of their existence, so long as they continue to meet in small groups. The Bible is now legal in China, owing to an appeal by President Jimmy Carter to Deng Xiaoping. But it is dangerous to gather in any other than very small groups.

Pray that God will continue to prosper the house churches in China. Pray also that God will raise up leaders in Afghanistan to encourage further development of house churches there. Pray also for all those in countries that limit the declaration of the good news. Pray for the bible to be widely available in these countries.

See my concerns for the world:

http://artsci.wustl.edu/~canfrobt/Concerns.html

My website: http://artsci.wustl.edu/~canfrobt/home.html

Blog: http://rcanfield.blogspot.com/