Prayer in a time of virus

by Pastor Paul, Director, Bibles for Mideast

It is the time for prayer. Our Lord seeks His children who really love Him and produce the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Let us pray as the Israelites prayed during the re-dedication of the temple:
“Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors.” (Neh. 9:2)

Jesus our mighty Lord, we come before You. We love You Lord with our whole hearts and we confess our sins and iniquities before You. Separate us from all evils and from what is unholy. We are unable to separate by ourselves; but we can by Your grace. We are not worthy to cast out any diseases or viruses such as COVID-19,, but by Your grace, we can. 

"You who are the hope of Israel, its Savior in times of distress, why are you like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who stays only a night?  Why are you like a man taken by surprise, like a warrior powerless to save? You are among us, Lord, and we bear your name; do not forsake us!" (Jer. 14:8-9) 

Lord Jesus, You have overcome sin and death through your crucifixion and death on the cross of Calvary and You redeemed us from sin and death. You have given us a great hope of rising from the dead through Your resurrection. Your precious Blood shed on the cross washed us and purified us. You are with us though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death and we fear no evil. Your rod and staff comfort us always.

Lord our mighty Savior, You are Most High and Most Holy. We are not worthy to abide under Your shadow. But Your love towards us made us worthy by Your grace. You alone are our refuge and fortress. In Your name, Lord Jesus in Your mighty name, we cast out this COVID-19 attacking us and our fellow brethren around the globe.

In the name of Jesus Christ we shall not be afraid of the terror by night; nor of the arrow that flies by day; nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness; nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. In the name of Jesus no coronavirus will affect us or our fellow brethren. For Lord Jesus is our Lord and Savior. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He redeemed us by His own Blood. We have assurance in the name of Jesus Christ that He will never allow a coronavirus or any other evil to attack our body, spirit, soul, family, business and dear ones for the glory and honor of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

With love, prayers and Shalom
In Jesus' mighty name
Pastor Paul (Director)
Bibles for Mideast

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“By Your stripes we are healed.  For You were wounded for our transgressions.  You were bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon You.” — from Isaiah 53:5

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”— 2 Timothy 1:7

“All shall be well, all shall be well … all manner of things shall be well.”
— Julian of Norwich (who actually lived through the time of the Black Death in England)

Some miracles are more complicated BUT attackers all now Christians!

(with reports from Pastor Paul and others)

Pastor Paul and the two leaders ministering with him in North India—after being brutally beaten by Hindu extremists then dragged away, injured and bloodied—thought they would never experience open, fresh air again (story of their attack and capture here).

For five days they’d been shackled with steel chains and locked away in a dark, filthy cattle stall. Along with the stench of cattle dung, the men were constantly harassed by mosquitoes, bees and other vermin. Their captors refused them anything to eat or drink.

One of the main paths through the village

The pastors had been visiting and ministering in a poor village in North India with 300 families. Not far away, Australian missionary Graham Stains and his children were burned alive by militant Hindus two decades ago.

The local Hindu Dalit* (‘untouchables’) have no education and work for the rich and high class Hindus of the nearby town. They do what they are told by their employers, and paid a fifth or less of the normal daily wages for day laborers, have barely enough to survive. They also know they have no one to complain to (an earlier story on ministry among the Dalit here).

A Bibles for Mideast pastor living and working in a small town about 20 miles away had been struggling to share the gospel among the Hindus and Muslims in his area. Despite constant threats on his and his family’s lives, he had managed to establish a small underground church.

At his request, Pastor Paul and the two junior pastors (one formerly Hindu, the other once Muslim) had come to lead in a time of fasting and prayer for the region, as well as help in house-to-house personal evangelism. The time of prayer and fasting went well, and many came to Christ.

A new village believer with her children

One day, a fellow from another village came to the area to visit his friend, who just happened to be at the prayer meeting. So off he went to find the fellow. He ended up listening to the gospel message and making a decision to join the Kingdom of Jesus! Not only that, when prayed over for serious asthma that had plagued him since childhood, he was completely healed.

He then began telling the leaders about his own village and the poor, unreached people there. So the pastors decided to join him on his return trip, and began sharing the truth of Jesus with the locals.

“We got a good response from the villagers at first,” Pastor Paul explains. “They were curious and listened. But then the high class and rich people came to know that the villagers are becoming friendly with us and being attracted to the gospel.”

A ‘secret meeting’ was called, and the villagers were warned that these Christians were against their gods [the Hindu religion has about 33 million gods—Ed.] and their faith. Anyone who befriends them will surely be cursed by the gods, they were told. Their families and even generations to come will face total destruction.

So a decision was made to capture the pastors, tie them to a tree, and call the police. In nationalist Hindu India, proselytizing is a serious crime with often dire consequences.

The pastors of course knew nothing of the meeting. So when angry villagers along with many of the upper class rich townspeople swooped in, the men were engaging some children and women in front of a village house, telling stories from the Bible.

The attackers pummeled the men mercilessly, then tied them to a nearby tree. They called the police, only to be told to ‘finish them off secretly.’

Energized by such a response, they untied the pastors, beat them again with steel pipes, and dragged them down the road. When they arrived at one of the villager’s empty cattle sheds, they bound the men up and left them there. According to one of the junior pastors, Pastor Paul had not only tried to protect the younger men from the attackers with his own body, he kept saying that he alone was the ‘guilty’ one. The other two were innocent, he insisted … but the attackers would have none of it.

Strength and expectation faint, the pastors prayed and hoped for the best—whatever that might mean. Soon word was out on their plight and believers across the country and world began praying and fasting for them.

On the fifth morning, two couples and three grown children, all members of the same family, flung the door of the stall open and prostrated themselves before the prisoners.

“Save us! Save us!” they cried. Behind them streamed other villagers, all begging for forgiveness. They freed the men from their chains.

The pastors had no idea what was going on. They soon learned that two of the family’s cows had, with no apparent cause, suddenly fallen down and died. Those cows had been their goddesses (Hindus believe cows to be sacred). It must, they thought, be due to God's anger for what they had done to the Christian missionaries.

Not only that, but the very man leading the villagers in their attack had a tragic road accident that night and died. Fear fell on the whole village.

As soon as the men were freed, they were rushed to hospital. Seriously injured, they needed weeks of treatment and recovery. Various villagers often came to visit and of course heard the gospel of salvation from the Christian patients.

Pastor Paul, more gravely injured and with some health issues due to the years of pushing himself, required longer hospitalization and is actually still resting and recovering at the home of a pastor in North India, not yet strong enough for the long trek back to his home in southern India.

Still, as soon as he was released, the village full of his former attackers begged him to visit them. Welcoming him warmly, they listened intently to his own testimony of salvation and the message of Jesus. Every person in attendance accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior!

Village women and men listening to Pastor Paul share; every one accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior!

“I thank and praise my Lord Jesus for all my pastors, ministers, believers and prayer partners for your continuous prayers for me and pastors Abishek and Nasar**,” Pastor Paul says. “I personally thank you all for your prayers and kind helps too. May our Lord reward you all.”

Follow-up ministry is desperately needed in the area.

“We urgently need Hindi and Urdu Bibles for the new believers,” says Pastor Paul.

Please be in prayer for these precious people, and for Pastor Paul’s complete restoration. If you can help in any way to cover costs, please click here.

Another new believer in front of her house

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* Dalits—also known as ‘untouchables’—have traditionally been regarded as having such low status they don't even register on the caste system. Despite laws designed to protect them, they continue to face widespread discrimination and often shocking levels of abuse. Access to education, healthcare, justice and in some areas even safe drinking water remains restricted. They generally live in segregated neighborhoods or in satellite hamlets away from main population areas.

** Names changed for security reasons

UPDATE

Pastor Paul is now back at his home in Kerala in southern India. Please be in prayer for him and the area, where coronovirus (COVID-19) security measures have been implemented due to an increasing number of cases.

May our precious Lord guide and protect us all—from the virus and from fear—as we navigate our way through this global challenge.

Pastor Paul and other pastors freed ... but in hospital and still needing prayer

Our amazing Lord has done it again! Pastor Paul reports from his hospital bed they are all recovering, and thanks everyone for their prayers. He cites Philippians 1:21-24, and will write more later when he is able. Hallelujah!

Please keep up the prayers since all were extremely seriously injured and will need lots of recovery time.

As a reminder, the Apostle Paul wrote the following—from prison—in the verses Pastor Paul refers to:

“For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.  If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better;  but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.”

The original story on the attack and abduction: URGENT prayer needed for Pastor Paul and team

URGENT prayer needed for Pastor Paul and team

Pastor Paul traveled early last week with a small team to a remote area in North India and now, with two other pastors, is in extremely serious danger. A mob of Hindu RSS militants burst in during a gospel meeting, brutally beat them and now hold them captive. (The RSS, a violent right-wing organization closely affiliated with the Indian government, promotes Hindu supremacy.)

Those witnessing the attack say Pastor Paul, along with Bibles for Mideast junior pastors Abishek* and Nasar*, have been very seriously injured. They watched in horror as Pastor Paul, his clothes torn, left a trail of blood across the road as they dragged him and the others away.

All we know at this point is that they remain locked in a room in the area, likely without food. No one is allowed near them. They had been ministering among the locals in the Keonjhar District of Odisha, not far from where Australian missionary Graham Stains and his children were burned alive by militant Hindus two decades ago.

Map of India showing Keonjhar District of Odisha

Pastor Peter Haneef and others have complained to police, but local Hindus had already lodged a complaint about the pastors’ attempting to convert people and ‘innocent children’ to Christianity. In increasingly radically Hindu India, converting others is a crime with serious consequences. So police are on the side of the RSS. And too often, RSS and others’ form of ‘vigilante justice’ means torture and death.

Obviously our only help here is from on high. Please join with us in praying our Almighty God releases ALL the heavenly back-up needed to protect and save the men. All our church members are praying and fasting to this end. Don’t forget to pray for the captors as well.

Please keep up your prayers for them, and we will keep you posted.

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* Names changed for the safety of the young pastors and their families

International Christian Concern published a story last year on the findings of the Indian branch of the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF): Over 200 reported incidents of anti-Christian violence in India in 2019 (but there are many, many more unreported).

Looking for the perfect church? Look no further!

I was looking for the perfect church, so I decided to contact the Apostle Paul and ask a few questions. There’s no one better than him to help me find a perfect church, right? He founded several and knows them very well, after all. Here’s a transcript of our exchange. 

😊 Hello! Is this, Paul, the apostle?

👉 Yes, this is him.

😊 May the peace of Christ be with you! 

👉 And with you!

😏 Sorry for the inconvenience, sir, but I would really appreciate your advice. I've been so disappointed with the church I’ve been going to for several years. I was wondering about the church in Corinth. Might it be the perfect church?

👉 I did have high hopes for that one. Unfortunately they haven’t gotten very far along in their walk … still acting too much like selfish unbelieving children (1 Cor. 3:1-5), putting one another down and forming cliques (1 Cor. 1:11-13). Some have even taken to filing lawsuits against each other (1 Cor. 6:1-2, 4-5)! Even worse, the word is there has been some of the worst kind of sexual immorality (1 Cor. 5:1).

😲 Goodness gracious! How about the church in Ephesus? 

👉 Well, I spent a lot of time with them and they absorbed the teaching well. So the people have been well-grounded in God’s word (Acts 20:25-28). They’ve worked hard and endured huge trials. Strange thing is though, they’ve lost their first love … and abandoned the loving service they’d been doing for others. I’m confident they’ll be fine once they get around to repenting (Rev. 2:1-5)!

😶 Yikes. I’ll probably go to the church in Thessalonians then.

👉 A mostly good bunch. In spite of all we showed and taught them, however, some are refusing to go out and earn their own keep. I’ve sent them a letter so we’ll see how that goes (2 Thess. 3:10-12). I’m sure they’ll come around.

😳 Maybe I’ll pass on them for now, at least. How about the church in Philippi?

👉 That’s a wonderful, loving church! We’re having some problems with two sisters there right now, Euodia and Syntyche, who’ve got some kind of feud going on but I’m trusting they’ll get it all worked out (Phil. 4:1-3).

😕 I see. So maybe I'll move to the church in Colossi.

👉 Well, you know what? Some judgmental types and a few heretics are causing confusion there too. And another group has decided it’s okay to worship angels (Col. 2:16-19)!

😲 What?!?  How about the church in Galatia then?

👉 Ah, some Galatian believers have taken to viciously criticizing each other over who-knows-what (Gal. 5:15).

😳 Sheesh, I had no idea it was so hard to find the perfect church!

👉 You better believe it. I was talking to the Apostle John a while back and asked him how the church in Thyatira is doing. He said they’d been doing so well, but for reasons we can’t figure out, have been tolerating an adulterous woman who even calls herself a prophet. With her crazy, evil teachings she has led many into sexual immorality and other terrible things (Rev. 2:19-22).

👉 Oh, and he also told me that in Laodicea, church members have lapsed into lazy lukewarmness, letting pride and arrogance guide them instead of love and self-sacrifice (Rev. 3:16-18). Even over in Pergamum—generally a great bunch of believers—some have been led astray by pretty weird doctrines and beliefs (Rev. 2:13-15).

😶 You know, Paul, I thought for awhile I’d try the church in Antioch … but I heard you even had problems with Peter there? That he’d been hypocritical in his treatment of the Jewish and non-Jewish believers? Is that really true?

👉 Yes, sadly so. Hoping and praying I got through to him, and to them. I really got in his face about that (Gal. 2:11-13) … rather embarrassing for us.

😓 Wow. Well, my final wonder is about the ‘mother church’ in Jerusalem. Please tell me it’s not true what I heard about them? Like that a couple lied and died for it??

👉 Yes, unfortunately that did happen (Acts 5:1-10). A strong hard lesson for us all.

😵 Hey, I’m feeling pretty alone and lost here, Paul. Where the heck should I go? 

👉 May I humbly suggest you begin right where you are. Have a sober, clear-eyed look at yourself, friend. Remember our Lord’s teaching on pulling out the plank obstructing our own view before we start looking around and thinking we can deal with a speck, or possibly more, that may be affecting someone else’s (Matt. 7:3-5).

👉 And something just as important: stop constantly criticizing church leaders and your other brothers and sisters of faith. Put an end to spreading unnecessary negative comments about others' conduct and begin to cooperate with your fellow Christians! We’re all part of the same family and we’re supposed to all be in this together. It’s only as we join forces, using our giftings for the building up of others and the church that we can even begin to taste the fullness promised in Christ (Eph. 4:11-13). And realize perfection is possible ONLY in Christ, and we all have a long way to go. Please friend, try to start seeing people through God's eyes. Ask God to help you do this and He will.

👉 Oh, and one more thing. Let’s suppose by some great miracle you do find the ‘perfect church’. You know what? As soon as YOU start going there, it won't be anymore!