MURDERED PASTOR AND HIS NORTH KOREA LEGACY

Today we see fewer people who would give up their life for what they believe in.

But somewhere in China, along the border of North Korea, Pastor Han Chung-Ryeol did just that. Knowing the risks of what he was doing, he persisted in his work of ministering the North Koreans.

Han was ethnically Korean, but a Chinese citizen. Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs said Han worked along the border for decades, providing whatever was needed to people who approached him for help. For every person he helped with physical needs—like food, clothing, blankets, etc—he shared the Gospel.

Over the years, Han helped orphans and women who were sex-trafficked, among others in extreme need.

“He was able to lead numerous North Koreans to the fellowship of believers, to the relationship with Jesus Christ. And many of those who heard the Gospel chose to follow Jesus Christ turned around and went back to North Korea as missionaries into that culture which is so closed to the Gospel.”

Murdered for his work

Sadly, Pastor Han’s badly beaten body was found the end of April. VOM reports that he was hardly recognizable. It is believed people from North Korea murdered him.

Earlier this year, the North Korean government ordered for Pastor Han to be brought into the country for questioning. But this threat didn’t slow his work.

After his death, there were reports that people who went back into North Korea after being helped by Han have been gathered for questioning.

The Gospel: A threat and a call to life

While Pastor Han’s story is disturbing, it brings to light this question: Why is the Gospel so offensive to the North Korean government? Nettleton says it undermines its very foundation.

The North Korean government teaches their people that the Kim family is divine. Nettleton says, “The children of North Korea are taught before they eat a meal to pray, ‘Thank  you Father Kim Il-Sung that you have provided this food for us.’”

Just as the Gospel is inherently a threat to our own pride, it threatens the beliefs of the country. In reality, to follow Jesus is considered treasonous. If Jesus is God, the Kims can’t possibly be.

A need beyond our understanding

Despite the government’s efforts to deceive its people, North Koreans face very real needs every day.

“This is a country that has been wracked by famine; it has been cut off from the rest of the world by the Kim regime. They want to control the people’s thoughts, they want to control what they read, what they see.”

North Korea’s people have needs beyond the physical. As Nettleton explains, they need truth, and they need spiritual truth. Pastor Han knew this and desired to spread truth to citizens of North Korea.

“There’s an incredible need for everything,” Nettleton says, “The people are starving in some places. The people are desperate for medical care. There’s just so many needs and so much desperation and we as Christians, we have hope.”

“We have hope not only on this earth but we have hope for eternity, so it’s a message that’s desperately needed in North Korea.”

As you pray for Han’s family, for his church family, and for those who have gone back into North Korea to tell others about Jesus, VOM asks you to pray for the attackers who killed Pastor Han as well.

For some, this is an unusual if not alarming request. But it’s important to remember that nobody is too far for Jesus to call them to Himself.

Nettleton says, “One of the amazing miracles of salvation is that some of those who are persecutors can become the greatest missionaries, the greatest spokespeople for the Gospel message and for Christ.”

SYNAGOGUE CHURCH HAS NO VALID BUILDING PERMIT, SAYS EX-COMMISSIONER

A former Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Olutoyin Ayinde, on Tuesday told an Ikeja High Court that the auditorium of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) does not have a valid building permit.

Ayinde, who is the second prosecution witness in the trial made this revelation before Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo while being led in evidence by Mrs. Idowu Alakija, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) in the ongoing trial of Trustees of SCOAN and the two engineers involved in the construction of the collapsed guesthouse, which led to the death of 116 persons, mostly South Africans on September 12, 2014.

The SCOAN Trustees, the two engineers, Messrs Oladele Ogundeji and Akinbela Fatiregun and their companies, Hardrock Construction and Engineering Company and Jandy Trust Limited were last month arraigned before Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo on 111-count charge for their involvement in the collapsed building.

The 111-count charges preferred against the defendants by the Lagos State Government borders on criminal negligence, manslaughter and failure to obtain building permit.

Ayinde told the court that when the court collapsed on that Friday, he got in touch with the District Officer of the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA) to confirm if the Synagogue Church had any building approval in the system.

“The Electronic Document Management System was searched and the only building approval for the church did not cover the site of the collapse building.

“The document, a five-storey building approval was meant for the church auditorium but as at the time of the collapse, the church auditorium had gone from five floors to eight floors.

“By the ministry’s definition, the approval the church had for the auditorium is no longer valid and there was no application for approval registered for the collapsed building.

“The Building Control Agency pasted their sticker on the auditorium which had surpassed the approved five-storey but there was no need for sanctions on the other building because it had already collapsed, Ayinde said.”

Ayinde, a consultant urban planner and a fellow of the Institute of Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria explained his role during his tenure as a commissioner during the administration of the former Lagos State governor Mr. Babatunde Fashola.

“As a commissioner, I occupied a supervisory role over the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development and it’s three agencies.

“The three agencies are; the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA), Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) and the Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency (LASURA), he noted.”

The former commissioner said a building approval enabled owners of buildings to be adequately compensated when road construction or compulsory acquisition by the government takes place.

Ayinde told the court that on visiting the site of the collapse, there were too many first responders at the scene.

“I visited the site two days after the collapse as I was attending a retreat outside Lagos when the incident occurred.

“With me were the General Managers of LASPPPA and LASBCA as well as the Commander of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) as an advanced team to receive Fashola.

“The first thing we noticed were there were too many first responders, many of whom were church members whom we ordered out of the site because they were clogging the responsibilities of the rescuers.

“I gave a directive that the rescue work should stop at ground zero to enable the material testing laboratory to conduct tests on the foundation and columns on the debris”, he said.

Justice Lawal-Akapo however the matter till June 22 for continuation of trial.

END-TIME: HOODLUMS SET CHURCH ON FIRE IN AKWA IBOM FOR DISTURBING THEM WITH PRAYERS -By Ameh

Suspected hoodlums invaded the Mount Zion Gospel Church, Aka-Itiam Assembly, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, weekend and razed it down completely.

The attackers claimed the prayers and activities of the church were frustrating their criminal operations in the area.

Punch reports that the heavily armed youths stormed the sanctuary, last Friday, while the people were asleep, wrecked havoc and vanished.

The still shocked Resident Pastor, Elijah Inyang, said the relationship between Aka –Itiam Assembly established June 10, 2011 and the community was convivial and there was no leadership tussle.

“Well, I am short of words because this type of incident has never happened. They broke into the church and as you can see, destroyed our altar, set it on fire and destroyed all the musical instruments.

“When I came in this morning, I saw smoke billowing from the place. Perhaps, their intention was to burn down the building, but God had to stop them.

“No one has been caught and I have never had any issue with my members. Therefore, it is still a surprise to me. I am appealing to the Akwa Ibom state government and all the security agencies to come to our aid. The matter should be investigated to know the cause and also bring those involved to book to avoid future occurrence,” he said.

THE UNREACHED PEOPLE OF THE DAY

Tajik, Afghan of Afghanistan

Modern Tajiks are descended from Persian peoples. They have always spoken Persian (speaking the related Dari dialect in Afghanistan). Originally a tribal group, they abandoned strict organizational structure long ago. However, cultural traditions are guarded and observed - traditions that survived centuries of invasion by forces ranging from ancient Arab hordes to recent Taliban fighters.

Ministry Obstacles

The Tajik have been Muslim for many generations. They acknowledge Jesus as an honored prophet, but not as deity, the Son of God.

Outreach Ideas

The Tajik do not have a high literacy rate. The Gospel can probably best come to them using oral means: videos, recordings, radio, stories from Scripture.

Pray for the followers of Christ

There are a handful of believers among the Tajiks of Afghanistan. Pray for their protection, and that they will be full of the fruit of God's Spirit - love, joy, peace.

Pray for the entire people group

Pray for peace in Afghanistan, for a stable and effective government, and for improved living conditions for all people.

Scripture Focus

"And those who lead many to righteousness [will shine] like the stars for ever and ever." Daniel 12:3

CAN PRESIDENCY: Intrigues as Ayo Oritsejafor hands over to Ayokunle - By Sam Eyoboka and Olayinka Latona

THE election of the 7th National President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, to succeed Pentecostal Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor may have come and gone but the nation may not have seen the end of the exercise as there were attempts to stop the electoral process when the campaign director of the TEKAN/ECWA bloc aspirant, Dr. Jeremiah Gado, raised a motion that the election could not proceed, arguing that there was a court injunction stopping the process. The motion was immediately put to vote and only four persons supported it. Even at that monumental defeat, the campaign director insisted that there was a court injunction stopping the electoral process. After rowdy debates and a briefing by CAN’s legal advisers that there was no court injunction, it  was alleged  that the motion was an  attempt to mislead the gathering. Supporters of  Gado later staged a walk-out, arguing that the President of Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) was duly nominated and should have contested the election.

New CAN President, Rev Ayokunle Confusion started within the TEKAN/ECWA bloc when it conducted a primary election  to select its candidate for the CAN election on March 29, 2016 while the bloc’s Chairman, Rev. Emmanuel Dzaggau, and two other clergymen were  in the den of kidnappers. CAN, founded in 1976 with His Eminence Dominic Cardinal Ekandem (late) as  first President (1976-1986), is an association of Christian churches with distinct identities, recognizable Church structures and system of worship of one God in the Trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is made up of five blocs: the Christian Council of Nigeria, CCN, the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, CSN, the Christian Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria/Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, CPFN/PFN, the Organization of African Instituted Churches, OAIC, and the TEKAN/ECWA, which is a grouping of all those churches that trace their genealogy to either the Canadian-based Sudan Interior Mission (SIM) or the largely British-based Sudan United Mission (SUM). Since the time of Ekandem, CAN has been led by Anthony Cardinal Okogie of the Catholic Church (1988-1995), Prelate Sunday Mbang of Methodist Church (1994-2003), Primate Jasper Peter Akinola of Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) (2003-2007), Archbishop John Onaiyekan of Catholic Church (2007-2010) and  Oritsejafor of the CPFN/PFN (July 2010-July 2016). After two extensions (first one week and later, two weeks) to enable a resolution of the crisis and there was no breakthrough from the TEKAN/ECWA bloc, the CAN NEC decided to proceed with the election.

At the end of the  electoral process, last Tuesday, the President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC) and candidate of the Christian Council of Nigeria, CCN, Rev. Samson Olasupo Adeniyi Ayokunle, emerged the new President of  CAN. Ayokunle defeated Elder Joseph Otubu of the Motailatu Church Cherubim and Seraphim Movement (MCCSW) who represented  OAIC with 57 votes to 28. In his acceptance speech titled, “My Vision for CAN”, Ayokunle identified seven cardinal objectives to cement the bond that wedged Christianity in the country, stressing that without unity in CAN, there cannot be progress. They included an atmosphere where the member churches of CAN can have a more effective fellowship and dialogue on Christian Faith, its defense in Nigeria and all over the world. He desires an  association that will be an advocate of freedom of religion in terms of the right of each individual to associate and worship without any coercion, fear of molestation and persecution from any quarter and will resist any attempt by the government or her agencies to favour one religion more than the other or turn this nation into a mono-religious state.

Ayokunle also envisions  a CAN that will  challenge the ills in our society and ensure that the attention of those in government is always called to serving the nation creditably just as all efforts would be geared towards eradication of corruption in our society in collaboration with other credible bodies in the nation who are committed to the same goal. He will also ensure that Christianity is given its rightful position in this nation and that Christians are never treated as second-class citizens with regards to any other religious adherent. In this direction, all anti-Christ moves in the nation will be totally condemned with a view to making sure that they are dropped. CAN, according to him, needs a relief agency with a separate purse from that of the mother body (CAN) which can immediately respond to disasters within and outside the body. Care for the hurting, the less-privileged and the poor is one of the cardinal ministries of the Church. He therefore appealed to all Christians in the country to join hands with him to do valiantly all the set objectives.

            A communiqué issued at the end of the post election  CAN NEC meeting   commended the National President, Oritsejafor, for providing the enabling environment for the Church blocs to present candidates of their choice and participate in the election, acknowledging that the meeting was well attended by national officers of the association, all the five heads of blocs, the zonal chairmen, the states chairmen and delegates representing the five blocs of the Association. The communiqué, signed by the General Secretary, Rev. Musa Asake, said the meeting conducted a successful election that produced officers  who will be inaugurated after the General Assembly Meeting of the Association to be held at a later date. But the Coalition of Nigerian Christian Elders and Nigerian Christian Youths dissociated itself from the CAN election, saying “the election was worthless.” The group, which made this known in a press statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, Peter Jacob, in Jos, described the election as a  flagrant abuse of office by Orisajefor, calling on church leaders and Christians in general to discard the election.

The reasons for disregarding the election, according to the group, are: “There were  contending issues concerning the election especially regarding TEKAN/ECWA bloc  artificially and mischievously created by the CAN leadership. There were clear evidences of plan to deny or disenfranchise some contestants the right of participation in a free and fair CAN election. “Contrary to CAN regulations and or precedence of rotation of leadership among the blocs as well as freedom and right of participation, Oritsejafor and his collaborators outrightly denied the process leading to a free and fair election and that the election date was quickly re-adjusted from the initial date of Wednesday, June 15, 2016 back to Tuesday, June 14, 2016 without prior notice”.

Data Transmission Breakthrough Means More Bible App Acces

If you can’t get a physical Bible to someone, then using Bible smartphone apps or websites is a great alternative. But what if that person can’t access the internet or afford a smartphone data plan?

Out of the 7.2 billion people on the planet, around 4.2 billion have no access to the internet, according to a report by the United Nations’ Broadband Commissi

on. That means over half of the global population has no access to a digitized Bible source option.

And especially for isolated communities, digital access is often the easiest way to reach them with the Gospel.

However, due to a major recent breakthrough by Faith Comes By Hearing (FCBH), they were able to deliver the Bible to an unconnected smartphone using shortwave radio towers over 3,000 miles for the first time ever.

    The transmission towers used to send the data package over 3,000 miles for the first time!

Troy Carl, Vice President of FCBH, explains, “Yesterday, we were able to transmit file casting data packets from Guam all the way to Thailand using shortwave frequencies, and we were able to do that in partnership with Trans World Radio. So it was really quite exciting! Basically what we did is created one-way internet access turning that tower into a super WiFi router. And that’s quite a story because it’s never been done!”

To put it another way, Carl wrote this description in a recent post:

Just like the one you use everyday in your house, where you connect a data source (internet cable) and a power source (you plug it in) and the little antennas broadcast internet around your house (say 500 ft.) and you connect to it with your phone to read/listen/see the data it’s transmitting.

In Guam, we took a HUGE antenna, (supplied by Trans World Radio), hooked up a data source (a Bible. is app device), turned the power on (250kw) and sent the data into the air bouncing it off the ionosphere over 3,000 MILES!

Our team in Chang Mai Thailand, hooked up to this giant router with a proprietary decompiler. Then sideloaded the Bible. is app with all its content to multiple smart phones using a simple wifi broadcaster!

This success is just phase two in a three-step program through FCBH called the Global Bible Network.

Carl shares, “About a year and a half ago we began developing a way to connect people to the Bible in their own language even when there’s no internet access around. So we put together an aerospace council bringing in industry experts.

“First we use satellites to penetrate difficult areas of the world. Then we use terrestrial towers to broadcast or relay that content around the world. And then last and final, we use cyber technology to distribute the content from phone-to-phone…. This particular test done in Guam successfully was the second leg of that particular Global Bible Network.”

This breakthrough is a big deal for the Great Commission.

According to The Joshua Project, 40.4 percent of the world’s people groups are still unreached; just over 3 billion people.

“It really is quite exciting because it means we have the potential of distributing Bible content directly to people’s mobile devices potentially using short-wave frequencies, very high frequencies. And we can do that without any kind of impediments all the way around the globe — even 3,000 miles away — without connectivity or traditional internet access,” says Carl.

“The next step is to integrate other frequency bandwidths such as FM, AM, VHF and a variety of others. Shortwave was the most difficult. Being able to achieve that with a very minimal data airway now allows us to expand into much broader frequency sets. Then what we do is integrate that into unique devices, possibly even a simple mobile app, that allows data to come to an individual without the traditional data plans.”

To complete the final phase of the Global Bible Network project, they could use funding for the transmission towers and satellite systems.

“I think the important thing to remember is we’re living in an incredibly exciting time where even old technology or old understanding of technology can be leveraged in brand new ways and hopefully allow us to get the Gospel to every single human on earth,” Carl says. “Matthew 24:14 could be fulfilled even in our lifetime!”

World Refugee Day: Befriending the Refugee in Your Backyard

 

 

Today is World Refugee Day, and now more than ever we have a chance in the US to help immigrants and refugees; not only overseas, but also right in our backyard.

Joe Class with an affiliate partner of The JESUS Film Projects hares, “[Refugees and immigrants] come in and they’re  desperately needing friends.

“If you can imagine going to a far away country, they don’t speak your language, they don’t eat your food, they don’t even eat exactly the way you eat. You’re tossed in the middle of that and it’s up to you to figure it all out. Now you can go hang out with some folks who are from your own country. But you really want to figure out, ‘How do I live in this country and what’s it about?’”

The Refugee Next Door

With the current social rhetoric these days, concerns related to extremist violence, and questions about the future, it can be easy to feel swallowed by fear.

“In this sort of political environment that we’re in, someone needs to be speaking to a different reality than what we’re seeing,” says Class. “The reality of fear is just so counterproductive to the cause of Christ.”

Rather than allowing fear to hinder outreach, Class encourages that Christians need to see the influx of immigrants as an incredible opportunity for the Gospel.

“We’ve been praying for people around the world for so many years. We’ve been praying that they’d be open to the Gospel, we’ve been praying that the right things would happen in their world so we’d have a chance to share Christ with them,” says Class.

“Now what’s happened is those people that we’ve been praying for are coming to America. And the sad thing is we’re living in a state of fear and concern and misunderstanding, and we may not be welcoming them in the way we’re told to by Jesus.”

Think of your own heritage. If you live in America, chances are you can think back to a time when someone in your own family’s history was an immigrant themselves and came to the United States to build a new life. Such a history can help make us empathetic to the needs of immigrants and refugees today.

“Our grandparents, our great-great-great grandparents came from some other place. We came, we were welcomed, we became Americans all because somebody uprooted their family tree somewhere and replanted it here in this place.”

The People’s Connection

With this heart of empathy for immigrants and refugees, The JESUS Film Project and several other Christian organizations started an initiative called The People’s Connection.

The People’s Connection produces and compiles several different materials in various languages for people like you to give to refugees and immigrants they know. The JESUS Film DVD is just one of those resources.

There are evangelism tracts, study booklets, magazines, and more. The resources act as a welcome to America and share the Gospel in that person’s heart language.

Class explains, “It was started by some folks who were very keen to let immigrants coming to the US understand the background of America; that we don’t act today like a Christian nation but we were founded on those principles, and our culture has those principles embedded…. And immigrants, if they understood our history and understood where we came from, they’re in a position that it could impact them. They’re probably more open to the Gospel then they’ve ever been in their entire lives.”

This is still a very new project. But already, in New York alone, around 100 thousand materials have been handed out through local communities with The People’s Connection.

“This is a push that says if local communities and individuals want to be involved, we’ll make sure you get the materials…. The People’s Connection gives you [an] opportunity to become involved in being a good neighbor. This Gospel is just too good a news to keep to ourselves.”

Think you don’t know any refugees or immigrants? Think again! Class says,

“We all in America probably know someone [for whom] English isn’t their first language. We go to restaurants…you get your nails done…there are all kinds of places where immigrants are working and building businesses and being successful. We can’t leave them out and away from Jesus Christ.”

The immigrants and refugees they’ve talked to are very receptive to hearing the Gospel message, says Class. “Someone who comes from the Middle East, the last thing you need to do is try to convince them there’s a God….

There’s an openness in [their] community that has had extreme disappointment in the Arab Spring and in the behaviors of some of the extremists in their area.”

A Story of Courage and Hope

Class had a conversation with a Christian leader still residing in the Middle East. This man’s story gives a deeply personal insight into the needs of people still residing in hostile places worldwide, especially Christians.

Class shares, “I had an opportunity to meet with a Christian leader in the Middle East. He lives in a very hostile place. He refers to himself simply as a follower of Jesus, one whom God has called to live among Muslims. And he spoke about his concern that the Church in the West fears too much for the safety of people like him, and they don’t really understand the greatest needs that Christians in the Middle East have.

“He said to me, ‘Having persecution, the threats and the suffering, that’s not an easy thing. It’s real and it’s painful. But please, when you pray for us, pray that we’ll not lose our love and our hope.’”

Class reflects, “Praying for safety seems logical. But given how much people in the West are having fear, we need to think about that. I discovered, here’s a guy who lives in a war zone and it’s really changed his perspective. It’s in stark contrast to most of us who live in safe areas.

“He went on and said, ‘Not only pray that we won’t become discouraged, but pray that our love for the Muslims and for everyone would grow. As followers of Jesus in my nation, I have a real role to play and we must bless and serve our neighbors. I’m concerned because some people are defining the source of the threat we face here as another religion or another people and this just isn’t what the Bible teaches us. Our battle is not with flesh and blood. And if we let that situation define our Christian identity, we become total victims.’

“Then he said, ‘If we fear, if we hate, Satan shapes our lives and our actions, and not Christ. As a follower of Jesus, I am ready to surrender my life.’”

Class shares, “I found myself really not just moved by this, but challenged by this. Because he said, ‘What if I give space for Christ to come with His nature into me to equip me with His love which overcomes fear and rejection and hate? Then the battle is won, and it’s won instantly. I’m no longer concerned, I don’t have to be afraid. I’m free! As a follower of Jesus, I am released to go to that community with love and serve them.’

“It didn’t mean that the situation had changed,” says Class. “It didn’t mean that a religious group was suddenly more tolerant of him or that a radical fundamentalist group had changed their character. But it was that he was free and his life was now defined by Christ and not by Satan.

Class reflects, “I found myself asking, ‘What have I allowed to define me or whom have I allowed to define me?’ In light of the situation of immigrants coming to our country, I think we need to decide rather it’s Christ Jesus who defines who we are.”

 

What You Can Do

i.            Pray for an open heart to reach out to immigrants and refugees in your own neighborhood.

ii.            Pray for immigrants making a new home transition in the United States, Europe, and anywhere else they have found safety.

iii.            Pray for God’s courage to triumph over fear.

iv.            Pray for Christians still in hostile areas to have an abounding love for their neighbors as well, that God would use them to minister the Gospel.

v.            Pray for those refugees still trying to flee a dangerous homeland, that they would find safety and strength, and may someday be able to return home.

vi.            Contact The People’s Connection to get outreach materials you can give to an immigrant or refugee you know.

vii.            Invite a refugee or newly immigrated person in your area to have dinner with you or come to your church. Be the love of Christ to that person and show them they aren’t alone.