“Thank you all for sending the light – the Word of God – to our people. God knows the greatest need of our people and He touched and used you all to provide Bibles with hymns for us.”
These were the words of 70-year-old Pastor ‘John’ who, for almost half a century, has ministered to Christians in a remote region of south-east Asia that has been riven by internal conflict for decades.
For 40 of the 49 years of Pastor John’s ministry he had no Bible and barely enough money for food. He carefully saved money for seven years and, in 2010, he was finally able to buy a Bible for about $34 – at least two months’ wages for those who have regular paid work in this region.
Pastor John’s cherished Bible was the only one in his village. He shared the Word of God from it diligently, but he acknowledged that because access to the Scriptures was so limited, their “spiritual standards have grown very slowly”.
“You have given the light to us and the people can gain wisdom,” said Pastor John.
Barnabas Fund is at work
Now Pastor John’s congregation is growing rapidly in the knowledge of their faith and joy in the Lord. Thanks to Barnabas Fund supporters, 32 485 Bibles were distributed to Christians in the region, enough for one per family.
This work is part of Barnabas Fund’s mission to sustain God’s people in places of persecution and pressure around the world with the gift of Scripture.
Christianity arrived in this region of south-east Asia more than 100 years ago, but many believers there have been unable to even get a glimpse of a Bible, much less own or read one in their own language.
A few of the villages had a single, treasured copy of the Scriptures in their mother tongue that they shared. Other believers only had verses that were painstakingly copied by hand, or learnt by heart. All Bibles had to be hidden because, if discovered, they were seized and burnt by the military and government authorities, who have persecuted these isolated and impoverished minority, hill tribe Christians for many years.
Scriptures will “build up our people”
Pastor ‘Michael’ was a child soldier – given a gun by an ethnic militia at the age of nine. Eleven years later he lost his way after a battle and was taken in by a pastor. Michael became a follower of Jesus Christ and now, aged 61, he serves as a pastor. He told us that, sadly, even illegal drugs were easier to obtain than Bibles in his area. “Drugs destroy lives, but the Bible builds up lives,” he said. “Thank you so much for your donation of free Bibles. These will build up our people.”
Cherished Bible seized and burnt by police
Pastor ‘Phillip’, 46, faced many dangers when he ventured into non-Christian areas to share the Gospel. Three times he fled from a barrage of stones, five times he was beaten by village leaders, and once he was punched and beaten by a gang of youths who kept him locked in a room for seven days without food.
But his greatest difficulty was not being able to obtain a Bible. All that has changed with the arrival of the Scriptures, free of charge, from Barnabas Fund.
“You have given water to those who are thirsty,” said Pastor Phillip.
Ministry in prison
Pastor ‘Mark’ used to be one of the few people in his area to have a Bible, but it was seized and burnt by the police in 1991. A convert from Buddhism, Pastor Mark was once jailed for two months for sharing the Gospel with soldiers at an army camp, but he continued his ministry while in prison and led five inmates to Christ.
Throughout all this, he strongly believed that God would one day give him another Bible. Now he says, “After 25 years without a Bible, God has given me a free Bible. When I received the Bible, I cried out to the Lord and praised God without ceasing.” He gratefully sent encouraging words to Barnabas Fund supporters,
“You have sown the best seed to the best ground. So these seeds will multiply more than millions of times.”
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Date published: 16/05/2019
Written by: Barnabas Fund
Article source: JOY! Magazine
