SMS:
Pls pray for the Korean Christians in Afghanistan who were doing voluntary work in the hospital. They will start to kill 9 of them at 1030 tonight. Pls ray for them n msg to as many ppl to pray so that God would strengthen them and turn the situation around. Pass the prayer chain.

I strongly guess that many of you had been receiving this SMS for the pass few days. I got the first SMS from and unknown person, I read and I prayed, thinking that maybe it was just a hoax. But it wasn’t, the news came out in the papers the next day and I was devastated. Since that day I have been receiving numerous SMSs and funny thing is, 9 out of 10 SMS I received are unknown. So far I have received near to 20, to those who sent it to me, thank you. Let us keep upholding them in prayer.

23 South Korean Christian voluntary workers were kidnapped by the Talibans in Ghazni province, Afghanistan on July 20. The first missionary to be killed was the group’s leader, a Pastor (I forgot the name). And few days ago the Talibans killed another hostage, a male named Shim Sung-min aged 29. Shim’s body arrived home yesterday. The Talibans are still refusing to release the hostages.

In Acts chapter 3, Peter healed a crippled beggar and made him walk again. The Sadducees and priests were greatly disturbed because Peter and John were going about spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. So they had Peter and John put in prison. The next day, the high priest and other leaders and teachers gathered in the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem and questioned Peter and John. Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke to them. Peter spoke so well that they could not find any fault in him. So they decided to release Peter and John.

In Acts chapter 5, Peter and the apostles were doing many miraculous signs and wonders and healed many people. Again the Sadducees were jealous because Peter and the apostles now had many followers and crowds love them. So the Sadducees put the apostles in jail. Overnight, an angel of God came and rescued them. The next day the apostles were brought before the Sanhedrin once again. The Sadducees questioned the apostles and got furious at their reply saying, “We must obey God rather than men!” that they wanted to put all the apostles to death!
But God saved them.

In Acts chapter 12, King Herod killed James the brother of the apostle John. The Jews were pleased with King Herod’s killing that King Herod decided to catch Peter and kill him too so that he will gain more favor from the Jews. Peter was caught and the church was earnestly praying for him. The night before Herod was to bring Peter to trial; God sent an angel and rescued Peter.

In Acts chapter 23, the Jews had a plot to kill Paul. But Paul was saved.

We witness a martyr death of Stephen in Acts chapter 7. Stephen was spreading the Gospel by doing miraculous signs and great wonders among the people and much opposition arose. So they had Stephen brought to the Sanhedrin and accused him falsely of speaking blasphemy against God. Stephen then replied them and explained why he was doing what he was doing. In the end, the people of the opposition force got furious. They yelled at the top of their voices, ran towards Stephen, dragged him out of the city –
And they stoned Stephen to death.

Stephen’s last words,
Acts 7:60
Then he fell on his knees and cried out,
“Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”

And Stephen died.

Throughout the book of Acts we read of many accounts of the early Christian missionaries facing death. These missionaries were Christians who were fervent in their faith and would lay down their lives for the Gospel. What the missionaries in Acts did shaped the Christian world today and turned the whole world upside down. It was because of them that the Gospel has been shared throughout the world. Through the centuries, Christians had heeded the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) and gone out sharing their faith in Jesus.

But by evangelizing, they faced death everyday.

Paul quoted from Psalm 44:22
For your sake we face death all day long;
We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

For the sake of Jesus, for the sake of spreading the Good News of Jesus, Christians are always in danger. This is what has been happening to the South Korean missionaries held hostage in Afghanistan.

The devil knows that his time is really near and he has to do everything and anything to stop the widespread of the Gospel. That is why he is all out to bring down Christians worldwide. The devil does not want Christians to go on evangelizing. He will cause you to be so cuddled up in your comfort zone.

As long as you go to church every week and “serve” in church, the devil will not care!!!
But he starts to tremble when he finds out that you are starting to evangelize. He starts to get nervous and will start to plan to bring you down.
Nonetheless, we are still called to spread the Gospel.
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:16, “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!”
For those who lost their lives but gained eternal life in heaven because of the Gospel, we pray:

Acts 4:12
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

For those who took the lives of Christians who were spreading the Gospel, we pray:
Acts 7:60
Then he fell on his knees and cried out,
“Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”

For those who are suffering because of the Gospel, we pray:
Acts 20:24
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the Gospel of God’s grace.

For those who still have not caught the passion of spreading the Gospel, we pray:
Matthew 9:37-38
“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore,
to send out workers into his harvest field.”

My respond to the current kidnapping issue:
Romans 8:31
What, then, shall we say in response to this?
If God is for us, who can be against us?

Keep praying,
Zlwin Chew.