February 2009

Taking the Risk by Dr. Pat

Pastor “J” has been in ministry for 20 years in a Muslim country. He has helped thousands come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  His work has not gone unnoticed, however.

As Pastor J forms small house church groups for converts, the authorities take note.  Pastor J has been called in for questioning many times by the police even though he has never broken any law.  The questioning is meant to intimidate him into ceasing Christian activities in this Muslim land. 

When we asked Pastor J if he was fearful when he goes in for questioning, he said rather matter-of-factly, “No, God takes care of it.” 

In one incident Pastor J was told to report at 2 a.m. to a police station out in the desert.   Upon arrival, he along with his coworker, Freddy, sat outside on a concrete bench for two hours.  It was very cold, only 40 degrees.  After a time, they bowed their heads and prayed out loud.  Finally they were called in, questioned about their house church gatherings, and released with an order to come back the next night. 

Pastor J and Freddy returned, as ordered, prayed on the bench, were questioned, and again told to come back the following night.  Working all day and being up all night can be quite disorienting.  On the third night as they were praying, they discovered a microphone under the bench.  The authorities had purposefully left them on the bench for two hours each night hoping they would talk between themselves and thereby incriminate each other.  Instead, what the authorities heard for 3 days were Christian prayers!   

On the last night of interrogation at 2 a.m., the senior officer, who was very harsh, asked Pastor J to explain why he chooses to be Christian.  Pastor J had never felt led to share the gospel with all the other interrogators, but he did feel led to share with this man.  Pastor J explained the entire gospel to this senior officer, who didn’t show any reaction to what he was hearing.  However, Pastor J and Freddy were finally released with the warning to not persist in their Christian activities (which they ignored, choosing to follow God’s law rather than man’s law).

Months later when Pastor J and Freddy were summoned to go in for questioning, Pastor J refused to go.  He explained that what they are doing (meeting in apartments as Christians) is not illegal and he was taking a stand.  Freddy did go in and later told Pastor J that the senior officer was furious that he had defied him. 

Once again, we asked Pastor J if he has any fear now that he has defied the authorities. “Yes,” he said, he has fear. But he clarified that his fear is not for his safety.  He has fear for his family—that the police will raid his apartment as they so often do in the middle of the night and take him away.  And when they come, his wife will have no husband and their 4 children will have no father.

It is much harder to take a stand when you have the responsibility of caring for a family.  The whole family is involved full time in this evangelistic work and they are very conscious of the danger, yet they willingly take the risk along with the joy of serving their Lord and Savior.

Please pray for Pastor J and his family’s ministry. Pray for their faithfulness and safety.