Pakistan (MNN) — Christians in Pakistan are facing what they’re calling ‘the fiery darts of the enemy’ as radical Muslims are talking about laws that could put their lives in jeopardy. American Evangelist Sammy Tippit Ministries has work in the region. Tippit’s troubled by what’s being discussed.
“There has been a report from a newspaper inside Pakistan,” says Tippit, “that there are extremist organizations that are wanting to make it a law forbidding Christians, or anyone from a Muslim background, from converting to Christianity.”
Tippit says while the law is only in the proposal phase, Christian converts are already feeling the pressure. “We’ve had communication from friends who are somewhat concerned because they received emails, they’ve received threats, phone calls, on their lives because they’re from Islamic backgrounds and they one day came to conclusion that Jesus is the Messiah the Christ and decided to follow Him.”
Several months ago two men working with Tippit’s ministry were killed by Islamic redicals. So, Tippit’s taking these threats seriously. “We know that this is not just a idle threat. We know that there are people who will take the law into their own hands and so we just need to just pray for the protection of the people who are inside the country,” says Tippit.
Christians shouldn’t be surprised by this, he says. “I think that in the western world we have lost the whole idea and concept that we are called to suffer and following Christ may mean some suffering. Now, what it does also mean is that there is great grace in the midst of that suffering.”
Tippit is encouraging Christians to pray. “We need to not only pray for our brothers in Christ, we need to pray for those persecuting them. We need to pray for these extremist Muslims that they would come to know Christ and that God would do a work in their lives.”
While evangelism is difficult, Tippit says it’s not impossible. “We’ve had broadcasts into Iran, Pakistan, India and that whole region of the world. So, there are ways for them to hear the Gospel and we need to just pray that the seed would be planted in fertile soil and I believe that soil is made fertile as we pray for people.”
Funding is needed so Tippit can broadcast into even more languages in the region.
