“A Word With You” is Hutchcraft Ministries’ five-minute daily devotional broadcast that has run for 40 years.

Brad Hutchcraft with Hutchcraft Ministries says that the country of Japan has been on their radar for a long time.

“It’s been a country that has been on our hearts because we’re all about wanting to be able to get the gospel of Jesus Christ, the hope of Jesus, to some of the hardest to reach,” Brad says. “When you’re looking at a country where one percent proclaim to know Jesus, that is a place that we want to be with a program like this.”

(Photo courtesy of Pixabay)

The point of adding a Japanese translation is not just to say that “A Word With You” has added another language.

Brad says that having the right translation and host partner is essential because of the conversational nature of the ministry.

“A Word with You” is written and narrated by Brad Hutchcraft’s dad, Ron.

“It’s not just kind of this monotone telling of a story.” Hutchcraft says. “And so when we’re going into these other languages, other cultures, we want to make sure that it is someone who represents that, and we love that.”

In the ministry’s partnership with Trans World Radio, Hutchcraft Ministries has found people with the right intonation and storytelling abilities, which make “A Word With You” so special.

Hutchcraft says, “It’s a storytelling approach to the gospel and to encouraging the body of Christ. When you are able to have a story-wrapped gospel, it breaks down barriers. It reaches people where they’re at. When you tell the story in a positive, encouraging way, all of a sudden, you’re evoking the emotions, and you’re connecting with the listener.

One of the partners recently shared with the Hutchcrafts that she loves the program because people want to listen to it.

“As she explained it to us,” Hutchcraft says, “People are listening to it, and all of a sudden they’re hearing this story, and they’re wondering where it’s going, and by the time you hear where it’s going, it’s too late. You’ve already heard; you can’t run away from it at that point.”

Listeners even reach out to say that the stories connect with them and that they have either brought them closer to Jesus or brought them to Jesus for the first time.

The struggles people are facing in Japan are similar to those of many around the world. People are lonely and have devastating hopelessness. In these digital days, people are looking for things that matter, Hutchcraft says.

(Photo Courtesy of Ron Hutchcraft Ministries)

“We’re trying to teach people that there is this relationship, this usable relationship,” Hutchcraft says. “When you have this connection with Jesus, it’s not just about the solo, personal relationship, and that’s important, but all of a sudden you’re part of the body of Christ, you’re part of a greater community.”

Hutchcraft Ministries tries to make sure they are encouraging the local body of Christ to tune in.

“The program that is going out in Japanese is on the (Trans World Radio) app now, so it is being broadcast there, and it’s been translated, but we are in the final stages of just making sure that where it airs in Japan will have the greatest impact, and we’re working with our partners to make sure that it’s in the places that will reach the most people with the gospel,” Hutchcraft says.

Please pray that the messages will reach the right locations and that people will have open hearts.

Pray that this program will join in what the body of Christ is already doing in Japan and that the Lord will position the work in the place that would have the greatest impact and reach the most people for Jesus.

Pray that believers and non-believers alike will experience how deep, wide, and far the love of Christ goes.

]]> https://www.mnnonline.org/news/what-zionist-means-and-how-it-impacts-middle-eastern-churches/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=what-zionist-means-and-how-it-impacts-middle-eastern-churches Thu, 10 Apr 2025 04:00:06 +0000 https://www.mnnonline.org/?post_type=news&p=214009 Syria (MNN) — A political label is causing deep division in communities and churches in the Middle East. The word in the center of the trouble is “Zionist.” 

Nuna* with Triumphant Mercy Lebanon explains the thought process that many people in the Middle East go through. 

“What they see is that all the support to Christians is coming from the U.S.,” she says. “And the U.S. — mainly the big pastors, the tele-evangelists — all these people are talking about Israel as ‘the Promised Land,’ and about Israel as being the land chosen by God.”

(Photo courtesy of Karolina Grabowska/Unsplash)

This quickly earns the label “Zionist,” which Nuna says, “It’s not Israel as the Israeli, or the faith, or the Jews. They’re talking about Zion as land. So the ‘Zionist’ means ‘the right to the land.’” 

It’s an easy jump to extend that label to Christians anywhere in the Middle East. “The views of Islam, of the Muslim people, is that these Christians are affiliated with the U.S.,” says Nuna.

“This is a statement that you’re making just by being Christian: you’re just saying ‘Israel has the right to the land,’ meaning ‘everybody else needs to go.’”

Many, many Christians do not believe this about the land of Israel. But Nuna explains the perception still hinders the gospel, because people don’t want to listen to Christians. 

The issue also puts churches themselves in danger of being called Zionists and targeted accordingly. Tragically, this is happening in Syria, and among Christians no less. 

“Even churches — like traditional churches — are going to the [interim] government and saying that ‘these evangelicals are Zionists.’ Christians inside Syria are saying this, which is Christians against each other,” Nuna says.

(Representative stock photo courtesy of Nathan Dumlao via Unsplash)

“The churches are very, very afraid of what this means, of being labeled under this Zionist movement. [Government officials] close churches, they stop ministries. I know of one ministry that has even been removed [from its] license just because the ministry is to evangelize the non-Christians.”

We know that Christians are not enemies of one another. These lies about political beliefs and these divisions among churches are stirred up by the enemy. Please pray! Pray that unity in Christ will overcome all wrong perceptions about what following Him means.

“What we have to do all the time is talk about [the] realities that God does not divide His Body. Jesus came for everyone,” Nuna says of their ministry at Triumphant Mercy Lebanon. “When we’re talking with people, we have to explain ourselves all the time. ‘Yes, there are preachers who are saying this. Yes, this is true, but this is not the reality on the ground. On the ground, everyone needs salvation. Israelis need salvation. Palestinians need salvation. Everyone needs Jesus.”

Ask God to overcome fear and divisions within churches in Syria and all other points of contention. Specifically pray for Triumphant Mercy Lebanon as they evaluate what is going on in neighboring Syria and how they can or cannot support evangelism and discipleship within Syria.  

Learn more about Triumphant Mercy Lebanon here. 

*Pseudonym

Header photo of a minaret and a church steeple side-by-side in Syria. (Photo courtesy of Ali Wassouf/Unsplash)

Arab Baptist Theological Seminary, a ministry of LSESD, is located at the edge of Beirut. ABTS used their facilities to house people who lost their homes in the 2020 port blast, and again today in the wake of mass displacement in Lebanon. (Photo courtesy of ABTS on Facebook)

Take Lebanon. It has endured decades of conflict and economic collapse. The current war no one wanted has displaced an estimated 1.3 million people.

“Crisis, wars, disruptions [are] nothing new to this region. We’re used to difficulties and hardships,” says Loulwa Maalouf with the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary.

“But at the same time, we are used to seeing God at work, and we are called to be here and be part of His work.”

ABTS is a ministry of Thimar-LSESD. Today it not only provides biblical education to around 240 students, but it also shelters a couple hundred displaced people. 

“With every crisis in Lebanon, we are used to taking a step and saying, ‘Okay, how does God want us to respond now?’” Maalouf says. This was true for the 2006 Lebanon War, the COVID-19 pandemic and the August 4 (2020) Beirut port explosion. 

“This time, God used our facilities so that we can welcome those who needed a shelter from the war. We opened our guest house and academic residence to welcome families,” Maalouf says. “Some of them are church families. Some of them, they’ve never been been to a church.”

Laundry services at ABTS’s campus (Photo courtesy of the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary)

The seminary provide utilities, meals, laundry services; it works with other ministries to provide youth services and more to families as well. Daily chapel services at ABTS have been opened to the community. They worship God and hear a message of encouragement. 

“It takes a lot of effort because we are doing all our programs and we’re also doing that but we’re grateful that God is allowing us to serve Him through these guests,” she says. 

ABTS is seeing that the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Pray with them for God to raise up more workers. Maalouf asks that you pray also for an ever-deepening love in the church for their enemies.

“You can always pray for us. Not only for us, for Lebanon, for the region, for our students and our graduates and the churches in the region,” Maalouf says. 

Learn more about ABTS here. 

Header photo of children at ABTS guesthouse campus courtesy of the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary. 

The Body of Christ as such plays out within single church congregations — and on regional and international scales.

Yernathen* is a North African leader who serves with A3. He tells us, “The (North African) region has been looking for models, especially Christians — they have never had an example or a model of how they build the church.” 

Two years ago, A3 was invited to serve a deep need for mentorship and training among leaders in the Middle East and North Africa. 

Mentorship can shape a person’s entire ministry. Yernathen shares the story of one young pastor who chose to stay when war broke out in his country. When asked why he didn’t flee, the pastor said, ”I had a mentor in my life who said, ‘Keep God’s perspective in front of your eyes. Don’t lose sight of God’s plan in your life and in your country.’Each time I remember that man, I cannot betray him.” (Representative photo courtesy of StockSnap on Pixabay.)

The invitation came with good reason. God has done amazing things through A3’s leadership development ministry in Asia for decades. (Learn more about A3’s intentional learning cohort model here.) 

Yernathen says there are sensitive areas in North African cultures where the church could come into conflict with the government or with the established Islamic societies as a whole, in ways that could hinder the expansion of the Church. It requires wisdom and care and trust to be established between churches. 

“Over the past, we’ve had several mission organizations coming up with different ideas. Some of it was good, but some of it, unfortunately, was not appropriate for the culture,” Yernathen says. 

“A3 comes with the idea of ‘we are one.’ Because they have their experience in different places in Asia, I think they have the sensitivity of fixing those problems, even before they emerge, because we address them before we have to go through them again. So the discipline of putting the principles of faith, the principles of being together, helps us to grow.” 

Already leaders within Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania and Egypt are being built up through the initiative — and it’s not stopping there. Yernathen says these individuals are inviting leaders in other countries such as Senegal and Cote d’Ivoire to join their groups.

“It seems like it’s expanding naturally without having to push it or without having to put it an agenda or an emphasis or one region or the other,” he says. 

(Graphic courtesy of A3)

He says the entire movement can be traced back to the faithful, visionary leadership of one North African man, who is now with the Lord. 

“(He) challenged us [African leaders] to get together, because there is much more we could do together than just if we stayed each one by himself. 

God is truly building up His Church in North Africa through life-giving relationships. Would you prayerfully stand behind this movement as well? Ask God to point you to an African nation or people group that you will pray for and strategically invest in. One way to do that is through A3.

“It’s God’s Kingdom, to which God has brought us together as one body of Christ to fulfill His command in all nations that He’s sent us to,” Yernathen says.

“So I’m not looking at churches in the West as a separated from this journey, but as partakers of God’s calling in their lives to enhance our ministry, and to give us the ability to serve effectively.”

*Pseudonym

Header is a representative stock photo courtesy of Artem Beliaikin/Unsplash.

Christians can be isolated from one another. Some countries have a scarcity of believers, and some Christians live in hard-to-reach areas. That is why Sammy Tippit Ministries has now launched its WhatsApp program to connect believers from all over the world.

So far, 650 distinct small groups have formed across 46 countries. Sammy Tippit estimates there are 30 to 60 people in each group. “We’re off to a great start. And we’re very excited about [being] able to reach many, many thousands of people, tens of thousands of people around the world with the Gospel, and also not only reach them but disciple them after they come to Christ.”

Where are they?

(Photo courtesy of Sammy Tippit ministries via Facebook)

The project is allowing Sammy Tippit Ministries to disciple people that wouldn’t otherwise have been reached. One new Christian in Afghanistan has received training in Christ after the leader of his church was martyred. Another group in China meets digitally together every morning, sharing prayer requests and scripture.

Ground zero for this ministry? Brazil. Already, over 2000 pastors in that country have signed up to be a part of this program. At a recent evangelistic event in Brazil they had a breakout meeting for the event, expecting about 250 Brazilian pastors. Instead, 650 showed up.

The ministry is still growing, and Tippit has a bigger vision for where it will go. “When I say that we have started 650 small groups, the idea behind all of these small groups is not just to have a small group, but that those groups would be able to train leaders who will be able to reach others. So, when you have 650, it will spread all over.”

Sammy Tippit Ministries plans to reach families all around the world.

Things will pick up for the program in May, Tippit says. “Starting on May 1, for 28 days, they will receive training on how to share their faith in Christ with their family members that they love and their friends that they love so much.”

Then, for the next three days, Sammy Tippit Ministries will provide evangelistic sermons and content broadcast over the internet and available through WhatsApp.

How can I get involved?

Christians can start a WhatsApp group from wherever they are to become a part of what Sammy Tippit Ministries is doing. Their Facebook page has a link and even training for using WhatsApp.

The biggest cost for Sammy Tippit Ministries? Translating their material. To support this work, consider donating at sammytippit.org.

Most of all, pray that the good news of Jesus’ victory over sin and death would be proclaimed throughout the world through this WhatsApp program.

Header image courtesy of Sammy Tippit Minitries.

Besides the obvious benefit of connecting Deaf believers to the Body of Christ, it can also be an invaluable connecting resource to pastors of Deaf churches.

“You have to understand in the Deaf community, it’s very spread out so finding pastors can be very scarce.” Sims says. “I, being a pastor myself, can reach out to another church and I can talk about the frustrations that I have and some of the stress that I have and see if that person has any wisdom and advice that they can give me. We can come together and pray. Vice versa, they can share their frustrations and problems.”

Pastors of Deaf churches can feel alone in ministry, especially in rural areas where Deaf resources may be spread out and disconnected.

(Photo courtesy of Deaf Bible Society)

“Out of a big city, you’ll have a variety of [Deaf] churches, but just outside that, those pastors might feel isolated.” With the help of tools like Deaf Church Where, “They’ll be able to reach out for help [and] be able to build relationships and have accountability.

“If you’re looking in Acts 1:8, it talks about spreading out God’s Word in essentially the local area and then to the greater area and then to the world. So it’s the same concept with the big city and then the cities surrounding that large city of little towns and then the world. We don’t want to miss that in between.”

Sims says before the advent of Deaf Church Where, a major connection point for Deaf Christians were conferences. But conferences for the Deaf are few and far between, and when searching for a church, Deaf people can find themselves in embarrassing or uncomfortable situations.

“Some [Deaf] people, they’ll go to a church and [realize] there’s no interpreter. Oftentimes, they feel like, ‘Oh, I wish I had called ahead of time.’ It’s a feeling of embarrassment for them. Then that church is like, ‘Oh, I’m sorry, we don’t have anything to meet your need.’ So it causes guilt within the church and causes embarrassment for the Deaf people.”

Deaf Church Where tool developed by Deaf Bible Society. (Image courtesy of Deaf Bible Society)

In creating Deaf Church Where, Deaf Bible Society hopes to bridge the gap between Deaf believers and church communities. Ultimately, they hope to see more Deaf leaders rise up in the Church family and reach other Deaf individuals with the hope of the Gospel.

Sims hopes that Deaf Church Where can grow as a platform with new features. For example, he would like to eventually see Deaf accessible churches add links to sermons and notes, and indicate if they are sign language accessible in other languages besides English. Sims would also like to see Deaf Church Where go international.

“Oftentimes [the Deaf] are more of an overlooked people group so they are viewed as hidden,” Sims says. “But their relationship with the Lord is just as vital.”

There are several ways you can get involved — Deaf or hearing — and Sims says, “One of the most important ones is prayer. We cannot do this without God’s leadership and wisdom. Pray for leaders so they can feel that they’re not alone…. Pray for God to be involved in these specific churches.”

You can also support Deaf Bible Society here and help connect our Deaf Christian brothers and sisters to the Body of Christ!

“We really want to make sure we have the opportunity to connect with every Deaf person because our mission at Deaf Bible Society is that every person will be able to experience God’s Word in their heart language, and we don’t want to miss anyone for any reason whatsoever.”

Header photo courtesy of Cytonn Photography via Unsplash.

Rejoicing in the Lord. (Photo courtesy of India Partners)

Donna Glass of India Partners says the families lost everything — their houses, their beds, even their cooking supplies and what food they had.

“When you’re day laborers and you’re just struggling to meet your daily needs, you don’t have the funds to rebuild your house and resupply it. But by God’s grace working through compassionate Christians, these families now have homes again.”

With the new homes, the families also received new supplies. India Partners is continuing to monitor the situation to be sure they have what they need to get back on their feet.

Generosity and thanksgiving

The families are praising God for providing for their needs through people like you. Glass says this type of situation can strengthen a believer’s faith and is an opportunity for the Church to witness to the community.

(Photo courtesy of India Partners)

And while the funds given mostly came from the United States, these communities have seen generosity before, right at home.

Glass explains, “I have seen some of the greatest generosity among some of the poorest people in India. They really make an effort, even though you can tell from their living conditions when you visit them that they really don’t have much. But they give of what they have. And I think it’s because they know they have eternal life. They know God gave everything in His Son Jesus Christ, for them.”

It’s incredible for their faith and prayers to be answered so quickly with God’s provision.

Proactive relief for fire, weather, and other disasters

India Partners, like other mission groups, have an ongoing relief fund. This is because nobody can predict the tragedies and disasters that will arise among the people they work with.

(Photo courtesy of India Partners)

A house fire isn’t as common as the extreme weather that can destroy entire villages. Glass says things like cyclones and heavy wind and rain can cause people to lose their homes, and farmers their crops.

While it was over a decade ago, a deadly Tsunami in 2004 remains a stark reminder why relief funds are so important. Glass says India Partners helped families on the coast regain their livelihood with fishing supplies. But not long after, a cyclone came through and destroyed everything all over again. It’s a reminder there’s no telling when disaster will strike. But when it does, time is short to get life-saving supplies out.

“By having a relief fund built up, we can respond much quicker. We don’t have to wait to get the story out to let people know there is this great need. We can respond much quicker to provide immediate basic needs such as food and clothes.”

(Photo courtesy of India Partners)

If you’d like to hear more of these stories, consider being a part of them. You can find India Partners relief fund here.

Glass says thank you to all the prayers and gifts you’ve given to India Partners. Please continue to pray for the families and their church to be encouraged by God’s grace. Ask God to use this event to reach more hearts for the Gospel.

Fire destroyed this family’s home. (Photo courtesy of India Partners)

One of their partners works in Andhra Pradesh, planting churches. They passed on the news that two families in two separate villages were without homes. Fire had destroyed them.

Donna Glass of India Partners says, “They’ve lost everything. They lived in a thatched-roof home and they’re burned to the ground. And they both have children.”

India Partners has no reason at this time to believe this was an act of persecution. Either way, because this area is impoverished, the family will have a difficult time finding a new home.

“When you live in extreme poverty, you don’t have home owners insurance. You can’t afford it — you can barely afford to put food on the table. They’re day laborers. And everybody in their church — these areas that we go into to plant churches —they’re also living in extreme poverty.”

So far, Glass explains, there has been no government assistance. But this is an opportunity for the Body of Christ to step into action.

This family’s home was completely destroyed by fire. (Photo courtesy of India Partners).

For just $20, you’ll be providing the basic needs for a family member. This will provide them with clean water, blankets, and a sleeping mat. Fortunately, the families have taken shelter with their extended family. However, because of the prevalent poverty and the cramped living situations, this is only a temporary solution.

Any extra funds given past the basics will go towards rebuilding their home.

“Anything people can provide to help would be such a blessing and would be showing these people that God really hasn’t forgotten them. They are members of a church, and their immediate church family may be just as poor as they are, if not poorer, but they are part of a greater Church family. We are a global Church family.”

If you’d like to contribute, click here.

(Photo by The Voice of the Martyrs USA)

China (MNN) — The oldest daughter was forced to move because her family’s life was threatened. The youngest daughter was held in a detention center briefly. The family’s home received attacks including the slashing of vehicle tires and the cutting off of internet access.

This is the family of Pastor Zhang Shaojie. Arrested in mid-November, Zhang has been detained for charges of “fraud” and “gathering a mob to disrupt public order.” Many members of the Nanle County Christian Church were imprisoned after protesting his arrest.

The Voice of the Martyrs USA says that Pastor Zhang is scheduled for a criminal trial today.

Among the previously mentioned acts of opposition of the authorities, the church is also prevented from worshipping. Late last month, three of the imprisoned church members were released. One of these women, Zhao Xiping, is still looking for her husband, Wu Guishan, who was taken by authorities when trying to appeal his case. While both parents were imprisoned, their eldest child dropped out of school so she could attempt to find her dad. The youngest was sent to an orphanage.
Zhao’s husband is included in the nine church members who are still in prison today.

While the church seeks to grapple with the awful blow they’ve been dealt, Zhang is still looking for lawyer representation. The situation is tricky because lawyers involved have been beaten and threatened with credential revocation. The situation is the same for the other members of the church as well.

Our brothers and sister of Nanle County Christian Church need our prayers. Pray for strength and encouragement and comfort for Zhang and his family. Pray for perseverance for the church. Pray that God’s will would be done, and that onlookers of the situation would be intrigued by the steadfastness of the Body of Christ.

If you would like to support VOM in their encouragement and aid of persecuted Christians, click here.

(Photo by Baptist Global Response)

Africa (BGR/MNN) — Children living in a rural area of the Horn of Africa will soon have a new schoolhouse. They have been having to walk several miles to school and therefore can’t attend until they are about 9, old enough to travel the distance. A Baptist Global Response partner estimates that the new school will give 250 children in grades one through four better access to education. The new facility will consist of three mud buildings with cement floors. Partners will use one building for children’s education, the second for an office, and the third for teacher housing. The government will provide teachers and school administration. Partners plan to build the school using local labor, and the most significant expenses will be rock, cement, tin roofing, and contractor payments. The school will cost $94 per child.

Pray for the quick completion of this project and for the education of these children. Pray that God would reveal Himself to many of these students, their families, and their community.

Donate to widows, orphans, and children.