This tragedy compelled Pastor Reuben Musiime and his associates to begin a radio ministry in Uganda that would share the truth of the Gospel, according to Brian Dennett of AMG International, which partners with Pastor Reuben.

“They were really devastated by that. After reflecting, they felt called to help people all over Uganda to understand the gospel and what salvation is truly about, so that they could enjoy their walk with the Lord, and that they could be confident in knowing who the Lord was and what His purpose was for them,” says Dennett.

Photo courtesy of AMG International via amginternational.org

Today, the ministry reaches around ten million listeners with messages ranging from walking with Jesus, family life, church, social issues, and more.

“The program revolves around healthy doctrinal teaching right out of the Bible, warning believers about emerging false initiatives and false prophets and cult activity in Uganda—even the prosperity gospel, which is pretty rampant all over Africa,” says Dennett, who spoke during the ministry’s series on how to be a Christian father. “We do have so much in common as brothers and sisters, no matter where we live. Our struggles and challenges are not so different.”

Radio has proven to be a powerful way to start conversations and share the truth of Jesus in parts of the world that are challenging to reach with the Gospel. To partner with media evangelism initiatives at AMG International, go to amginternational.org.

“Please be in prayer,” says Dennett, “as we seek to reach people around the world for Jesus.”

Header photo courtesy of AMG International.

As more “anti-cult education bases” continue to open up across the nation, Kurt Rovenstine with Bibles for China (BFC) says this is part of a trend they are sensing, where “it’s just more difficult to walk in compliance with what the Communist officials are asking our Christ-following brothers and sisters to do within China.” 

Bibles for China acknowledges the delicate balance between serving Christ in partnership with local churches and navigating new government regulations — regulations that might spark discord between registered and unregistered congregations.

“If [a congregation is] espousing the beliefs of the Bible and putting their faith in Christ alone, they’re my brothers, regardless of what particular political bent they have within China,” Rovenstine says.

“This does set itself up to drive a wedge in between that harmony [between congregations]. Whether it’s intentional or not, it’s a possibility, and I pray that that doesn’t happen.”

Please join in praying for wisdom and Spirit-led unity among Chinese Christians. Pray for Bibles for China too as they respond to ever-changing dynamics in gospel ministry.

(Image courtesy of Bibles for China)

“We’re still going to have a strong presence in China as long as that option and opportunity is available to us. But we are pivoting,” Rovenstine says.

One of these new directions is to distribute children’s Bible outside of China (more on that in this recent story). 

“We have other programs that we’re looking at within China that bolsters the [church] leadership within China,” Rovenstine says. They believe that when a leader knows the Bible and how to preach the gospel of Christ, it will strengthen the church to stand for truth. 

“The Word of God in the hands of somebody who reads it has incredible power. So that is what we remain strong in trying to promote,” says Rovenstine. 

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Xavi Cabrera via Unsplash.

The cult preacher Paul Mackenzie has been in custody with 36 other suspects after coercing hundreds of his followers to starve themselves and their children to death to meet Jesus. Most of were women and children. Another 95 people have been rescued from the cult.

Evidence from autopsies and eyewitnesses reveal starvation was violently enforced and some victims were asphyxiated.

Nehemiah with FMI says, “This pastor, he has a gang. They call it an enforcer gang…. Sixteen men [arrested with Mackenzie] are accused of operating an armed enforcer gang tasked with ensuring that no one broke their fast or left their forest hideout alive. That is one of the reasons that they are able to find more than 400 bodies.

Bible distribution in Kenya. (Photo courtesy of FMI)

“Mackenzie fell foul of the law in 2017 after he was accused of urging children not to attend school claiming that the Bible did not recognize education,” says Nehemiah. “This is so horrible. He was arrested again in March after two children starved to death in the custody of their parents but was subsequently freed on bond.”

Distorted spiritual teaching and false preachers like Mackenzie are a major problem in Kenya — confusing and misleading many to physical and spiritual death.

That’s why truly biblical, Gospel-centered ministries like FMI in Kenya are so critical. Eternity is at stake for 53 million souls!

FMI supports church planters in Kenya reaching their people with the true Word of God. Recently, they distributed over 2,000 Bibles!

Nehemiah asks, “Pray for the Kenya Church at large. May God raise many pastors, teachers, evangelists, [and] theologians who can teach their people what is a Bible-based church because false teaching is so common in Kenya.

“I would request our brothers and sisters, please pray for the Kenya Church, for revival so they understand the true light of the Gospel.”

Header photo courtesy of Jan Canty/Unsplash.

Only it wasn’t a real church. It was a cult.

Since then, Pedro was conflicted. The so-called church forbade him from seeing his family, even for sicknesses or funerals. He felt very uncomfortable with their teachings and didn’t see them lining up with Scripture.

Pedro left the cult and started attending another hearing church. Then he was introduced to DOOR International and their Chronological Bible Storying translation for Deaf people.

“I finally knew how loving my God really was,” Pedro says. “This set me free.”

Pedro at DOOR’s 2-by-2 commissioning in South Sudan and Mozambique. (Photo courtesy of DOOR International)

DOOR recruited Pedro to join their 2-by-2 Program which trains Deaf leaders in pairs of evangelists and teachers. DOOR celebrated Pedro’s 2-by-2 commissioning with several others in June.

From a violent kid to a confused cult follower to a redeemed Christian leader, Pedro’s life was forever changed.

“I felt that DOOR’s recruitment was truly a calling from God for me to help others who are bound by the same lies that bound me before. Knowing the truth will truly set you free. I want to carry on this good work.”

Pedro’s story is not uncommon in Deaf communities. Many Deaf individuals have never encountered the Gospel or have only been fed lies disguised as God’s truth.

In fact, of the 70 million Deaf people worldwide, it’s estimated less than two percent know Jesus.

Rob Myers with DOOR says reaching unreached Deaf communities isn’t always easy. “When you have a people group that’s been cut off from the Gospel for a long time, there’s a lot of spiritual resistance.

“We can face resistance from the government if it’s a closed country, or from attitudes within the community if people view Deaf people as curses or as demon-possessed. There are a lot of barriers that come up when you’re serving Deaf communities.”

Even when Deaf individuals do embrace a relationship with the Lord, it can take a while to raise up Christian leaders within a Deaf community.

Myers explains, “Many of these Deaf leaders actually struggle because for years they’ve been told they can’t lead and they can’t do things. But they can. God has gifted every single believer with spiritual gifts to be able to serve the Kingdom.”

The Deaf community and its Christian leaders need your prayers.

(Photo courtesy of DOOR International)

“Pray that those spiritual strongholds would be brought down,” Myers asks. “Pray that God would open up doors and opportunities for us to be able to serve these Deaf leaders and provide them the tools that they need to be able to reach their own communities. Pray that God would be raising up workers and that some of these Deaf leaders would truly catch the vision for who God has made them to be.”

If you’d like to support DOOR’s ministry among Deaf communities, click here!

Finally, you can play a role in raising awareness for Gospel needs among the Deaf. “Many people just don’t know that Deaf communities are unreached by the Gospel. They don’t realize that there are still millions of people who don’t have access. And they don’t realize that Deaf communities play such a critical role in finishing the Great Commission,” Myers says.

“So as any listener learns about this deep need, as they share it, that is a critical step in the Church becoming aware of the need and then beginning to take steps toward meeting that need.”

Follow DOOR International on Facebook here for ministry updates and sharing opportunities!

Header photo courtesy of Wycliffe Global Alliance via DOOR International.

David Curry of Open Doors USA explains that Squires had been doing medical work for the locals. According to Daily Mail, Squires was particularly passionate about providing eye care for people who otherwise wouldn’t have it. He was even credited with creating a machine that enabled them to make glasses in rural areas.

Curry says, “It’s just another example of what’s happening in Nigeria, although in a different vein. Nigeria is a country that’s divided into—you’ve got the southern portion that’s largely Christian, but you have tribal factions in the north. You have these extremists from Boko Haram. It’s a country that is being pulled in a lot of directions.”

Curry believes what is taking place in Nigeria is really part of a regional issue and that it has has the ability to impact the entire continent.

(Photo courtesy of Open Doors Ministries)

“We see Africa as the prime theater of persecution in the next ten years because the population of Christians is so high—the young demographic group—and there’s so much corruption and violence there that Christians are just being attacked in massive numbers.

“More people have died in Nigeria and in that belt across the continent of Africa where persecution is high than has happened in Iraq and Syria at the hands of ISIS. That’s how significant this is,” Curry says.

November was a particularly violent month in Nigeria where a child suicide bombing killed over 50 people in a mosque attack, and a herder-farmer conflict killed at least 30 people in the northern region.

Integrating prayer for the persecuted into our daily lives

Nigeria is no. 12 on the Open Doors World Watch List of countries where Christians face the worst persecution. With Nigeria’s propensity for violence, Curry says we need to make Nigeria a priority in our prayers and our conversations.

And again, as we enter the Christmas season, Curry urges the Church to stand behind the Persecuted Church in fervent prayer.

“Christmas is such a dangerous time for most Christians around the world—in the Middle East, across Africa, in countries like Nigeria, Kenya, Somalia, anywhere where Christians are going to celebrate the birth of Christ, so we need to be praying for them.”

He hopes that what’s taking place in places like Nigeria can grab the attention of the global Church.

“We are a particular people called by the name of Jesus. We are called in Scripture to care for, to pray for others who are in chains or persecuted for the name of Jesus, and we have not done it. We do it on an incidental basis if we hear about an episode. This needs to be integrated into every church, every small group, every person’s prayer life that you’re praying for what God is doing in Africa, in Nigeria, those imprisoned and hurt and attacked, because we’re family.”

With the resources of Open Doors and other ministries supporting the Persecuted Church, we can stay up to date on what is happening in the Church and learn how we can pray. Curry says when we learn the names and faces of the people involved, we begin to personally invest in their stories, and we understand the gravity of persecution.

“This missionary, Ian Squire, he was a real person. He’s a real human being who was giving his life to try to help these folks in the south of Nigeria, and he was kidnapped and killed for his faith.

“And there are many people like him in Nigeria who have names and faces and families. They’re not all British, most of them are Nigerian themselves but they love Jesus and they’re dying for their faith.”

Learn more about Open Doors here.

Clean water, offered at local churches like his through Living Water International, is one way Moses can reach them.

“[In the Old Testament] Moses was the deliverer of Israel out of Egypt, out of bondage,” he explained. “Now knowing Jesus Christ, I feel the call of God on my life to be used by God to take people out of bondage into freedom.”

(Photo Courtesy Living Waters International)

This bondage is spiritual and physical.

The White Garment Church, the cult of Moses’ family, doesn’t believe in doctors. Among its adherents, the infant mortality rate is head and shoulders above the rest of the country. Not only because parents don’t seek treatment when their children contract waterborne diseases, but also because women are forced to give birth at home without any aid, even when their safety is compromised.

The group also resists organized education, so there are few opportunities to instill life-saving hygiene and sanitation lessons in its ranks.

The work Living Water International does through local churches in Overspill, Zimbabwe, ministers to both body and spirit. It can help dispel the spiritual darkness of the White Garment Church. And because of Moses’ personal testimony, he’s the perfect messenger.

Before Moses became a pastor, he was the favorite of his parents’ eight children. He showed promise to become a cult leader. But when he finally decided to attend church with a friend, his father lashed out, denying him food, shelter, and even beating him in an attempt to bring his son back into the cult.

Moses has made peace with his family but still hopes they will one day experience the living water of Jesus Christ.

Living Water International works to provide a public source of clean, safe water at each of their locations, whether through wells, rainwater harvesting, protected springs, or anything in-between. They teach locals how to use them, ensuring each project is sustainable and that a group of people is educated on upkeep.

Throughout the process, staff members teach people about a source of water that will never run out–a source where you only need one sip to satisfy: the Living Water of Jesus Christ.

Join Living Water International in prayer for those still trapped in Zimbabwe’s cults. And please donate to help LWI partner with other local pastors like Moses who will welcome more people into the Body of Christ.

Eastern Lightning is a cult offshoot of Christianity in China. They believe that God has returned to earth as a woman, "born to an ordinary family in the Northern part of China" to guide mankind for the third and last time.

The Chinese government lists the group as a "cult" and has actively tried to suppress it, (which is different from the softer treatment on house churches), especially since its millenarian theology tends to take an explicitly anti-government stance. In the past, the members have kidnapped Christians and others, and forcibly tried to convert them.

Now, the Chinese government has launched full-force actions to wipe out this cult. Some local governments have warned Christian churches to keep a low profile and to not arrange large-scale meetings at Christmas, as there may be actions to suppress such meetings in case they are related to this cult.

This will affect the work of the Chinese Church. Many are planning evangelistic events during the Christmas season.

Churches have not indicated they'll stop working, so pray that they'll have wisdom as they gather to fellowship and worship. Pray that believers will stand firm in their faith. Also, ask God to reveal Himself to members of Eastern Lightning.

Bibles for China reports that August is the time they need to apply for visas to get into the country, purchase airline tickets, and pay for Bibles. Purchasing the Bibles now allows time to have the Bibles delivered to the more rural areas of China so they're ready for distribution by team members.

I know what you're thinking: can you trust that they'll get to where they need to go?

Bibles for China works through an in-country partner for all the Bibles, approvals for distribution and travel arrangements. That partner is able to arrange for distribution in 20 of the 26 provinces. While that's good, it's disappointing, too.

President of Bibles for China Wendell Rovenstine says, "In days past, [our partner was] able to arrange for distribution in 21 of the 26 provinces until Satan–using a cult named Eastern Lightning–swept through one of the North provinces and stole the hearts of many of the Christians to the point that the Bible is no longer welcome in many of the churches."

According to Rovenstine, Chinese believers have been praying for their own Bibles for decades — ever since the Cultural Revolution took their Bibles in the 1970s.

While the trip is still weeks away, you can join the team without even leaving your home. How? By purchasing a Bible. Just $5 covers the cost of the Bible and its distribution. Now until the end of the year, your gift to Bibles for China is being matched dollar-for-dollar, doubling your impact in China.

Since Bibles for China uses the above ground church to accomplish this, you can be assured your Bibles will be delivered to those who need them. They're not smuggled into China: they're purchased IN China, BY Chinese Christians FOR Chinese distribution.

Prayerfully consider making a donation today. With your gift, you can help distribute more than 1,000 Bibles to Chinese believers in October. Do you remember your first Bible? Help gift that feeling to a fellow Christian in China today.

To support their work, click here.