Less known are the subtle shifts closing the door and removing the welcome mat to foreigners from the West. This change affects employment, investment, religion, and foreign policies.

Bibles For China’s Kurt Rovenstine just returned from a trip to China. “There is a growing resistance against forces or influences outside of China being present in China, affecting policy or culture or mindsets, and it was sensed on this trip.”

Although they did have good conversations with many of their partners, he says, “We did face some pushback against me as a foreigner, in places that China doesn’t want there to necessarily be foreigners; places like the church.”

Rovenstine says their itinerary changed because his presence drew too much scrutiny to their hosts.

When asked if China viewed Christianity as a ‘Western Religion,’ Rovenstine demurred. “The gospel is not Western; the gospel is universal”, but adds that the ministry is pivoting, at the request of their partners.

(Photo courtesy of Bibles for China)

The tension is more about the government viewing Western influence as ‘not Chinese’ and less about Christ. However, that friction extends now to more than the Underground Church.

Most notably, “For years, the registered church (or otherwise) has had partnerships and collaborations with people in the West that come in to do training, provide resources, etc., and (they) use them in a way that helps them to build their church. That’s just becoming more and more difficult for the Chinese believers.”

Because of the scrutiny the Church faces, and because of the growing anti-foreign sentiment within China, Bibles For China is changing its response, explains Rovenstine.

The most requested assistance is leadership training. “We’re helping to deliver study Bibles, leadership Bibles, and teaching Bibles that help the young men and women, or at least the untrained men and women seeking training, be prepared to go to their churches and present the Gospel.”

Providing the Word of God in a trustworthy, biblically accurate form is still the primary goal throughout the country and in the diaspora.

The Chinese Church also recognizes that “Leadership is important. Training the next generation is important, and the Church in China will grow when we equip pastors and laypeople to be strong, informed, well-educated, and well-prepared ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” The season is changing.

Rovenstine says the culture of China is beautiful and diverse. The body of Christ in China is equally unique.

Regardless of the political temperature, walking alongside believers as they prepare themselves for a time when the doors close and the locks change means we should “Pray for the Church, that they’ll be strong amid this tension and this desire to push back against foreigners. Pray for these young leaders as they prepare for ministry and even now are in ministry and the Church in China.”

Header image and story images courtesy of Bibles for China.

But what did Brexit mean on a day to day basis? Groups headquartered or working in the UK wondered about visas and if they should move operations to a different, neutral country. Would the UK cease to be a friendly place to international groups and missions teams?

Little progress. Lots of fear.

George Durance, President of TeachBeyond shares that many people were scared that the country would come to a halt, stopping the UK activities of TeachBeyond. Yet since the referendum they have seen few changes to operations.

“Really it’s been quite amazing. In the last year we’ve been able to get our visas in the same way we could before and of course the British people couldn’t be more hospitable and gracious. And just because there’s been a referendum, it really hasn’t made any difference to us on any level as far as I can tell.”

Seeking courage beyond Brexit

However, as the process continues, Durance shares that the TeachBeyond team covets prayers from the global Church. They are operating well currently, but do not know what the future holds.

(Courtesy of Ed Everett on Flickr https://goo.gl/gp3KBN)

“[We need] the prayers from God’s people for us to be filled with faith and courage. And not to be upset about the various things we hear in the press and our politicians are saying. I think that is a huge takeaway. Just to pray that God will give his people deep conviction about what needs to be done and what strategies will need to be fine-tuned as the circumstances change around us. We don’t want to be driven into dysfunction because we are afraid of this or of that.”

Brexit, politics, and the UK Church

Perhaps even more important than just for TeachBeyond, Durance seeks for prayers for all Christians in the UK. Dangerous rhetoric has been creeping into common speech in the country on many issues. One area that Durance calls out specifically is the issue of immigration and having foreigners in a country.

Durance believes that wherever Christians fall on immigration issues, they should have one resounding cry in common.

“For us we are citizens of a different country. We are pursuing a city whose architect and builder is God. And we cannot buy into the really hateful arguments that seem to be circulating on either side of the debate that’s going on. Christians have to stand up and speak clearly about our love for all human beings. You know God so loved the world. And Acts 1:8 is being sort of turned around the other way where the uttermost parts of the earth are coming into the United Kingdom, and coming into the United States, and into Canada and some of these other countries.”

He points out that while governments can and should look to the best interests their people, Christians should love people from every background, cultural group, and population.

Hope and love should mark the Church even in the midst of political uncertainty.

Get involved

Please pray that TeachBeyond would continue to bring international teams into the UK for training without hindrance. Ask God also to mark His local church in the UK with love and compassion for people (See Prayercast for more ways to pray). And finally, figure out how you can go. Durance notes that God is bringing people into our countries and neighborhoods, we just have to share His love.

Consider today how you can step outside of your comfort zone. Share the good news of the Gospel with a person who has not heard of Jesus before.

The Muslim extremists then rounded up cafe patrons and staff, forcing them to recite Koran verses. Those who passed were separated from the others and given food and water. The rest were tortured and killed — mostly foreigners. They included citizens from the US, India, Japan, and Italy.

View of Dhaka, Baghdad (Photo courtesy of Marufish via Flickr)

The gunmen let some hijab-dressed women leave the cafe. One Bangladeshi young man was with two young women dressed in western clothing. When the gunmen told the young man he could leave as well, he refused and chose to stay with his companions. He was also among those found dead at the scene.

After a nine hour standoff, Bangladeshi special forces were able to fight their way into the cafe. Most of the gunmen were killed in the offensive; one was arrested.

Since the attack on Friday, ISIS has taken credit for it. But Bruce Allen of Forgotten Missionaries International (FMI) says the Bangladesh government would rather blame someone else.

“Islamic State claims responsibility for Friday’s attack, but the Bangladeshi government continues to deny that Islamic State even operates within the country. Instead they insist that the attack was the work of local terrorists.”

Allen was just in Bangladesh last week. He says, “I’ve been traveling across Asia in the world’s three largest Muslim-dominant countries during these past few weeks of Ramadan. About 30 hours before the hostage situation occurred in Dhaka which resulted in the deaths of 21 people at a restaurant in the Bangladeshi capital, I was walking with members of FMI’s indigenous leadership team here near the area where the attack would later occur. We were discussing the state of ministry in the country.

“Following our completion of assessments of several pastors’ ministries during field visits in rural western Bangladesh, we had returned to the capital. Our national director for Bangladesh told me, ‘There are many threats against the Christian community and other minorities here. The biggest threat is terrorism.’ And his words proved right within a matter of hours.”

The attack in Bangladesh preceded another assault by ISIS in Baghdad, Iraq on Saturday. A suicide truck bomber detonated in a crowded shopping mall. That death toll has risen to 200 over the last few days and has made the Baghdad bombing Iraq’s single deadliest attack.

While there are threats to minorities in Muslim-majority countries like Bangladesh and Iraq, Christians are still advancing the Gospel to their Muslim neighbors, planting churches and baptizing new believers.

(Map courtesy of Asian Access)

Allen says, “There are serious risks here in Bangladesh, which church planters need to identify and manage. But they are prepared to not shrink back from the opportunities that await them as the Lord continues to draw Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists in this country to Himself.”

FMI works with Christian partners in Bangladesh specifically to advance the cause of Christ in that nation.

“Across the country, we’re providing our church-planting partners with cartons of Scripture for use among their church members and discipleship and also for evangelism in their communities…. We want to help the local congregations understand that ministry is not just the pastor’s job, but that Jesus calls all His followers to be salt and light and ambassadors of the Gospel,” Allen shares.

In Bangladesh, 89 percent of the population is Muslim, 10 percent are Hindus, and the last one percent includes Buddhists and Christians. The Open Doors World Watch List ranks the level of Christian persecution in Bangladesh at a moderate level. Christians and minorities experience most of their challenges in the country from Muslim extremist groups and family members.

Despite all this, Allen says they are seeing the number of Christians growing in Bangladesh.

“We had the privilege of watching as new followers of Jesus Christ, some of whom had come out of minority Hindu families, get baptized. Then we sat in the homes of their extended families and shared the Gospel with them.”

“Our team from the US also delivered the gift of a much-needed motorcycle, provided by Mission Network News listeners, to one pastor who has planted churches in three different remote villages, and he spends his time divided among them. But with this gift of the motorcycle he can spend less time hiking from place to place and more time in actual ministry. He says he’s going to start outreach in a fourth village!”

Please lift these prayer requests before God:

1. Pray for Christians in Bangladesh to have a hopeful and compassionate posture towards their persecutors, and that other minorities and foreigners would take notice.
2. Pray for the Christian witness to lead many others in Bangladesh and Iraq to know Jesus Christ.
3. Pray that Muslims in Bangladesh would know the truth of God’s salvation message.
4. Ask God to send encouragement and healing among the families who lost loved ones in the Bangladesh and Iraq attacks.
5. Pray for those currently fighting for ISIS, that they would experience miraculous conviction of the Holy Spirit and find redemption in Jesus Christ — just as the Apostle Paul himself persecuted the early Church before God turned his life around.

You can sign up for FMI’s quarterly prayer letter, or set up a partnership between your family or church and one of these courageous national church planters advancing the Good News of Christ.