The Cost (Edition 3)

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ARREST, PRISON, TORTURE, DEATH. SECRET CHRISTIANS IN

NORTH KOREA RISK EVERYTHING TO FOLLOW JESUS.

IT’S TImE WE WOKE UP TO ExTREmE PERSECUTION. HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO.

SIGN UP, DOWNLOAD RESOURCES, FIND OUT mORE AND GIVE AT:www.opendoorsyouth/itstime

ARREST, PRISON, TORTURE, DEATH. SECRET CHRISTIANS IN

NORTH KOREA RISK EVERYTHING TO FOLLOW JESUS.

TO PRAY

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Sign up for a series of early-morning emails that will pop in your inbox each Monday for 6 weeks. Use these with our free ‘Wake Up and Pray’

guide to help connect with and pray for people who are persecuted for following Jesus.

WAKE UP AND PRAY!

The footie has taken over the whole world over the last few weeks. And we can’t complain as we love the beautiful game. But during the World Cup, along with England, we’ve been cheering on Christians from Nigeria, Iran, Colombia, Algeria and North Korea* as their teams play in the tournament. The situations in these countries are all different, but one thing is common: Christians are facing real penalties for their faith.

“The guerrillas came into the church and started to yell at me. One of them told me that I must leave the region or I would be killed… I knelt and took my Bible in my arms, and I started to pray. Suddenly he began to destroy the chairs with a machete... He tried to hit me, but thanks to the mercy of God, his attempt failed. In these moments my soul was connected with heaven; I knew that nobody could take my life without the permission of God.”

These amazing words come from Pastor Roberto Perez in Vaupes, Colombia, where church leaders who oppose local militias are being targeted. It really is time to kick off about the injustice and violence they face because of their faith. Check out www.opendoorsyouth.org/worldcup for a bunch of ideas and to download our awesome ‘Pray as they Play’ stickerbook inspired cards. There might only be a few games left, but you can still get involved!

Enjoy the rest of the read. Hope to see you over summer.

Grace and peace

Emma, Dan and Luke The Open Doors Youth Team

*We know North Korea aren’t in the tournament, but their neighbours, South Korea are!

the cost / summer 2014 eDitoriaL

IT'S TIME TO KICK OFF

Open Doors YouthPO Box 6, Witney, Oxon, OX29 6WG

Cell +44 (0)1993 777300

desktop www.opendoorsyouth.org Email [email protected]© Copyright 2014 Open Doors. Registered Charity in England and Wales No. 1125684

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#BringBacKourgirLsOver 200 teenage girls are still missing after being taken from their school in Chibok, northern Nigeria by members of the terrorist group Boko Haram. The vast majority of girls are thought to be Christians, with videos showing that they may have been forcibly converted to Islam. Send a message of support to families of the girls at: opendoorsyouth.org

hooraY! #meriam

Back on 11 May in Sudan, 27 year old doctor Meriam Yahia Ibrahim was sentenced to death for refusing to deny her faith in Jesus. She was born to a Muslim father, but raised as a Christian. She's married to a Christian, and they have a 20 month old son, plus since her arrest Meriam has given birth to a second child. Brilliant news has come through that her appeal has been successful and all charges against her will be dropped. Praise God!

new weBsite

In the next month we're launching our brand new website. Take a look at opendoorsyouth.org at the end of July for some great articles and ways to pray and act for those who share our faith but not our freedom.

souL survivor

We’re going to be at Soul Survivor A, B, C and Momentum over the summer, so come and say hello if you’re at one of the events!

NEws DATEsAcTiONs

The reality of what is happening in Northern Nigeria is finally hitting home to the wider world. Boko Haram have been looting, killing and kidnapping in the region for years, and throughout May bombs killed hundreds in the largely Christian towns of Jos and Alagarno. It really is pretty shocking, and though Christians aren’t the only targets, they are definitely high on the long list of Boko Haram’s most wanted.

Along with the stories from Sudan about Meriam Yahya Ibrahim, a pregnant 27 year old doctor who was sentenced to death for refusing to deny her faith in Jesus, the reality of

persecution is beginning to fuel anger not just in the church but in the wider world too.

And that is a really good thing, but these are just two stories amongst hundreds, thousands, maybe millions. The challenge for us is to keep waking ourselves up to what is happening to followers of Jesus all over the world.

How do we wake up? These two tragic stories have connected with us. It isn’t just that 200 people have been kidnapped, but that they were teenagers studying for exams. They were taken from their families. We’ve seen their parents’ despair, and

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the cost / summer 2014 Feature articLe

WAKE UP

WANT THE LATEST NEWS? LIKE US ON FACEBOOK OR FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

The world is tentatively waking up to the reality of persecution. In May the media story around the missing 200 teenage girls blew up and went viral. The mainly Christian pupils were kidnapped by Boko Haram, a terrorist group who oppose western education, and consider Christians enemies of Islam. Videos show that many of the girls have been forced to give up their faith.

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waKe up anD praY with us For 6 monDaYs From septemBer 15: www.opendoorsyouth.org/itstime

the cost / summer 2014 Feature articLe

WAKE UP

Connect: Eun Hee Eun Hee became a Christian whilst in China. As a North Korean refugee she always knew she’d have to return to her country. When she got back, Eun Hee began inviting small groups of very poor Christians into her home for secret services. They were would dressed in rags and had hardly anything to eat.

Eun Hee kept visiting a safe house in China, where she received the training and support to reach out to the secret Christians that she met. This went on for years. But the police closed in. She refused to flee: “God has called me to stay here and be his witness. I cannot leave the other Christians behind.”

Eventually Eun Hee’s time was up. The police came to search Eun Hee’s house, found a Bible and took her away. She died in prison, paying the ultimate price for her faith.

Wake up and pray: Up for the challenge?

From 15th Sept to 20th Oct, we’ll send you a weekly early-morning wake up email. Sign up at www.opendoorsyouth/itstime and we’ll also send you our ‘Wake Up and Pray’ guide to help connect with, and pray for, people who are persecuted for following Jesus.

can imagine the fear the girls faced. These girls wouldn’t be out of place in our schools or colleges; they really aren’t that different to us. We’ve made the connections between us and them and we’re outraged.

But the connections exist between us and Christians all over the world too. As followers of Jesus we’re not just joined to those whose lives relate a bit to ours. We’re connected to all who call God Father - all who’ve prayed that Jesus would be their friend and king. And that means secret Christians in North Korea or Iran, who we know very little about.

It’s harder to imagine or understand their stories, especially when information is limited. These countries are pretty secretive, and often Christians there are just as keen to keep their activities hidden as the governments that might target them. But we’re all part of God’s church, we’re one body, one family and we’re a big part of God’s plan to bring hope to the world. So, it’s time to wake

up, to connect and

do what we can for our church family who risk everything for Jesus.

Wake up and strengthen what remains…

Brother Andrew felt God put those words from Revelation 3:2 on his heart when he started smuggling Bible’s into the old Soviet Union back in 1955. That was the beginning of Open Doors God is still challenging us in the West with that passage today. The church around the world is dying – literally – as Christians face all sorts of shocking situations. Eun Hee’s story (see the box) is extraordinary, but sadly it’s one that isn’t un-common. We may struggle to connect with her life or situation, but we can connect with and be inspired by her bravery, passion and relentless commitment to Jesus.

God’s asking us to wake up. He wants us to make a stand for justice and to help the church be all it can be. We can respond – we can pray, we can act and we can be inspired by people like Eun Hee to give all we have for the one who gave it all for us.

Pray Now: • Ask God to reveal to you His

heart for His church. Pray for compassion, empathy and understanding.

• Pray for Christians in Northern Nigeria facing constant threats and terror from Boko Haram. Pray for the safety of the girls who’ve

been abducted and ask for their release. Ask for comfort for the families of those who’ve been taken.

• Pray for Meriam, her children and her husband. Ask that her case will be thrown out and she’ll be freed. Ask for strength and hope.

TAKEACTION

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the cost / summer 2014 Feature articLe

FOLLOW ME

Jesus said them to Levi, and in the course of a short conversation Jesus put Levi’s life on a totally different track (Luke 5:27). As a tax collector, Levi would have been a bit of an outcast. He would have taken money from his own people to give to the ruling Romans. People wouldn’t have trusted him, let alone liked him, and yet Jesus calls him, and in doing so begins to transform his future.

Jesus calls us in the same way. He asks us to follow him, no matter who we are, what we’ve done or where we’re at. The reason? Well, he knows he’ll be waiting a long time if he only asks people who’ve got it all together. We’re all broken and all of us have struggles, but in asking us to follow him, Jesus is seeing beyond it all. Despite our mess, he can - and will - use us.

That’s one of the things that is so encouraging about even the harshest stories that come from people who are persecuted for following Jesus. Yes, the stories are shocking. And yes we’re desperate that persecution would end. But our family around the world who suffer for their faith are, like us, still going in their journey with

Jesus. And if they, in their confusion and pain can still choose to follow him when everything is thrown at them, then we can keep following despite our struggles, questions or general life mess.

In April Father Francis, a Dutch priest who spent 40 years serving the community in Homms, Syria, was shot dead. He followed Jesus through some horrific situations. There were food shortages, bombs and violence. But despite the warnings, he chose to remain. Knowing he could well be a target, he said “I don’t want to leave alone the 28 Christians that have remained”.

Following Jesus led Father Francis on a long, dangerous journey, full of struggles, pains and disappointments. But he kept following. Despite his questions and doubts he didn’t give up, no matter what it would cost him.

None of us our perfect, but if we can choose to keep following Jesus, despite our mess, then we know he’ll use us to show some of his perfect love to the world. So don’t give up. Keep following.

FOl lOw ME

‘Follow me’. Forget Twitter. Jesus has been calling people to follow him for 2000 years. The phrase seems simple or innocent enough when written down, but if we act on it, these words can be world changing.

KEEP PRAYING FOR SYRIAN CHRISTIANS get the Latest praYer news at www.openDoorsYouth.org

MIRIAM FEATURES IN ONE OF OUR NEW IT’S TIME VIDEOS checK it out at www.openDoorsYouth.org/itstime

We caught up with student mission legend Miriam Swaffield of Fusion as she drives around ALL (yep, all) the UK’s University campuses in the next two years encouraging people involved with student mission. Here’s some of her thoughts about student life and how stories of those who are persecuted for their faith can inspire us to be bolder, braver and more courageous for Jesus!

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the cost / summer 2014 Feature

BE BOLDER

What’s the most common fear you come across amongst your travels meeting students?

Generally people are afraid of other people’s reactions to their faith in Jesus – this is often before they’ve given other people an opportunity to respond. They assume their friends won’t agree and that they might be left out of their community as a result. So they get afraid of a reaction that hasn’t even happened.

By and large people are far more interested than we realise and if we never give them the opportunity to ask the question or find out for themselves then we’ve counted them out and haven’t even let God work in that situation. We shouldn’t be afraid of how people will react to our faith until we’ve actually done it.

So why does this have any connection to the persecuted church?

I think those in the persecuted church offer us a massive challenge. In the UK we often act like we’re persecuted when we’re not. We fail to mention Jesus to our friends, we’re not overt about who we love and why we live like we live.

The fact is other people, say in North Korea, Nigeria, Iran, they may well lose their lives if they speak up about Jesus – and some do. The persecuted church challenges me because if they are bolder than we are in the face of real suffering then it makes me want to step up my game and use my freedom to talk about the real reason for being alive.

Should stories like Eun Hee's encourage us (p5)?

When you hear about someone who’s been brave for Jesus, it releases you to do the same, because you realise it’s possible. Hearing about the persecuted church should encourage every Christian student that they can live a courageous life at Uni. You can stand up for what you believe in during Fresher’s Week because our family all over the world are doing bold and courageous things. These are just normal everyday people and they are seeing amazing things happen when God moves into the space that risk and courage creates – it’s a space that only God can fill. Hopefully we all get a bit more courageous when we realise our family around the world are living everyday courageous lives.

2014 - 2015

OPEN DOORS YOUTH 10 mONTH DISCIPLESHIP PROGRAmmE

SERVE YOUR PERSECUTED FAmILY. GROW IN YOUR GIFTS. BE SOLD OUT FOR JESUS.

WWW.OPENDOORSYOUTH.ORG/ADVOCATES

A 10 month training course for people aged 17-24. You’ll champion the passionate faith of persecuted

Christians get stuck into key Open Doors campaigns, have one-on-one mentoring

sessions and a few weekend retreats.

Events on the blackout map

Hours of silence on social networks

Uk pounds raised so far (and counting)

Page impressions online during the Blackout

www.opendoorsyouth.orG

THANK YOU! Hundreds, if not thousands of you joined our Blackout and stayed silent on social networks, fasted from food, the TV, or gave up something you loved to raise money for people who share our faith but not our freedom.

Thanks so much to all who got involved. We love that so many of you not only raised money, but really connected with God's heart for justice, so we hope the experience sticks with you. Any stories you want to share, mail us at [email protected]!

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