ISEMA Newsletters
Special National Street Ministries Conference Edition
Muslim Christians
By Richard Wurmbrand. From the Voice of the Martyrs Newsletter, Box 443, Bartlesville, OK 74005, (918) 337-8015
In Bosnia, inhumane Serbians and Croats have destroyed 800 mosques and 60,000 women have been raped. Muslims believe falsely that Serbians and Croats, who killed 200,000 of them, are Christians. (Jews had the same misconception about their murderers.)
We are glad about movements of believers in Christ that exist among Muslims. Just as there exist Messianic Jews, so there are Isai Muslims (Believers in Jesus) and Mashihee Jamat (congregations of the Messiah). And like some Christians who “became as a Jew to the Jews” (1 Corin. 9:20) and practice some Jewish tenets in order to win their people, the Mashihee Jamat live according to Muslim habits and read passages from the Koran in which there is light but are also baptized and follow the Bible. These are numerous, especially among the Sufite Muslims in Bangladesh.
Muslims persecute Christians in many parts of the world. In Saudi Arabia, some of our brethren in prayer stretch out toward God not arms but stumps. They have had their right hand cut off because they believe in Christ. In Zanzibar, Muslims burned 50,000 Bibles. In Nigeria, there was a plan to exterminate Christians. In Sudan, thousands died in a fight between Arab Muslims in the North and the black Christians in the South.
Released from his death sentence. a Christian named Cornelius Mikhail left Saudi Arabia recently and returned to Egypt. He was sentenced to seven years and 1000 lashes (death) for allegedly reading a section of the Koran which fails to list Mohammed among the prophets of God. Cornelius, however, is illiterate and cannot read. He was arrested by the Muttawa, Saudi Arabia’s religious police.
One of the primary teachings that scandalizes Muslims is that God sent Jesus to earth to suffer flogging and crucifixion for sinners. That God loves sinners and desires their conversion, the most illuminated of Muslims would agree, but He should not love them so much as to impose horrible suffering on the most righteous man just for them.
“What kind of justice is it,” they ask, “to punish a righteous person savagely in order that the wicked should go free?” We understand their difficulty. The best among us see spiritual realities only dimly. The Holy Spirit must provide this light.
Walking with the Cross
by Henry Pulsifer. From the Brothers & Sisters in Christ (BASIC) Newsletter, Box 431, Kiln, MS 39556, (601) 255-9251.
God has called us to walk (with the cross) through the places He has given us…As we have carried out this ministry over the years, He has confirmed the call by doing marvelous things in the lives of people here in the U.S., and abroad. A ministry to university students in Mexico City, and BASIC ministry teams in several parts of India, Africa, and the U.S. now exist as a result of walking with the Cross. Also, many churches have been planted in various places around the world.
In 1993, God has continued to confirm the ministry as we walk. By His grace we began walking locally in January….The first week in May we began walking around the border of the U.S., praying for revival and ministering as God opened doors. We started at the Alabama/Florida line headed East on Highway 98. We left with just enough money to get out of town, and an old 76 Dodge van…Total strangers have driven up and handed us money saying, “God told me to give this to you.” Several have made commitments to the Lord, and over a score have committed themselves to do God’s will with their lives and minister to this generation. With God’s help, we will continue to walk in the U.S. until October when we hope to go to India for four months of ministry.
When we first began ministering in India, many of the national Christians were afraid to do evangelism and personal discipleship. They did not believe we would be able to walk across India with the Cross. Through the ministry God has given us, we have seen the stronghold of fear replaced with a boldness for Jesus. The BASIC Training course has been translated into several of the native languages, and BASIC teams are being raised up to reach those who’ve never heard. A mighty harvest of souls is waiting, but co-laborers are needed so we can continue the work unhindered.
March for Jesus
About 1,700,000 Christians participated in last year’s March for Jesus on Saturday June 12, according to U.S. director Tom Pelton. Marches were held in 400 U.S. cities and 50 nations. These marches bring together Christians from various denominations to declare the goodness of God as they sing and march in cities around the world. 800,000 Christians participated in marches in the U.S. and 120,000 in Canada. But the largest march was 300,000 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Marches were even held in Cambodia and Istanbul, Turkey. Christians also held a prayer walk around the pyramids in Egypt. In Slovenia, virtually every Christian participated in the march. Belgium changed its law so that a march could legally be held in Brussels.
Six U.S. states declared June 12 as “March for Jesus Day.” The Governor of Iowa marched with other Christians, and called it the most significant religious experience of his life. The largest U.S. march was in Austin, Texas, home of the American Atheists, started by Madalyn O’Hair, whose school prayer case thirty years ago ended prayer in public schools. “When I see the March for Jesus that’s only 4 years old here in Austin, and they have 20,000 out in the street, whereas when we were here for the (atheist’s) convention, we got 300 or 400 out in the street of Austin, Texas–you can’t have that,” O’Hair said.
Because atheists tend to be anti-authoritarian and of every political stripe, organization is next to impossible, she said. “I think atheists are harder to organize than anarchists.” O’Hair said. “I think the window of opportunity for atheism has closed. We will have a civic religion.”
Jon Murray, her son, the president of American Atheists, puts it bluntly: “Our ’63 case will be overturned.” Her other son Bill, on whose behalf the case was originated, is now a born-again Christian.
Coming Events
October 2-10 Balloon Fiesta Outreach, Albuquerque, NM. Contact Christ in Action, Box 100, Chatsworth, GA 30705, (706) 695-1868.
October 22-23 No Greater Love Ministry Conference. Contact NGL, Box 263, DuQuoin, IL 62832, (618) 542-4503.
October 9, October 23. San Francisco Worship rally and outreach. 3-6 PM. Powell St. BART Station. Contact SOS Ministries Box 27358, Oakland, CA 94602, (510) 531-5325.
October 27-31 Fantasy Fest Outreach, Key West, FL. Contact Rescue Atlanta, Box 965029, Atlanta, GA 30066, (404) 924-0201.
December 31-January 1 Rose Parade Outreach, Pasadena, CA. Contact Sondra Berry Young, Box 3044, Newport Beach, CA 92659, (818) 792-7424.
January 29-30 Super Bowl Outreach, Atlanta, GA. Contact Rescue Atlanta (address above).
February 11-15 Mardi Gras Outreach, New Orleans, LA. Contact Christ in Action or Rescue Atlanta (addresses above).
Sat. June 25, 1994 March for Jesus. Public praise marches scheduled for hundreds of U.S. cities and every nation on earth. Contact March for Jesus, Box 3216, Austin, TX 78764, (512) 416-0066.
A FINAL WORD
Many of you are learning about ISEMA (The International Street and Evangelism Ministries Assn.) for the first time at the National Street Ministries Conference. ISEMA was established in 1984 by leaders of several different street-level ministries. They believed that God wanted them to form an association through which street ministries could help one another. Today, ISEMA seeks to provide fellowship, encouragement, teachings and other resources for those who are on the “front lines” of evangelism.
While God has called each of us to different ministries, we believe He wants us to work with one another and with local church fellowships in order to be more effective in evangelizing our world and to recruit and train more workers for this last-days harvest. While the National Street Ministries Conference provides a once-a-year opportunity for street evangelists to gather for fellowship and training, we believe there needs to be an association through which we can help one another throughout the year.
Street evangelists may be harder to organize than atheists or anarchists. But we are praying that God will bring us the right people to help fulfill the vision of ISEMA. Right now there is no full-time leader for ISEMA and we have very few finances. Please ask God if he would have you join ISEMA and help us in some way. Please call or write me if He speaks to you about helping. For those attending the National Street Ministries Conference, please come talk to me at the ISEMA/SOS Ministries booth.
I want to thank all of you for your prayers and financial support for ISEMA. Thank you also for sending in reports of what is happening in your ministry. Please continue to send us reports on outreaches you have been involved in. We would like to include them in our newsletter so others can be encouraged.
Our Tape of the Month is Legal Issues in Evangelism by Michael Imfeld. Michael is a Christian attorney who has been involved in several First Amendment cases. This is one of the best teachings I’ve heard about our legal rights when it comes to preaching the gospel.
Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum
