"The Epistle of the Church of Pakistan to the Church of America"
Mar 24, 2010
Waseem Ayaz
Today I am very excited to be preaching among you. Being a priest and representative of the Pakistani Christian community I am going to read an epistle among you which I compiled on behalf of the Church of Pakistan. It is drawn from the New Testament. It is my honor to share with you.
THE EPISTLE OF THE CHURCH OF PAKISTAN TO THE CHURCH OF AMERICA.
From the Church of Pakistan, the body of Jesus Christ!
To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout the United States of America, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of the affliction we experienced in Pakistan; for we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death so that we would rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. As you also join in helping us by your prayers, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. But thanks be to God that through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him, and for that divine fragrance we have tolerated, every kind of persecution. Because we believe that when one of the elders addresses us saying who are these robed in white, and where have they come from, "he will answer us, these are they who have come out of the great ordeal in Pakistan. They washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." So that we do not fear suffering we are faithful until death, and he will give us the crown of life.
We want to share through this letter some example from this past year when Pakistani Christians remained faithful until death in the face of terrible persecutions.
1. Last year Sidra was with her brother when 16 Muslim men unexpectedly surrounded her. The daughter of an evangelist, Sidra knew what would happen next. The men beat her brother and then kidnapped her.... Sidra had been kidnapped because of her father's bold evangelistic work. Her father, Javed holds monthly prayer meetings in his home and invites both Christians and Muslims. One of Javed's neighbors was infuriated that he was holding Christian prayer meetings, especially on Fridays, The Muslim day of prayer. To get even, the man arranged for Sidra's kidnap. She was held for six months. The kidnappers beat her and raped her daily. And the kidnappers told her that, if she converted to Islam, they would stop beating her. But she stayed strong telling them that the Christianity is her religion, not Islam. She said, "I am Christian and if you want to kill me then kill me, but I will not accept Islam." After that her abuser tried to turn Sidra into a prostitute. Sidra convinced her first customer to let her use his cell phone and informed her father of her situation. Then she was released with a lot of effort. But we know that there are a lot of women like Sidra all over the Pakistan kidnapped for their faith and waiting to return home.
2. Elsewhere in the country, Islamic militants set aflame dozens of Christian homes over a weekend after allegations that a copy of the Koran had been defiled. The mob opened fire indiscriminately, threw gas bombs and looted houses as thousands of frightened Christians ran for safety. Residents said that police stood aside while the mob went on the rampage. The militants entered the first target house in the town and they shot the head of the family. That person was dead on the spot, and then they locked whole family in the room and they threw some acid and chemicals on these Christians and then burnt them alive and they burnt the entire town, along with the Church building. Our police didn't help any of these Christians, a shameful act from the police as these militants spent seven hours firing all over the town but nobody asked them why because police and all officials were silent. The militants thought that these Christians had defiled their Koran, but after the event the prime minister took very strict action against police and created a special inquiry commission. The final investigations report revealed that there weren't any books defiled and that this had been a mistake or some people's mischief .The prime minister expressed sorrow over the actions of the militants and police, but they had killed without any reason 9 Christians and destroyed a whole town. Matthew 5:10-12 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, "blessed are you when others my account rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
So, those who experience the same and similar things as this are blessed. We urge you to pray for the Christian families, but even more for the militants. Pakistani Christians need our prayers, but the Islamic militants need them even more. There is yet another event from more recent news.
3. Pervaiz Masih was cleaning up here and saw someone outside and went towards him. According to eyewitness Pervaiz Masih said to the suicide bomber that he could not come inside because there were girls inside. Pervaiz Masih was a member of Pakistan's Christian minority, traditionally one of the poorest communities in the country. According to eyewitness accounts, the suicide bomber had approached Islamabad Islamic university disguised in women's clothing. He shot the guard on duty, and then approached the cafeteria, which was packed with hundreds of female students. Pervaiz Masih intercepted the bomber in the doorway, however The bomber self detonated right outside the crowded hall, instead of into the cafeteria. Between 300 and 400 girls were sitting in there. Despite being a Christian, Pervaiz Masih had sacrificed his life to save Muslim girls. The militants are trying to killing our ladies, and we are saving theirs. Why? I want to quote mother Teresa quotation: "We are little pencils in the God's hands, God wanted to write love letters to the world through works of love, and we wanted very simply to be the little pencils with which God might write."
In Pakistan we are a marginalized and very poor minority. Sometimes Muslims offer big money to convert Christians to Islam because according to Islamic education if they convert anyone to Islam this is surety that they enter into heaven. But we never accept any money because our Christianity is not for sale and it tolerates every kind of persecution. Therefore, since it is by God's mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart, for we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ because we know that we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified through us. Very truly, we tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If we serve Him we must follow him, and where he is, there will his servant be also. If we serve him, the Father will honor us.
Finally, brothers and sisters we appeal to you by our lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join us in earnest prayer to God. Put things in order, listen to our appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you all. The Christians of Pakistan greet you. The grace of Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
In peace,
The Church of Pakistan
