Tuesday 12 February 2019

Christian Woman from Sudan Kidnapped and tortured in Egypt Highlights Convert Pressures

abducted and tortured

A Christian mother from Sudan had deep cause for worry November last year once her Muslim brother visited her church in Cairo, Egypt with a photograph of her husband and
asked members if they knew his whereabouts.

Muslim extremists from Sudan had abducted and tortured her but 2 years earlier in Cairo, and that they threatened to kill her husband and girl if she refused to come back
to Islam.

The 42-year-old Ebtehaj Alsanosi Altejani Mostafa was tied to a chair in a darkened room with no windows when her abductors gave her that ultimatum in February 2017, she told Morning Star News.
"I won't return to Islam - I hate Islam," she told them, as they continue beating her, Mostafa said.

She had fled to Egypt in 2005 once being imprisoned 5 times for her religion in Sudan.
In Cairo she met a Sudanese pastor, additionally, a convert from Islam, United Nations agency would become her husband; he had also fled abuse in Sudan.

Since she was abducted, tortured and raped in February 2017, Mostafa and her family have had to change residences many times because of the Sudanese Muslim extremists' threats on
their lives.

She still takes medication for the physical and psychological trauma she suffered when 2 Sudanese Muslim extremists abducted her as she was on her way to a market in 2017.
They called her name, grabbed her, coated her nose and mouth, twisted her hands and sprayed some chemical on her that left her unconscious, she said.

They took her to the windowless room in an unknown house where they poured water on her, pulled her hair and tied her hands and legs to a chair, all the while shouting her name.
Covering her eyes, they reminded her of her Muslim upbringing in Sudan and the way after her college years she moved together with her family to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Her Sudanese father, they reminded her, is a sheikh (Islamic teacher) in Saudi Arabia, she said.

"You are a disgrace to your Muslim family, you brought shame to the family," they shouted as they struck her, she said. "You are 'kafira' [infidel]."

They said she should divorce her husband and come back to her Sudanese family in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia so as to avoid wasting her life.
It was then that they further threatened to kill her husband and girl, now 11, if she refused.

After she told them she would rather die than return to Islam, one of the kidnappers brought a copy of the Koran and began reciting verses that call for the killing of those who leave Islam.
Between verses, they yelled, "Allahu Akbar," the jihadist slogan, "God is greater," she said.

The extremists then untied her, forced her to lie on the ground and ripped her garments.
In spite of her pleas to prevent, they raped her in turns, she said.

"This is lesson number one," one among the lads told her.

After leaving the area shortly, they came back and started spitting on her as they abused her with obscenities, describing her as "adulterous" for being the wife of a pastor, she said.
One of the boys was taking photos and video.

Four different men entered the room, two Sudanese and two Egyptians.
By now her eyes were no longer covered.
The Egyptians, she said, were referred to as Abu Mahmoud and Abu Ali.

"This time I saw them clearly," she said.

One of the new arrivals ordered her to repeat the shahada, the Muslim profession of religion, after him. When she refused, he had one amongst the others shove her onto the chair and tie her hands and legs again; her chest and back were in great pain, she said. Placing a cup of water and a bit of bread on the ground, they tried to force her to take them, however, she refused.

After going away from the room for a short time, they came back and covered her eyes as they mentioned whether or not to stay here on the chair.

They then forced her to kneel at length, painting her legs, and one of the men sat on the chair and began smoking a cigarette.

The man burned her back with the smoke twenty-six times attempting to force her to mention the shahada, she said.
They laughed with every burn mark, she said; the area was filled with smoke.

They tied her to the chair again. Refusing their demand once more, she was maltreated on her face and kicked many times, she said, as they continuing ordering her to renounce Christ and save her life.

"Baya [a nickname for Ebtehaj], say the shahada and confess that Muhammad is that the prophet of God," they told her.

Mostafa collapsed to her left. They left her in the dark room.
When they came back, they turned on the light and asked if she needed to mention one thing.

"You are tired, did you change your mind?
Are you certain you would like to stay with Jesus? " they asked her in turns.

They once more tried to force her to mention the Muslim profession of religion, and once she again refused, they asked her why she worships 3 gods: Mary, Jesus Christ and God.

"This isn't true, I believe in God the father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit - one God," she told them.

Before going away the room, they told her that this was her last probability to come back to her previous faith before they're allowed to kill her.

After a few minutes, they returned, carrying a Muslim prayer mat.
"This is your day of reckoning with us," one among them said.

They put a container of water in front of her to wash and say the Muslim confession, but she again refused.
She was given a face veil, the Muslim veil for ladies that leaves solely the eyes exposed, along with many papers for her to sign, as one of the men continued taking photos and videos, she said.

After many tries to force her to sign the papers speech she had came back to Islam, they hurt her hands as they forced her against her will to sign one
of the papers, she said.

Then she felt a blow to the rear of her head and lost consciousness.

When she came to, she found herself on a street with individuals and cars passing by, she said.

Prior to her abduction, Mostafa had received a telephone call from one among her sisters telling her that her uncle and brother were reaching to hurt her, she said.

Her uncle, a prominent officer in Sudan's notorious National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS), also has a large influence as the military attaché in Sudan's Foreign Ministry in Khartoum
and can simply move between Sudan and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where his brother lives, she said.

Mostafa said she is trusting that God has His purposes for her abduction and that her purpose in revealing it was that the international community would know what kinds of pressures Sudanese converts face in Egypt.

"Our God is ready, and I am now alive," she said.

Sudan hierarchic sixth on Christian support organization Open Doors' 2019 World Watch List of states wherever it's almost tough to be a Christian, whereas Egypt hierarchic sixteenth.

Walking in the Light of Jesus Christ

From the Beginning

The third line of Genesis reads, Then God said, “Let there be light.” It goes on to tell us that the light was good.

Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
~ Genesis 1: 3-5 ~

We understand that, from the beginning of creation, light was not only good but vital in keeping us from darkness. Luke 11: 36 tells us,  “If therefore your whole body is full of light, with no dark part in it, it will be wholly illumined, as when the lamp illumines you with its rays.”

So, we are taught that, in order to follow Jesus, we must stay on the path of His light and in this, we shall radiate His light for others to see.

Jesus gives us this example in John 5: 35 when referring to John the Baptist, He said, “He was the lamp that was burning and was shining and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.


Let your Light Shine

In Matthew 5: 16, Jesus tells us, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Have you ever seen a person whose devotion to God is so heartfelt that his love radiates beyond any spoken words? It is a special kindness; a willingness to serve selflessly and with absolute humility and it is purely for love of God. When we see this in others, we witness the light of Jesus being radiated through man. No words are necessary. This is what Our Lord asks of us and, if we work to please Him, it becomes our life’s purpose.

How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O Lord, they walk in the light of Your countenance.
~Psalm 89:15~


How do we Radiate the Light of Jesus?

How do we become a lamp for Christ? We begin with prayer. Saint Paul, in Thessalonians, tells us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16). Ask for forgiveness and forgive others. We cannot walk in the light of Christ if we cannot forgive. In Mark 11, Jesus taught us, “Whenever you stand to pray, forgive if you have anything against anyone so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.” Live humbly. Pride will cast a shadow of darkness trying to extinguish your light. Trust. And most importantly, believe.
“And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
~Matthew 21:22~


Light Casts out Darkness

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
~John 8: 12~

Let us remember His promise and trust that, in following Him, our light can bring others to Him. He is the Light of the world. Keep this first in mind and heart and as long as we live as He taught, we can become sons of Light. Remembering and believing this, we will not go off the path.
This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him, there is no darkness at all.
~ 1 John: 1:5~


“Blessed the one who has shone by the light of faith of the Lord, like a radiant lamp on a tall lampstand, and has enlightened souls that are darkened, for they followed the heresy of the faithless and impious.”
~Saint Ephrem of Syria~


By Marilyn Nash





Writer Bio
Marilyn Nash is a rosary artisan, artist, writer and designer. Author of the book ~ The Sacred Strand, Praying the Rosary with Saints and Artists. She is certified is Religious Education (Providence College, USA) and has taught both children and adults, specializing in Catholic themes and doctrine related to Mary and the Rosary.  Also a lector and Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, her passion is painting sacred and spiritual art.

Tuesday 22 January 2019

We Were Not Alone

We Were Not Alone

Her nerves are stretched to where she feels she can stand this no more. She slams on the brakes of the car in the parking lot and sits staring at nothing as the motor idles. Her mind seems to have gone on hold. No thoughts, no feelings, no nothing. It’s been too much.

Finally, shaking her head as though to awaken from a deep sleep, she turns the ignition off and takes a long agonizingly deep breath and steps out of the car.

Walking into the building she walks to the elevator and rises to the third floor. Slowly she opens a door and enters into a plush waiting room with a fake palm tree in one corner, enticing comfortable chairs, and carpet so thick she feels she could curl up on it like a cosy warm bed.

She signs the sheet on the clipboard and takes a seat. Glancing at the stack of magazines she ignores a Man sitting across the room. Then her name is called.

For thirty minutes she sits with her hands folded tightly in her lap and tells her counsellor about a horrifying memory of her childhood. Tears stream, she wants to scream but takes a deep breath and fights to maintain control.

He’s sympathetic and asks several questions. She replies as best she can. One question arises that throws her into a tizzy. “Where was Jesus when this happened?”

She bolts out of the chair and paces.

The Doctor waits.

Unbeknownst to her, the Man has entered the room.

He waits.

She stomps across the room and with fists tightly clenched at her sides, she stares out the window at the parking lot below. Tears stream down her face. She fights to subdue her anger.

“Where was Jesus?” the Doctor asks again and she spins around facing him. “I don’t know!” she almost screams.

She runs her hands through her hair in a frantic, hopeless and frustrated gesture, and plops down on the couch. She closes her eyes trying to fight the flood of tears that want to rush down her cheeks, and before the Doctor can say anything a vision appears before her.

The vision is so clear of Jesus on His knees with tears streaming down His face and begging His Father to stop what is happening to this child. His pain is so evident and His agony is even greater than the child’s that He’s praying for, her!

On the couch, she is shaking violently and sobbing. Now she knows the answer.


Luke 22:42 – “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

Even Jesus asked His Father to not let this happen, and yet He suffered greatly, even unto death. Children do not have the physical or emotional ability to stop the abuse that is being inflicted upon them; be it emotional, physical, or sexual. They cry out in many instances to deaf ears and blind eyes begging for it to stop.

The hurt goes so deep it becomes anger and many times that anger is directed straight at God. “Why didn’t You stop it!?” “He did nothing!” is how many deals with those issues. As in the story above, the great I Am was there. He can’t reach down and stop the torment being inflicted, but He is praying fervently for the child. He knows our suffering. He knows our tears, His heart is being ripped out at seeing what we are going through, then and now. He is with us through it all.

We can blame God, or we can reach out to Him to help us overcome all that was done. If the suffering is continuing through your thoughts and memories, reach out to Christ. Invite Him into your suffering. He’s waiting to take you in His arms and heal your heart.

Sunday 20 January 2019

Dealing with Evil in the Church, without losing your faith


19  But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? 20  You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. 21  No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.
Genesis 50:19-21 (NLT2)

In one of his (Boccaccio) stories in the Decameron, a practical Jewish businessman, Abraham, is contemplating conversion and baptism, at the gentle leading of the pious archbishop of Paris, but has to reside at Rome for a season to do business with the Borgia family and the papal bankers. The archbishop asks him if he wouldn’t like to receive baptism before his trip, but he is a practical man, and business must come first. The bishop is convinced that Abraham will never join the Church once he sees her corruptions with his own eyes; but when he returns to Paris, he asks to be baptized! He explains to the startled archbishop, “I’m a practical Jewish businessman. I don’t know theology, but I know the business. And one thing I know with certainty is that no earthly business that corrupt and venal could possibly last fourteen weeks; this one has lasted over fourteen centuries. It’s a miracle! Count me in!”

I have been grieving over the church recently.

It seems like we are entering a season where evil seems to be winning, thrusting its devastation both near and far. I see the broken lives, some still in denial about what is going on, about their role in the game, I sense that others don't really care, passing by the broken lives as the priest and the Levite did on the road.

On the national level, the battles are like icebergs. In my denomination, you see it in the reactions to a document which alleges chronic, planned and coordination bullying. The Catholic Church has its internal wars going, as do the Methodists, Baptists, and other groups.

And what is even scarier, the wars we see are often not the real war. As any counsellor/manager knows, the stated problem is rarely the real problem. Those are deeper, even at the point of sub-conscious, as our souls can't bear the trauma.

On a local level, sin has raised its bitter head to many times in the past two months. Again, the temptation is to deny the seriousness of the impact on individuals and parishes. We want to say, "that's their problem, it won't affect me or mine." Yet, even in saying that, we acknowledge the division in the church.

To that point, Peter Kreeft's Socrates referents Boccaccio, and makes me think deeper. Could our evil be used by God to draw others to Him? (This is by no means an excuse, or should we use it to justify or be complacent about evil - we need to confront it) The Jewish businessman finds hope because the church perseveres in spite of the corruption, in spite of the evil.

It requires a great deal of faith or true depending on God to see this. It takes the attitude of Joseph, who can piece together all the things God used to come to a point where the family is preserved, where they are provided for in the midst of another storm.

God doesn't like such things or plan them, and I am sure they break His heart. Yet, His love finds a way to use them to bless us, all things, even the evil, even the brokenness. He promises that so many times, along with the fact that He will never leave us or forsake us.

We need to know that in these dark days, and in those to come.

He is with us, He will be with us, and somehow, He will use even these times.

May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus

Friday 11 January 2019

Why It's Complicated Being a Messianic Jew During Election Season

The political fabric of the State of Israel is more complicated than many may realize, and it becomes more so if you’re a believer in Yeshua.


With the upcoming elections, a lot of questions have popped up for Messianic voters in the Land. One might assume that if you’re a Believer, you must support the conservative party, but then you must ask, which conservative party? Unlike in America, there are multiple conservative and liberal parties, each representing their own ideological, religious and ethnic groups with their own unique needs and interests.

Let’s take a look at the Likud party, for example; the most popular political party in recent years. Likud was officially founded by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon - both famous political figures in Israel’s history - later to be succeeded by the current prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. The Likud party is considered to be right on the political spectrum, as evident from their support for Jewish settlements in the West Bank and a general rejection of a Palestinian state. Economically, the party advocates for free trade, privatizing government-owned companies, and the dismantlement of monopolies (though many exclusive services companies still operate in Israel, dictating high prices).

With the above said, the party also has a less conservative side; for example, taking a positive stance on gay marriage and, more crucially, on the ability of same-sex couples to adopt. Netanyahu once said in regards to the surrogacy law, “I made it clear in the past; it is not a matter of right or left. First of all, it is a private and human matter. I would like to remind you that in the earthquake in Nepal in 2015, we worked extensively with the various aid agencies in flying male couples as part of the surrogacy process.” The party even has its own LGBT branch, “Pride in the Likud,” headed by MK Amir Ohana. They actively participate in public events and gay parades throughout the country.

The ones who dare disagree with this definition of marriage and family are the Jewish Orthodox parties. Similar disagreements arise over laws regarding abortion, as the Likud and other "secular" right-wing parties generally hold liberal views on these issues. On such moral issues, the right is deeply divided between its secular and religious blocs. Usually, they sit together in the coalition, as they seek to propel their agendas in the Knesset, but just as they are the only stronghold against an atheistic and liberal worldview, they are also big advocates against everything Messianic.

Marriage for Messianic couples, or mixed couples who may not be Jewish by birth on their mother’s side, is impossible here. Believers are forced to fly out of the country in order to become legally married, only then being permitted to register with the Ministry of Interior. The Rabbinate holds the monopoly over marriage, burial, and perhaps one of the most controversial things for Believers – immigration. Even if you happen to be Jewish on both sides of your family, traceable all the way back to King David, if the government finds out that you have put your trust in Yeshua, you will be met with closed doors. In essence, more power to the right-wing bloc equals less freedom for the body of Messiah here in the Land.

In contrast, some left-wing parties have a tendency to embrace a more pluralistic approach towards Believers, but we also must take into consideration what they stand for as liberals. Few of the leftist parties hold to socialistic views anymore, even the Labor party, making the main difference between the right and left the issue of settlements, and of how much of a grip Judaism has on the character of the nation. If that grip is loosened and the Rabbinate loses its monopoly over the definition of who is Jewish, we may see the Believing population begin to rise; for with our “Jewishness” given back to us, we might see Jewish Believers finally being allowed their right of return.

All of this may seem very confusing, and many times followers of The Way will be required to choose the “lesser evil”, or simply withhold from voting altogether. Israel’s political scene is not as clearly defined as that of America’s, thus Believers in the Land may have a harder time making their choice.

Ultimately, whoever ends up taking a seat this year, among the 120 available, will require the frequent and fervent prayers of Believers both in Israel and around the world. As the political war rages on and the politicians' decisions, both on the right and left, encumber the Body of Messiah, I would like to suggest that we ought not merely stand with Israel, but rather, stand with God in Israel.



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