Jossy Chacko

Empart worker, Kusulia has been faithfully serving the Lord in his tribal village in Orissa, not only sharing the gospel but helping the community with health education and teaching children to read and write.

The people he is reaching live in incredible poverty – only less than 10% of the people are literate. On 29th January Kusulia was traveling by bus to attend our local monthly meeting. But as he got off the bus, he was confronted by the police. “Are you Kusulia?” they asked. As soon as he responded “Yes”, they arrested him and threw him in a police vehicle.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked again and again, explaining he was a Christian worker and showing them his Bible. “We know you are a terrorist… keep quiet,” an officer commanded. 
In recent times, anti-Christian groups have made false accusations against Christians by using new government terrorist laws to persecute them. Once a person is accused of being a terrorist, they have few legal privileges and are treated very badly. Most lawyers are unwilling to help a “terrorist”. The emotional suffering it causes to the accused is long-lasting.



When Kusulia failed to attend the monthly workers’ meeting, Empart leaders realised that something was terribly wrong. None of the workers would ever miss an opportunity to train and worship together and support each other, unless they were in serious situation. They soon learned that someone had filed a false report with the police, claiming that Kusulia was a member of a terrorist group called Naxalite (an Indian Maoist group). They marched into the police station and made every effort to prove that Kusulia was not a terrorist, but the police are refusing to accept their evidence.

Kusulia is still in custody. Emaprt leaders don’t know what they should do next.  Please pray for:
-

Kusulia that he will be filled with the peace of God during this difficult time, that he will be physically and emotionally protected.


The little tribal church members, and for Kusulia’s family that they will know God’s presence and comfort


The police that they will treat Kusulia with respect and dignity and not harm him.


Kusulia to be freed and not harmed
.

Empart leaders to know what they should do and also for other Empart workers, that they will be protected from such false allegations and persecution and that they will be bold and strong in their faith.



Would you please forward this to all your friends and ask them to pray? Please read Acts 4 while you pray for this.
 Also, Empart needs to create a fund to fight these allegations. Last year we had to help fight seven such accusations against our workers. While our brothers and sisters are innocent, the legal cost of trying to prove their innocence is high. I ask that you make a one time gift of $20 or $50 towards helping these precious brothers and sisters in their darkest hour. Please visit www.empart.org and www.empartusa.org (in USA) and make a donation to show your support, or call an Empart office near to you. (Visit www.empart.org/contacts for the phone number and visit our websites for updates of stories like this.) 



Thank you for your love for the Lord and care for your brothers and sisters – whatever you did for the least of these my brothers you did it for me…



For the Lord and the persecuted brothers in Asia

Jossy Chacko




Stay connected with Jossy on Facebook, Twitter or visit his blog www.jossychacko.org


There IS hope for Europe. God has not abandoned Europe. I’ve been speaking at a conference in Switzerland this past week, attended by people from France, Belgium and Switzerland. I’ve also attended a youth conference in Germany and I’ve felt in my spirit, again and again, that God IS there, waiting…

Nor has everyone in Europe abandoned God! There is a group of people, small though they may be, who are in passionate love for Jesus. They want to follow Him and to be His disciples, just as much as He wants them to follow.

I used to accept the popular thinking that the church in Europe is dead. But from the passion and enthusiasm I have witnessed over the past two weeks, I’ve had to change my attitude. And here’s why.


1. Jesus is the founder of the Church – He will not allow what He started to die.


2. Jesus IS building the church – in the present tense, it’s is an ongoing project. While Jesus continues building in Europe, it’s as if some of His workers have gone on an extended ‘holiday’, are having a snooze, or just haven’t shown up to work yet. But that doesn’t mean the project is dead! I’ve already sensed that a group of workers is coming: some young, some old, who are passionate to see this project get moving again. Please pray for them.


3. Jesus is the head of the church. He will not and cannot be the head of a dead body. His body is very much alive… it’s just sleeping!


4 – Jesus is coming back for His church. He will have a beautiful bride in Europe, not a dead one! According to Revelation, people from every tribe, tongue and nation will be there and that definitely includes people from Europe. 



Our challenge is to wake up the church. I love Geoff in the Wiggles, one of Australia’s most famous children’s entertainers. He falls asleep at the most unusual times – when the other Wiggles are singing or dancing or acting up a storm. Children in the audience are encouraged to shout, “Wake Up Geoff”, and he wakes up refreshed, renewed, and joins in the fun again. As Christians, that’s now our challenge.

Here are our tasks:
- to pray for the church in Europe to wake up;
- to encourage European Christians that you meet to be on fire for God;
- to challenge European church leaders and believers to wake up and get their first love and priorities back;
- to strategically help the church and believers to become effective in bringing Europe back to God;

- to continue to speak hope and life over Europe rather than death!



So to all European believers and church leaders – WAKE UP. I’m really looking forward to continuing to do my part to wake up the church here.


Pastor Suraj and the believers were getting ready to celebrate Christmas. For most of them this was going to be their first ‘real’ Christmas as they are new believers. But one evening their preparations were interrupted by 30 members of the Hindu militant group, along with several local officials. “Where is the idol? You people do not fear idols, so it must be you who has stolen ‘hanuman murti‘ (an idol of the monkey god) from our temple…we are not going to spare you…” The group made many threats to Suraj and demanded that they return the idol or give them the money to replace their god – otherwise the situation would be serious.

Suraj explained they had nothing to do with the disappearance and pleaded for their understanding. He asked each of the believers and they were equally stunned by the allegation and insisted they would never do such a thing. None of the militant group seemed to believe them and they left with further threats, ‘Stop all your activities! Give back our idol and get out of our village. If not you will be sorry!’

The idol was made of stone and was on display for worshippers inside the local Hindu temple. When it had been reported that the idol was missing a week earlier, the local believers never anticipated that the disappearance would be used against them!

This happened in a large village with more than 6000 people. No one knew about Jesus until Suraj went there in 2007 after graduating from an Empart Training Centre. God has been at work and in this short time 25 families have decided to follow Christ; many of them have seen the miracle-working power of Jesus through healings and deliverance from demon possession.

People from all around the region had been coming to Pastor Suraj for prayer to be free from witchcraft and black magic and God was working among them. Subsequently, Suraj and church have developed respect and good relationships with people in the region. Now it seems that the church’s growth and miracles has attracted unwanted attention from the local Hindu militants.

Suraj sent a message saying, “Situation is getting worse every day; we need to see the Almighty moving for us in this village, we are praying this may be a good opportunity for the people to realize the truth and know that we love them and that God loves them too. Please pray for us and also for them.”

I haven’t yet heard how the situation will be resolved. What do you think? Should the church stand by their innocence plea but offer to replace the idol for the Hindu worshippers? What would you do in your context?

Thank you for caring, praying and supporting these courageous heroes of the faith.
Blessings
For the Lord and the lost
Jossy Chacko