Church Planting Amongst the Taliban
The Phantom Intercessor, September 27th, 2011
Lessons in Prayer from the Persecuted Church.
The city dusk traces indecipherable scrawls of broken telegraph poles and trailing wires across the rooftops, softening the edges of unfinished breeze blocks and steel rods. The leaves of a large tree reach up from the centre of the dusty courtyard to catch the cool evening breeze.
The men sit on a group of wooden beds, cracked and silvery, their rope bases covered with faded patchwork quilts. Two old women perch at a distance on another pair of beds, and the littlest children tumble and giggle through incoherent hand games ‐ there are no toys. I ask my host if they ever fall off the roof. Not yet, apparently.
I take the chance to ask Pastor X to tell me about the ‘trouble', the burning of the church that had been referred to once or twice. He hesitates, and then pulls a chair right up close to me, that's better, now I can talk. He speaks in the lowest of murmurs, calm and matter‐of‐fact, and tells me his story.
"We were shocked when writings were on the wall of our house and of the church. ‘THE TALIBAN IS THE GREAT AND EVERYONE WHO LIVES IN PAKISTAN MUST SAY THIS' and ‘MOHAMMED IS THE GREAT AND EVERYONE WHO LIVES IN PAKISTAN MUST SAY THIS'. Around that time we were worshipping in church, at the time of prayer, and someone was throwing bottles and stones at the windows. We stopped and waited. Then we sent one of the men out to see what is this, and the people were saying ‘why aren't you stopping at prayers time?'
God was blessing us and the church was growing so much. On Sunday we were having a baptism, seventeen people. But the day before I was speaking at a conference, and I was so so busy. I was speaking at two places, and I had to ride my motorbike between, to go here and there, and it was so busy. When I got back home, it was late, I was so tired that I did not fill the baptismal font, I could not. So at church I got up and I apologised. I said "I know you people have come prepared to be baptized and I am so sorry, I am the fault, I have not filled the font." But they said "Don't worry, Pastor, it is ok, we will do it next week". And then another eight people came forward for baptism. So 25 people were to baptise next week.
Then it happened, it was Monday or Tuesday about 12 or 1 o'clock. The men were at work and most of the childrens were at school, thank God, only the women were home. And the Taliban came, very fast, they sprayed a chemical, and burned the houses. It burned very fast, everything was burned, complete. Twelve houses and the church were burned. And one boy, twelve years, was killed.
So I could not go back. I turned off my mobile (it was only these threats and bad things) and came here. And my family came. Since then we have been here. Another time they made difficulties for me. They made a paper, with my picture and my name and my mobile number, and they wrote bad things about Islam and about the prophet Mohammad. And they post the paper around the area, even in the mosque. So I have to turn off my mobile - it was all death threats and I can't come out, for three months I can't go out.
Didn't you think about leaving?
Yes, the police and even my friends asked me to leave the area, to leave the country. And I thought about it. But I say you don't understand. I gave birth to this church. How can I leave, the people will say that God does not protect us.
So now we are rebuilding. We have another church, and I go in
and out. Four, five times a week. We have twenty five families - about
hundred twenty five people. But the one thing, I don't take my childrens
there, I don't take my family.
Where is the new church?
In the same area, about a hundred yards. There is a street of Christian, and the next street of the Taliban like this (he draws two parallel lines on the quilt). Many Talibans are there.
One time I was just coming back with R on my motorbike, and I saw 8 men, all with guns. So I went full speed on the motobike and R is crying, why are you driving like that. And I said look behind, and she saw, and she said ‘go, faster!'. So we went to the police station and we stayed there about 15 minutes until it was safe, and then we went back home. So I don't take my childrens there.
And we have planted a new church, nine families are there. In the nearby area. He spreads his hand and counts off each finger and thumb, saying : Talibans are here, here, here and then he points to the centre of his palm - and the church is here.
Pastor, Why have you planted a church in the middle of a Taliban area?
He smiles and shakes his head slowly, 'Because of the need. Because of the need.'
Can you worship there?
'Oh yes, we worship, but we are quiet, and we don't use the drums.'
This man is quiet, humble, but his face glows. He wants to know if I
can get Sunday school materials. They run Sunday schools, fifty in the
region, he only tells this story as I press him. It is dawning on me
that I am hearing a special story. This has to be God. God himself
working. Right in the middle of what we in the West regard as one of the
most dangerous nations in the world.
I want to help somehow -what do I know but prayer? Perhaps I can share something about prayer rooms? I have an inkling that there might also be prayer in there already, so I start by asking ...
So Pastor, do you pray?
'Oh yes,' he says, 'we pray.'
[Yes but really?] ‘Its so important, isn't it. Can you tell me, how do you pray?'
... Ah, we pray from 11 to 12 am
[So the standard church prayer meeting] ‘On which day?'
Oh, every day.
[Ah. perhaps the pastor and assistant then] ‘And who prays?'
er, seventeen or eighteen, mostly ladies
[ok, good, but probably people promising to pray at home so it might not always happen. Tell them about prayer rooms] ‘That's wonderful. Where do you pray?'
In the church. Always in the church. I have asked this.
[They risk praying every day publicly in a Taliban area?]
Seventeen or eighteen ladies come every day, that is our time that we have committed to pray for the world.
[Oh my word. They have lost their church and their homes, and they are not even praying for themselves]
...And then again in the evening, from 8 to 9pm, usually 40 to 50 peoples come. In the church, I have asked this of the peoples that they pray in the church, and they come. If you were not here tonight, I would be there. I have asked the church that we do this. But only this, I do not take my childrens any more.
[I have realized that I have nothing to say on prayer. ]Source: 24-7 Prayer
