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Archives from March 2012

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Chewing the Khat

Blog

Yemen faces many challenges. It is the poorest Arab country. 42 percent of its people live below the poverty line. Water shortages, high unemployment rates, internal divisions and the presence of the Arabian Peninsula branch of Al-Qaeda are just some of the issues facing Yemen’s 24 million-strong population. But a less known issue in Yemen is the widespread use of the narcotic drug khat.   Read More

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Syria Appeal

Current

While the international community has found difficulty in bringing aid to the besieged people of Syria, through the church there is a way to provide much-needed food parcels and medicines. In partnership with churches in Syria, AWM-Pioneers has launched an appeal. Read More

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Contextualisation

Contextualisation

Pioneers' Statement on Contextualisation Messengers who bring the Good News have the privilege and responsibility to faithfully communicate the biblical Gospel message. They should model and teach obedience to all the Scriptures under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Thus PI workers desire to minister in ways most likely to yield faithful disciples and the reproduction of biblical churches among those with least access to the Gospel.   We believe God normally desires new believers to remain connected with their social context (1 Corinthians 7:17‐24), while not compromising biblical teaching in their beliefs or practice (e.g. permanently retaining their former non‐Christian religious identity). The implications of living out this creative tension and Gospel witness are best worked out by groups of believers, through prayer and diligent study of the Scriptures, informed by the story of God’s people throughout history and the global body of Christ.   This affects key issues, including:   Allegiance: We encourage believers to live in such a way that those around them become increasingly aware of their wholehearted submission to Jesus as Lord. He calls all believers to a process of transformation into the image of Christ (Romans 12:1, 2; Colossians 3:10), giving courageous and respectful testimony of Christ’s work in us (1 Peter 3:14‐16).   Identity: We want believers to understand their biblical identity in Christ and his church, and to embrace the implications of that identity as active members of a local community of believers (Ephesians 2:19‐22; 1 Peter 2:9).   Obedience: Our passion is to see believers obey all that Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:20). This involves an ongoing process whereby believers are empowered by the Spirit and nurtured through the Scripture (Galatians 5:16‐25; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 1 Peter 2:2, 3).   Worldview and Beliefs: Believers are intentionally discipled in such a way that their worldview and beliefs are increasingly transformed into conformity with Scripture (Romans 12:2; Hebrews 5:14).   Suffering: God grants us suffering in this world to refine our faith, strengthen his church and bring glory to Christ (Philippians 1:29; 3:10; 1 Peter 1:7). Together, we recognize that persecution is not to be feared, and ‘everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted’ (2 Timothy 3:12; Matthew 10:28; Hebrews 10:32‐34).   Culture: All cultures reflect elements of God’s creative goodness and human sinfulness (Romans 2:14, 15; 1 John 2:15‐17). We encourage believers to live out biblically sound and culturally appropriate worship, witness, relationships, and lifestyles (Ephesians 5:15; 1 Timothy 5:8; 1 Peter 2:11, 12, 16, 17).     How Arab World Media Applies This While Arab World Media strives to effectively reach Muslim communities in a culturally appropriate way, we do not endorse forms of hyper-contextualisation, which encourage new believers to retain their Islamic identity or meet in mosques as secret believers who follow Jesus but continue to revere Muhammad as the prophet of God. Thus we do not affirm or promote: The Qur’an as a holy book Muhammad as a prophet from God The recitation of the Muslim creed (Shahada) 'There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger' Staying in the mosque and continuing to participate in the ritual prayers (Salat). In all that we do, whether producing, corresponding or counselling Muslim enquirers, we will hold to this policy. Read More

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TC12 - Sign up!

Current

TC12 is Arab World Media's prayer initiative for twelve key countries/regions in the Arab world. We are praying for an increase in the number of contacts through our Arabic and Kabyle ministry websites in 2013. Please join us! Read More

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Death of a Statesman

Articles

Egyptian Christians are coming to terms with the loss of Pope Shenouda, who died this week at the age of 89. He was the head of Egypt’s Coptic Church for over 40 years. Read More

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March 2012

Prayer Feed

Friday 16 March 2012 Today marks a year since the uprisings began in Syria, yet there has been no breakthrough for the people. It is difficult to know how to pray. What is the right way forward for Syria? What can the rest of the world do?   Pray that God would intervene and bring peace. Pray that he would work in President Assad's heart as well as those outside the country as they work to bring an end to the situation. May the interests of the Syrian people be of utmost priority. And may those who have brought injustice to the Syrian people, be held accountable for their actions. Read More

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