Hope amid brokenness.

God is doing wonderful things!

We are delighted to bring you another update from Mark van Niekerk, a South African evangelist who has been partnering with believers in Iraq and Kurdistan to spread the Gospel, amid difficult and dangerous circumstances. Read on and be inspired!

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Dear family in Yeshua,

Once again I’ve been privileged to visit an area of the world very few manage to get to. If truth be told, without us knowing of someone going there and hearing about the people and their circumstances, we’d be none the wiser. I’m deeply conscious of the enormous privilege I have in being called to the Muslims of Kurdistan along with suffering Christian and Muslim refugees of the Nineveh Plains. Is there a place more needing of the good news, the great balm of Gilead, than the land where Jonah was sent and where Nahum served the Lord?

This was my third visit, each time flying into Irbil in the semi-autonomous region of Iraq known as Kurdistan. The ‘work’ in Iraq has pretty much settled into three different areas:

1. The Kurds living in the border region with Iran
   
2. Refugees in Irbil
   
3. Returning refugees and Muslim inhabitants of the Nineveh Plains

There is nothing easy about evangelism in this part of the world. Great care needs to be taken at all times. The costs of leaving Islam remain high - Shariah shows no mercy to apostates. Even though many Kurds are leaving Islam they are not necessarily all turning to the God of Scripture. Some who have turned to Messiah are bold enough, while others, understandably, remain cautious.

A young Peshmerga widow asking about the Jesus at a food distribution. I’m not sure we in the West can fully grasp the enormity of leaving a cloistered, structured and familial society to follow Messiah. An interesting aspect is this: it seems for the most part that it is the men who are coming to faith, while the women hold back. They are no doubt acutely aware of their close family ties and tribal identity which will be negatively impacted by any serious decision to follow Jesus. We need to be praying particularly for the wives of believers.

Coming together is not easy as groups of Christians draw unnecessary attention. Consequently, larger gatherings are held in the privacy of the mountains. Every single night we had visitors, both young and old, who came to meet with us to discuss Scripture. Bibles were handed out to all who asked. Peshmerga widows, a Mullah and numerous men took Bibles. It’s truly an incredible experience to hear a knock on the door at midnight and find men asking for a Bible! It reminded me of Nicodemus.

I’m not sure we in the West can fully grasp the enormity of leaving a cloistered, structured and familial society to follow Messiah.

A meeting with a brother who we visited on the way to Iran was hugely inspiring. He is taking Bibles into Iran regularly where he tells us home groups are exploding.

Writing in bibles destined for Iran. So, on to Irbil. Those fleeing from the marauding ISIS on the Nineveh Plains headed straight to Irbil as their closest place of relative security. They have languished here for four years in various refugee camps spread throughout the city and other Kurdish cities. All camps are divided into religions, Christians and Muslims. None are mixed. Tens of thousands were housed here.

The latest refugees arriving in Irbil are those driven out by the chaos in Syria. Those we met have left for good and seek asylum in any country that will take them.

We had daily meetings at the fellowship of a local pastor. He has been an incredible servant these four years, reaching out with food supplies and the Gospel to the cultural ‘Christians’ (mostly from Chaldean Catholic backgrounds). This group of people are so desperately in need of the Gospel. The notion of these Christians being beheaded by ISIS, literally going as sheep to the slaughter, is haunting. It would appear that most of them were proud of their Christian heritage and culture and were willing to die for it - as opposed to being born-again believers laying their lives down for Christ. This is deeply disturbing – but thankfully we serve a God who is able to know the hearts of all men and who we know judges righteously.

Messages to this ancient Christian community always include the need for God’s saving grace by faith. A works-based righteousness ethic remains entrenched. The Gospel is sneered at and attacked by bishops and priests. Their power is abusive and their spirit controlling. They are no doubt in the character of the Pharisees that Jesus condemned for shutting up Heaven to those wanting to enter.

In one camp, Syrians were flooding in literally minutes before I was privileged to address them. It is not easy delivering a message to a people already broken - mentally, emotionally, financially - and yet we know this is the message that gives hope. I’ve truly sensed the suffering of Messiah, to some degree, when speaking to these people. They too need to appreciate that the Lord enters into these trials with them.

It’s truly an incredible experience to hear a knock on the door at midnight and find men asking for a Bible.

After we left I was told the man sitting next to me was a member of ISIS, himself living in fear of being executed. While in this camp he cannot be arrested, but will be the minute he steps outside. Many of these murderers are back in their communities. They fled cities like Mosul with the liberated inhabitants. All they needed to do was shave their beards, change their clothing and merge in with those leaving.

Muslim women in refugee camp who have lost everything to ISIS - including husbands and children. One group of women were all open to listening to the Gospel. While we visited them three men walked in and sat down. The wife had immediately left once they entered and the conversation was stilted with these intruders. After a few minutes evaluating this new situation, a brother entered the tent and told us to get up and follow. We were leaving. The wife had told him they did not know who these men were and there was possible danger. They had obviously seen us walking around the camp and had caught up with us to hear what we were saying. It was not the first time this had happened to us. But this is life in a world that does not know Messiah.

I left this ancient land, which has been so torn apart, feeling burdened for this people I’ve come to know and love. There is so much to do and there is great need. I’ve realised major players can only do so much. Someone like myself with individuals supporting, along with one or two churches, can truly have a major impact – and just our encouragement, our going and being with them, means a great deal. Paul speaks so much about encouraging the brethren in Scripture. It’s an honour to do this.

I believe it’s the Lord’s will I continue supporting these brave men and women. Your support is invaluable and greatly appreciated. Again, I do not personally take any money for ministry; our business covers my costs. Finances that have been raised have gone towards provision of food and household materials, kerosene for widows and orphans during the winter, the purchase of Bibles, urgent medical needs and financial aid for Christian families in dire need.

I also value your prayers. I am under no illusion that this is your average mission. I’m desperately in need of being bathed in prayer, not only for my safety, but for those turning to the Lord from Islam who continue to live in these hostile conditions.

Thanking you all in Messiah Yeshua, who alone sustains us and enables us to serve him.

Mark van Niekerk

Additional Information

If you would like to give towards Mark’s work in Kurdistan, please make a direct payment to Prophecy Today (details below) and include the instruction ‘Kurdistan’ – we will collect the gifts and send them directly. Please do not give via our Paypal account – Paypal will take a cut!

Bank transfer details: Prophecy Today Ltd / Account Number: 19560260 / Sort Code: 77-66-03

Please click here and here to read previous updates about the mission work in Kurdistan.

Below, from left to right: Muslim refugee camp where we sat with Islamic fighters of ISIS and their families / A Muslim family who invited us to come and speak to them (this is nothing less than a work of God’s Spirit!) / Distribution to Syrian refugees / Our gracious hosts in Kurdistan - please pray for them.

In the next part of our series on the message of the Old Testament prophets, Gary Clayton looks at the Prophet Jonah.

Jonah (the name means 'dove') son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher (2 Kings 14:25), was a native of Galilee. He lived, it is thought, around the time of Jeroboam II, during the seventh or mid-eighth century BC.

The Historical Background

Under Jeroboam II (793-753 BC) Israel and its capital, Samaria, flourished. The king "restored the boundaries of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah" (2 Kings 14:25), recovering Israel's northern borders. Lucrative trade pacts were signed with the Phoenicians of Tyre and wealth flooded into the now prosperous kingdom.
The people, it was no doubt said, had never had it so good - though discrimination and injustice were rife. It was into this situation that the prophets Amos and Hosea were to speak.

Jonah, however, was given a different message. He was told to "go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it" (Jon 1:2). Founded by Nimrod the hunter (Gen 10:8-12), Nineveh became one of the richest and most powerful cities in the world.

From the eighth century BC to its destruction in 612 BC, it was the capital of the Assyrian empire, and was situated on the left bank of the River Tigris, just 280 miles north of Babylon.

Nineveh was a rich and powerful city – the stronghold of a warlike people who massacred and mutilated those they defeated.

Mosul, Iraq, is modern-day Nineveh.Protected by a wall seven and a half miles long and 100 feet high, Nineveh was defended by 1,500 towers, each of them 200 feet high. It was the stronghold of a warlike people who massacred and mutilated those they defeated, believing themselves to be engaged in a cosmic battle on behalf of Ashur, their god.

Already, by the time of Jonah, the Assyrians represented a formidable threat to Israel's security. Indeed, in 721 BC Sargon II occupied Samaria, deporting 27,210 Israelites to Assyria for slave-labour.

Jonah: A Good Example?

Despite God's commission, Jonah fled to Joppa (modern day Jaffa) instead. Whether he did so in a fit of pique or from fear, we do not know.

In many ways, however, one could regard Jonah as an example that many believers might do well to follow. He not only believed in God, but was willing to testify to his existence (Jon 1:9), regardless of the consequences (Jon 1:11,12). He also took time to listen to his Maker and obviously heard his voice clearly (Jon 1:1; 3:1; 4:4; 4:9-11).

Another point in Jonah's favour was his willingness to address God in prayer and communicate his concerns (Jon 2:1-9; 4:2-3; 4:8-9), as it says in 1 Peter 5:7, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." Like Nathanael in John 1:47, Jonah was a man without guile, "in whom there is nothing false". He 'tells it like it is.' Whether in anger, discomfort, frustration or distress, he brought his hurts before the Lord, just as Elijah and Moses had done centuries earlier.

Jonah was brave too, in his way (Jon 1:12), as well as honest (Jon 1:10). Indeed, he would make an almost entirely admirable character if, having received his instructions from God, he had responded by setting off in the right direction.

God Will Always Triumph

As it is, oblivious to the truth of Psalm 139:8-10, "If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast", he set sail for Tarshish (in what is now southern Spain) thinking that he could escape God. It was as far from Nineveh as one could possible get in the ancient world.

In many ways, Jonah was an example we would do well to follow.

God, however, had other ideas. Jonah may have been the right man for the right time, but he was certainly in the wrong place, thus prompting some Divine intervention in the form of adverse weather conditions.

Everyone (it would seem) was afraid - except Jonah (Jon 1:5-6) who, asleep and apparently oblivious to the sea raging around him, knew how best the storm might be stilled, albeit by somewhat dramatic means (Jon 1:15). At fault though he was, Jonah was willing to be thrown overboard, rather than allow those on the ship to perish (Jon 1:12).

Although Jonah refused to go to Nineveh, no doubt hoping that the Assyrians would die in their sins rather than repent and live (Jon 3:10), God had other ideas. Romans 8:28 tells us, "In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

As with Joseph's brothers in Genesis 50:20, what Jonah intended for 'harm', God planned for good, with Jonah's attempt at escaping from God resulting in the salvation of those heading for Tarshish (Jon 1:15,16). The book teaches us that we can run from God, but we cannot hide. Ultimately he will have his way, whether we co-operate or not.

A Light to the Gentiles

Jonah, however, had yet to learn that not only could merchants and seafarers turn to the Lord, but so could the violent and rapacious Assyrians (Jon 3:5-9). So it was that, having had his life miraculously preserved by the fish, Jonah ended up vomited onto dry land (Jon 2:10), though nowhere near Nineveh (Assyria is not on the coast).

What Jonah intended for harm, God planned for good, resulting in the salvation of those on board Jonah's ship.

The miraculous events of Jonah's ministry foreshadowed the death, resurrection and preaching of the Lord Jesus centuries later (Matt 12:39-41; 16:4; Luke 11:29-32). However reluctant, Jonah represents one of Scripture's earliest recorded instances of the Jews acting as a light to the Gentiles, bringing salvation and blessing.

A Second Chance

Once on dry land, the word of the Lord again came to Jonah. Not surprisingly, he obeyed. The calling and gifting may have been there from the start, but the initial motivation was clearly lacking. A storm at sea and a three-day sojourn in the belly of the fish, however, must have concentrated his mind wonderfully! So Jonah set off to land-locked Assyria, preaching repentance to a city of over 120,000 souls.

It has often been said that 'there is no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole'. Whether in time of flood, famine, earthquake or calamity, when disaster threatens, people cry to the Lord. In Psalm 107 we read, "Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress," while "those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs" (Jon 2:8).

The Ninevites, however, took God at his word, accepting Jonah's message and acting upon it (Jon 3:7-9). The result: repentance and revival.

A Fishy Tale – or Historical Fact?

Although it is not so unusual for fishermen to tell tall tales about 'the one that got away', in the book of Jonah we learn of a prophet and evangelist - a fisher of men, if you will - who got away, having been swallowed by a fish.

There are those, however, who dispute whether, shaken and possibly stirred, he actually physically emerged from a large fish, maintaining that the account is an elaborate allegory or fairy tale. Accounts of similar occurrences do, however, exist:

1. Apparently swallowed by a harpooned sperm whale in the vicinity of the Falkland Islands in 1891, James Bartley was said to have been found in the whale's stomach, unconscious, some three days after the creature had been caught, killed and cut open. The man, it is alleged, was successfully revived, though his skin had been bleached white by the whale's gastric juices. The case was recorded in the Princeton Theological Review of 1941, though some have questioned the story's veracity, their criticisms of that particular account themselves conflicting.
2. In The Harmony of Science and Scripture, Dr Harry Rimmer (DD, ScD) tells of personally meeting a sailor who was swallowed by a gigantic Rhincodon whale shark and was subsequently revived, though suffering from shock. Exhibited in a London museum at a shilling admission, the sailor was billed as 'The Jonah of the Twentieth Century'.
3. It is a fairly common experience today for fishermen, on cutting open a whale, to discover that it has swallowed a shark or large fish the size of a man.

According to The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (Paternoster Press), "It is possible to identify the revival at Nineveh with the religious reforms brought about by Adadnirari III circa 800 BC," noting that if Jonah had arrived in Nineveh during the reign of Assur-dan III, "he would have found the city psychologically prepared for a total catastrophe, since a plague had swept the city in 765, an eclipse of the sun had occurred in 763, and a second plague had followed in 759 BC."

God's timing is, of course, perfect. Whatever the historical circumstances, God knew that, were Jonah to preach to the Ninevites, they would fast, repent and be spared. As 2 Peter 3:9 reminds us, "The Lord...is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance," for he is "a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity" (Jon 4:2).

Jonah is one of Scripture's earliest examples of the Jews acting as a light to the Gentiles.

The Message of Jonah

In a perverse and sinful generation, however, there is a tendency for God's followers, like Jonah, to be more concerned with their own safety, comfort and reputation (Jon 1:3; 2:2; 4:1-3; 4:8-9) than with the salvation of those around them (Jon 4:10-11). Philippians 2:21 notes, "For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ."

The lesson Jonah needed to learn, having experienced God's loving care for him through the incident with the fish (Jon 1:17) and with the vine which sheltered him from the heat (Jon 4:6), was his need to forgive the Assyrians, as the Lord forgave him (Col 3:13). This is the message that lies at the heart of the gospel, the good news, for if we forgive people when they sin against us, our heavenly Father will also forgive us (Matt 6:14,15).

Moreover, in accepting God's forgiveness, we are to offer that forgiveness to others through the preaching of the word, in season and out of season, whether - like Jonah - we feel like it or not.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 11 No 5, September 1995. Revised October 2016.