Leighton Medley our BPCA Outreach Minister has returned to Pakistan to reach new communities with the true Gospel of Christ and to continue discipling those who have already been reached through our previous campaigns. Leighton’s remit for this work is quite simple, he is to bolster the faith of Christians who have little access to regular church services, setting up bible study leaders who will one day become ministers of the Gospel in rural communities. He is to bring revival and better understanding to Christian churches in Pakistan many of which have adopted a very legalistic theology and have forgotten the need for repentance, faith in Christ and the need to place our trust in Him. Leighton has also been reaching out to Muslims and we hope that soon his work will provide a dividend by bringing others to the family of God.
He has been having great success with many believers expressing revival, churchgoers committing their lives to Christ, and Muslims taking an interest in the Gospel though yet to commit to Christ. We hope with further donations to make Leighton’s role a permanent one in two years time. For this we will need the help and support of those who was to see Christ’s gospel flourishing in Pakistan and seek you help to finance this important ministry. One of our costs is the purchase of bibles at £4 each. If you would like to help please donate by clicking (here).
Below is one of Leighton’s recent accounts of a trip to Jhang near Lahore:
This was a great visit in a very tough area, where Christians struggle daily. Jhang is city about 3 hours drive from Lahore and the name is synonymous with the terrorist group, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a proxy terror group used by the military in certain trouble spots such as Kashmir and Balochistan. The MP for Jhang is Muavia Azam Tariq, a militant who is well known for his hatred for Shia and Ahmadi Muslims. This shows the parlous state of politics in Pakistan, when a militant who was supposedly wanted by the military for terror charges, actually wins a seat in the last General Election.
Despite this, there are roughly 400 to 500 Christian families in Jhang, who attend 3 major churches. Two of which are Catholic, and one which is Salvation Army. Our meeting is just a small gathering of 12 families who are part of an evangelical group local to this area. One of them works for the local Christian newspaper and has written extensively about the problems within this region.
Our subject of preaching, was the parable of the unmerciful servant from Matthew 18:21-35, where we find out that forgiveness really is a matter of life and death. Forgiveness is hard for many people today, as it is often an affront to their pride and also it is to some, just too costly. But forgiveness does cost and it should, it cost Jesus his life on the cross and what did He say on the cross but this: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34) If it cost God, to give His one and only Son (John 3:16), then we should pay the cost to forgive those who hurt us. That’s the way of Jesus and that’s the way of the cross, the way of repentance and forgiveness.
And that’s what we saw at the end of the Meeting, when a lady got up and confessed her sin of not forgiving her brother in law, which had caused so much pain in the family. In tears she repented, and rededicated her life to Jesus, vowing to forgive her brother in law and put the past behind her. The Word had convicted her, leading her to repent and we prayed for her, thus salvation came to that house and we were witnesses.
That’s why we come to Pakistan, to preach the Word in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2) and be prepared to encourage, rebuke and correct. This is the calling of the Church, to preach the Word, not just in faith, but in action also, we are His instrument on this planet to seek and save the lost. We are His dwelling place, where he comes to reside with us and within us to use us to call people to repentance and be saved. There is no greater miracle than salvation, and we saw that this night, so we rejoice and thank God for His goodness.
Brother Leighton
