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 been 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 larger 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 a 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 during a BPCA’s trip to Sangla Hill on 6th February 2010:
“Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29
Today we visited an old haunt of ours, that being the village of Sangla Hill in the Punjab. There is a long history with this village from a BACA point of view; it was only 2 years ago, that we rescued Alisha from a kidnapping and forced marriage, to a Muslim man from the same village. You may remember the story, she was only 12-13 years old at the time, but that didn’t stop the perpetrators of what sadly is a common occurrence in Pakistan.
I felt deeply humbled as I arrived, because like the last time we came, they literally rolled out the red carpet for us.
Everyone and I mean everyone was dressed in their best clothing, as if they were attending a wedding. I must admit, I was lost for words and we really enjoyed spending time with them in precious fellowship. We did a children’s talk on David and Goliath, showing that no matter how small we may feel, our problems are never too big for our God.
We prayed thanksgiving for one family, one which I had completely forgotten about. They were praying for a son at our last visit, and they asked me for a name if they had a son, and as I was reading Daniel at the time, I said why not name him Daniel, thinking no more about it. Well, today, I met Daniel and we praised God for his coming into the world.
During the meeting, we were treated to a fantastic dance by the youngsters, 2 of whom were younger sisters of Alisha. Our message was from John 1:19-34, where we look at the theme of identity and who we are in Christ. John the Baptist, upon being asked whether he was the Messiah, replied in the words of Isaiah 40:3, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord.” John was preparing the people for the coming of Jesus, who would baptise with the spirit leading to conversion. Contrary to popular belief, there is not a separate spirit baptism after conversion, another experience which means our faith becomes more powerful. It is the Holy Spirit who baptises at conversion, which happens only once, when our hearts turn from sin, to serve the living God.
There are many Christians all over the world, who are really culturally christian, in the sense their culture defines their Christianity and their identity. The point is, Jesus died for us, he took the sin of those who are his upon himself, so that they may be made righteous before God. John the Baptist did not glory in himself, despite the vast hordes that came to hear him preach; he gloried in Christ because his identity was in Christ. It is the same with us; John testified at seeing the majesty of Jesus, “I have seen and I testify that this is God’s chosen one.” We see the majesty of Jesus in transformed lives, when people upon conversion are born again, kicking the addictions, removing those bad things in their lives that caused them so much harm, becoming new creations in Christ, a new identity, an everlasting identity. Jesus said to his disciples that they should rejoice, because their names were written in heaven. (Luke 10:20) It is my prayer that we would know our true identity in Jesus; if he has bought us with blood, then we owe it to him to surrender our lives completely in his service. We are Christians, meaning we are followers of Christ, let us show the world that it is so.
Brother Leighton
