A Macedonian Call from Malawi
Frontline Mission team prays with Malawian government officials.".Come over to Macedonia and help us." Acts 16:9
As the Frontline missionaries were about to begin our 17-hour drive to Malawi, the news came through of a political crisis in the country. President Bingu Wa Mutharika of Malawi had resigned from the Muslim dominated UDF party. President Bingu is known to be a dedicated Christian, and last year had requested and received 300 copies of Biblical Principles for Africa for distribution to members of the Malawi government.
For the previous ten years, Malawi had been under a Muslim President. However, because of the two-term limitation, President Muluzi had to step down at the beginning of last year, yet he remained Chairman of the party. President Bingu soon realised that he was been manipulated and controlled by Middle-Eastern elements controlling their party. After an attempt by two Muslim members of Parliament to assassinate President Bingu was thwarted, he determined to break from the UDF.
The mission team met with Christian leaders in the country and delivered boxes of valuable books and tapes to them. These leaders informed the team of the crisis in Malawi and the danger of the country coming under complete Islamic control, with the implementation of Sharia Law. Saudi Arabia had invested a vast amount of money, manpower and materials into building mosques, madrasses and financing the take over of Malawi for Islam. Malawi is the Southern base for the Africa Muslim Agency. The Quran has been translated into Chichewa which along with English is one of the two official languages.
"This is Livingstone's land," one of them said. "Our people used to be taken off as slaves to Dar Es Salaam. We cannot allow Malawi to be overwhelmed by Islam and lost for Christianity." Malawi even has a town named after the great Scottish missionary: Livingstonia.
Malawi is a landlocked Central African state extending along Lake Malawi and its outflow river, the Shire. Malawi is 900km long and at its widest about 160km wide. The over 10 million population is officially 80% Christian and 14% Muslim. Life expectancy has been cut to 43 years through AIDS. Malawi is a well watered and fertile land which is agriculturally self sufficient, yet the country suffers from poverty, in part caused by the long lasting and devastating civil war that raged in Mozambique which surrounds much of Malawi.
Malawi has remained relatively peaceful in a region of devastating wars and political turmoil, largely because of the strong Christian influence of the over 25,000 Christian congregations in the country. Yet nominalism and formalism have sapped the strength and vitality of many of these churches and there is an urgent need for spiritual Revival. Malawi remains one of the most spiritual receptive countries in Central Africa.
The Frontline Mission team received impassioned requests for more books, more missionaries and more leadership training courses to help Malawi stand firm for Christ at this critical time. They particularly asked for more Discipleship Handbooks and Biblical Principles for Africa books. We were requested to conduct chaplaincy training programmes, Great Commission Courses, God and Government Seminars and Reformation and Revival Seminars. It was a Macedonian Call from Malawi.
Are you able to help? Any donations of quality Christian books will be carefully, prayerfully and strategically distributed to leaders who will eagerly study and apply these books. Any lecture tapes or CD's, textbooks or manuals that can be useful in strengthening the churches and discipling the nation will be gratefully received and put to work. Please mobilise your congregation to earnestly intercede for the Christians in Malawi at this critical time.
"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,'Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'" Isaiah 6:8