| "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it."
Mark 8:34-35 (NLT) Pakistan Christian cabinet minister assassinated This week, unidentified gunmen in Islamabad shot dead Federal Minister for Minority Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti. The assailants sprayed bullets at Bhatti’s car after he came out of his mother’s home in a residential area of Islamabad to attend a cabinet meeting. Bhatti, a 42-year-old bachelor, was Pakistan’s only cabinet-level Christian and an outspoken critic of the country’s widely condemned blasphemy laws. Suspected Islamic extremists from Pakistan’s Taliban and al Qaeda reportedly left a letter at the scene saying those who try to change Pakistan’s blasphemy laws would be killed. The murder comes two months after Punjab Governor Salman Taseer was killed by his bodyguard for supporting Asia Bibi, the first Christian woman to be sentenced to death in Pakistan on blasphemy charges. Bhatti had defied death threats after the assassination of Taseer, conceding in several interviews that he was ‘the highest target right now’, but vowing to continue his work and trusting his life to God. The federal government had provided bodyguards for Bhatti, but they were not present at the time of the attack. In a recent interview with the BBC, Bhatti had said he was ‘ready to die for a cause’ as a Christian. "I am living for my community and suffering people, and I will die to defend their rights," he said. “These threats and warnings cannot change my opinion and principles." Open Doors founder Brother Andrew, who knew Bhatti well, expressed great sadness at the news. "I am deeply shocked," he said. "But this is the price we sometimes have to pay for change. "Bhatti had a responsibility as the Federal Minister of Minority Affairs and a moral responsibility as a Christian to fight this horrendous law. He took his responsibility. We lost a valuable human being, but not hope. God is still in Pakistan. He’s building His church and will finish His work, just as the Bible promises." Source: Compass Direct Please pray: 1. For comfort for Bhatti’s family. Ask God to give them grace to forgive their persecutors. 2. For courage and protection for the Pakistani Christian minority, who are deeply shaken by the incident. 3. That Bhatti’s assailants would be brought to justice, and that the government would have courage to respond to international pressure to reform the blasphemy laws. With many thanks for your prayers. | Jane
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