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Service Plan Everything you need to put on an IDOP service at your church, including drama, teaching and children’s activities.

For more info please visit: www.opendoorsuk.org/idop

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Using these resources The resources in this pack are all based around Acts 12:1–17 and focus on the work of Open Doors among the persecuted Christians of Orissa, India.

Drama: The Knock on the Door

This is an easy-to-stage sketch that draws attention to the way in which the experience of the Early Church is still being lived out today among persecuted Christians around the world. The dialogue is partly based on eyewitness accounts from Orissa.

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Sermon: ‘Be an Angel’

Looking at Acts 12:1–17, this talk helps people to see the parallels between the life of the Early Church and today’s persecuted Christians. You can, of course, simply read this out. Or you can use it as an inspiration for your own version, adding your own illustrations and ideas. Or you could make a bullet point summary as a guide for your own talk.

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Kidzone: Ideas for children

a) Jerusalem Times The Bible story is retold in the form of a front-page newspaper article along with imaginary letters from those involved. You can: • use the questions raised in the letters to get people thinking and talking about how persecuted people feel and what we can do for them. • read aloud, or give people time to read silently or in groups, one or more of the letters. • ask children and adults, in mixed pairs or groups, to discuss possible answers, before giving answers publicly. (Different groups could discuss different questions.) • give a denarius (a chocolate coin) to those who contribute answers. Be ready to use the Bible for additional comment. b) We Won’t Be Beaten! and Knocking on Heaven’s Door Read the article We Won’t Be Beaten! in the Jerusalem Times to give a simple description of the persecution that’s been happening in Orissa, India. Then give people time to draw and pray as directed in Knocking on Heaven’s Door. Knocking on Heaven’s Door: This is an exercise to help children and young people to pray for those in need of help. The list of instructions is in the box. c) Jerusalem TV drama This can be performed either by children who can read well, or by adults, to give children an understanding of the Bible passage about persecution.

“Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith.” 1 Thessalonians 3:7 Will you Walk with Them?

The Knock on the Door The idea of this sketch is to create parallels between the situation in Orissa and the situation described in Acts 12. Gradually, it should become clear that the people are describing events in Jerusalem, AD 44, but the descriptions are based on narrative accounts from events in Orissa in AD 2008.

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ONE, TWO and THREE stand in a line on stage. They address their account directly to the audience. ONE is a woman, a householder with a family; TWO is a church leader; THREE is a member of the persecuting authorities. ONE: It started with a knock on the door. That’s what I remember. In the night. Suddenly. A knock on the door. TWO: A knock on the door in the night. You know it’s bad news. But I had to tell them somehow. Get out. They’re coming. Searching. Door to door. THREE: Door to door. That was the order. Go into the neighbourhood and find them. Search the houses. March right in. ONE: Marching. That’s what you hear next. Marching footsteps. Coming through the alleyways and the streets. It sounded like thunder, a storm. TWO: The storm had been brewing. You could feel it building. Like in the rainy season. You know it’s going to break. You know the lightning is going to strike. THREE: We have to strike, and strike hard. They don’t understand: in this part of the world, our faith is what defines us. It’s a national faith. It’s what makes us different from the countries around us. It’s our guiding light. ONE: Then there was the light. They were carrying torches. They set fire to the houses. They destroyed everything. Then they beat the people inside. TWO: They beat people with sticks and rods. But that is nothing new. All of us church leaders have been beaten with rods. The more prominent leaders have had it more than once. And after the beating, came the arrests. This time, they took our leaders. THREE: Take the leaders – that’s what I ordered. If you are striking at an animal, you go for the head. Wounding the body will not do the job. I explained to my people: cut off the head and the body will take care of itself. ONE: You can’t just take care of yourself. These are my friends. We tried to gather together for safety. TWO: We had to be together. If you’re a leader, you have to look after people, to encourage them, even when it appears hopeless. I went over to the door as they entered. I tried to speak peaceably. I told them that what they were doing was not necessary, not right. They beat me to the ground. But we didn’t resist. THREE: They never resist. I have wondered about that. They don’t fight back. Following their leader, I suppose. Still, it makes life easier. Keeps them afraid. ONE: We are afraid to go out. Our men cannot work – they are scared to go into their workshops, or out into the fields. We are so tired. TWO: I’m so tired. Living in fear is exhausting. Watching your back all the time, living under cover, hiding, always hiding. I’m a pastor! I should be telling people about Jesus. But how do you do that, when you don’t know who to trust? How do you tell people the good news when you’re scared to tell them who you are? THREE: We know who they are. We will find them. And then, well, they have a choice. They can stick with their religion or return to the true faith. It’s up to them. They don’t have to suffer. Just give it up. ONE: We will not give up. We will not be beaten. We will pray: all we have is prayer, that’s the only weapon we are allowed to use. Tonight we are meeting again to pray for those under arrest; to pray against the injustice of it all. But then, we’ve seen all this before. I mean, the church began with injustice, didn’t it? An illegal execution.

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TWO: The execution was illegal. They had no right to kill James. He’d done nothing wrong. They know they don’t have the power to do that and yet they did it all the same. They killed him. THREE: Of course we killed him. Kill one, arrest the others. Spread fear and terror and force them to leave. Of course it’s not just these followers of Jesus. It’s all the outsiders. Jerusalem is for the Jews.

ONE: They say that Jerusalem is for the Jews. But we are Jews. And we follow a Jew: Jesus. And this is our city. It’s our home. TWO: This is our home. We have been here for years now. We grew up here. We belong here. We have a right to be here. THREE: Rights. Don’t talk to me about rights. The only right is power. And, here, we have the power. ONE: We have no power here. They have the lawyers, the soldiers, the Temple police. They have the King. TWO: The King! All he cares about is popularity. Heaven knows his grandfather was hated enough.And so he picks on us. We’re no threat to him, no threat to the emperor. That makes us an easy target. It’s political. THREE: Political? Of course it’s political. Everything in this part of the world is political. We’ve killed one leader. After the festival we’ll kill another. There will be a trial, of course. You have to do these things properly. But the verdict is already decided. It would take a miracle to get him out. ONE: We need a miracle. That’s what we’re praying for. We meet here – behind closed doors in secret. Praying for something, somebody, anybody to come to our aid. TWO: Will anyone come to our aid? In some other places in the Empire, the army is keeping the peace. But what happens when the army leaves? They are Romans after all: then where will we go? THREE: Wherever they go, we find them. We will root them out. We will bide our time and be patient. But sooner or later, they will be gone. ONE: It’s all gone. All burnt. Our house is like a graveyard. There is nothing there. But then, we have been in graveyards before. Christianity has a habit of rising from graveyards. That’s what it does: it comes back. TWO: They’ll come back. We know that. Every time there is a knock on the door you wonder, ‘Is this it?’ Is it good news? Is it someone on your side? Is it a miracle? Or is it your enemies again? You never know what’s coming. THREE: They know what’s coming. ONE: This is how it starts. TWO: This is why we must pray. THREE: The knock on the door. ONE: The knock on the door. TWO: The knock on the door. THREE: The knock on the door.

There is a knock on the door. Freeze.

Will you Walk with Them?

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Acts 12:1–19: ‘Be an Angel’ The story of Peter’s arrest, imprisonment and miraculous release is one of the most well-known stories in Acts. It’s often depicted as a kind of jolly story – almost a comedy – and there is no denying that it has comical elements. You have the angel having to poke a slumbering Peter to wake him up. You have the slave girl Rhoda so stunned by his appearance that she forgets to open the gate and leaves Peter standing outside continuing his knocking. We see Peter trying to persuade the prayer meeting that he’s (a) out of jail and (b) not an angel.

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But the comedy of these elements and the general miraculous joy of the story can blind us to the reality of the situation – because this story begins with a death and ends with someone being forced to flee for his life. If this is a comedy, it’s a pretty dark one. This story most likely takes place around AD 44. The King at this time was Herod Agrippa. A good friend of the Roman emperors Caligula and Claudius, Agrippa had climbed the greasy pole of Roman politics with some success. Eventually he was appointed King of Judaea – the first proper King since his grandfather, Herod the Great. In Acts 12, he’s in Jerusalem for the Festival of Passover and, in what seems to be an attempt to curry favour with the Temple authorities in Jerusalem, he orders a clampdown on the Christians (although they weren’t called Christians at this time). In particular, he starts by killing James the apostle, the brother of John. Agrippa was brought up in Rome: he considers himself a civilised Græco-Roman ruler and he uses a Roman-style execution. None of your primitive Jerusalem-style stoning: James is beheaded. The son of thunder has been silenced. This is not a one-off, however. Peter is also imprisoned and the intention is to have him tried – and executed – after the week of Passover is ended. So the background to this story is one of persecution and oppression. That’s what we should bear in mind when looking at the Early Church: they lived their lives under the perpetual fear of persecution. In Jerusalem, the threat came from the Jewish Temple aristocracy; elsewhere in the Roman empire, Christians were suspect because of their refusal to worship the emperor as a God, and because their faith broke social boundaries and taboos (they believed, for example, that there was no difference between slave and free), because they were just different. And, in many places in the world, 2,000 years of history have not changed things at all. Christians are still the outsiders, still viewed with suspicion and hatred. Still different. And still persecuted for their faith. In the face of this persecution, the church in Jerusalem did the only thing they could: they met together and prayed. Verse 5 records how they never stopped praying for Peter. But what were they praying? We sometimes glamorise the members of the Early Church, assuming them to be spiritual giants. In fact, like so many Christians today, they’d almost given up. There’s an air of hopelessness about their attitude: when a miracle occurs, they refuse to believe it. They believe, in fact, that Peter is already dead. The picture here, then, is not of a group of triumphantly optimistic believers, but a small group of frightened Christians, huddling together, trying to stay under the radar, wondering what is going on, praying desperately, but too scared to believe that a knock on the door could ever be a good thing. Prayer was their only refuge, and prayer – wonderfully in this case – was answered. Peter is miraculously released, woken up by an angel, taken out past the guards, through the streets, to the house of Mary, mother of John Mark, where that all-night prayer meeting is still going on. Prayer changed things dramatically. Miracles do occur as a result of prayer. But we should also notice that, while prayer changed things for Peter and for these believers, it did not change the overall situation. In verse 17, after telling the church what had happened and asking them to pass it on to James the brother of Jesus and leader of the Jerusalem church, Peter left the city and ‘went somewhere else’. Where, it doesn’t say. The clear implication is that it was still too hot for Peter in that city. The miracle had happened, the joy was overwhelming, yet still Peter had to go on the run. Prayer changes things. Prayer produces miracles. Prayer is the most important gift we have to give to those who are arrested unjustly and imprisoned illegally. But the situations in which persecuted Christians find themselves do not change overnight. Our commitment to them, therefore, needs to be long-term. We need to walk alongside them on their journey, in thought and giving and prayer. In for the long haul. It is difficult for us to fully understand this. The contrast between the lives of Christians here in the UK and the lives of those in other parts of the world is so great that we can barely comprehend it. We feel sometimes under attack in our country,

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faced with an increasingly atheistic culture. But we do not yet suffer from mobs rampaging through the streets looking for us, from people marking our houses out to identify where we live, from a fear so debilitating that we cannot go out and earn a living.

In Orissa, in India, those are the very conditions under which many Christians have to live. In August 2008, following the death of a prominent Hindu activist, violence erupted against the Christian community in Orissa. They had nothing to do with the death – it was orchestrated by a Maoist group – but the militant Hindus used it as an opportunity to destroy churches and villages and to beat and kill Christians. The statistics are chilling: At least 60 Christians were killed. More than 18,000 were injured. Around 4,500 houses and churches in 300 villages were destroyed. As of January 2009, an estimated 50,000 people were still displaced and nearly 4,000 families were living in temporary make-shift tents.

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One of the victims of the violence was Manini Digal, a 17-year-old girl from a poor family in Kandhamal. During the riots, Manini was caught by Hindu extremists, who tore her clothes, stripped her and attempted to rape her. Then they poured Kerosene over her and set her on fire. Her body was severely burned and she arrived in hospital in critical condition. Open Doors paid her medical expenses as she recovered from her injuries. Staff and volunteers visited her for prayer and encouragement. Despite her horrific ordeal, she is thankful to God for His support. “Thank God for His protection or else I would have died on the spot,” she said. This is a page straight out of Acts. This is the Early Church alive today and facing the same kind of issues: politicised oppression, random acts of violence, events used as a pretext for killing, rape and looting. But it’s not first-century Jerusalem. It’s not the brutal reality of the Roman Empire: it’s 21st century India, one of the economic powerhouses of the world, the largest democracy in the world, and also home to acts of persecution, injustice and violence. Like that church in Jerusalem so many years ago, Christians in Orissa were left with nothing but prayer. As an organisation, Open Doors has been able to support them with practical help: food, clothing, medical care and money. They have also been running seminars and workshops to help Christians prepare for and respond to persecution. So far, over 11,000 people have been trained through ‘Standing Strong Through the Storm’ seminars, 4,000 of whom were trained in 2008 alone. One participant said of the seminar, “It has given us a whole lot of insights about how to behave in times of persecution and what the Bible teaches us about it. We came to know that there are people who are suffering more than us worldwide. Previously my thought was limited to India or to Orissa. But the incidents were eye-opening. I am thankful to God for the people who have prepared us to face the challenges of persecution.” I wonder if we need the same thing, if we need our eyes opened to the reality of persecution. Perhaps, previously, our thought has been limited to persecution in the Bible. But we cannot be blinkered about this. Acts 12 is still here. The Bible, as it were, still speaks today. So what can we do? Our eyes are opened; now what needs to be done? Obviously, money is needed. If you feel you would like to help, that would be great. Your money will help not only to meet the physical needs – the food and medical supplies – but also to meet the spiritual needs: Bibles to replace those that have been burnt, training for pastors and church leaders. For example, as India is such a poor country, and as those concerned have often lost virtually everything, Open Doors pays for the travel, food and accommodation of the participants in the ‘Standing Strong Through the Storm’ seminars mentioned just now. We can speak out on their behalf. We can become their advocates, a voice for those who have effectively been silenced. In the aftermath of the riots over 1,200 people joined Open Doors’ Orissa advocacy campaign, which asked the Indian High Commissioner in the United Kingdom to urge India’s government to deploy sufficient forces to prevent further violence, protect Christians and ensure compensation for the victims. People wrote to their MPs and the Foreign Office. People spoke out. Most importantly, as the story in Acts shows, we should pray. We must pray for the victims of persecution: pray for their faith to be strengthened, pray for the pastors who work among them, pray that miracles will happen and the situation will change. We often say to each other ‘Be an angel’. ‘Be an angel and get me something from the shops.’‘Be an angel and make me a cup of tea.’ That night in Jerusalem, the Christians prayed and a real angel appeared. Perhaps there have been incidences of angels in Orissa: certainly there have been examples of those more ordinary, everyday angels – Christians who have come alongside these suffering Christians and eased their pain. That, perhaps is the challenge for us: to be the angels in this story. To open our eyes to the reality facing our persecuted brothers and sisters; to be the answer to the prayers; to do whatever we can about it.

‘Be an angel’. Walk with Them. Here’s your chance.

Will you Walk with Them?

OPEN DO ORS UK & IRELA ND

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PASSOVER AD 40

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JERUSALEM TIMES Head of the Church Gets It in the Neck! James executed in crackdown on Christians Christian believers are being hounded for their faith in Jerusalem. The latest crackdown took place yesterday as Herod Agrippa I, ruler of all Palestine, ordered the beheading of church leader, James, son of Zebedee. The grim event happened last night, during the Passover celebrations, with an anonymous court official claiming Herod was trying to curry favour with the Jewish population. Another leader John, the brother of James, said in a press conference today,

“I just want to pay tribute to my brother, James. When we first started following Jesus we were known as ‘sons of thunder’ and yes, we were hoping for glory and power, but Jesus promised us only a cup of suffering. When he died we began to realise what he meant. “Calling fire down on people is not Jesus’ way. He wants to rescue people, not destroy them. That’s why he and I have been proud to follow a king who is a brother not a bully.”

Can you Bully-ve it? It’s been revealed that ex-bully, Saul of Tarsus, who has been the cause of much of the troubles, has now switched sides and become a Christian, himself. Barnabas, the only Christian prepared to comment, said, “At the moment, he’s keeping a low profile. Church members aren’t sure how to react: they don’t know whether they can trust him. “Some of them think it’s just a ploy to make it easier to round them up... It’s a very worrying time.”

LETTERS TO THE TIMES

Is Herod Agrippa a bully or is he just doing his job? Can the persecutor, formerly known as Saul, be trusted? Bully or brother? The argument rages on. We want to hear your views. So send them to Agony Aunt, Freesia Frigerator, Jerusalem Times, Straight Street, Jerusalem. We’ll pay one denarius for each one printed. Dear Aunty Freeze, I’ve worked for Herod for years now and all I can say is that he’s one of the nicest men I’ve ever met. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. Herod supporter Dear Freesia, Herod has gone mad and someone needs to stand up to him. But who, and how? My wife says that prayer is the answer, but I’m not sure. What do others think? Aquila Dear Mrs Fridgerator, I’m a Jewish convert to Christianity and a homegroup leader in Jerusalem and I’ve seen what

men like Herod and Saul can do. I was beaten severely and narrowly escaped death - but at least I’m alive. Some of my best friends have paid the price. I feel like giving up, but people are looking to me for encouragement. How can I keep going when I feel so broken myself? Pastor in Jerusalem Dear Jerusalem Times, I’ve met Saul. Since he became a Christian, he’s been on the receiving end of threats and violence, too, so now he knows what it’s like. I believe that even bullies can change. But Herod? I just don’t know. Uncertain from Antioch

Dear Sir, These Christians deserve everything they get! They refuse to obey the laws of our land. They are fanatics who are a disgrace to our nation and its traditional faith. Angry of Jerusalem Dear Freesia, Ten years ago Jesus changed my life. Since then some amazing things have happened. Now some Jews are trying to force me and my family to turn against him, but Jesus braved death for us so I don’t want to desert him. How do I explain this to my children when it could bring danger to us all? Worried Believer

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We Won’t be Beaten! Believers are still being hounded for their faith in Jesus, 2,000 years on from Peter, James and John. In Orissa, India, a year ago, 4,500 homes and 250 churches were burned down by Hindu extremists. Many Christians lost their lives as a result. The persecution started when they were falsely accused of causing the death of a Hindu leader. Christians are unpopular in society because of the way they treat the poor. They believe all people are equal, and they share their gospel - and their

God - with the poor as well as the rich. The high-ranking priestly Hindus don’t like this because it upsets their power structures. They want to keep people down so that they will serve and work for very little money.

“We’re in pain, but we’re still singing.”

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whatever it takes to get people back on their feet again. Most importantly, they are providing Indian Christians with training called ‘Standing Strong Through the Storm’ seminars, helping them to forgive the people who’ve done violence to them. “We’re in pain,” says one woman, “but we’re still singing.”

The government doesn’t want to get involved, but Open Doors has been on hand to help, with food, soap, Bibles, sewing machines, driving lessons -

KNOCKING ON HEAVEN’S DOOR • • • • •

Clench your fist as you think about Christians who are being bullied and beaten today. Try to imagine what it would be like if it were happening to you. Place your fist in the space below, on top of the prayer ‘Lord! Help your people.’ Draw round it. Put your paper on a hard surface, like a book, or chair, or on the ground. Pretend you are knocking on a door. Say your prayer out loud at the same time. ‘Lord! Help your people!’ Other people may offer up other prayers. Each time someone finishes, return to this refrain: ‘Lord! Help your people!’ At the end of the prayer time, open your hand and pray: ‘Lord! Help us to help your people, too.’

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Lord! Help your people.

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Remember Stand with Lord! Help us to help your people, too...

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Jerusalem TV ”This is a simple piece of drama that the children can do to go with the Jerusalem Times newspaper hand-out.”

CAST Newsreader 1 Newsreader 2 Reporter Dr Luke Philip Newsreader 1: The latest crackdown on Christians took place yesterday as Herod Agrippa I, ruler of all Palestine, ordered the beheading of church leader, James, son of Zebedee. Newsreader 2: The event took place last night, during the Passover celebrations, with court officials claiming that Herod Agrippa is persecuting Christians to keep the Jewish population happy. Newsreader 1: Leader and fisherman, Peter, known as ‘Rocky’, has also been arrested and is being guarded by 16 soldiers. Newsreader 2: His trial will take place when the bank holiday is over. Our reporter on the spot says the rest of the church is praying round the clock for him and others affected by this wave of persecution. Reporter: Yes, I’ve been talking to key witness, Dr Luke, who has been following the situation. Dr Luke: We’ve seen untold suffering ever since Stephen was stoned to death. It was all started by a group of Jews from North Africa who called themselves ‘The Free Men’. Since then, things have got worse, with believers being dragged from their homes and thrown into jail. It’s bullying of the worst kind. We can’t afford to lose another leader. Reporter : Also with me is preacher, deacon and church waiter, Philip. Didn’t Jesus warn his followers to expect this? Philip: Yes, he did, but people are still scared. However, there is an upside to this. As a result of believers getting scattered, the news about Jesus is spreading like lightning. I just about managed to baptise an Ethiopian official before the Lord whisked me onto my next engagement. There wasn’t even time to say goodb... oh sorry, got to go! (Exits quickly) Reporter: Oh, I’m sorry that’s where we’ll have to leave it! Back to you...