Somali Terrorists Threaten to Attack Western Malls

 © 2014 The Wired Word

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Somalia-based terror group Al-Shabaab released a video last Saturday calling for so-called "lone wolf" attacks on shopping centers in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. The video referenced the group's September 2013 four-day siege in a mall catering to the affluent in Nairobi, Kenya, in which more than 60 people were killed.

Among the malls mentioned in the video as possible targets are the West Edmonton Mall (Alberta, Canada) and the Mall of America (in a near suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota). The largest Somali population in the United States lives in Minneapolis.

Shoppers had various reactions to the threat. "I'm scared, because I have kids," Brittany Segler told CNN affiliate WCCO in Minneapolis.

"We take any potential threat seriously and respond appropriately," a spokesperson for the Mall of America said. "We have implemented extra security precautions; some may be noticeable to guests, and others won't be."

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, speaking in cooperation with the FBI, admitted last Sunday that the Al-Shabaab video could inspire violent action by extremists and that they don't know "when the next bad actor" will attack. He said they are unaware of "credible or specific evidence" suggesting a U.S. mall attack is imminent, but he advised Americans to use caution.

More on this story can be found at these links:

Al-Shabaab Threatens Malls, Including Some in U.S.; FBI Downplays Threat. CNN
Business SWOT Analysis. Business Insurance Quotes

The Big Questions

1. Author Maduro Ash wrote: "Threats don't work with the person who's got nothing to lose." Seventeenth-century French dramatist Pierre Corneille wrote: "He who does not fear death cares naught for threats." How might these quotes apply to Christians facing threats today? 

2. Respond to this from a blogger who goes by "Chris M.": "The Promises of God are greater than the threats of the enemy." What are some of the promises of God that you cling to when you feel threatened?

3. What is the core mission of the church under threat? How should believers think and act in the face of threats? How much should we change our lifestyle or behavior in order to be prudent? To what extent do changes in our lives equal a triumph by those who threaten us regardless of whether they carry out their threats? To what extent does God call us to to eliminate threats or to protect ourselves or others from threats?

4. In addition to threats, what else might distract believers from their core mission? How can you minimize those distractions and focus on what God has called you to do?

5. As a group, brainstorm a list of everything you might fear if you allowed yourself to go down that path. How long is the list? How reasonable is it to be afraid of every single possibility? Respond to this from Christian author Max Lucado: "Can you imagine a life with no fear? What if faith, not fear, was your default reaction to threats?" (See also question #6 under "For Futher Discussion.")

Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

Daniel 3:28-29
Nebuchadnezzar said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him. They disobeyed the king’s command and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that utters blasphemy against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins; for there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way." (For context, read 3:1-30.)

This chapter records the action of Babylon's King Nebuchadnezzar to solidify his iron grip on his subjects by building a huge gold statue they were required to bow before and worship. Those who refused were immediately to be burned alive in a blazing furnace. Understandably, the people complied -- all except the Jewish officials Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When Nebuchadnezzar heard about their resistance, he flew into a "furious rage" (v. 13). Yet, wanting to appear magnanimous, he gave them another chance, even providing pleasant music to make submission to his command more palatable. But they were not free to choose without penalty; his ultimatum was the same: bow down and live, or refuse and be burned to a crisp. The trio replied that whether or not God delivered them, they would still not worship anyone but God. True to his word, the king bound them and threw them into the incinerator, but was shocked to see them walking freely in the raging inferno -- along with a fourth man having the appearance of a god.

Questions: What do you think you would have done had you been one of the "three Hebrew children" asked to choose between faith in God and a fiery furnace? What gave them courage in their time of need?

Mark 13:9-13
[Jesus said,] "As for yourselves, beware; for they will hand you over to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them. And the good news must first be proclaimed to all nations. When they bring you to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved." (For context, read 13:9-27.)

Jesus warned his disciples to be ready for persecution, which would surely befall his followers. But their suffering would lead to these positive ends: They would gain access to leaders they would never otherwise have met, in order to bear witness to Christ; the good news would be proclaimed to all nations; the Holy Spirit would speak through them to their captors.

Questions: What exactly does Jesus mean when he tells his disciples, "Beware"? Under what circumstances might brothers betray brothers, fathers their children, and children their parents, even condemning them to death? How would true followers of Jesus behave toward those who had betrayed them? What does it mean to "endure to the end"? What is the nature of salvation for those who have endured to the end, since clearly they are not necessarily saved from suffering or death?

Acts 4:29-31
[Peter and John prayed,] "And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus." When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness. (For context, read 4:13-31.)

After healing a lame man in the name of Jesus, Peter and John came under the scrutiny of the religious authorities. They could tell they were "uneducated and ordinary men" (v. 13), yet they had a boldness that reminded them of Jesus. They couldn't refute that a miracle had occurred, since the healed man was standing right in front of them. But they ordered them to stop speaking and teaching in Jesus' name. Peter and John stated that they couldn't stop witnessing about what they had seen and heard. Although the authorities wanted to punish them, the people praised God for the healing of the man, so they just threatened Peter and John again and let them go.

Upon their release, the apostles met with other believers to pray. They addressed God as "Sovereign Lord," the creator of heaven and earth, who by the Holy Spirit foretold humanity's rebellion against God and against his Messiah (or "anointed one" -- cf. Psalm 2:1-2). But all this happened by God's hand at work according to his plan.

Questions: How did this understanding of who God is and how God was working behind the scenes influence how the disciples prayed while under threat? For what do you pray when you feel threatened? How might your witness change if you followed the disciples' example in your prayer life?

Acts 7:55-56, 59-60
But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, "I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" ... While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he died. (For context, read 6:8--7:60.)

This passage gives Luke's account of deacon Stephen's witness as the first martyr for Christ. It had not been so long since Jesus' own death, so his followers had to be aware that they were targets as well (just as Jesus had warned them to expect -- see Matthew 10:24-25).

Questions: What needs to happen in our lives in order that we might be filled with the Holy Spirit and be able to see God's glory and Jesus standing in the place of victory, even while the stones are flying all around our heads? Imagine yourself facing angry accusers who demand that you recant your faith in Jesus. What would you say? And how would you pray for your would-be executioners?

Revelation 12:10-11
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, proclaiming, "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Messiah, for the accuser of our comrades has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. But they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not cling to life even in the face of death. NOTE: NIV translates the last phrase, "they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death." (For context, read 12:7-12.) 

The Book of Revelation was written to strengthen and encourage the late first-century Christian church under fire. This passage brings us to the point in John's vision when Satan and his forces have been expelled from heaven, landing on earth to release their fury here. While heaven has achieved a great victory and rejoices, the violence against God's people increases on earth, and with it, their grief. Still, we are "more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Romans 8:37).

Questions: Give examples of how believers gain victory over their accusers "by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony" and by not "loving their lives" even when facing death. How powerfully are these three forces at work in your life? Take time to pray for each other in the areas where you feel you are weakest.

For Further Discussion

1. A SWOT analysis is a popular business model designed to help companies evaluate internal strengths and weaknesses, which they may change, and external opportunities and threats, over which they have no control. Using this model as a template, how would you define the greatest threats to the Church (capital "C") today? What about its greatest weaknesses? How would you describe its greatest strengths? Its most exciting opportunities? Now apply this template to your own local church: How would you describe those four factors relative to your own faith community? How prepared are you to face potential threats? To maximize opportunities? How can you address internal weaknesses effectively and build up strengths?

2.  Proverbs 22:13 reads: "The lazy person says, 'There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!'" To what extent might laziness be a factor in the church's inability to handle threats effectively? What can you do to minimize the drag laziness has on your responding to the call of God on your life?

3. Respond to this from TWW guest contributor Mary Sells: "Fear is the first step to controlling people. The more afraid we are of terrorism that may or may not happen, the more the terrorists have won us over to their control. We can look to Peter and the other followers of Jesus who were so afraid at the time of Jesus' death that they hid and/or denied him -- they gave control to the Romans and to the status quo of their community. They had to get beyond their fear to do God's will and to trust in Jesus. If we keep looking for terrorists among us and change our lives to stop doing the good that God wants us to do while focusing our efforts on preparing for the end, aren't we the same? Every breath from God is a pure gift, and we are told to always be prepared for Jesus' return -- the end of life as we know it. It is more satisfying to me to think of how I am spiritually preparing for that moment than to worry if today is the day I am going to get hit by a bus, get shot by a terrorist or drop dead from a heart attack. Shall I fear for my body, or shall I have joy for [however] and whenever God wills me to be in heaven -- and will I live my life in preparation for that moment?"

4. Read Acts 1:8-11, Luke's account of Jesus' last instructions and promises to his disciples before his ascension into heaven. What task does he entrust to them? Why do the "two men in white robes" seem to chide them? What does this tell us about the kind of experiences that can distract us from our core mission, and how can believers stay focused on what Jesus has called us to do?

5. TWW contributor and author Frank Ramirez shared the following paragraphs from a book he is writing:

"A fierce phase of persecution of Christians began with the Emperor Decias around the years 250-251 and continued until the legalization of Christianity in 313. While the martyrologies of the period reflect a willingness on the part of many Christians to witness to their faith with their lives, the record of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri indicates that some leaders were willing to give the appearance of cooperation in obeying imperial edicts while playing dumb about the actual treasures hidden by their churches, or even, as with the case of one Christian named Kopres, finding a compromise when faced with the demand to demonstrate loyalty by sacrificing to the gods. Kopres, who seems to be a member of the Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, Christian church, closed his letter to his wife with the number 99, a numerical code for 'Amen.' This is a sign that Kopres did not wish to make his Christian connection too obvious. In this letter concerning his business trip to Alexandria, Egypt, he wrote:

Before anything else I pray that you are well in the Lord God. I want you to know that we got here on the 11th and it was made known to us that newcomers are required to sacrifice, so I made my brother power of attorney ... (Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 2601, my translation).

The sacrifice in question is the proof required of everyone to demonstrate they are not Christians by making an offering to the local god. The 'brother' is likely a pagan friend who made the sacrifice in his place, though it could have been a non-Christian relative. Kopres found a way to conduct his official business in an Alexandrian court through the help of a non-Christian friend. He found a way to get around the sacrifice without making a profession of faith."

How does Kopres' response to a threat compare to the stand taken by the three young men in the story from Daniel 3? Should Kopres have taken a stand for Christ? Was it smarter to avoid martyrdom if possible? Do you have friends who would cover for you in a difficult circumstance? Would you cover for a Muslim secret convert to Christianity whose conversion is seen by some extremists as apostasy punishable by death?

6. Discuss the following, shared by TWW team member Jim Berger: According to the Mayo Clinic, the top five things that parents say they're worried about when it comes to their kids are:
1. Kidnapping
2. School Snipers
3. Terrorists
4. Dangerous Strangers
5. Drugs
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the top five things that cause harm to young people are:
1. Car Accidents
2. Homicide (usually committed by someone they know)
3. Child Abuse
4. Suicide
5. Drowning
Notice that the reality never shows up among the concerns. Some people see only despair and ugliness in life. Others find hope in the midst of bleakness. Jesus tells us to purify our minds. In doing so, we shall see God. And we shall discover truth in this life and move past the fears, lies and delusions that surround us and bombard us daily.

Responding to the News

Brainstorm to come up with Bible verses upon which you can meditate to strengthen your faith for the day of trouble. If you memorize one verse a week, by the end of a year you will have memorized 52 verses. What you have stored in your heart God can call to your mind when you are under pressure.

Closing Prayer

In the face of threats, Almighty God, we turn to you. Strengthen us by your Word and your Spirit to focus on the work to which you have called us. Let us not be discouraged, deterred or derailed from taking up our cross and following Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life, knowing that those who believe in him, even though they die, will live forever. Amen.