Although it hasn't received a great deal of media coverage, late last month a Boko Haram commander spoke publicly about a cease-fire in the group's ongoing war with the Nigerian government.

It's too early to tell if this is a legitimate change in direction for the Nigerian-based radical Islamic group, and the Boko Haram commander who made the statements isn't the group's top leader. One of the principal demands of the cease-fire is the unconditional release of all Boko Haram members currently imprisoned in Nigeria, a demand the Nigerian government seems unlikely to meet.

Boko Haram (loosely translated as "Western education is a sin") has pushed for the adoption of Sharia law in northern Nigeria and has publicly stated that Christians in the area have three choices: leave, become Muslims or die.

Nigeria's leaders and military have viewed recent developments with guarded optimism; the military has said it will wait 30 days to see if attacks continue before deciding how serious Boko Haram is about a cease-fire. Meanwhile, the media have reported increased business activity and more people on the streets in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state and "headquarters" of Boko Haram.

Please PRAY with Christians in Nigeria for lasting peace. Pray that Muslims there will be reached with the gospel and come to know Christ personally. And pray for God's protection of our Christian brothers and sisters, regardless of whether the cease-fire holds. If you'd like to contribute to support VOM's work in Nigeria and other Muslim nations, you can do so here.

Please continue your prayers for Christians in Libya as the Coptic Church has once again been on the receiving end of a church blast.  BBC News is reporting that two Egyptians were recently killed and two were also injured due to a blast which was apparently done with homemade dynamite.

Here's part of the story:

Two Egyptians have been killed and two injured in an apparent attack on a Coptic church building near the Libyan city of Misrata, officials say.

A Misrata city council official told the BBC that there had been an explosion at the building as the four victims were eating lunch there.

It is not clear who was behind the blast in the small town of Dafiniyah.

There were conflicting reports as to whether it happened on Saturday or Sunday.

The Misrata council official told the BBC that home-made dynamite used for fishing was found on the site of the explosion.

The Egyptian government has requested more security at the church, Egypt's Mena news agency reported.

"Egypt is requesting an investigation into the circumstances of the operation and for those responsible to be put on trial," it quoted Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr as saying.

The church in Dafiniyah, just outside Misrata, is frequented by Egyptians.

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“You are saying it wrong,” the exasperated guard instructed the elderly Chinese believer. “You are supposed to say ‘Prison is good,’ not ‘Jesus is good.’”

    Al Ling smiled. “But prison is not good. That’s the point. Am I supposed to lie?”
    

“Then give me fifty push-ups!” the frustrated Communist guard commanded. “Just like yesterday.”

    Seventy-year-old Al Ling did her push-ups and returned to her camp. Ling’s husband had been arrested for spreading the gospel, and he had passed away. Now she was in prison for telling her fellow Chinese people about the love of Christ.

    “Food is good, prison is good!” the prisoners were forced to shout as instructed after a hard day’s labor in the field. “Jesus is better!” Her strong voice stuck out from the crowd.
    

“Al Ling, do you want more push-ups today?” the guard asked.

    “I want you to know how much Jesus loves you,” she smiled in response. She was thrilled at the opportunity to tell the Communist guards and other prisoners how good Jesus was, even if it meant doing daily push-ups. Upon her release, the guards decided to interrogate her one last time. “Where does your husband work?” the young guard asked.

    “Oh, he is doing underground work,” she answered. The interested guard took out a notepad. Al Ling smiled, “He passed away years ago.”

Al Ling was no theologian. She was not a practiced orator. Yet with her innocent, steadfast, and even humorous replies, she was able to confound the Communist enemies. We may play mind games, wondering what we would say or do if we were in the same situation. Could we think on our feet? Jesus reminds us that we ought not worry about what we will say when we are asked to defend our faith. We are not asked to give a prepared speech. We are asked to rely on him for words of wisdom—at the moment we need them most. When that moment arrives, God will give you the words to say to be an effective witness for his sake.

Source: Extreme Devotion

Police raided a group of 80 Christians in Uzbekistan on Dec. 1 while they were vacationing at the Simurg resort in the Bostanlyk District of Uzbekistan. The raid occurred during a meeting at which they were discussing their faith and singing Christian songs. Police authorities confiscated songbooks and Bibles and charged some of the Christians with leading unsanctioned worship.

According to Forum 18 News, police initially claimed they only wanted to check internal passports. But the 12 policemen confiscated three Bibles and 100 songbooks and fingerprinted all those present. According to an eyewitness who asked to remain anonymous, police insulted the believers with abusive language and threatened to bring criminal charges unless they signed statements.

Four members of the group were charged with illegal storage of religious material, holding religious meetings and unauthorized religious activity, among other offenses. When asked why the Christians were being punished for merely reading their Bibles and singing Christian songs, a policeman replied that worship must occur only in “places specifically set up for religious purposes.”

Source: Forum 18 News Service

Sadly, today CBN News is reporting that Pastor Youcef was re-arrested on Christmas.  Please take a few minutes to watch the short video report provided below.  Please click here to read the full story at CBN News.

Please keep Pastor Youcef and his dear family in your prayers.

 

 

Indonesia (MNN) ― The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights recently raised concerns over the plight of religious minorities in Indonesia.

Many are Christians who have been noting the rise of violent attacks and forced displacement. This, in addition to other forms of discrimination, such as being denied identification cards. Sources from Open Doors and the Voice of the Martyrs say there have been reports of forced church closures, even where the churches have secured legal permission.

International Christian Concern reported Jakarta police finally taking security measures to protect Christians as they gathered to celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. More than 12,000 police were deployed to roughly 2,000 churches throughout Central Java.

Muslim extremist groups in Indonesia, with suspected ties to al Qaeda, continue to grow more violent towards Christians, with little resistance from authorities.

Voice of the Martyrs noted one incident with a girl named Ribur who was jailed for 60 days for talking about her faith in Jesus. According to the VOM report, she chose to be part of an agricultural mission project in Aceh on the island of Sumatra. Teaching about how to raise crops and livestock often gave the team opportunities to answer questions about their faith.

ICC says Ribur eventually began a community Bible study. She and another teammate had developed a relationship with a local woman, who eventually gave her life to Christ. That’s where Ribur ran into trouble.

Shortly after this, a mob attacked Ribur and the other Christian worker. The beating continued for 45 minutes, eventually ending when the police came and arrested the pair for blaspheming Islam. When officials asked her why she shared about Jesus, Ribur said, "Jesus wants everyone to know about Him."

Eventually, the pair was released. However, Franz Magnis-Suseno of the Driyarkara School of Philosophy says, "The religious situation in Indonesia is marked by a rising number of social conflicts between neighborhoods and villages; conflicts on ethnic and, increasingly, on religious lines."

The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) cited the lack of religious freedom in Indonesia as among the issues that marred the country's human rights record.

Ignorance by the government has obviously encouraged increasing violence against minority groups in other areas, too, all across the country, which could potentially be misused by political interests approaching the 2014 legislative and presidential elections, said Kontras.

Pray for Christians like Ribur who are facing persecution for their faith. Ask God to give those who face persecution the strength to stand strong and testify the truth.

Source: Mission Network News

 

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If there has been one nation on my heart this year, it is Nigeria because of the intense persecution of Christians by Boko Haram.  We even saw the Jubilee Campaign petition President Obama with the hopes of getting enough people aware of the terrorism of Boko Haram so that the United States State Department would defund Boko Haram.  Sadly, that hasn't happened yet.

The following is from Mission Network News:

Nigeria (MNN) ― Boko Haram, a Nigerian militant Islamist group, had their bloodiest year in 2012, responsible for over 750 deaths.

General Aziza, Nigeria’s former national security advisor, says the upscale in Boko Haram’s terrorist attacks may be linked with the upcoming 2015 Nigerian presidential elections.

When President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian, was elected president of Nigeria in 2011, a series of Boko Haram killings followed. Boko Haram made threats on the president to resign or else turn Nigeria into an Islamic nation.

Rae Burnett, the Africa Director for Christian Aid Mission, explains, “I do believe that it’s spiritual warfare, but it’s definitely the desire to see that Islam is the world religion. They start where they are, and these guys are Nigerian, so they want to be empowered in Nigeria.”

Several of the Muslim-majority Northern states began declaring themselves under Sharia law after the 2011 elections. Of the 32 Nigerian states, 12 currently are govern by Islamic Sharia law. 2015 will be Muslims’ next chance to gain power in Nigeria’s political arena.

However, Boko Haram grew quiet on the large-scale attack front earlier this month. The fact that Christmas was approaching—the biggest Christian holiday of the year—wasn’t lost on anyone and created an eerie silence. Attacks were expected, especially since Boko Haram has declared intent to eradicate Christians from Nigeria.

And Boko Haram militants have the means to back up this desire. With ties to Al-Qaeda and funding for weapons, they fight in pockets and avoid any clashes with the Nigerian military. They’ve gotten bolder. According to Burnett, “They do whatever is in front of them. If it’s a school bus, they’ll blow it up. If it’s a school, they’ll blow it up. They’re trying to make people afraid.”

Because of the disjointed nature of Boko Haram’s fighting tactics, several smaller attacks still occur weekly in Northern Nigeria, but they are largely unreported.

Burnett shares, “Once, I read [about another attack] and called my friend [in Nigeria] and said, ‘Why didn’t you tell me about this?’ He said, ‘Look, if I tell you about every terrorist attack, we would be on the phone all the time.’ They’ve become so common place that they are happening every day. We don’t hear about them.”

The attacks have gotten so bad in the state where Christian Aid’s headquarters are located that they need to move to a safer site. But Christian Aid can’t do it without the funds. Out of the $40,000 needed, they only have $10,000—enough to buy the land and lay a foundation. Christian Aid still needs $30,000 to finish the headquarter buildings and residences.

“They really need to move from the state where they are now,” says Burnett. “Two and three times a week, they are suffering terrorist attacks.”

But despite the danger, the 120 missionaries in Nigeria associated with Christian Aid are staying in the ministry field. “They are committed to making the Lord known and dying for Him if need be,” says Burnett. “They’re doing wonderful work, and many people are coming to Christ.”

Pray for Christians in Nigeria to persevere and hold fast to their hope in the Lord. Pray for many others in Nigeria to come to know Christ and for church leaders to advance their ministry.

 

Source: Mission Network News

 

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This week we have a little bit longer podcast that you'll want to tune in for.  Learn the latest prayer requests from David and then hear some inspiring comments regarding the persecuted church, fear and hope.  What is stronger fear or hope?

Click here to listen to this podcast and please share with your friends!  (This link will open automatically and start playing the show)

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Ribur was beaten and locked in jail for 60 days because she talked about Jesus.

Ribur grew up in a Christian family in Indonesia, and during high school she became interested in mission work. After studying for five years in a Bible school, she joined a community-development group that was teaching agricultural methods to villagers in Aceh, located in the far north of Indonesia’s most western island, Sumatra. Teaching agricultural methods, such as organic farming and livestock breeding, gave the team an opportunity to hear about people’s lives and share their Christian faith if asked.

Ribur soon started a small Bible study in a nearby village, meeting weekly with a family of believers and reaching out to the Muslim community as well. She and a friend from the development group, Roy, began speaking with a woman in the community named Maria. They visited her on a Monday and returned to see her the next day. Maria was ill, but they spent a little time sharing about Christ. Maria then appeared to pray and ask Christ into her life.

On the third day, Ribur and Roy went back to check on Maria. A young man waiting outside talked to Roy while Ribur went inside the house to find Maria. As soon as Ribur arrived, Maria excused herself and said she had to go somewhere. Suddenly, the young man speaking with Roy punched him, and a crowd of neighbors gathered.

Someone grabbed Ribur by her headscarf and hair, and the crowd began beating her. The crowd then forced the two Christians to walk to the village leader, lashing them with a cattle whip as they walked. When they arrived, an official accused them, saying, “Why did you bring Jesus to Aceh?” As Ribur began to answer, she was struck again.

The accusatory questions and beatings continued for 45 minutes. Ribur prayed that the Holy Spirit would give her the strength to stand strong and testify to the truth. Her face was bruised, and the inside of her mouth was bleeding. One person had used a stapler to beat her in the head. Roy was also bruised. Eventually the local police came and detained them. They then drove them to the provincial capital, more than an hour away.

They arrived at 8 p.m., and the police questioned Roy and Ribur until 3 a.m., accusing them of blaspheming Islam. “I wasn’t frightened,” Ribur said, “because I had already been beaten in the other office. Also, the Bible says you will have persecution.”

“Why were you sharing about Jesus?” the officers asked.

“Jesus is for all people,” Ribur said.

“What materials did you bring?”

“Just a Bible,” she replied.

“Have you read the Quran?”

“Yes, but not too deeply,” she said.

“Why did you share about Jesus?”

“Jesus wants everyone to know about him,” she said.

Roy and Ribur were arrested on May 29, 2012, and three days later were charged with abusing Islam so that police could continue to hold them. The police seemed to be searching for evidence.

Ribur was alone during the 60 days she spent in jail. She was the only woman in the women’s cell, and she used the time to read the Bible and pray. No one bothered her, but one of the guards told her it was the first time they had seen how a Christian prayed and read.

“Prison was a learning process for me,” she said.

Ribur was released after two months. Police could find no evidence against her and Roy, so they had to let them go. “After I was released, I felt that the same God who helped me in the prison was helping me still,” said Ribur.

The group’s work in Aceh has stopped for now. Ribur continues to help at her local church, and she dreams of planting churches in Sumatra.

A draft constitution was passed today by Egypt's constituent assembly, after many representatives—including Coptic Christians—had left the room to protest the process. Several articles of the constitution raise concerns for Christians who fear that more persecution may be coming in Egypt under President Mohamed Morsi's government.

I was asked today by a reporter what this means for Christians in Egypt. I wish I could answer that! I do know that Christians are worried about what the future holds for them in their country. Will religious minorities be protected? Will a person have the freedom to change their religion under a constitution that says "the principles of Islamic Shariah" will be the "principle source of legislation?"

I don't know the answers to those questions. But I do know this: God's spirit is not stopped by constitutions or man's laws.

As I watch what is happening in Egypt today, I am reminded of when the ayatollahs came to power in Iran (even though I was only 9 years old!). The mullahs took over, and they immediately adopted Shariah law and told the people of Iran, "We are going to run the whole country according to Islam. Finally we can be all that we're supposed to be as a country, because we are doing everything according to the Koran and Allah's will."

At the time, many wondered what would happen to the church in Iran. Many feared it would be wiped out. How would they survive such oppression? How would the gospel go forth?

Today we are 30+ years down the road, and the church in Iran is one of the fastest growing churches in the whole WORLD. People are coming to Christ in droves. One Iranian worker told me a couple of years ago that if you shared the gospel with 10 Iranians, five of them would choose to follow Christ immediately; the people of Iran are that hungry for Truth!

A significant source of their hunger is Islam. They've been told that their country is being run according to true Islam. So when the government fails, the people see it as the failure of Islam. Questioning the government means questioning Islam. And almost everyone in Iran is questioning the government! And they are HUNGRY to find another way, and Jesus is truly The Way.

So as we see political and constitutional battles going on in Egypt, and as it appears more and more likely Islam will become the driving force of the government and the authorities there, it is tempting to get discouraged. But we must remember that God is still at work and out of this He can grow and strengthen and build His church. I pray that if there is an Islamic government in Egypt, it will produce the same result as the Islamic government in Iran: tens of thousands of Egyptians finding the Way, the Truth and the Life in Jesus Christ.

Todd Nettleton has served the persecuted church and VOM almost 15 years. He has been interviewed more than 1800 times by various media outlets. He's the author of Restricted Nations: North Korea, and served on the writing team for FOXE, Extreme Devotion, Hearts of Fire and other VOM books.