Persecution Blog

Great Martyrs

The new year is just around the corner - can you believe it!  Well, I thought that I would end this year with a brief run down of the most famous martyrs  we all know and love and how they died.  Yes, I know this is uplifting isn't it...well, it really is when you consider why they died, for Whom they died, and you look at their examples for inspiration.  These are the fathers of our Christian faith.

My source for this information is the Foxe's Book of Martyrs written by John Foxe.

St. Stephen was stoned to death.

James the Great was beheaded and his accuser repented, professed Christ and also was beheaded.

Philip was scourged, thrown in prison and then crucified.

Matthew was slain with a halberd.

James the Less was beat and stoned by the Jews and had his brains dashed out with a fuller's club.

Matthias was stoned at Jerusalem and then beheaded.

Andrew was crucified on the cross.

Mark was dragged to pieces by the people of Alexandria.

Peter was crucified upside down.

Paul gave his neck to the sword.

Jude was crucified.

Bartholomew was cruelly beaten and then crucified.

Thomas was thrust through with a spear.

Luke was supposed to have been hung on an olive tree.

Simon was crucified.

John, the beloved disciple, was the only disciple to escape a violent death.

Massacre of the Innocents

Today, December 28th, we see on the general Roman Catholic calendar of saints to remember the Massacre of the Innocents. 

Wikipedia says the following about this tragedy.

The Massacre of the Innocents is an episode of Herod's infanticide, attested in the Gospel of Matthew 2:16ff, but not mentioned in the other gospels nor in the early apocrypha.

According to Christian tradition, the described events fulfilled a verse of Jeremiah, interpreted as a prophecy of this event: "Thus says the Lord: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children."

In the event, King Herod the Great ordered the execution of all young male children in the village of Bethlehem, so as to avoid the loss of his throne to a newborn "King of the Jews", whose birth had been related to him by magi.

I would also add a politically incorrect comment concerning how we should also remember all of those babies who have died due to abortion.

Indian Church Burnt; Christians Arrested

INDIA – On December 23, 2006, Hindu extremists burnt down a church and disrupted services in several Indian states. They continued their harassment and arrested carol-singers on Christmas Eve.

According to Compass Direct News, on Christmas Eve, Dharma Sena, a militant Hindu organization, announced they would close all church services scheduled for Christmas Day. Later, extremists burned down a church preventing its members from celebrating Christmas there.

In a separate event, a pastor and 10 other missionaries were beaten and arrested for singing carols. They were later released. In another incident, Hindu extremist group, Bajrang Dal, attacked 20 Christians gathered in a church. “They stormed into the church, beat some of the Christians and destroyed hymnbooks and Bibles. Five Christians were injured in the attack, three suffered hearing loss due to a blow to the head, and a Bible school student’s hand was fractured,” Compass reported.

These recent incidents show the challenges our brothers and sisters in India face for believing in Jesus Christ. Pray God will strengthen them as they stand for Him.

Cuban Pastor Acquitted, but Convicted on New Charge

CUBA – A Cuban court acquitted Rev. Carlos Lamelas of human trafficking, but convicted him on previously unannounced charges of falsification of documents.

According to Compass Direct News, the judges imposed a fine of 1,000 Cuban pesos ($45)for the new charges. “Even though this (sentence) is favorable, we are not satisfied. If a crime of falsification truly had been committed, that would make me an accomplice to trafficking in humans, and I would not have been acquitted. How can it be that I am innocent of the original crime, and nevertheless guilty of the one they later invented,” Lamelas told Compass News.

Lamelas was arrested in a police raid at his home on February 20. The evangelical pastor and former national president of the Church of God in Cuba was in jail for more than four months, before being unexpectedly released from the Villa Marita Detention Center on June 26.

Thank you to all who prayed for and wrote to Pastor Lamelas.

Remembering St. John of Patmos

Yesterday after I found out it was St. Stephen's Day I did some research on how that day came to be.  What I found out was really very cool.  I found out that there is a calendar of saints that the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Canadian, Episcopal and Orthodox churches have to remember saints of old.

In fact, there are two types of saints they remember - martyrs and confessors.  From Wikipedia: "Martyrs are regarded as dying in the service of the Lord, and confessors are people who died natural deaths."

I also found out that there is usually a saint highlighted each day of the year, and so I thought it would be fun to begin to highlight these saints.  And I want you to know that we aren't going to highlight these men and women so we can worship them, or pray to them or anything like that.  But rather to remember them for the followers of Christ they were. 

So with that in mind, today, December 27th, is the day we remember John the Apostle.  Now what is interesting about St. John is that he is believed not to be martyred.  Rather the story goes that St. John was banished to the island of Patmos where he penned the book of Revelation.  Tertullian said that  John was banished (presumably to Patmos) after being plunged into boiling oil in Rome and suffering nothing from it.

Tradition says that John later died on the island of Patmos a natural death.

John is also known to have written the gospel of John, the books of 1John, 2John and 3rd John as well as the book of Revelation.

Persecution Story of 2006

Here it is the end of 2006 and I'm not sure about you, but it feels like this year just started a few weeks ago.  Maybe it's because I'm getting close to 40 and the years are flying on by! :)  Or maybe it's just that I feel sentimental near the end of the year.  Whatever the case, I'm amazed by all that has taken place this year regarding our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ.

My buddy Glenn Penner, from VOM Canada has written a great post about what he thinks is the persecution story of the year.  It wasn't what I was thinking it would be, and maybe it won't be what you think either.

I know for me, I can't help but think of all of our family in Christ in North Korea being persecuted.  Or Indonesia which has grown close to my heart as I've written about persecution.

Here's a little bit about the country Glenn Penner is highlighing in his story of the year.

1)  It is not a Muslim country.
2)  It is not a communist country.
3)  It is not a totalitarian regime

4)  It IS a democracy

Are you curious?  If so, click here and read Glenn's post.  You may be surprised.

2007: New Year Resolutions

When the year ends we start wondering what changes have to be made in our lives for the coming year. Most of us want to lose weight, buy a membership to the gym or decide to take up a new hobby which will “enhance” our quality of life. Unfortunately, the excitement lasts until maybe March and then we fall off the wagon and slip back into our old habits.

Why don’t you make 2007 a significant life-altering year by getting involved with The Voice of the Martyrs and supporting our brothers and sisters in the persecuted church? VOM has numerous ministry opportunities which will bless you as you support believers facing persecution because of their faith. Get involved at persecution.com and make a difference to our family.

You may not know the full impact of what you do, but your reward in heaven will be great. I know that your decision to follow the Bible’s direction to support our family in chains (Hebrews 13:3) will be a life changing decision. Get involved; go to www.persecution.com.

Celebrate St. Stephen's Day Today

I LOVE the way the Lord works in my life and I totally love how He is constantly reminding me through various means about the saints of old who were martyred for their faith.  This morning I was reading my email and I received an email from Pastor Steve, a friend of mine I work with at the Lutheran church, and he was reminding us that today is St. Stephen's Day - yes, that's right, December 26th is St. Stephen's Day.

Did you know that?

Me either, which is why I love writing this blog because I always learn something new.  Pastor Steve wrote this in his email and then I've followed up what he says by some other information I found online.

From Pastor Steve...

Today the church remembers Stephen, the first deacon and martyr of the church.  Called to do the jobs that others didn't want, Stephen rose to the challenge of leading the faithful in caring for the poor, widows, children, the indigent.  He also took a public stand for his faith and was summariliy stoned by an angry mob.  Following in the footsteps of Christ is no guarantee of an easy life!

Many in the world celebrate "Boxing Day" today as well, when gifts are shared beyond the boundaries of the traditional family: why not include the marginalized in the world in YOUR circle of grace today (in honor of Jesus and Stephen!).

And from Wikipedia we receive the following information about St. Stephen's Day.

St Stephen's Day, or the Feast of St Stephen, is a Christian saint's day celebrated on 26 December in the Western Church and 27 December in the Eastern Church. Churches which adhere to the Julian calendar mark St Stephen's Day in January, although from their perspective they are celebrating it in December. It commemorates St Stephen, the first Christian martyr or protomartyr.

Be A Volunteer with VOM

With 2007 coming up quick on us in a few days I thought that I would highlight for you a great program that you may want to make part of your 2007.  Why not become a volunteer with The Voice of the Martyrs next year?

Oh...you didn't know you could do that?  Well, today is your day of providence from God because I have great news for you.  YOU can volunteer with VOM and there are many different ways you can.

For example, you can volunteer in a long term position, or with a  short term opportunities.

Be a doer of the Word and not merely a hearer only.  Learn more today  by visiting our VOM Volunteer website.  And you will be blessed as you serve.

Bibles Unbound Goes to Many Nations

On this day after Christmas I thought I'd share with you about how much I totally love Bibles Unbound.  This morning my husband, who is recovering from this yucky flu he had all day yesterday, and I mailed out 5 more bibles to China!

In fact, every month we get to mail bibles to China and pray for the recipients.  This is really a humbling privilege when you really consider what is happening when we do this.  We ARE sending the WORD of GOD to people who want it and who have to literally fight to get it in some cases.

Another thing that is cool is that Bibles Unbound has missions going to China, Egypt, Indonesia and rural Columbia.  And if you join Bibles Unbound you get to choose where you'd like to have your bibles sent.

To learn more, please visit the Bibles Unbound website.