Persecution Blog

New Prisoner to Write To: Dmitry Shestakov

We let you know about this dear Pastor when whe was first arrested in January.  Now we are highlighting him on the Prisoner Alert page.  Please take some time today to write a note of encouragement to Pastor Shestakov.

On January 21, 2007, Pastor Dmitry Shestakov was arrested in a raid on his Full Gospel Church in Andijan, Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan’s Religious Affairs Committee claims Shestakov, an evangelical pastor affiliated with the registered Full Gospel Church, is not an authorized leader of any officially-recognized religious organization in Uzbekistan. They describe him as an “imposter” leading an underground group identified as “Charismatic Pentecostals” engaged in proselytizing under Shestakov’s leadership. He is appealing his four-year labor camp sentence. We invite you to write a letter of encouragement to Pastor Shestakov. You can make a difference for this pastor, even as he is in prison. Write him a letter and pray God encourages him. Your letters make a difference, sometimes resulting in shorter prison terms. Send a letter of encouragement to Pastor Shestakov and also write to Uzbekistan’s government requesting he be released.

Handwriting the Bible

Have you visited VOM Groups lately?  If not, I really want to encourage you to click on over and join the conversation.  Right now  a conversation that is taking place is  about handwriting bibles as a way of remembering the persecuted church.  It's an amazing idea and also one that everyone can do.

Cynthia wrote the following and I wanted to share it with you.

As I have read about the many Christians who live in countries where Bibles are forbidden... I began last month to hand write the books of Paul. ...I think of the many brothers and sisters around the world hiding in dark rooms or underground caves to do what I am doing, copying God's word, and I pray for them. ... the persecuted church continues to inspire me day after day. I only wish I could tell them what their lives have done to radicalize my own spiritual journey. I am certain that there are days they question the purpose of suffering. In heaven it will all become clear!

Isn't that cool!  Jon thought so, and he wrote the following which is a wonderful testimony of commitment...and well, lack of commitment when you think about it. 

Dear Cynthia,

I was so happy to see your letter! I was also moved by those in the persecuted church who have to hand-copy the Scripture. When it was my turn to lead our home fellowship, I asked everyone to assume our Bibles were going to be confiscated the following week and we had two hours to copy any scripture we could by hand (no electronic copying, printing, pa sting or scanning). In the spirit of remembering those in chains, for two months or so, we used only the Scripture we had written down as our source for Bible reading and study. We used the honor system - we were not allowed to peek into our Bibles.

New Believer Jailed in Mexico for Receiving Christ

We would like to thank Compass Direct for sharing this news with us.  I find this story amazing...read on.

SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS, Mexico, April 16 (Compass Direct News) – Juan Mendez Mendez became a Christian in a village outside of this city in Chiapas state on April 7, and two days later local authorities put him in jail – for leaving their religious blend of Roman Catholicism and native custom. A catechist in a “traditionalist Catholic” church in the village of Pasté, the 25-year-old Mendez was released on Tuesday (April 10) after spending the night in jail. The previous Easter Sunday, political bosses in the Tzotzil Maya village noticed him missing from a church festival involving what Mendez considered to be idolatrous rites; they summoned him that evening. “They said, ‘What do you mean that you’ve accepted Christ – you mean you don’t believe in our gods [Catholic saints]?’” Mendez told Compass. “And I said, ‘Well, those were just apostles, and now I belong to Christ.’” Town leaders threatened to beat him. Mendez said he replied, “If you’re going to beat me, then here I am.”

Kidnapped Christian Boy Escapes Muslim Captors

Today I would like to share with you a good news story from our friends at Compass Direct. 

SOKOTO, Nigeria, April 17 (Compass Direct News) – A Christian boy kidnapped in November by Muslims who intended to convert him to Islam escaped last month and has returned to his family home. After four months in captivity, 13-year-old Victor Udo Usen fled from his Muslim captors on March 6 and ran to a shop run by his mother in the Mabera area of Sokoto, capital of the northern state of Sokoto. Esther Udo Usen, Victor’s mother, told Compass that she was in her shop when Victor came in. “He told me he escaped, and I had to contact his father immediately,” she said. “We arranged through a family friend to take him out of the city.”

Christian Bookstore Bombed by Terrorists

This morning WorldNetDaily is reporting that a Christian bookstore was bombed by a terrorist group called the Sword of Islam in the Gaza Strip.

Click here to read the full article, and please pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are being targeted for persecution.

This Weeks Persecution Blog Round-Up

Over the last couple of weeks I have had numerous entries for our round up and today I want to share them all with you.

Remember Your Brothers & Sisters

Converted Christian locked in cellar for 17 days

Remembering

Nigerian Teacher Beaten to Death for "Desecrating the Koran

Delusional!

Hope For The Persecuted

Faithful Unto Death

Pray for North Korea

Extreme Sides

Enjoy!

Banning Instruments of Religion

In a previous post I noted about how the ACLU went after the Gideons and a judge said that the bible is an "instrument of religion" which is why she thinks the bible should be banned from distribution.  And as I was thinking about the reason the bible is being "banned from distribution" I had a few thoughts concerning what else we should "ban" because the item is an "instrument of religion".

How about we ban every single religious book ever written for starters.  We can ban the book of Mormon, all of the Jehovah's Witnesses books and magazines, the Koran, all New Age writings, as well as everything that is used within religious services, including all of those hymn books.

We can ban grape juice and wine, bread wafers and all crackers.  We should also ban rosary beads and kleenex for when people cry at religious funerals.  Afterall, that kleenex is being used in a religious ceremony and is therefore "an instrument of religion".

OH, and let us not forget to ban the bombing materials of the militant Muslims, Hindus and others.  As well as their swords they use for beheading Christians.  We also cannot forget to ban the headscarves of the women or the belts that hold on the bombs these religious people use as their "instruments of religion".

In fact, why don't we just ban whole nations altogether and wipe them off the face of the earth...OH wait, sorry some people actually want to do that with Israel because they are God's people.

And of course, as you may guess, I'm poking at the ludicriousness of this idea of banning the bible as an "instrument of religion" because you bet that if it was anything I mentioned above, the media would be tripping over their spilt milk on their way to their computers and television prompters to decry and denouce the idiocy of the ban.

Afterall, grape juice is good for the heart isn't it?  And we need those big swords to chop down trees.  It wouldn't be fair to ban these things.  Yet, when one nutty judge says that the bible should be banned because it's an instrument of religion - people actually want to do it!  There is something seriously wrong with this picture...don't ya think?

The Gideons International Underfire from the ACLU

This morning as I was going through all of my email I receive and noted this  press release from The Liberty Counsel concerning the ACLU taking the Gideons International to court.  The press release said this in part:

"The ACLU filed suit, seeking to prohibit the Gideons from distributing Bibles under the policy. Judge Perry issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the distribution of the Bible, which she described as an "instrument of religion." Judge Perry also ruled the open access policy unconstitutional under a novel (and unconstitutional) theory that it must allow a private third party the opportunity to veto the distribution request of the private applicant."  You can read the full press release here.

Then later today I read this story also concerning the Gideons from a Finnish website where the debate is whether or not the Gideon bible can be placed in hotels.  The article begins this way...

Hilton's Scandic hotel chain has recommended to its Swedish hotels that The Bible should no longer be available in their hotel rooms. However, copies of The Bible as well as holy texts from other religions in various languages will be available at hotel receptions in Sweden.

And here's the reason why.  ONE person made a stink.

The hotel chain began to remove copies of The Bible from its rooms after receiving a letter from a guest named Stefan Jansson, who wrote that a hotel should be a non-religious place, treating all people equally, regardless of their religion, the Swedish newspaper
Svenska Dagbladet reports.

On the other hand, this article also says that Finland's Scandic hotels have not taken similar measures.

"We have discussed the matter, but it has not brought about any changes", says Jouko Liimatainen from Scandic Finland.      The copies of The Bible have been donated to the hotels by Suomen Gideonit ry, which belongs to The Gideons International, an evangelical Christian organisation dedicated to distributing copies of the book worldwide.       According to Jukka Grogerus from Suomen Gideonit, no Finnish hotel chains have refused to accept their copies.       "In fact, a copy of The Bible or the New Testament has become a part of the standard equipment at hotels", he adds.

However, Robert Brotherus from the Union of Freethinkers of Finland feels that The Bible does not belong to a hotel room "any better than a cookbook does". He believes that anyone wishing to read the scriptures on their travels will buy their own copy.

To which I would respond to the "Freethinker" - if Robert Brotherus truly believes in "Freethinking" then what is he so afraid of?  Doesn't it stand to reason that if he really believes in "freethinking" that a person who is in a hotel has the "freedom" to think for themselves concerning whether or not they should read the bible?

It's organizations like the ACLU and these "Freethinkers" who have closed minds. There is nothing "free" about trying to ban the world's best selling book and most influential book in history.

Persecution Blog Receives Thinking Blogger Award

  One of the fun things about being a blogger is that often times we have the honor of being nominated for blog awards.  Yesterday, I received an email from Persecution blogger, Cindy, who blogs at Inspiration Korner because she nominated me and this blog for the award.  This is what she wrote on her blog:

Stacy over at Persecution Blog is just amazing!!! She has such a love for those who are persecuted for their faith in God!! She works so hard at everything she does for those who are suffering. If you have never read her blog, make sure and stop by. If you have never thought about those who are persecuted for their faith, she is the one who will get you going!!!!

Wow...that is probably the nicest thing anyone has said about me Cindy! Thank you for your very kind words of support and encouragement.  I, as well as the others who blog on this blog, really appreciate your love and support.  This blog is a team effort and that includes all of YOU in the blog world who have made this a place to come and read and then pray for the persecuted.

The Church That Had Three Members for Nine Years

Have you ever wondered how persecuted Christians around the world maintain their joy and trust in Jesus Christ in the midst of great challenges. When we realize what they experience in order to continue their relationship and fellowship with Jesus, it puts certain things in our lives in perspective. This week I heard about a house-church in Malaysia that had three members for nine years. The Malaysian government does not permit native Malays to attend church, or purchase Bibles. Any other people group can openly attend services, but churches risk getting into trouble if they allow Malays to attend their services.

What stood out about this church were their perseverance, patience and dedication to Christ for nine years. I wondered if I would continue going to a church with three members for nine years. Since they could not attend church anywhere else, these precious believers exercised patience and believed God in the midst of their hardship. What they did moved and encouraged me to remember other persecuted believers who we might never hear about, but are faithfully maintaining their Christian witness and taking a stand for Jesus Christ. As you pray for persecuted believers this week, ask God to encourage and give them wisdom, boldness and protection as they face many different challenges