Persecution Blog

President Proclaims January 16 “Religious Freedom Day”

   

SAUDI ARABIA – President George W. Bush has proclaimed January 16, 2008, Religious Freedom Day.

In a proclamation released by the White House during President Bush’s visit to Saudi Arabia, he called on all Americans, “to reflect on the great blessing of religious liberty, endeavor to preserve this freedom for future generations, and commemorate this day with appropriate events and activities.”

President Bush added, “In an era during which an unprecedented number of nations have embraced individual freedom, we have also witnessed the stubborn endurance of religious repression. Religious freedom belongs not to any one nation, but to the world, and my Administration continues to support freedom of worship at home and abroad. On Religious Freedom Day and throughout the year, we recognize the importance of religious freedom and the vital role it plays in spreading liberty and ensuring human dignity.”

On Religious Freedom Day Americans celebrate the 1786 passage of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, which greatly influenced the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights, promising religious freedom to all Americans.

“How interesting that President Bush would announce this proclamation from Saudi Arabia, which is consistently one of the worst persecutors of Christians in the world,” said Todd Nettleton, Director of Media Development for The Voice of the Martyrs. “This is an important day to thank God for the freedoms that we enjoy in this country. It’s also an opportunity to remember to pray for our brothers and sisters in restricted nations, like Saudi Arabia, where they are persecuted, arrested and sometimes even killed simply for being a follower of Christ.”

Pray for Christians in restricted nations who risk their all because of their relationship with Christ. Ask God to protect them and give them grace to remain faithful in spite of persecution. You can encourage persecuted Christians in a practical way by writing letters to Christian prisoners in restricted nations at www.prisoneralert.com.

                          

Being A Christian Means Having Some Enemies

“I lost all my friends at school. Now that I’ve begun to ‘walk my talk,’ they make fun of me.” Rachel’s journal entries showed her disappointment that the very people to whom she wanted to show Christ’s love turned away from her. But she wouldn’t give in.

    “I am not going to apologize for speaking the name of Jesus. I will take it. If my friends have to become my enemies for me to be with my best friend, Jesus, then that’s fine with me. I always knew being a Christian means having enemies, but I never thought that my ‘friends’ were going to be those enemies.”

    Rachel was a student at Columbine High School on the day two students opened fire in the school. One gunman asked her if she still believed in God. She looked him in the eye and said yes, she still believed. He asked her why, but he didn’t let her answer before killing her.

    Rachel Scott passed her test, and because she did, her light reached beyond her school to around the world. Long before the test came, Rachel expressed her willingness to give her all for Christ. The words from her journal, written exactly one year before her death, tell about her commitment: “I am not going to hide the light that God has put into me. If I have to sacrifice everything, I will.”

Faith is the invisible expression of our personal relationship with Christ. The Bible characterizes people’s faith as a light—a diffusion of hope that affects everyone around them. Jesus chose this illustration because of light’s inability to be restrained. For example, reading by flashlight under the covers, unknown to the average child, is hardly effective in terms of disguising late-night activity! Light simply shines by its very nature—despite our attempts to restrain it. Likewise, tension arises in believers’ lives when they must choose to fully express their faith or attempt to muffle it someway. With the reliability of the daily sunrise, those who have affirmed their decision once and for all find shining their light to be second nature.

Todd Nettleton LIVE on Janet Parshall's AmericaToday at 4:30 PM EST

In hour 3 of Janet Parshall's America today, our very own Todd Nettleton from The Voice of the Martyrs joins Janet to talk about Christian persecution in China and around the world.  You can listen LIVE to the interview at www.wava.com  or visit www.jpamerica.com to listen to the show archived after 6 PM EST.

Persecution Exploded in India During 2007

In January 2007, it was predicted that incidents of persecution in India were going to increase considerably. Despite this, I do not think I was prepared for what actually happened. I do not remember a week going by without hearing about attacks against believers in different parts of India. Compass Direct News reports, “With more than 800 attacks around Christmas time in Orissa state, the number of attacks on Christians in 2007 crossed 1,000 for the first time since India’s independence in 1947.” That’s incredible!

Every time I hear about incidents of persecution, I am amazed and encouraged by the courage and faithfulness of our brothers and sisters. The recent attacks in Orissa state are of great concern because they seemed to be systematically organized by Hindu extremists. The Voice of the Martyrs contacts in India report, “Four Christians were confirmed dead, at least six seriously injured and numerous others are missing and presumed dead.”

I encourage you to pray for India and ask God to protect our brothers and sisters who face difficult situations. As you pray for the persecuted church in 2008, remember believers who continually risk their all for Christ. Praise God for these precious saints!

Join Us In Praying for the Persecuted in India

Please feel free to leave your prayer or comment for those in India who are suffering for Jesus Christ.

Re:Zound Shares How They Shared the Gospel Openly in Vietnam

Normally I wouldn't be promoting a Christian band on this blog, but in this case I made an exception because this Christian band Re:Zound recently joined me to talk about their first debut album Abandoned to  God and their ministry work in communist Vietnam.

What happened was that I stumbled upon a video of this band preaching the gospel openly in Vietnam, and I posted it here - please watch it.

Then after you finish watching the video please take a break and listen to our 30 minute podcast and hear how Jason Anderson, the lead singer of Re:Zound, shares how the Lord literally did many miracles so that their band could worship openly and lift of the name of Jesus.  You will be inspired and encouraged to be bold in your faith.

Click here to download and listen to the show now!

Coordinated Blasts Rock Churches in Iraq

Bombs on significant day of liturgical calendar end period of relative calm.

ISTANBUL, January 7 (Compass Direct News) – Four Iraqi churches and three convents were damaged in coordinated bomb blasts yesterday morning, the day many Iraqi Christians celebrate either Epiphany or Christmas Eve according to some Eastern liturgical calendars. At least six people were injured, one seriously.

 

“Three churches in Baghdad and three in Mosul [were hit], but there were no fatalities,” Chaldean Baghdad Auxiliary Bishop Andreas Abouna told Compass from Baghdad today. He said that the blasts occurred within five minutes of each other at approximately 11 a.m.

Other news coverage on this serious attack in Iraq and her churches.

Iraq Cardinal: Christians not singled out for attack
- no, apparently it was just away to show that Iraq is not at peace.

Seven Churches Bombed in Iraq - Christian Post

- “I’m very upset. That the explosions went off at the same time proves that this was part of a plan,” said Mosul’s Chaldean archbishop, Farac Raho, on the TV channel Ishtar, according to the Assyrian International News Agency (AINA)."

Turkish Judge Releases Minor Who Threatened Pastor

The following news is courtesy of our friends at Compass Direct.  Please visit here to see the full story, which is extremely fascinating.

(Compass Direct News) – A Turkish judge in the Black Sea coastal city of Samsun on Sunday (January 6) set free a teenager who confessed to making death threats against a pastor and his church, a day after authorities arrested the minor. Judge Sinan Sonmez of Samsun’s First Minor Petty Offenses Court ruled that 17-year-old Semih Seymen be freed “because of his youth.” Seymen told police he called pastor Orhan Picaklar of Samsun Agape Church several times starting December 29, threatening to kill him. In an official protest filed today at the Samsun court, Picaklar objected to the decision to release the defendant. “The defendant openly confessed,” Picaklar told today’s daily Taraf newspaper. “He said he was going to do a massacre tomorrow, the police heard him say this over the telephone, but because he is ‘underage’ he is set free?”

Rely On God's Word As If Your Life Depended Upon It

Brother Ho was sick and running a fever when he and his friend stepped into the icy waters of the Mekong River. They were Bible students in Laos before the Communist soldiers overran their college.

    They barely escaped with their lives on their way to Thailand. They could not say goodbye to their families, who were not Christians, because they might be turned over to the police. So they said a silent prayer and stepped into the cold, muddy, river with precious cargo strapped to their backs—Bibles wrapped in plastic. Other earthly possessions were left behind.

    Ho thought to himself, “Lord, at least if we die, they will know we are Christians and hopefully read one of these Bibles.”

    About halfway across the river, Ho’s friend desperately shifted the plastic bag under his chest to float on it. The sudden splashing noise alerted the guards in a nearby tower, and they shined a spotlight onto the river. The light flashed over one of the plastic bundles and the guard dismissed it as just a fish.

    Relieved, Ho and his friend quietly made their way to the Thailand side of the river. They thanked God that their Bibles contained the words of eternal life and had also saved their lives that night. After arriving to safety, they dedicated themselves to ministering in the many refugee camps of Thailand.

The missionaries in this story were relying on more than paper and leather binding to save them. They relied on God. Still, their midnight river crossing gives us an accurate picture of the role the Bible should play in our lives. We are to rely on God’s Word as if our very lives depended on it. We are unlikely to find ourselves in a situation where this truth becomes a literal reality. However, the illustration is valid. We must cling to the promises of Scripture to preserve our lives. When we are in trouble, we cannot swim far enough on our own to get us out of a mess. We must “float” on God’s Word, or we will altogether sink.

                                                                                                                                            

Jesus Preached in Vietnam

This morning I received a press release about this Christian band called Rezound who the Lord opened the doors for them to worship and preach Christ opening in Vietnam. Watch this two minute video and see the joy of the Vietnamese Christians.