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Posts from April 2009
April 23, 2009
Massive Christian Celebration Allowed
Officials permit rare, open-air Easter event by unregistered groups.
HO CHI MINH CITY, April 22 (Compass Direct News) – In what religious freedom advocates regarded as a breakthrough in Vietnam, authorities granted rare permission to unregistered house church groups to hold a large, public Easter-related service here last night. More than 15,000 people gathered at Tao Dan Stadium to worship God, proclaim Christ and experience a rare sense of large-scale Christian unity, especially house church members accustomed to meeting in small groups. The only other such event granted to unregistered groups was an open-air meeting during Christmas of 2007 sponsored by the Vietnam Evangelical Fellowship (VEF, a house church umbrella group). At the event last night, the VEF endeavored to include all house churches, not just its own members, sources said. Unregistered groups holding an event that includes worship and evangelism outside a church building violates Vietnam’s restrictive religion laws, and the celebration – in which 1,200 people indicated they had decided to follow Christ – did not happen without struggles. Reluctant to endorse such Christian unity events, authorities demanded and got the removal of one of the organizers as a condition to consider approval. Officials did not grant permission until 4 p.m., just three hours before the event was to begin, though event organizers had requested permission several months prior.
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Convert Arrested for Marrying Christian
Couple goes into hiding as police place Islamic law over Egyptian penal code.
ISTANBUL, April 23 (Compass Direct News) – Christian convert Raheal Henen Mussa and her Coptic husband are hiding from police and her Muslim family for violating an article of Islamic law (sharia) that doesn’t exist in the Egyptian penal code. Police arrested Mussa, 22, on April 13 for marrying Sarwat George Ryiad in a customary marriage (zawag al ‘urfi), an unregistered form of matrimony in Egypt made without witnesses. Mussa’s family took her from police custody on Sunday (April 19), but she escaped from them on Tuesday (April 21). She and her husband fled Cairo and are in hiding. According to a strict interpretation of sharia, Muslim women are not permitted to marry non-Muslim men, although the opposite is allowed, and Article 2 of the Egyptian Constitution stipulates that sharia is the basis for legislation. The two have not committed a crime according to Egyptian law since they didn’t seek official marriage status, but police and Mussa’s family are pursuing them because they violated Islamic law, advocacy groups say. “They have not violated the law, but the family and the police are applying their own unwritten law,” said Helmy Guirguis, president of the U.K. Coptic Association.
Click here to read more of this story.
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April 21, 2009
Hindu Extremists Attack Another Church & Beat Members
This past Sunday, according to reports from Mission Network News and International Christian Concern, a group of Hindu extremists burst into a church service at Douglas Memorial Church, during the sermon and began yelling "Jai Shri Ram" which means "Victory to Lord Ram," referring to the Hindu deity, Rama. And they also took sticks and beat the members who were worshipping.
Read more about this story here.
My prayer: Gracious Heavenly Father, I first want to thank you for Your lovingkindness and Your mercies that are new every morning. Thank you also for the courage and the stand of the believers in this news story that took place in Maharashtra. Please bring quick healing and peace of mind to all involved. And I especially entreat You Lord, on behalf of those who were doing the persecuting. Father, please allow these individuals to see the Love of Christ being displayed through those they have persecuted, and I would boldly ask that You would save each one of them, so that they would come to serve You and turn their zealousness for You instead of away from You. Thank you Lord, for hearing my prayer - in the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
If you would like to pray for these Hindu's please do in the comments.
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Personal Reflections on Gao
I have personally been thinking a lot about Gao and his family, since I've been spreading the word about his torture and imprisonment. Today is day 76 of being held hostage by the Chinese government, simply for being a devoted follower of Jesus Christ.
This case has made me think long and hard about my own commitment to Jesus and also what I look at as "suffering" these days. In fact, just yesterday it was 105 degrees here in Southern California where I live, and I was on my way to work in the evening, and it was still 105 degrees, and I was thinking about how much I hated the heat and complaining a little bit inside of heart, about the heat. Yet, at the same time I was driving in a nice vehicle with air conditioning blowing cool air on me.
Not only did that reveal to me how trite I can be when it comes to complaining about SLIGHT discomfort, but it really convicted me as I thought about persecuted saints all over the place.
Last year I remember my church cutting a Sunday service short because it was "too hot" and we did not have air conditioning in the building. Yet, all over the world, Christians like Gao are being seriously tortured and abused and yet THEY worship despite their discomfort.
Then if you think about Gao's family and the suffering his wife and children are enduring, again, how trite is it that someone like me, complains about it being too hot, even when I have access to fans or an air conditioner.
I have come to the conviction that as a Western Christian, I'm a wimp. I'm being honest, and I also think that I'm not the only one. And as a result I have been driven to repent because I know that the Lord has blessed me more than I ever will Him, and I know that what suffering any of us endure is nothing compared to what Jesus went through for my sins.
Gao is a wonderful example to me, and he is one of my heroes. It would be one of the joys of my life if I could meet him personally, because this man HAS truly suffered and been TORTURED for Christ.
So, if you haven't signed the petition yet, please do it now - http://www.freegao.com
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Good News for Pastor Bike
Today we have some great news to report concerning Pastor Bike. China Aid has released the following press release.
April 20, 2009
HENAN – On April 17, at 9 a.m. local time, Pastor “Bike” Zhang Mingxuan was summoned to the Nanyang Public Security Bureau (PSB) office where authorities returned the 150,000 yuan that officials had confiscated from him on March 21 by the Beijing PSB. This action came as a direct result of international pressure after ChinaAid sent out a press release on the story. Pastor Bike told ChinaAid sources, “The authorities gave the money back, because of the pressure. Hallelujah! We will continue the ministry and fight for religious freedom.”
Pastor Bike, head of the more than 250,000-member Chinese House Church Alliance, was arrested and interrogated at 6 a.m. on March 21 by more than a dozen police officers in Beijing. Authorities confiscated his three cell phones, bank cards and more than 150,000 yuan from one of Pastor Bike’s bank accounts, before forcefully searching him and threatening him with death. Three hours later, Beijing authorities turned Pastor Bike over to three police officers from Pastor Bike’s hometown in Nanyang city, Henan province. Police then escorted Pastor Bike back to Nanyang by train, where he was questioned by local police. Beijing authorities later returned the bank cards and cell phones, but kept the 150,000 yuan.
ChinaAid, together with Pastor Bike, thank all around the world who spoke out on his behalf. The international pressure held Chinese authorities accountable, which directly led to the return of the funds. ChinaAid also acknowledges the Nanyang PSB and Beijing PSB for returning the funds.
ChinaAid grants permission to reproduce photos and/or information for non-fundraising purposes, with the provision that www.ChinaAid.org is credited. Please contact:[email protected] with questions or requests for further information.
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April 20, 2009
Put In Prison for Feeding Children
Mission Network News is reporting today that Christians continue to be persecuted in Uzbekistan. Many Christians are being put in prison or fined for simply sharing their faith with children.
One example of this is "Baptist deacon Pavel Nenno in Uzbekistan who was sentenced to 15 days in prison for feeding needy children. According to Forum 18, other believers say that he was simply "feeding neglected children from poor families." As a result, Nenno's home was raided by NSS secret police and he was jailed on March 27. He was quickly released but was later brought in for further questioning, resulting in his 15 day sentence."
The Mission Network News article goes on to share more incidents of this type of persecution, which I find amazingly sad.
However, despite these horrible instances of persecution for ones faith, we can know that each time a brother or sister is persecuted, that the words of our Lord Jesus Christ are being fulfilled, as He stated in Matthew 5:10 - " Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." - You can't get more right than feeding children.
Please keep in your prayers our family in Christ who are standing for righteousness and serving Him despite their suffering.
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The Gospel in Marxist Language
The paper was dirty, torn at the edges. The black ink marched across the page in an almost-illegible scrawl. At the bottom, the letter was signed—Ricardo.
“I write from a Communist guerrilla camp in Peru. Recently, I searched for some radio programs to cheer me up. The hate-filled programs of my comrades were empty to me. Then I came across your program, ‘The Gospel in Marxist Language.’ You said that Jesus, the great teacher, talked about pardoning one’s enemies.
“That passage drove itself into the deepest part of my
being. Suddenly, I experienced peace, and I wept like a child. I don’t
understand what has happened.
“My parents had been victims of an
exploiting landowner, and I had hated the rich all my life. But for
some reason, I don’t hate anymore. I can’t explain it. Is it possible
for me not to hate?
“That was the first time I heard your
program. How happy I have become. Now I shall not miss a single one. I
want to read the book you spoke about.”
Later, Ricardo left the guerrillas to join a church. Two years later, he returned to the camp, hoping to tell his former comrades about his Savior. He has not been heard from since. If he died, he did so with love for those who killed him.
One of human
nature’s most poisonous emotions is hatred. It has been compared to an
acid that eats through its own container. Those who hate soon find
themselves destroyed by their own bitterness. However, a believer has a
spiritual nature that can be victorious over one’s natural
inclinations. Jesus shows people how to have love for their enemies,
and they are changed as a result. The transformation can happen so
quickly that the convert does not know where the years of built-up
hatred went! Are you poisoning your own soul with hatred? Do vengeful
thoughts keep you awake at night? Turn to Jesus for healing from
hatred. Pardon your offenders today and find hope for tomorrow.
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Podcast with Todd Nettleton
This past Saturday, Todd Nettleton was a guest on Talking It Over with Janet Parshall and we now have the podcast ready for you to enjoy.
Click here to listen to this great half hour interview.
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April 17, 2009
Radio Alert: Todd Nettleton Will Appear on Talking It Over
Join Todd Nettleton tomorrow morning as he talks to great friend of The Voice of the Martyrs, Janet Parshall, on her Saturday program Talking It Over.
Todd will be on the air with Janet at 12 PM CST, 10 AM Pacific and 1 PM Eastern.
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