Persecution Blog

We're Thankful That God Sets the Prisoners Free

Luke 4:18-19 "The Spirit of the Lord is on Me; because of this He has anointed Me to proclaim the Gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives, and new sight to the blind, to set at liberty those having been crushed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

 

We know from the living word of God that Jesus fulfilled the words from Luke 4:18-19 and not only do we rejoice that Christ came to save the entire world from our sin, but we rejoice that His love and forgiveness is still available to anyone who asks.

This year has been an amazing year of persecution for the follower of Christ, especially in restricted and communist nations.  This year has also been an amazing year of deliverance and seeing the Lord answer millions of prayers on behalf of the persecuted church.

Let's look at just a few of the answers to prayer and give thanks again, to our precious Lord Jesus, who heard our prayers and who truly, and literally set these captives free from their time in prison.

Eritrea: Christian Women Released from Prison before they were to give birth.

China: Shi Weihan Released - Shi was highlighted on our Prisoner Alert page.

Pastor Bike Was Released - He's been faithful through many trials and the Lord always prevails.

Iran: Seven Christians Released - A time of rejoicing for all!

An Interview with Maryam & Marzieh About Their Time in Prison - They made international news and gave the Lord glory through their trial.

Said Musa Released from Prison & No Longer on Death Row - You may recall this story also made international headlines.

Iran: Prisoner Vahik Abrahamian Released! - Another story that was international in its coverage.

China: Yang Caizhen Released - Another beautiful sister freed!

And we could write more, but I wanted to just remind you, as we prepare for Thanksgiving tomorrow, just how much our living Lord God answers our prayers and sets the captives free!

Give thanks for the lives of our family in Christ who have suffered and stood firm for Christ.  Rejoice that Jesus saves and that He delivers.  Amen!

Propaganda On Tour - Don't Forget Gao Zhisheng

The following is from Mission Network News and cites our sister organization The Voice of the Martyrs Canada. 

China (MNN) ― Three former Chinese house church leaders recently left the Dallas Theological Seminary quite upset after attending its Chinese Bible exhibition “Thy Word Is Truth”.

According to Voice of the Martyrs, Canada’s source, CHINAaid, the three Chinese house church leaders felt that the display of Chinese Bibles is leading North Americans to believe that Christians in China have religious freedom. All three of the house church leaders denouncing the exhibit’s propaganda have been imprisoned themselves for their faith in Christ Jesus.

A forum was held on November 11 at Northwest Bible Church in Dallas to discuss the exhibit of Chinese Bibles. The discussion was led by representatives of China's government-controlled church and two professors from Dallas Theological Seminary.

Reverend Kan Baoping, General Secretary of China Christian Council, stated at the discussion forum, “[We are here] mainly because some people in America continue to believe there is a need to smuggle Bibles into China… and Christians are being persecuted in our country. If we Christians in China were really under persecution, would we be able to come here and do all the ministries we do in China?”

Further claims to support their case included the fact that China’s government-run Amity Press recognizes millions of Bibles published in their country.

But the facts reveal something more. While there are millions of Bibles published in China, nearly two-thirds of those are exported and the rest are only sold in churches registered under the government’s management umbrella known as the “Three-Self”. Not much is left for believers in churches who refuse to register under government control.

Also, the 2011 publication of the World Watch List has China listed as number 16 under the “severe limitations” category in a long list of countries where Christians are persecuted.

This is the third time the “Three-Self” of China has sent its “Thy Word Is Truth” on tour through North America. The exhibit has already been shown in Washington, D.C. and Chicago.

Please continue to remember and pray for our brothers and sisters who are suffering for the name of Christ in China. Pray for strength and courage within the Chinese church and for the wrongs they endure to be exposed to the world and stopped.

Please also consider going to our Prisoner Alert page and writing any of the prisoners we have highlighted from China.  China is a Communist country and our brothers and sisters in Christ do not have the religious freedom that sadly, many think they do....which means their overwhelming propaganda campaign is successful in deceiving many.

Please also do not forget one of the most highlighted prisoners from China we have ever highlighted, Gao Zhisheng, you can learn more about Gao and how he has been suffering under the Chinese now for well over 1022 days and is still missing!

Islam: What You Need to Know

It was only a few weeks ago that we were sharing with you daily, during the month of Ramadan, how important it is to continually pray for those who are in the religion of Islam, to come and know the personal saving love and joy, that can only be found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

I wanted to offer a wonderful resource today that I know will help equip you with information in ministering to those who do not yet know Jesus.

The Voice of the Martyrs bookstore offers a small little guide, written by bible scholar and teacher, Dr. Ron Rhodes, for only $2 .  Here's more information:

A quick-reference guide to help you learn about Islam’s doctrine, beliefs and teachings and contrasted with Christianity. It also includes information on how to witness to Muslims.

Please consider getting this for yourself and also sharing with others.  We want all to come to know Jesus!  

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Christians Injured in Attack in Vietnam Denied Medical Care

As you read this story from our friends at Compass Direct, keep in mind that Vietnam is a Communist country and considered a restricted nation. 

The Christian population in Vietnam is about 8 percent and Christians in Vietnam are persecuted on a regular basis.

In the story below you'll read about how Christians were not given the needed medical help they needed, after being attacked, because they are Christians.

House church network leaders finally resort to private hospital far from attack site.

HANOI, Vietnam, November 22 (CDN) — Three Christians seriously injured during a savage attack near Hanoi on Nov. 13 have been evacuated to an undisclosed hospital in Ho Chi Minh City after several hospitals in the region refused to examine and treat them.


The attack on a church leaders’ worship service of an Agape Baptist Church (ABC) house church in Lai Tao village, Bot Xuyen commune, My Duc district left one woman, evangelist Nguyen Thi Lan, with her pelvis broken in two places and with badly damaged internal organs, according to doctors who recommended emergency surgery. Yet previously doctors at three area hospitals had told her and two other seriously injured Christians that they were fine and dismissed them, said Pastor Nguyen Cong Thanh, head of the ABC.


When doctors in Vietnam learn that religious motives play a role in violence, commonly they do not dare to treat or even examine the victims of persecution.


ABC head Nguyen Cong Thanh had rushed north from his base in Ho Chi Minh City to help the church members. The attack took place in the home of the injured Nguyen Thi Lan (not that of pastor Nguyen Danh Chau as previously reported), a recently retired Communist Party official who converted to Christianity only last year.


Within that short time she had led some 50 extended family members, friends and neighbors to the Christian faith, angering a fellow villager identified only by his given name, Khoan. Khoan and his son led a gang into her house and beat several people, leaving pastor Nguyen Danh Chau unconscious and destroying property, sources said. Khoan repeatedly threatened to kill Nguyen Thi Lan, and the gang of about a dozen threatened to kill Nguyen Danh Chau if he continued gathering Christians for worship, the sources said.


ABC head Nguyen Cong Thanh said he tried to obtain medical examinations and treatment for the worst wounded in several government clinics and hospitals in the region, but the injured were continually told they needed no care. After a nearly a week, the three most severely injured Christians still suffered acute pain, and they suspected serious internal injuries, he said.


Late Friday (Nov. 18), five days after the attack, staff members at one hospital told Nguyen Cong Thanh that there would be no examinations the next day and Sunday, and to come back on Monday (Nov. 21), when examinations were possible.


At that point ABC leaders decided to take the two injured women and wounded man to Ho Chi Minh City, a 1,000-mile, two-hour flight south. They reasoned that even if government hospitals would not take them, they would certainly find some doctors with a conscience in private hospitals, even though such hospitals would be expensive and would require a full-payment deposit before examination and treatment.
 

Nguyen Thi Lan, who had not been able to eat since the attack, was admitted to a hospital immediately after her examination, as the doctors discovered her doubly broken pelvis and severely injured female organs.


Pastor Nguyen Danh Chau, who had severe bruises on his face and head, had also been kicked in his back, chest and stomach. Doctors diagnosed internal injuries to his kidneys, liver and perhaps other organs. He too was admitted for further observation and treatment. Nguyen Thi Tac, who had been hit with a steel shovel on her chest and stomach as well as her back, was also still in considerable pain, but a medical examination found no serious internal injuries and she was not admitted to the hospital.


In Khoan’s rants during the attack, sources said, he charged that the land, now legally owned by Nguyen Thi Lan, had once belonged to his ancestors, implying that the ancestors would be angry that the current residents no longer worshipped them. Blurry cell-phone photos of the attack show a sullen Khoan in a tug-of-war with a woman trying to hang on to the wooden cross he had torn off the wall of the large room the Christians used for worship.


The invading gang destroyed furniture and seriously damaged motorbikes, a small vegetable garden and fruit trees before leaving (see www.compassdirect.org, “House Church Leaders Attacked near Hanoi, Vietnam,” Nov. 16), sources said.


The injured Christians wrote a petition to police indicating the articles of the criminal code that had been violated, but officers have done nothing about Khoan’s death threats nor helped to redress the damage done to the Christians and their property.


While not opposing the attempt at securing legal redress, the affected Christians’ top leader, Nguyen Cong Thanh, encouraged the injured Christians to show forbearance.


“I pray that you will patiently endure your suffering for Jesus’ sake without bitterness,” he told them. “Know that the blood you spilled is now joined with Christ’s blood in suffering.”


He said officials have failed to prosecute the perpetrators.


“They remain beyond the reach of the law and dare the authorities and the Christians, saying, ‘If we are not imprisoned, we will surely murder Ms. Lan if she ever returns.’”


A long-time Vietnam religious liberty advocate said there is a growing pattern of strong social persecution in Vietnam where new Christian groups flourish.


“It is also the pattern that local police and government officials are loathe to prosecute those who harm Christians or to extend protection to threatened Christian believers,” he said. “In this incident, Christians recognized some police and local officials dressed in civilian clothes among those who took part in the original attack on the house church on Nov. 13.”

Jesus Christ Is Banned In Pakistan

Pakistan (MNN) ― For Pakistani Christians who name the name of Christ using their cell phone, there's a new hurdle.  

Voice of the Martyrs spokesman Todd Nettleton explains, "The story begins with a letter from the telecommunications authority in Pakistan. They have sent a letter to the cell phone companies there with a long list of words, about 1500 of them, that they say, 'if these words are in a text message, then you need to block that text message'."  

According to government authorities, the order was an attempt to block spam messages in both English and Urdu.  Nettleton acknowledges that,  "A lot of the words are obscenities, or sexual words or things,",  and their place on the block list was obvious.   But, he says,  "one of the terms that they've marked for blocking is 'Jesus Christ', the name of our Savior. It's interesting to see that listed in a list of words that they want to have blocked."

The reasons for blocking 'Jesus Christ' were less clear, raising questions about religious freedom and practicality.  "It presents the idea that Christians can be singled out through their cell phones through their text messages. So, in a country like Pakistan, where it's legal to be a Christian, except if you were a Muslim, and now you're an apostate and following Christ, does this mean that the government is looking at people's text messages and trying to single out who are Christians and who aren't?"

He goes on to explain that,  "They are allowed, under a 1996 law, to prevent people from sending information that's false, fabricated, indecent or obscene."  Any word could conceivably be part of a spam message, but it's the next phrase defining what is ' false, fabricated, indecent or obscene' that raises red flags.    "They go on to say they have the right to restrict free speech 'in the interest of the glory of Islam.'"

Due to the difficulties  presented by Pakistan's blasphemy law,  believers have been careful about how they handle Gospel work.  Nettleton says they have also gotten creative with their use of the  technologies available. "There are ministries that are sending Scripture text messages, they're sending evangelistic text messages. In some cases, they're literally sending videos from phone to phone to present the Gospel."

Cell phone companies had seven days to implement the order, which went into effect on November 21.   Ministries had less time to react.    For some, outreach will be compromised.  "It seems like that would single out Christians who are doing ministry, who are doing evangelism, who are doing anything that would be seen as  not 'in the interest of the glory of Islam.'"

Could this move be a precursor to Hate Speech/literature action that criminalizes following Christ?  Similar moves have already been made in Australia, Sweden, Canada and, to a lesser extent, the United States.  Nettleton responds,  "I don't know if this is likely to cause more issues, or if this is pretty much an example of the issues that already exist there. The church faces an uphill battle to be recognized, to be protected by the government."

Islamists have the influence to sway government response.  Last year, the government temporarily banned Facebook because of material on the site deemed offensive to Islam. Pakistan has also blocked pornographic websites and ones deemed anti-Islamic.  However, the definition of what is 'anti-Islamic' is very loose, which leads Nettleton to add, "Pray for the safety of the Christians who are working and witnessing in Pakistan."

Source: Mission Network News

Will You Help Us Reach Our Goal of 1000 Letters Written to Pastor Irani?

Last week we were so excited to share with you that we had 791 letters written to Pastor Irani, and we asked you to help us reach 1000 letters by the end of November.  I'm so thankful that another 103 letters were written last week bringing a total of 894 letters that have been written to our brother!  We only have 106 more letters to write to meet our initial goal of 1000.  Will you write a letter today?

   Click here to visit Prisoner Alert and write him today.  It's very very easy.

Here is a more detailed information from our Prisoner Alert page.

Behnam Irani, a 41-year-old pastor from Kraj, Iran, was convicted of crimes against national security in January 2011 and sentenced to one year in prison. After voluntarily surrendering to authorities on May 31 to begin his sentence, he learned that he would be forced to serve five years in connection with a previous conviction.

Officers from the Ministry of Intelligence and National Security (MOIS) raided Irani’s house church on April 14, 2010, and assaulted him before taking him into custody. Although he was released on bail two months after his arrest, he later received the one-year prison sentence.

When Irani voluntarily began serving his sentence in May 2011, he was prepared to spend one year in prison. But he received a letter in October stating that he must now serve five years from his previous sentence.

Irani was first arrested in December 2006 and tried for crimes against national security. He was released in January 2007 but was soon re-arrested, tried and sentenced to five years in prison. Irani was never called to serve the sentence that is now being held against him.

Irani became a pastor in 2002, 10 years after becoming a Christian. Please pray for his wife and two children as they wait for him to return home.

You may also write a letter of encouragement to Pastor Irani to let him know you are praying for him. Please do not speak negatively of the Iranian government in your letter or mention the name of the organization that provided this information.

 

Thank you for taking the time to write Pastor Irani today.  Please click here to write him via our Prisoner Alert page.  Thank you.

Iranian Pastor Youcef Update

 

This is an update on Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani from The Voice of the Martyrs. He’s the house church leader who is facing execution for apostasy:

An attorney for Nadarkhani said if the Ayatollah Khomeini does not respond to the two letters sent to him by the 11th Circuit Court of Gilan, the court will issue a ruling in the pastor’s case by mid-December.

The court says it will wait only one month. The court asked the supreme leader to issue a final decision in the matter, but so far he has refused to get involved.

Pastor Nadarkhani remains in Lakan prison in Iran’s Gilan Province. VOM said he is continuing to stand strong in his faith and remains in good spirits and health.

His family and members of his church are asking Christians to pray that God will sustain him and give him courage and boldness to testify to those around him.

You can write a letter to him in his own (Farsi) language at VOM's Prisoner Alert.

Source: Hat tip to CBN News for the continuing coverage.

Persecution Continues for Pastor of Chinese House Church

A few months ago I shared with you that I have two friends who recently went to China on long term missions trips.  One is a young man who decided to go to China to teach English who recently sent me a note and asked for prayer.  Another friend is a young woman who went to China to also teach English, but she did it with a missions group and has also recently shared with me that her experience with the underground church in China, was amazing.  She told me the church was thriving.

Today, as I read more about the persecution happening to Pastor Shi Enhao and his church, I am again reminded how important our prayers are.  Pastor Shi Enhao was sentenced to two years of re-education-through-labor for illegally establishing a church.  Please keep him in your prayers.

Please also pray for his church as they constantly endure the persecution of the communist government in China that has no intent on letting  Christians worship freely.

You can learn more about this church at China Aid.  Thank you again for your prayers.

Who Do You Choose - Your Family or Jesus?

“Munira, you have five minutes before I kill you. Whom do you choose—your family or Jesus?”

    For months, Munira had tried to keep her faith a secret; she loved her family so much and had no desire to hurt them. But when her father made arrangements for Munira to marry, she told them of her love for Christ.
    

     Munira was down to her last ounce of faith. She answered her father, “I must choose Jesus.” He was so enraged that his beautiful daughter would turn against the family by denying her Islamic upbringing in Tajikistan that he beat her for another two hours.
    

     But God intervened. A Christian friend took her to safety for a period of time. Munira said, “During my time away, God revealed his faithfulness to me, and after much prayer, I knew it was time to reconcile with my beloved family.”
    

     When she returned home, everyone was happy except her father. His first words were, “I hate you! Get out! My daughter died three months ago!”
    

     Devastated, Munira wept at her father’s feet saying, “My God told me to come back to you. I will never leave you, even if you beat and kill me.”
    

     Her father broke down and hugged Munira. He soon resigned himself to her new faith and even agreed to let her attend Bible College.

Some readers get so caught up in a story that they read ahead to see what will happen. They skip one chapter ahead or maybe turn to the back of the book. They simply must know if the hero wins out in the end. They need to see if everything will work out as planned. Unfortunately, you can’t read ahead in your life’s story. Like Munira, you must take it one chapter, one day at a time. Like her, you will not be disappointed in the results. Are you anxious to see where your obedience will lead? Do you want to find out what God has planned for you next? The best you can do is obey today and leave tomorrow to God.

Source: This is an excerpt from the best selling book Extreme Devotion

Evangelist Shot Dead in Pakistan

This is a heartbreaking story to have to share with you all, so as you read it, please keep the family of  the martyred in your prayers.   The father that was shot and murdered in cold blood was a devout follower of Christ and leaves behind a grieving wife, three daughters and two sons.  Pray for the Lord's comfort to be upon the family and also that his death is not in vain.

Christian who wanted to serve the poor had received threats from area Muslims.

KARACHI, Pakistan, November 18 (CDN) — An evangelist was shot dead here on Wednesday (Nov. 16) by an unidentified gunman in what his family believes was a radical Muslim group’s targeting of a Christian.

Zahid Jameel, 25, told Compass that his father, Jameel Saawan, and a helper were opening the doors of their cosmetics shop in the Gulshan-e-Iqbal area of Pakistan’s commercial hub of Karachi on Wednesday morning when a young man appeared and shot his father, first in the neck and then in the face.

The assassin fled on a motorcycle on which two people were waiting, keeping watch for him, Jameel said.

“We firmly believe that my father was killed because of his preaching of the Bible, because there is no other reason,” Jameel said.

His father had not spoken of any threats on his life in recent weeks, though he had received threats after voicing his desire to start a welfare organization for poor Christians in the Essanagri area of Karachi two years ago, Jameel said.

“That could not materialize after he started receiving threats from some unknown forces,” Jameel said. “We do not know who threatened him, but my mother persuaded him not to put his life in danger, for our sake.”

Nevertheless, Jameel said that his father continued to preach and was widely respected for being a vocal supporter of the Christian community.

“We live in a rented apartment and our shops are also on lease – we don’t have any property, and no enemies, which is why we are shocked by our father’s killing,” he said. “It wasn’t a robbery, because the assassin only walked towards my father and shot at him.”

Zahid said that his mother was in a state of shock, as were his three sisters and older brother, Shahid.

“Our father has been gunned down for no reason at all,” Jameel said. “He used to share the Word with Muslims, but I have never heard that he entered into an argument with any person.”

Jameel said that the family had moved to Karachi from Quetta about 10 years ago, with his father starting the cosmetics business two years later.

“My father was a very religious man, and some years ago he decided that it was time for him to reach out to the people and share the Good News with them,” he said. “Every day he would visit several families to share the Word of God and was very content with his life.”

His father used to sit with him at his shop from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m., then go off to visit Christian families to share the Bible, Jameel said. On the day of the murder, however, his father reached the shop 15 minutes ahead of him.

“The young boy who helps me in my shop told us that he was opening the locks of the other door when he heard a gunshot,” he said. “The boy then saw my father trying to grasp the assailant, but the man fired another bullet that hit my father in the cheek and exited from the back of his head, killing him instantly.”

Michael Javed, a former member of the Sindh provincial assembly, told Compass that he had known the victim for several years, as both of them are from Quetta.

“Saawan was a very good man and was always eager to help his community,” Javed said. “I also think that he was killed by some religious forces, because he had shared with me once that he was receiving threats from some quarters.”

The former legislator said that no one had come forward to record statements with the police because of fears for their security, and it was highly unlikely that Saawan’s killers would be caught.

“There used to be quite a few cases of such nature in Sindh, but now the situation for minorities is worsening,” he said. “The government needs to make efforts to provide security to our people.”

Napolean Qayyum of the Pakistan People’s Party Minorities Wing told Compass that the PPP-led Sindh government would make all possible efforts to apprehend Saawan’s killers.

“President Asif Zardari’s spokesman has told me that the president had tasked Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wassan to investigate the incident and report back to him,” he said, adding that Wassan was likely to visit the family today.

Sharing Life Ministry’s Sohail Johnson said he regretted that the killing of the evangelist would instill further fear in Christians in the city.

“Pastor Saawan’s brutal murder shows that the forces of extremism and intolerance will go to any extent to disrupt peace and harmony in Pakistan,” he said.

Although police registered the case on Wednesday (Nov. 16), they have yet to make any progress in the investigation, sources said.

Saawan’s family was preparing for his burial today, still holding onto some hope that one day his killers will be brought to justice.

Source:  Compass Direct