Persecution Blog

Ten Ways to Present Persecution to the Next Generation

 “Discipleship of one’s household isn’t only for Christians in persecuted and restricted nations. It isn’t only for pastors, youth pastors, and elders…it’s for the whole body of Christ.” — Pastor Eric Foley, VOM’s project partner for North Korea

“Let us then as Christians prepare ourselves now and be sure that our children have a clear example before them if their turn comes.” — Foreword to Pastor Richard Wurmbrand’s Preparing for the Underground Church

Christians have the responsibility of passing biblical truths to the next generation. Stories of persecuted Christians teach children that believers are not disappointed when they decide to test those truths to the fullest. Children can learn from an early age about the joys of standing firm for Christ in times of difficulty, and about being part of the global body of Christ.

The following are ways parents and non-parents can present information about Christian persecution to children:

1. Be a volunteer reader at a Christian school. Would the children like to hear about St. Nicholas, St. Valentine, and St. Patrick? Their stories provide examples of Christians whose faith remained strong when they faced obstacles.

2. Talk to children on their level. Adults can convey the struggles endured by persecuted Christians without including graphic descriptions or age-inappropriate concepts. For example, a VOM worker shared with her 3-year-old son that everything had been taken from some Christians in Iraq, even their toys. Her explanation brought the situation to her son’s level. (Find another example discussed here.

3. Lead or sponsor a persecution-related VBS. Add stories of persecuted Christians to the lessons, or donate a VOM Kids of Courage VBS curriculum to a church.

4. Write a song. Few Christian children’s songs address the joys of being “more than conquerors.” Share your song with a children’s group.

5. Show or donate Torchlighters DVDs to a group.

6. Invite a missionary or a Christian from a restricted country to visit your family or church and share stories of their lives. Read missionary stories or share missionary biographies with children. Pray with children for missionaries. Suggest missionary stories for book report assignments.

7. Help a teacher. Offer to substitute for a Sunday school teacher or other children’s group leader. Find free downloadable lesson plans at KidsofCourage.com.

8. Donate age-appropriate children’s persecution-related material to a dentist, doctor, mechanic, or hair salon for their waiting room. Public libraries and church libraries may also accept donated materials.

9. Help a class put on a program. Offer to direct a skit and/or program about persecuted Christians with a class, homeschool group, Christian scouting group, or other afterschool group. Invite others in the community.

10. Visit www.KidsofCourage.com. Find further information and activities to share with children. Encourage children to get involved in serving, raising awareness about, and praying for persecuted Christians. 

 

VOM’s Kids of Courage resources help parents and educators teach children ages 5 to 13 about persecuted Christians around the world, and provide opportunities for children to serve and pray for them. 

Sabina Wurmbrand: Extreme Weapon

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17

ROMANIA: At 5:00 A.M. they heard pounding on the door and immediately knew it was a police raid. Sabina’s husband was already in prison, and she worried about the fate of her young son if she were taken away, too. So when the Romanian police burst in early that morning, shouting and intimidating her houseguests, Sabina quietly prayed and committed herself and her family to God’s care.

They demanded, “Sabina Wurmbrand? We know you are hiding weapons in here. Tell us where they are!” Before she could argue, they were throwing open trunks and closets, and emptying drawers on the floor. They kept shouting, “So, you won’t show us where the weapons are hidden? We’ll tear this place apart!”

Sabina, struggling to remain calm, said simply, “The only weapon we have in this house is here,” and picked up the Bible from under their feet.

The officer replied, “If you don’t tell me the truth, you will have to come with us to make a full statement about those weapons.”

Sabina laid the Bible on the table and responded, “Please allow us a few minutes to pray, and then I will go with you.”

As Sabina was led away, she mourned the loss of her “weapon,” her Bible, but gained strength from knowing that she had hidden its words in her heart, where they could not be confiscated.

There is only one offensive weapon listed in the description of what is commonly referred to as the armor of God. In Ephesians, Paul lists defensive measures in a Christian’s faith, represented by a helmet, a breastplate, a belt, a shield, and protective shoes. However, he encourages only one offensive weapon: the Word of God. It is the weapon of choice. As an ancient soldier would depend on his sword, so we must depend on the sharp edge of Scripture to clear a path for our safety. Sadly, too many Christians are left defenseless in a spiritual struggle. They have not memorized the Bible like Sabina; they are unable to draw upon its strength. Don’t be another spiritual casualty. Take up your sword today.

This is one of the readings from the book, Extreme Devotion, available for purchase from VOM’s online bookstore. You can also receive devotional thoughts daily via email. Sign up here.

To learn more about Sabina Wurmbrand's amazing testimony, read The Pastor's Wife, availabe in print from VOMBooks.com and also available as an eBook for Kindle or for Nook for only $1.

Winter is Coming to Northern Iraq

It gets very cold in northern Iraq, and winter is coming. Christian refugees from Mosul need our help now.

When IS (Islamic State) advanced into Iraq this summer, 100,000 Christians were displaced. Many fled to the Kurdish region and camped in unfinished or abandoned buildings, schools and empty fields. Now that winter is coming, these Christian refugees need our help to stay warm for the next few months.

The Voice of the Martyrs is already at work providing warm clothing, heaters and better shelters for our brothers and sisters in need. Since this past summer, VOM has been supporting Christians in Iraq with food, generators for churches, shelter, Bibles, emergency medical care and water purifiers. Now we're helping them prepare for winter by providing warm clothing, including coats and long underwear, and gas heaters. You can help support our ongoing efforts with a gift to “Help Iraqi Christians.”

“We thought we had been forgotten by the whole world!”

—Iraqi Christian who received an Action Pack

VOM partners have been distributing aid items to Christian refugees since summer, and now is your chance to personally fill an Action Pack that will be distributed to Iraqi Christians. Action Packs are special bags that you fill with approved items and send back to VOM for distribution. You will fill these Action Packs with warm clothing and other items that will be given directly to the displaced Iraqi Christians as an encouragement. Get your family or small group involved in filling several Action Packs, and include a photo and a note telling them they are not forgotten.

The support for our brothers and sisters in Iraq has been substantial, but there is still more to do! We invite you to help provide aid for Iraqi Christians now that winter is coming.

The Darkest Places

There’s a path not far from my house that winds through nearly eleven miles of the city. The pathway runs beside the Caney River and courses through the woods, and connects a number of the city’s public parks. After sunset, many parts of the trail become incredibly dark. Only distant street lights and nearby businesses light up the surrounding area.

While walking late in the evening on one of these dimly lit trails, I remembered a story I recently heard from one of our VOM workers who visited Burma (Myanmar) to visit our co-workers. Several years ago, he was heading into the city of Mandalay, which has a population of more than a half million people. The trip was to take approximately twelve hours. More than sixteen hours later, the van began to slow. It was well after midnight. Looking out the window, he could see nothing. There were no lights, so he asked if they were in Mandalay yet. Smiling, one of the Burmese Christians replied, “Perhaps they have moved Mandalay, brother.” There were no street lamps, and if anyone was awake, their home did not show any evidence of it. Though a city of more than half a million people, it was completely dark.

It surprised me to learn that a city of this size could be so dark even after the midnight hour. I was more amazed to learn at how God is working through faithful brothers and sisters in Burma when I met two Christian workers from Burma recently.

The men shared about the way that they are training leaders in secret seminaries. While attending a graduation ceremony for one of these seminaries, a VOM worker asked how many were planning on being pastors. Not one of the students raised their hands.  A little stunned that not one of the students wanted to be a pastor and perhaps wondering about the translation, he was told to ask how many planned to be missionaries and church planters. With this question, every single hand went up. Students in this Bible school learn about the Bible, but they are also trained to go into spiritually dark places to share the Gospel message.

One church planter trained at the seminary employed the “rice field” method. He goes into new villages and begins working in the rice fields. On a daily basis, he works with the people in order to gain their trust and begin to share the Gospel with them. When men and women accept Christ, he disciples them to become leaders of a church community. After the couple is ready to take leadership, the church planter moves to a new village where he starts working in a rice field again. When our VOM worker asked how long he planned to do this sort of work, he declared that he would do it until Jesus returns or until he is no longer able.

When I spoke with the two workers from Burma, one shared that his prayer is to be able to minister amongst the Rohingya people. The people are notoriously dangerous, and he shared a Burmese saying about the Rohingya: "If a person encounters both a poisonous viper and a member of the Rohingya, he should kill the Rohingya first and then  worry about the viper." This faithful brother’s desire is to enter one of the darkest areas of Burma to share the love of God with them.

When I asked how he would deal with persecution that he might encounter, without hesitation, he shared how he would be blessed if he were counted worthy to be persecuted for reaching out to people who did not yet know Christ.

As I walked and thought about Burma, I stopped worrying that it was growing darker that evening. Instead, I considered the darkest places where people have not heard about Jesus. Dark places exist in all corners of the earth. While it might be dark around you, we have the light of Christ to share in the darkest places.

YOUR TURN: What are the dark places you are praying for? 

“Ann Kay” is a writer for VOM. She learned about VOM five years ago when she read Tortured for Christ and began receiving the newsletter. She is passionate about reaching the world for Christ and sharing stories of the persecuted church.

Photo credit: My Favorite Tree Along Pathfinder Parkway by Granger Meador via Flickr. Used under Creative Commons license.

Exclusive Video from INSIDE North Korea

If you understand how completely closed North Korea is, you will find this video truly amazing!

In this exclusive, never-before-seen footage from inside North Korea, two men have just received a VOM-sponsored Ministry Pack. The Ministry Packs contain a New Testament, a USB thumb drive loaded with Christian material, and basics like socks, shampoo and noodles. The courageous Christian who smuggled the Ministry Pack into North Korea shot this short video of two North Koreans watching some of the material on the thumb drive for confirmation. The two men are also holding the New Testament provided by VOM.

 

More than 1,500 of these Ministry Packs will be distributed to North Koreans in and outside of North Korea this year. VOM workers find that even packs distributed outside the country often make their way back into North Korea, as North Koreans send them as gifts to family members. 

IDOP Ideas Coming In

We asked on the VOM Facebook Page for people to share creative ways their church honored persecuted Christians on the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Many churches marked this day last Sunday, November 2. Many more will do so this coming Sunday, November 9.

We are always pleased to see churches doing creative things to honor our brothers and sisters and to make IDOP a significant day on their church calendar. Here are some of the ways that people shared this year. Perhaps your church can use some of these ideas as you encourage church members to pray for our persecuted family, and even build on these ideas to create a unique experience for people at your church to "Remember those in bonds..." (Hebrews 13:3).

Andrew H. Our church, The Way, met as a simulated "underground" gathering last night, having invited our people by mailing them a part of the Bible they were supposed to bring with them - and no other Bibles or technology. We huddled in a darkened room, talked about the persecuted church, prayed for our brothers and sisters in harm's way around the world, sang without instruments, and celebrated the Lord's supper. It was a great and memorable night.

Justine R. Inspired by Old Testament stories of the Israelites building an altar of remembrance to the Lord, we wrote the names of the countries from the World Watch List on 50 rocks and Scripture verses on 50 more rocks and built an altar in our chapel in order to honor what God has done, is doing, and will do in establishing His kingdom across the earth. We had about 70 congregants at our prayer meeting for the persecuted church last night :)

Katie N. They handed out barbed wire bracelets to remind us to pray for the persecuted…

Mary Beth.  We showed the video Liena's Prayer, held up signs of the 53 restricted and hostile nations all around our church and the entire congregation went to each location and prayed for our brothers and sisters in these nations. In the foyer, we had banners hanging with the map of the world identifying those nations plus, a table with free materials from Voice of the Martyrs.

Carol. Entered dimly-lit sanctuary with photos of persecuted believers on big screen. Tonight we're bringing flashlights to the service replicating underground church....

Martha. This day, as in the past 7 years or so, New Beginnings Church of the Nazarene walks a mile from the community ball fields to the church. Along the way we pause to pray for the Persecuted Church, specific areas, families of those in prison, and the persecutors of our brothers and sisters. No matter the weather we walk! What an honor!

Charlene G. We put up a display in the hallway with the timeline of VOM and magazines , books and prayer cards and set up a room for prayer with 5 tables for praying for the Persecuted Christians. During Children's church we read about Richard Wurmbrand and explained to the children how some Christians are being persecuted.Then we took them into the room with the tables set up for prayer and prayed .Each child made a prayer magnet with a child or family being persecuted so they could remember to pray for them.

Lisa Dawn C. Our pastor based his sermon around the persecuted church and being one with them as the body of Christ. He shared statistics from several of the riskiest countries in the world and showed Liena's Prayer. Then the congregation joined into small groups and each group prayed for a certain country.

Branden C. My wife and I wore our I-Am-N shirts to church, which sparked curiosity and we were able to share about VOM and the persecuted church. We also prayed throughout the day.

Keisha L. Our whole service was geared towards the persecuted. Music was all about prayer. Sermon was Remember the Persecuted. We also showed Liena's Prayer video. Passed out literature. Men from congregation came and prayed for the persecuted in the pulpit. Tonight we will be packing up Syrian Outreach Packs to send out and will be praying over them.

Jee T. We had one session of service as it would be like in a country where worship would be done in secret. The rule was that no one can bring their Bible to church, since many do not have the same luxury. It made us feel so incomplete for the very first time to thirst for the Bible, but knowing it’s not conveniently available. No one sat on pews and everyone just sat huddled together on the floor in one room. During the second session, we presented stories of persecution from ten countries so that it would be more personalized. Liena's video was played during Syria's story. We lifted each country up in prayer.

JoAnn R. A bell was wrung every 90 seconds denoting the death of a persecuted Christian throughout the service at Adventure Christian Community.

Aletheia G. We shared about the top ten countries on the watch list and prayed at the end of service . We also taught the kids about persecution in Sunday school. They are starting their own Kids of Courage project to raise funds and help native missions tire spreads the gospel . They are passionate about spreading awareness!! Praise God

Diana B. During both services, the entire congregation broke up into groups of 5 or so and prayed through each of the 10 specific prayer requests provided by The Voice of the Martyrs. Everyone was given a handout of those requests and encouraged to continue praying for the persecuted church.

Caitlin N. The youth/young adult group acted like they were part of an underground church. As they walked up, they greeted people in the congregation saying, "Hey, good to see you!" "Glad you're safe," etc. Then they had a time of prayer requests where each person mentioned one person or story from the persecuted church and had a picture of them up on a power point (VOM was cited). Then a youth leader urged people to commit to pray (both for those already being persecuted and the persecution that is spreading to the US) and request the VOM newsletter…

Thank you to everyone who helped make IDOP a special day at your church. Please share other creative ideas in the comments to this post.

Janet Parshall, VOM Discuss Prayer for Persecuted Christians

Yesterday VOM's Todd Nettleton was a guest on In the Market with Janet Parshall, aired nationwide on the Moody Radio Network.

In the 30-minute interview with Parshall, Nettleton shared updates about the persecuted church, leading off with a discussion about the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP).

Please click here to listen to this interview (a new window will open; Nettleton's interview begins at about the 27:30 mark). We are thankful to our media friends who help VOM share the stories of our persecuted family.

IDOP Radio Special

Many churches around the world honored our persecuted brothers and sisters yesterday on the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP). Did your church have a special emphasis during services or in some other way? If so, please share in the comments to this post how your church chose to "remember those in bonds..." (Hebrews 13:3) on this important Sunday.

(If your church did not pray for persecuted believers, you still can pick another Sunday to honor our brothers and sisters later this month. Resources for your church or family are available at www.Persecution.com/IDOP.) 

Each year our friends at Mission Network News prepare a special radio broadcast in honor of IDOP. This year, VOM's Todd Nettleton is the featured speaker on the broadcast. You can listen by clicking play below.

 

Your Turn: Share in comments to this post how your church chose to honor persecuted Christians on IDOP Sunday.