The Voice of the Martyrs' blog, sharing powerful stories and timely information that invites and inspires American Christians into fellowship with their persecuted family around the world.
Imagine hefting a suitcase with 80 Bibles inside onto the X-ray machine in Iran. Patrick Klein has carried Bibles into hostile and restricted nations all over the world. He’s been warned many times to STOP. But he continues, answering the call of God to take the Word of God into some of the world’s hardest-to-reach places.
He’s seen God close the eyes of customs agents and border guards. And he’s also seen God open the hearts of those most opposed to the Gospel. Listen as Patrick shares stories of the miraculous ways God intervened to allow him and his Vision Beyond Borders smuggling teams safe passage and used them to make a Kingdom impact all over the world.
On a rooftop in Cairo recently, I sat down with Dick Brogden to learn more about how God is at work in the Middle East. Dick oversees workers in many countries in the region and has unique insights into the miraculous, history-shaping wave of ministry happening there now.
Dick has witnessed persecution on many fronts and has helped our persecuted family members stand strong against intense opposition. He noted that workers will continue to be killed for this “glorious thread” of redemption.
In the video below, Dick shares that “men and women are coming to Jesus all across the Arab world. They are getting baptized, they are suffering, they are being persecuted, but the Holy Spirit is upon them and they are witnessing.” He ask us to rejoice because “God is at work in history, and God is at work in the Arab world.”
As an influential speaker and author, Dick has mobilized and mentored many aspiring cross-cultural ministers. He has chosen to live in the heart of the region and to demonstrate his own personal commitment to sharing the love of Christ to those who have never heard.
He asked for our continued prayer as his team wrestles with spiritual battles and the reality of human depravity and a fallen world. He also challenged us to boldly fulfill our vocation as witnesses for Christ — wherever we have been called!
He said, “We are proclaimers, not concealers.” The commission that God gave us does not involve hiding our light. We are to ascend the heights and to shine brightly for Christ!
Frequently, this is when The Voice of the Martyrs steps in to help. As Front-line workers boldly proclaim God’s redemptive story, they may encounter persecution. As Jesus said, “’A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.” (John 15:20)
Our family has been reading Dick’s daily devotional, “Live Dead Joy,” at the breakfast table each day. His daily challenge and request to pray for unreached people groups has helped our five children broaden their understanding of the vast opportunities to share God’s grace around the world.
May we all be willing to be “proclaimers” instead of “concealers” in the unique places God has called us. And, may we be willing to stand firm amid the persecution that inevitably follows bold proclamation!
Dr. Jason Peters serves as Associate Vice President of Connection for The Voice of the Martyrs and travels frequently to meet with our persecuted sisters and brothers. He has ministered in 40 countries, as diverse as Cuba, India, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Burma, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia and Nigeria. Jason ministered as a military chaplain for more than 18 years, with assignments at the Pentagon, the US Air Force Academy and as a faculty member of the Air Force Chaplain Corps College, where he directed Crisis and Trauma training. Jason and his wife Kimberly lived overseas for several years, where two of their five children were born.
Disclosure: VOM is part of the Amazon Associates program. If you click on the link in this post and purchase the book from Amazon, VOM will receive a very small percentage of your purchase as a referral fee.
Ideal for small groups, personal Bible Study, or Sunday school, the Killing Christians online Bible study contains eight studies, one for each chapter of the book. The popular book is already in 6 languages in just a few months after it’s release. The Bible Study is free and available for download. Each study has an audio interview. Azzam, from The Pirate of Somalia, Farid from The Only Empty Graveyard in Syria, and Ali from The Gaza Strip Infiltrator are just a few of the inspirational Interviews that come with the Study, along with a video from author Tom Doyle. This study will challenge you to stand with your brothers and sisters in Christ who are experiencing persecution that is reminiscent of the first-century church. These Hebrews 11 type believers will refresh your faith and inspire you to serve Christ and love others like never before.
Widespread persecution can’t stop the faithful who spread Jesus’ love in the face of grave danger. Check out the news, and note the places where war, poverty, racism, seething religious violence, and killing seem to own the day. Right in the middle of it all, Jesus’ church is thriving.
In Killing Christians, Middle East director for e3 Partners Tom Doyle shares the personal stories of persecuted Christians, many of whom pay the ultimate price for their faith. From secret meetings to torture rooms, Doyle brings readers eight unique stories from the front lines with never-before-heard testimony of those Christians being targeted.Christians are being persecuted, but this book is about hope. The people in these stories are real and the depth of their faith is unfathomable and inspiring as they live it out in the midst of overwhelming odds and the evil that surrounds them.
I encourage you to check out this free Bible study material. I especially appreciate the chance to hear directly from these Christians who face persecution through the audio interviews that are included. What a great way to inspire our prayers as we hear these brave brothers and sisters share their stories in their own voice!
Todd Nettleton is the Director of Media and Public Relations for The Voice of the Martyrs – USA and the host of VOM Radio, a weekly half-hour radio show available online and broadcast on 30 stations around the United States.
Brother Harold has served for the past 15 years as a gospel worker in Central Asia, sharing the love of Jesus Christ with the Muslim people of the nations of that region. Recently he visited VOM and sat down in the studio with Todd Nettleton, host of VOM's weekly, half-hour radio show and podcast. Here is a part of their conversation:
Todd Nettleton: You don’t have to go to Central Asia to meet Muslims. We live in America and there are a lot of Muslims here.
Brother Harold: There are over 7 million Muslims in North American now.
Todd: What do our listeners need to know or what do they need to think about to engage? I know a lot of Americans start with fear: Is that guy a terrorist?
Harold: It’s one of the things I have experienced here in North America, it seems like that fear is really growing and gripping the hearts of people. It is a sad thing because that is not the majority of the Muslim world. Now, absolutely, there are some terrorists crazy things out there. ISIS is ridiculous. I will tell you what, all of my friends in the Muslim part of the world; they dislike them [ISIS] as much as we do. They think it is crazy.
The people in North America who come here are 99 percent of the time just like you and I, families just trying to live their lives and do their best and they are coming here for a better life and to work and to do things. The best thing we can do is to show them the love of Jesus. You know when you hear testimonies of the Muslims who have come to faith in America it is because someone over and over again just loved them. You know you have a neighbor, take them some cookies, invite them, go introduce them. Understanding that these people are coming from worlds where community was their life.
They come to North America where we are a little more independent than the rest of the world. We don’t really commune like that, so for someone to reach out to them they would be longing for that and those kind of relationships. You can make life-long friendships and really meet some great people with just the opportunity to go and show love. Don’t think you have to read up on the Koran and be able to argue, don’t worry about that. Ask them, sit down and say, “Tell me about Islam, I want to learn,” and maybe they will ask you about Christianity. There is no need to debate and argue over things, just continually show love. You know when you do that you will be amazed at the way walls will just fall down. That is what I would encourage people to go out.
There are the people who say, “What about the terrorists, we find them out there?” My response to that is, “It doesn’t matter.” Is our response different? Are we not called to love our enemies just as much? For me, I have come to the point it doesn’t matter if they are a terrorists, if they are trying to take over my world, my response is still show them the love of Jesus. So regardless of who they may be that is what I have been called to do and I am going to do that as best as I can.
The house church pastor had been arrested and tortured by the Iranian police.
Now he wanted to talk to his leader. Dr. Hormoz Shariat, the leader, expected the pastor—only 22 years old—to ask how a loving God could have allowed him to suffer so much. The pastor would ask, and how would Dr. Hormoz answer?
Instead of complaining or questioning God, the young man called being tortured for his faith in Christ an honor.
It is bold witnesses for Christ like this that God is using to change the nation of Iran. Listen in this week to hear Pastor Hormoz share the stories of these faithful believers and explain how persecution in Iran is different from what Christians in other Muslim nations are facing.
Encourage your faith and equip yourself to pray for the church in Iran with this week’s episode of VOM Radio.
