Persecution Blog

Tender Grace

“But we see Him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.” Hebrews 2:9 (ESV)

Every day of this internship, I encounter stories beautifully marked by God’s grace. God is pruning hearts, ripping out roots of bitterness and despair, and nurturing buds of compassion and hope. He is working for His children’s good. I had managed to hold in tears…until one Monday.

That day, I couldn’t stop myself. I found a journal entry written last September after my aunt lost her long battle to cancer. Although losing her still hurts at times, what finally made me cry was a reminder about our “gracious God who knew this would happen and died to save her.” God knew my precious aunt’s body would betray her, so two thousand years ago, He took on a body and suffered to provide her with life that no disease or scheme of man can destroy. In His great love, He endured the cross so that she would have eternal peace.

In the lives of persecuted Christians is the same reality. Though we have pain, we have hope, for Jesus, who has conquered death, is with us. Aware of our hurts, He has provided the means of hope and strength: He has given Himself.

The only thing that explains my aunt’s bubbly joy, gentle strength, and constant sweetness even while in pain is the presence of Christ. He was with her during her cancer. He is with us in trials and suffering, working a plan that is not easy to understand but is always good. And the tender grace in His plan make me cry with joy.

J.G. Spires is a college student studying English and Broadcast Media on the east coast. She grew up in a Christian family and came into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ while in middle school. Over the years, the Lord has developed in her a passion for His people and His Word. Her goal is to write for the edification of the Church and the evangelization of the lost. She loves being outside, writing fictional short stories and serving the Church.

Pray for Wife of a Christian Prisoner

Karlygash continues to wait and pray for the release of her husband, Yklas Kabduakasov, who is serving two years in a labor camp because of his Christian faith. Yklas, a former Muslim, was arrested in August 2015 for “inciting religious hatred.” He began serving the prison term in December 2015, but Karlygash hopes for an early release. She and their four children have not been able to see Yklas much because visitation is limited to a few hours every two months and the prison is 280 miles from their home. Please pray that Karlygash and the family will remain strong and find comfort during this time.

Add your prayers online, and request a new prayer request from persecuted believers each week by email, at www.iCommitToPray.com.

VOM Radio: Middle East Trip Report

VOM Radio host Todd Nettleton recently travelled to meet with persecuted Christians in the Middle East. This week he shares highlights from the trip and stories of some of the Christians that he had a chance to meet, including a former prisoner in Iran, a pastor working with refugees from Iraq and Syria and a Turkish believer who shared the challenges of raising children in an overwhelmingly-Islamic culture.

Todd and Dr. Jason Peters also discuss the importance of praying for Muslims during Ramadan, which is going on right now. Come along with VOM Radio this week on a visit to members of our persecuted family in the Middle East.

 

You can also access VOM Radio as a podcast. Make sure you never miss an episode by subscribing on iTunes or Google Play Music.

“I’d Rather Be in Prison”

The Voice of the Martyrs USA is part of a worldwide family of missions that were started through the influence of Pastor Richard Wurmbrand. SDOK is VOM’s sister mission in the Netherlands. Stef is SDOK’s children’s publication and website.

The following story comes from Stef magazine.

Hi. I’m Rebecca. In our country [Iran] are great food and beautiful old buildings. At the same time, there are horrible places. In one horrible place is my dad. His name is Behnam. He is in prison.

I was 9-years-old when everything changed. A lot of [Christians] were in our living room. We were singing when the police arrived. They beat [my father] and took him away in their car.

[In prison] they simply mistreated my dad — sometimes so bad he had to go to the hospital. That’s not normal, right? One time we went to visit. My little brother Adriel didn’t even recognize him and called him “Sir.” That made my mother cry a lot.

Recently … the government said he could come home. But then he would no longer be allowed to do Christian things. Do you know what my dad said? He said, “I’d rather be in prison with Jesus in my heart than at home cozy on the couch without Him.”

I so badly want him to come home. I pray a lot for that, and I know a lot of other Christians pray that also. Would you pray along with me that my dad would be released soon?

(Source: SDOK. Translated and edited.)

 Learn more about Rebecca’s dad here.

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

A Promise To Act

“When he calls to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.” Psalm 91:15

In the bottom drawer of my dresser, carefully folded and organized by type, are stacks of clothes to mend. One blouse just needs its sleeves hemmed. Somehow, I can never find the time to fix the clothes. I am so busy staying up late to study for finals or rushing off to work at six in the morning that I struggle to make time for the little things I know need help.

In the timeline of eternity, the life of a human is a minute speck. Nevertheless, the Being who sustains all space and time not only knows about the smallest problems of one human, but also promises His children that He will take care of them. My “when I have to, I’ll do that” allows me to push away responsibility indefinitely. God’s “when he calls to Me, I will answer” is His commitment to His people. My “I will” is often a reason to forget. His “I will” is a promise to act.

God does rescue. He does answer, though not always as we expect. God has no bottom drawer stuffed with projects to complete at some later date. He is at work now, providing Bibles to those who long for His Word, safe passage to those who escape death, joy and peace to those who suffer, and grace to those who at times doubt Him. When I cannot understand what Christ Jesus is doing and when it seems that He has forgotten His people, in His promises I trust, for He will not go back on His word.

J.G. Spires is a college student studying English and Broadcast Media on the east coast. She grew up in a Christian family and came into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ while in middle school. Over the years, the Lord has developed in her a passion for His people and His Word. Her goal is to write for the edification of the Church and the evangelization of the lost. She loves being outside, writing fictional short stories and serving the Church.

Subscribe to the VOM Radio Podcast

“Fear and faith cannot exist within my heart at the same time. When we live by faith, trusting the Lord moment by moment, fear has no room in the heart.” —John Short, detained in North Korea
Never Miss an Episode!
After leaving gospel tracts outside a Buddhist temple in North Korea, John Short was detained and faced the possibility of a long prison sentence. But his faith never wavered. In fact, he intentionally prayed out loud so his captors would know he was confident in God. Each week, VOM Radio tells stories of God's incredible faithfulness toward persecuted believers, celebrates their courage and boldness and explores how He is working around the world. You can ensure that you never miss an episode of VOM Radio by connecting to VOM Radio via podcast.
VOM Radio on iTunes
VOM Radio on Google Play Music
“Like that the Lord said to me, ‘They are persecuting Me. Will you lend Me your body? It is Me they are persecuting. Will you love them? Will you love these that persecute you?’ It was in that moment that He started giving me the strength of the Holy Spirit to withstand.” —“Sister Amber” on VOM Radio   “Somali believers are dead. Our son is dead. Our dreams are dead. We want to know, ‘Is Jesus for the tough places?’” —Nik Ripkin, author of The Insanity of God
You can also listen to each week’s episode online. You will be challenged, encouraged and inspired as you hear directly from Christians working and serving in the “tough places.”

Still Persecution in Cuba?

The United States and Cuba have resumed diplomatic relations after more than 50 years of animosity. President Obama recently visited Cuba. But has anything changed for the church or for Cuban Christians?

Pastor “Jose” is a Cuban church leader, and he’ll share this week a reminder that Cuba is still a communist nation and that our Christian brothers and sisters there are still persecuted. But Jose also has exciting news: Cuba’s Christians are not afraid of the government or persecution and they are boldly sharing the gospel. House churches are being planted and are growing, in spite of efforts by the government to exert control and instill fear in believers.

We’ll also welcome back to the studio “John and Mary,” working among Muslims in Europe, to hear how persecution happens even to Muslims living in free nations in Europe. Mary also offers advice to people sensing God’s call to missions.

Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the VOM Radio podcast on iTunes or Google Play Music.

 

Book Review: They Say We Are Infidels

ISIS wasn’t on my radar screen until the day in June 2014 when the violent Islamist group entered Mosul, Iraq. I’d been closely following the devastation caused by Islamist groups in Syria, but I never dreamed it would overflow into Iraq, driving thousands of Christians out of Mosul and eventually many more out of the Nineveh Plains.

Journalist Mindy Belz had a better grasp of these events than most Americans. She had made repeated trips to the region, starting in 2002 when she crossed the Tigris River from Syria into Kurdistan, in Iraq. At that time, George W. Bush’s war against Saddam Hussein’s regime was about to begin, sowing the seeds for events that would occur in Syria in 2011 and in Iraq in 2014.

In her book They Say We Are Infidels, Belz traces the paths of Iraqi Christians from 2002 to the present, focusing primarily on the traditional Christian communities in Iraq rather than Muslim converts to Christianity.

During the 2003 Iraq conflict, Christians hoped the removal of Saddam Hussein would bring greater freedom to worship and a Christian voice in national politics. That same year, Belz met Insaf Safou, a Christian woman who had fled Iraq nine years earlier under threat from Saddam’s regime. The two traveled the country together, Insaf bringing aid and encouragement to weary Christians and Belz reporting on the war in Iraq. Over the next 12 years, they made several journeys together. Insaf reconnected with family and friends, while Belz gained insight into what was happening to Iraqi Christians.

As described in her book, Belz at first discovers a community of believers who are committed to maintaining a Christian presence in their centuries-old home. However, as the years pass and terrorist factions wreak havoc on historic monasteries, churches, schools and businesses, Belz sees more and more Christians make the difficult decision to leave their homeland.

By 2015, even Insaf, who had high hopes for her country, begins to believe that the best course for many Iraqi Christians is emigration. As Iraqi Christian Elias Shamuel tells her in the book, “Religiously I am gone. Ethnically I am cleansed. Culturally I am wiped out.”

Still, in the course of her travels, Belz encounters some who are determined to stay. Dominican friar Father Najeeb Michael rescued 55,000 rare books and manuscripts, including ancient Scriptures and church writings, from the library of the Clock Church in Mosul in the days prior to the ISIS invasion. After leaving for Erbil, he organized housing for both Christians and Yazidis, continuing to act as their spiritual leader.

Pastor Yousif Matty is another who refuses to leave. He is deeply invested in providing education in Kurdistan. “Out is not really a solution,” he says. “This is not the first time for the Mesopotamian people that Christianity has been oppressed. The movement with ISIS is not going to be the last problem. We have purpose and reason to stay.”

They Say We Are Infidels clearly relates the historical events and complexities guiding the lives of Iraqi Christians today, serving as an important documentation of recent Christian history in the Middle East.* Belz’s thorough reporting and depth of understanding are invaluable in helping believers know how best to help and pray for Iraqi Christians.

* Earlier this year, VOM released I Am N, its own book of testimonies about believers persecuted by ISIS.

Dory P. has worked with VOM for nine years. Dory tells the stories of the persecuted through VOM's newsletter, and her husband serves in VOM's international department. Between Dory, her husband, their 5-year-old son and their 2-year-old daughter, the family shares seven passports, though they know their ultimate citizenship is in heaven.

Disclosure: VOM is part of the Amazon Associates program. If you click on the links in this post and purchase the book from Amazon, VOM will receive a very small percentage of your purchase as a referral fee.

Empty but Filled by Grace

“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Cor 12:10 (ESV)

I am on a journey that startles me sometimes and amazes me always, a journey of trust in Jesus Christ. This summer, Christ has led me to The Voice of The Martyrs, where I will serve as an intern for the next several weeks. These approaching months of the internship at VOM will test my ability, intellectual stamina, and faith as Christ works within me to continually draw me nearer to Him. Although I worry that I am ill-equipped for the incoming tasks, Jesus constantly reminds me that He is all I need. In my weakness, He is strong.

Through the examples of our Christian brothers and sisters around the world who face persecution, I am growing to understand the beauty of emptiness. How can having nothing be good? How can losing a job, a house, family members, perhaps even hope, be a good thing, let alone a beautiful one? The Holy Spirit uses emptiness to reveal Christ by taking away distractions that distort our perceptions of His strength, goodness, and beauty. When we are broken and empty, we can be healed and filled all the more by Jesus Christ, who is abundant and perfect in our weakness.

This summer, emptiness for me means being far from my physical and spiritual comfort zones, far from family and friends, and far from a comfortable portrayal of obedience to Jesus. I may feel weak and unsure of my ability, but in my weakness and uncertainty, to Jesus Christ alone do I cling with confidence.

J.G. Spires is a college student studying English and Broadcast Media on the east coast. She grew up in a Christian family and came into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ while in middle school. Over the years, the Lord has developed in her a passion for His people and His Word. Her goal is to write for the edification of the Church and the evangelization of the lost. She loves being outside, writing fictional short stories and serving the Church.

Video Shows ISIS Hatred

For the past seven months, ISIS has been losing ground in Iraq. As they are pushed out, the evidence of their hate remains.

A friend of VOM visited Telskuf, a Chaldean village north of Mosul, and shot footage of what remained. Though ISIS was pushed out by the Kurdish Peshmerga, it’s still too close to the front line for anyone to live there.

Though it’s harsh to see the ISIS’ soldier’s treatment of the church and the homes in the village, we pray this video will push you to pray harder for those deceived by Islam and the ISIS ideology.

 

Give online to help VOM provide aid to Christians facing Islamic Extremism.