Persecution Blog

Openness in Pakistan?

It’s easy to think of Pakistan—a nation where 96.4% of the people are Muslims—as a nation completely closed to gospel witness. Brother Charles, an American teaching at a university in Pakistan, has found that there is much more openness than you might expect. Charles interacts every day with Muslims in that nation, helping create dialogue and initiate relationships that can lead to faith in Christ. One of the keys, he says, is presenting the core of the gospel, because so many Muslims have never heard a genuine, clear presentation of the true gospel. Charles will share how God led him and his family to Pakistan and why they stay in spite of political ups and downs and safety concerns. He’ll advise listeners on how we can dialogue with Muslims in ways that plant gospel seeds, and equip us to pray specifically for the nation of Pakistan.

ONLINE BONUS: Click now to hear more of our conversation with Charles, including specifics of how he interacts with his university students from across the religious spectrum, how he structures his course work, and other information about his ministry work.

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

"What is the worth of a selfish faith...?"

"I Stand Amazed Every Day"

As he leads VOM’s international work, Brother Jonathan has a front-row seat to see what God is doing around the world: thousands of Muslims and Hindus coming to faith in Christ!

That spread of the gospel comes with a price, though, and Jonathan oversees VOM’s efforts to provide spiritual and physical aid to Christians affected by persecution and equip front-line workers to continue spreading the gospel.

Listen as Jonathan shares some of the exciting plans for VOM’s work in 2017, as well as how his encounters with persecuted Christians have impacted the way he lives out his faith each day. Jonathan will also share some of the challenges of our international work, and equip you to pray specifically for VOM workers going out to serve in dangerous places around the world.

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

China Prisoner's Wife Speaks Out

Her husband is currently in prison in China. His legal work representing Christians and other oppressed people was considered a “threat” by China’s government, and today he’s serving a five-year prison sentence.

But “Sister Wong” refuses to be silenced. This week on VOM Radio she shares her story, including how her husband advised her to pray when she was finally able to visit him in prison. His prayer request wasn’t for himself, but for the church in China.

She also shares some of the passages of Scripture that are carrying her through this challenging season in her life. Your faith will be challenged and you’ll be better equipped to pray for China this week on VOM Radio.

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

Today, You Know Their Names

Sixty-one years ago yesterday, five men lost their lives on a stretch of sand on the Curaray River in Ecuador. Had they not lost their lives, it’s unlikely you’d know the names of Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Pete Fleming and Roger Youderian. Instead, their act of sacrifice to reach the Waodani Indians with the gospel resonated around the world and inspired future generations of missionaries.

Growing up, this story was an intimate part of my life, yet I had no idea how far-reaching it was. You see, my father was among those inspired by the five martyrs, particularly Nate Saint. This led to life-long mission work.

My parents joined Mission Aviation Fellowship (Nate Saint’s sending mission) and were assigned to work in Shell, Ecuador in 1978. They lived in Nate Saint’s jungle house, the place where the men and women prayed and pondered their mission to the Waodani for weeks before setting out, and where the wives anxiously gathered around the radio at 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 8, 1956, hoping for word from their loved ones.

In 1979, my parents brought me home from the hospital to that same Saint house. For the next 12 years, as I played on the hill outside the hangar, I saw Waodani women brought by airplane for treatment at the mission hospital, I watched as Waodani teenagers arrived by air to be discipled by church planters and I saw Bible translators, working on a Waodani translation of the New Testament, travel by plane to their communities.

Two weeks ago, my family and I traveled back to Shell and stayed in that same Saint house, which is now a mini-museum, event space and guest house. It was encouraging to witness that the work that began after the five men lost their lives continues today. Two generations later, there is an established, Waodani-led church. They now have the New Testament in their language. The group has sent missionaries to reach other Waodani as well as neighboring indigenous groups. Several have attended Bible schools. Some family friends continue to aid the Waodani to develop job skills and provide discipleship.

But today there are some concerning developments: a group of Waodani who rejected the gospel and live in isolation are threatening violence against the others again. This could trigger a return to the repeated revenge killings that nearly decimated the tribe 60 years ago. Will you pray for the young, Waodani church leaders who are opposed to this violence and who are encouraging their people to continue to follow “God’s carvings?” And pray that the Good News will reach the hearts of those threatening violence.

The story of the five men’s life and death is told in The Torchlighters: The Story of Jim Elliot. This children’s DVD also includes an adult-oriented documentary.

Dory P and her husband both work for VOM. Dory grew up calling Nate Saint’s sister “Aunt Rachel” and Jim Elliot’s widow “Aunt Betty.” She didn’t know they were celebrities in Christian circles until she attended Wheaton College, alma mater of three of the men killed.

Best Moments of 2016 on VOM Radio: Part 2

Join us today as we continue looking back on some of the most-impactful testimonies shared with us in 2016 on VOM Radio.

We’ll hear how God reached into the home of the police chief in a Southeast Asian village—even as the police chief was fighting against the gospel! We’ll hear from former prisoner Bob Fu what it means to a prisoner when he or she knows that Christians are praying for them. Sean will tell us how God used VOM to help save the life of an evangelist in Bangladesh after he was brutally attacked. Samuel will tell us about the risks of following Christ in Pakistan.

We’ll hear from three different people impacted by a 2007 attack in Turkey that took the lives of three Christians. Brother Gokhan was a friend of those killed; Tim is now the pastor of the church the three men attended; and Semse Aydin is the widow of one of the martyred believers.

Finally we’ll hear from five guests who fave us a peek this year into what God is doing in the church in Iran—the fastest growing church in the world. Dr. Sasan will share how Iranian Christians find joy in persecution. Nazanin works in a call center for one of our media partners, witnessing to and discipling Iranian believers by phone. Dr. Mike Ansari will tell us about a special effort to get Bibles digitally into Iran. Finally, Maryam and Marziyeh will share about the miracle of finding God’s Word inside the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran.

You’ll be inspired and challenged as we continue looking back on some of the amazing stories God allowed us to share on VOM Radio in 2016.

 

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

Best Moments of 2016 on VOM Radio: Part 1

Join us as we look back on some of the most-impactful testimonies shared with us this year on VOM Radio.

We’ll hear from Dale Rhoton of Operation Mobilization—one of the first Westerners to visit VOM’s founder, Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, after Richard’s release from prison in Romania. We’ll hear how God used a nameless woman walking along a road in Kenya to grab the heart of an American woman, Jami Staples, to reach Muslims for Christ. We’ll hear from Bob and Kasey, who left behind an American-dream retirement to serve Muslims half-a-world away. We’ll hear from two gospel workers—Hannelie Groenewald and Nik Ripken—who experienced gut-wrenching loss while serving overseas, yet found God faithful even in that loss. And we’ll hear how a passion for God’s Word kept John and Karen Short connected to Him and to each other, even while John was detained in the world’s most-closed country.

Your faith will be inspired by the faithfulness and courage of these brothers and sisters—and by how God worked through each of them to further His Kingdom aims. (Note that you can hear our entire conversations with each of these guests by searching in the VOM Radio archives.)

 

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

Top 8 in 16: #1

We've been looking back at the most-viewed posts on Persecution Blog in 2016. Today we look back at #1, the most-read post of the year on Persecution Blog. It's a post from September that looks at the nation with the fastest growing church in the world, a nation whose official name starts with "The Islamic Republic of..."

Country With Fastest Growing Church May Surprise You

VOM was featured recently on Mission Network News in a story about the country with the world's fastest growing church. And the location of that church may surprise you: The Islamic Republic of Iran. Here's an excerpt from the story from MNN:

Why is the Iranian Church going through such a growth spurt?

[VOM's Todd] Nettleton shares, “I’ve had Iranian Christians tell me, ‘The greatest missionary in Iran, the greatest evangelist we’ve had in Iran was the Ayatollah Khomeini.’ This is the guy who took power in 1979, he converted Iran to the Islamic Republic [saying], ‘We’re going to run our country according to what Mohammed would have us do, we’re going to run our country according to the Koran.’

“Now here we are thirty-plus years later, and most Iranians have rejected Islam precisely because of that. The country is run by the Mullahs. The government says, ‘We’re doing everything according to Islamic principles.’ So if the government doesn’t work, if there’s still corruption, if there’s still poverty, then that must mean Islam doesn’t work…. That failure has really, in the eyes of the people of Iran, become the failure of Islam.”

According to Nettleton, the Iranian people are going through honest introspection about what they’ve witnessed in their country, and what that means for their lives…and their souls.

“I’ve heard statistics as high as 70 percent of Iranians have rejected Islam. If you ask them in an honest conversation, ‘Do you believe Islam is the truth? Do you believe Islam is the way?’ They would say, ‘No! Of course not!’…. Then the Gospel comes and they say, ‘Wait, this is true. This is right.’ And I think that’s really the root cause of the growth in the Iranian church we see.”

A challenge to American Christians

All of this poses a thoughtful question: how would the American Church respond if we were in a similar situation? How would Western Christians react under restriction and persecution?

Nettleton reflects, “I think the story of the Church in Iran is an incredibly timely message for American Christians. If you think back to 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini takes power, the Mullahs are now in charge of the country. The natural response to that from the Church there would be, ‘Oh no! This is horrible! This is terrible! The Muslims have taken control of the government. What’s going to happen to us now?’ Now thirty years later it’s the fastest growing Church in the world.

“There are many American Christians who look at what’s happening in our country, they look at the presidential elections, they look at the Supreme Court decisions, and they say, ‘Oh no! The government is turning against Christianity, Christian principles are no longer being honored in Washington D.C., what’s going to happen to us?’”

We can take a cue from our Iranian brothers and sisters in Christ.

“The people of Iran would say, ‘Hang on. Serve the Lord, and see what He does. We’re not dependent on the government, we’re dependent on Christ.’”

To be clear, persecution is not something to be sought after for the sake of persecution. Religious freedom is an ideal to be sought after and advocated for.

But when persecution does enter our lives, we can respond as Paul did in 1 Corinthians 4:12b, “When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure.”

Therein lies our witness for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Therein lies our opportunity to share our eternal hope with others who see us responding to hurt and shame in a way that doesn’t make sense to the world.

Nettleton emphasizes, “Our reliance needs to be on God, not on the protections offered by the Constitution, or the political process, or the U.S. government. Now I’m not saying don’t vote, I’m not saying don’t speak out. But understand that ultimately our reliance is on God.”

Read the full article on Mission Network News' web site. We appreciate our media partners, helping VOM to share the stories of God's faithfulness and the faithfulness of our persecuted family around the world.

Top 8 in 16: #2

In the remaining days of 2016 we'll look back on the most-viewed posts on Persecution Blog in 2016, including a post that is more than 10 years old but is still one of the most-read posts on the blog! Today we look at #2, a post that goes all the way back to 2006, but continues to generate traffic and readers today. The story it tells goes back even further, to the Apostle John:

Boiled In Oil But Remains Alive

Hebrews  9:27 tells us that, "... it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment," and I love this passage because it gives me confidence in knowing that the Lord will not take me home to be with Him until that appointed time.  So the story of John is inspiring and also draws us back to worship the One who made us.  Be encouraged as you read this excerpt from Extreme Devotion (order your copy of the book here, or download VOM's Pray Today app to read a new devotional from Extreme Devotion each day on your phone or other device).

What do you do with someone who is boiled in oil but doesn’t die?

It is said that Roman emperor Domitian commanded that the apostle John be boiled to death in oil, but John only continued to preach from within the pot. Another time, John was forced to drink poison, but, as promised in Mark 16:18, it did not hurt him. Thus John, the head of the church in Ephesus at the time, was banished to Patmos in A.D. 97.

John survived all of this because God had not finished with him yet. A “revelation” still had to come. While he was in a cave on the island of Patmos, John received a vision. This vision became the book of Revelation—the book that would act as the driving force for evangelism in the church age. It prophesied the events that surround the return of Christ. John wrote of Christ’s second coming and welcomed his arrival. Even today his writings inspire believers to anticipate the glorious return of Christ.  

Two years after John’s exile, the emperor Domitian died, and John returned to the church in Ephesus. The youngest of the disciples lived also to be the oldest, dying in peace in Ephesus at the age of eighty after over half a century of resilient service to Jesus’ church.

Hebrews  9:27 tells us that, "... it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment," and I love this passage because it gives me confidence in knowing that the Lord will not take me home to be with Him until that appointed time.  So the story of John is inspiring and also draws us back to worship the One who made us.  Be encouraged as you read this excerpt from Extreme Devotion (order your copy of the book here, or download VOM's Pray Today app to read a new devotional from Extreme Devotion each day on your phone or other device).

What do you do with someone who is boiled in oil but doesn’t die?

It is said that Roman emperor Domitian commanded that the apostle John be boiled to death in oil, but John only continued to preach from within the pot. Another time, John was forced to drink poison, but, as promised in Mark 16:18, it did not hurt him. Thus John, the head of the church in Ephesus at the time, was banished to Patmos in A.D. 97.

John survived all of this because God had not finished with him yet. A “revelation” still had to come. While he was in a cave on the island of Patmos, John received a vision. This vision became the book of Revelation—the book that would act as the driving force for evangelism in the church age. It prophesied the events that surround the return of Christ. John wrote of Christ’s second coming and welcomed his arrival. Even today his writings inspire believers to anticipate the glorious return of Christ.  

Two years after John’s exile, the emperor Domitian died, and John returned to the church in Ephesus. The youngest of the disciples lived also to be the oldest, dying in peace in Ephesus at the age of eighty after over half a century of resilient service to Jesus’ church.

Top 8 in 16: #3

In the remaining days of 2016 we'll look back on the most-viewed posts on Persecution Blog in 2016, including a post that is more than 10 years old but is still one of the most-read posts on the blog! Today we look at #3, a post from February in which we encouraged readers to show hospitality to Muslims living in their communities.

Hospitality 101: Reaching Out to Muslims

Last year author Tom Doyle and his wife JoAnn were guests on VOM's weekly radio program (You can listen to Tom's interviews here and here; listen to JoAnn here). One of the things both of them challenged listeners to do was to reach out to Muslims living right here in the United States by inviting them into our homes. Tom shared the joy of one Muslim family they'd invited over who said in seven years living in the U.S. it was the first time they'd ever been inside an American's home. But how do we make sure our hospitality is a blessing? What do we need to know to make our Muslim friends feel welcome and not trip over any cultural differences? Here's advice from "Anna," who lives and works among Muslims in the Middle East:

Did you know that the majority of Muslim international students living in the United States have never set foot inside a Christian home?

The home can be a place where hospitality is offered and deep values are communicated. When a meal is shared, it ups the stakes even more. For Easterners, to share a meal is to commit to one another in friendship. You can hear similar overtones in Jesus’ words in Revelation 3:20: “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends” (NLT, emphasis mine).

So what prevents us from sharing a meal as friends with Muslims? For me, it was the feeling that I wouldn’t “do it right.” My rented house was sparsely decorated and I didn’t know how to cook any Arabic dishes. And what about conversation – what would I talk about with students who were still learning English?

Your home will probably never be perfect for entertaining, and you’ll never say and do all the right things. But by learning some basics, you could drum up the confidence to invite a Muslim to your home.

Here are some basic guidelines when hosting Muslims:

On the table. Steer clear of pork products and all alcohol. Rice, curries, and roasted lamb or chicken will please almost any Muslim dinner guest. (Takeout from an ethnic restaurant is also a fabulous idea.) The larger the quantities of food you serve, the more honor you bestow on your guest!

What to wear. Modesty is important to all Muslims in differing degrees. Most will feel comfortable in your home if you dress modestly. For women, that could mean a long skirt or loose-fitting pants, and a high-necked shirt with sleeves. For men, long pants are more respectful than shorts.

In the doghouse. Dogs make some Muslims uncomfortable. If at all possible, keep your dog in another room while your guests are present.

Gender divide. Ask a Muslim couple if they prefer to segregate inside your home. If so, prepare a separate space for the women to sit - even an office or spare bedroom will do. (It should go without saying that single men and women should only invite Muslims of their same gender.)

I have found that Muslims almost always accept a meal invitation. Or you can begin gradually with tea or coffee together. They may bring a small hostess gift – chocolates or a trinket from their country – as a way of saying thank you. Don’t be surprised if they remove their shoes and take detailed notice of the room’s décor and pictures.

Perhaps the most important way you can prepare to host a Muslim is to bathe the visit in prayer. You could even place your hand on the chair your friend will sit in, praying for him or her to encounter Christ in a real way inside your home.

Don’t let fear or perfectionism hold you back. Can you think of a Muslim – a co-worker, an international student, or an employee at a store you frequent – that you might bless with the gift of hospitality? All you have to do is extend the invitation. In opening your home, you are sealing the bonds of friendship that can eventually point a Muslim to Christ.

Your Turn: Are there lessons you have learned hosting Muslims? What holds you back from welcoming Muslims into your home? Share in the comments to this post.

Read More: Both men and women can benefit greatly from the cultural insights shared in Joy Loewen’s book Woman to Woman: Sharing Jesus with a Muslim Friend. (Also available for Kindle.)

Anna loves Jesus and wants to see Him cherished by her neighbors and people everywhere. Anna is a pseudonym, and all names in her posts are changed for security reasons.

Disclosure: VOM is a part of the Amazon Associates program. If you click on the links above and purchase a product, a small referral fee will be paid to VOM.

Last year author Tom Doyle and his wife JoAnn were guests on VOM's weekly radio program (You can listen to Tom's interviews here and here; listen to JoAnn here). One of the things both of them challenged listeners to do was to reach out to Muslims living right here in the United States by inviting them into our homes. Tom shared the joy of one Muslim family they'd invited over who said in seven years living in the U.S. it was the first time they'd ever been inside an American's home. But how do we make sure our hospitality is a blessing? What do we need to know to make our Muslim friends feel welcome and not trip over any cultural differences? Here's advice from "Anna," who lives and works among Muslims in the Middle East:

Did you know that the majority of Muslim international students living in the United States have never set foot inside a Christian home?

The home can be a place where hospitality is offered and deep values are communicated. When a meal is shared, it ups the stakes even more. For Easterners, to share a meal is to commit to one another in friendship. You can hear similar overtones in Jesus’ words in Revelation 3:20: “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends” (NLT, emphasis mine).

So what prevents us from sharing a meal as friends with Muslims? For me, it was the feeling that I wouldn’t “do it right.” My rented house was sparsely decorated and I didn’t know how to cook any Arabic dishes. And what about conversation – what would I talk about with students who were still learning English?

Your home will probably never be perfect for entertaining, and you’ll never say and do all the right things. But by learning some basics, you could drum up the confidence to invite a Muslim to your home.

Here are some basic guidelines when hosting Muslims:

On the table. Steer clear of pork products and all alcohol. Rice, curries, and roasted lamb or chicken will please almost any Muslim dinner guest. (Takeout from an ethnic restaurant is also a fabulous idea.) The larger the quantities of food you serve, the more honor you bestow on your guest!

What to wear. Modesty is important to all Muslims in differing degrees. Most will feel comfortable in your home if you dress modestly. For women, that could mean a long skirt or loose-fitting pants, and a high-necked shirt with sleeves. For men, long pants are more respectful than shorts.

In the doghouse. Dogs make some Muslims uncomfortable. If at all possible, keep your dog in another room while your guests are present.

Gender divide. Ask a Muslim couple if they prefer to segregate inside your home. If so, prepare a separate space for the women to sit - even an office or spare bedroom will do. (It should go without saying that single men and women should only invite Muslims of their same gender.)

I have found that Muslims almost always accept a meal invitation. Or you can begin gradually with tea or coffee together. They may bring a small hostess gift – chocolates or a trinket from their country – as a way of saying thank you. Don’t be surprised if they remove their shoes and take detailed notice of the room’s décor and pictures.

Perhaps the most important way you can prepare to host a Muslim is to bathe the visit in prayer. You could even place your hand on the chair your friend will sit in, praying for him or her to encounter Christ in a real way inside your home.

Don’t let fear or perfectionism hold you back. Can you think of a Muslim – a co-worker, an international student, or an employee at a store you frequent – that you might bless with the gift of hospitality? All you have to do is extend the invitation. In opening your home, you are sealing the bonds of friendship that can eventually point a Muslim to Christ.

Your Turn: Are there lessons you have learned hosting Muslims? What holds you back from welcoming Muslims into your home? Share in the comments to this post.

Read More: Both men and women can benefit greatly from the cultural insights shared in Joy Loewen’s book Woman to Woman: Sharing Jesus with a Muslim Friend. (Also available for Kindle.)

Anna loves Jesus and wants to see Him cherished by her neighbors and people everywhere. Anna is a pseudonym, and all names in her posts are changed for security reasons.

Disclosure: VOM is a part of the Amazon Associates program. If you click on the links above and purchase a product, a small referral fee will be paid to VOM.