Earlier this year VOM announced its second video contest, inviting our readers and others to help us spread the message of the persecuted church through their video skills. The first video contest was to promote signatures on the Call For Mercy petition drive for the release of Asia Bibi in Pakistan.

In the sixteenth century, King Philip II took a hard line against those who would try to interpret Scripture for themselves. Anyone found studying the Bible during this time was hanged, burned at the stake, drowned, torn in pieces, or buried alive.

Grace, Not Grades

“Thank you, The Voice of the Martyrs, as your books have helped and encouraged us. These books are a medicine for us.”

John the Baptist announced publically that the Kingdom of God was near. He preached repentance and proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom. When John was imprisoned, Jesus, who also announced publically at his baptism that the Kingdom was near, began his public ministry by preaching repentance and the coming of the Kingdom (see Matt. 3:1–12, Mark 1:14, 4:11). Arthur Glasser explains that Jesus was saying that the Kingdom was now accessible to those who would submit to the rule of God. When Jesus began to call disciples, he clearly indicated that involvement in the Kingdom of God would include public proclamation and evangelism.

VOM’s Todd Nettleton was interviewed last week by Mission Network News about the question of why more attention isn’t paid—in the media and in American churches—to the persecution of our Christian brothers and sisters. Here’s the resulting story from MNN:

One of the things The Voice of the Martyrs has consistently encouraged readers to do is to write letters to Christians in prison. In the museum space in our headquarters building is a list of prisoners in Soviet prisons in the early 1970s, as well as a poster of prisoners from that era that was sent out to US readers and churches to encourage them to write letters. Today VOM offers a letter writing kit for people who prefer writing with pen and paper and an online tool for those who prefer electronic tools in their communication.

This year's International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) will be November 3. VOM has created a special video to be shown in churches that Sunday to remind American Christians of the importance of praying for our persecuted family. This year's video focuses on persecution in Nigeria.

“For me the issue has been settled. The Lord called me to reach out to my people and I have to. So whether they are killing me, I will still love them with the love of God. I do not see them as my enemies because they killed my son. I have forgiven them because they do not have Christ and that is all they can think at their level.”

Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, the founder of The Voice of the Martyrs, shared this story in his book, Alone With God, a book of sermons composed while Richard was in prison: