I once talked to Pastor Noble Alexander, who died in 2002, about his years in a Cuban prison. (His story is told in the book I Will Die Free.) Pastor Alexander was severely beaten for refusing to work at his prison job on the Sabbath. Finally the guards gave up, decided he had mental issues, and allowed him to rest on the Sabbath. Pastor Noble said other prisoners then claimed to be Christians to get out of work. To “prove” they were Christians, they attended Bible classes taught by the pastor. As a result, many were saved. “Faith comes by hearing,” Pastor Noble said.

A martyr is, he who has become the instrument of God, who has lost his will in the will of God, not lost it but found it, for he has found freedom in submission to God. The martyr no longer desires anything for himself, not even the glory of martyrdom.

In an article posted today on the Independent Catholic News website we learn today that The Voice of the Martyrs Canada, Open Doors, Christian Solidarity Worldwide and others who are apart of the The Religious Liberty Partnership are now calling for prayer for China especially during the Olympics.The reason they are calling for prayer is simple - China is well known for many human rights abuses, and also despite a promise of religious freedom, there really isn't any religious freedom in China.So won't you all please join me and others in keeping China in your daily prayers.

Does that headline catch your attention? To be honest, I actually laughed when I read it because it's absolutely amazing to me how it doesn't matter what it is, everything can and will be considered an insult to someone sometime. However, in this case, this story is no laughing matter because persecution of Christians in Turkey is a serious business and I personally have friends who are missionaries in Turkey. Here's part of the story from our friends at Mission Network News...

A few weeks ago, I had the awesome experience of visiting The Voice of the Martyrs’ Bibles Unbound warehouse. For some reason, I had not taken advantage of the opportunities to visit the facility and see how Bibles are packaged and mailed to many countries around the world. It was both exciting and awesome to see Bibles being mailed into countries where they are not readily available. VOM’s Bibles Unbound program is definitely changing lives. If you are not familiar with Bibles Unbound, this is how it works. Christians in restricted nations around the world gather the names and addresses of people needing Bibles in their local communities. The names are submitted to Bibles Unbound members who have the opportunity to mail New Testaments in the appropriate language directly to the field. For a donation of only $30 per month, VOM will mail you everything you need to mail five New Testament Bibles to individuals in restricted nations. The most exciting part is that you get to handle and mail the Bibles yourself and also have a great opportunity to pray over them. I encourage you to check out this incredible opportunity to be a blessing to others by clicking here.

Today the online site Christian Today has an article titled Serving Persecuted Christians in the Name of Jesus where the Voice of the Martyrs founder, Richard Wurmbrand, is mentioned.

This news is from Free North Korea Broadcasting.

JAKARTA, April 2 (Compass Direct News) – Islamic extremist groups and local governments in Indonesia closed 110 churches from 2004 to 2007, according to religious and human rights organizations. The Wahid Institute, a moderate Muslim non-governmental organization, along with church associations and the Indonesian Human Rights Commission reported that discrimination and violence against churches was most common in the provinces of West Java, Banten, Central Java, South Sulawesi and Bengkulu. Radical Muslim groups coerced local governments to send letters to churches prohibiting any activities. When churches did not comply, they would be burned or otherwise damaged, as happened last December to Jakarta Baptist Christian Church (Gereja Kristen Baptis Jakarta, or GKBJ) in Sepatan, Tangerang province. Muslim extremists from the Islamic Defender Front kicked out the windows and doors of the pastor’s home and threw out his belongings.

I just finished reading this great article over at the National Catholic Register called Easter in the Land of the Martyrs. It's a touching account of what some Iraqi Christians suffer, as well as how the church has grown stronger as a result of persecution. Here's a small snip, be sure to read the rest.