My heart has been heavy as I read and hear news reports of IS (the Islamic State) giving Christians in Mosul an ultimatum to convert to Islam, pay a high tax (jizya), flee or die. More recently, IS released a video, in which they announced a threat, "Our message to the entire world is that we are the soldiers of the Caliphate state and we are coming." So much of what we are seeing unfold in the Middle East characterizes what has happened to Christians throughout history in that region as well as other restricted nations. As I reflect on this, I am reminded of five truths that are important to remember, in order to keep our eyes focused on what's eternal (Col. 3:2).

The eyes of the world’s media turned last month to the northern plains of Iraq, and to the city where Jonah first delivered Jehovah’s message thousands of years ago. Today the story isn’t of a messenger of Jehovah going into Nineveh (now called Mosul), but thousands of Jehovah’s followers being forced out of the city. The alternatives given to Christians by IS (Islamic State) if they don’t leave Mosul are subjugation to Islam or being forced to follow a different god—Allah. Or they will be killed.

The world is watching as ISIS (which now simply calls itself IS, for "Islamic State") takes control of more and more territory in Iraq and Syria. But what does the growth of this radical Islamic group mean for Christians in that region?

While VOM staff consistently work with Christian media outlets to tell the stories of persecuted believers around the world, it is sometimes frustrating that secular media outlets rarely delve into such stories.

Today we repost one of the most-read posts of the first half of 2014, a post on the truth behind the growth of Islam:

As I have learned more and more about Islam, I’ve often wondered what its appeal is to people. Islam is growing rapidly, partly because so many people are born into the Muslim faith, but also because so many people are converting to Islam.

VOM's May newsletter, arriving in mailboxes over the next few days, includes a story from the front lines of ministry in Iran, the story of "Farahnaz" and her husband sharing the gospel and distributing Bibles in spite of the great risks to do so. The newsletter story shares some of the miraculous ways that God has protected and empowered their ministry.

Christian leaders in the city of Raqqah, Syria, have reportedly signed an agreement to pay the jizya protection tax and accede to the demands of radical Muslim rebels who now control their city.

“I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).

An agreement between the Philippine government and the Muslim insurgent group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is intended to usher in long-awaited peace to the southern region of the Philippines, but it is what Christians living in this area have dreaded for years.