House church leaders in China teach new believers that to be a faithful follower of Christ, one must be willing to suffer for his faith.

In the current episode of VOMRadio, Tom Doyle, author of a new book about Christians facing persecution in the Middle East, tells us that, in spite of the advance of Islamic State, God is changing the hearts of people in the region as Christians continue to boldly share the gospel message in spite of the risks and violence.

Yesterday, I was part of a VOM delegation delivering Call For Mercy petition names to the Pakistani Embassy in Washington DC. It was an honor to represent so many American Christians who have prayed for Asia Bibi and her family, and who have added their voices at www.CallForMercy.com, asking the Pakistani government to let this Christian wife and mother out of prison and return her home to her husband and daughters.

There is an important article in this month’s issue of The Atlantic magazine, entitled What ISIS Really Wants. I found myself pausing often as I read to underline or highlight particular passages, as the author seems to have done a very good job of identifying the motivations of this radical Islamic group which has established a “Caliphate” that stretches across Syria and into Iraq.

Padina was ready to kill herself on live TV to earn Allah's favor and prove the God of the Christians was powerless. Instead, she met Jesus Christ and saw Him heal her mother from sickness. She became passionate to introduce her countrymen to the Savior. Today she leads a house church network inside Iran, including training church leaders to be ready to face arrest, harassment and persecution. She'll tell us how they prepare to face persecution, and describe the ways that VOM is helping and strengthening the church in Iran today. Finally, we'll talk about specific ways to pray for Christians inside Iran.

The face of radical Islamic terror is easy to find: simply turn on the news. But how should Christians respond? Should we pretend the challenge doesn't exist? Should we quake in fear? This week on VOMRadio, Cole Richards, the leader of VOM's international work, helps listeners examine these issues through the lens of scripture and in view of eternity.

This week on the Persecution Blog we’re sharing excerpts from At The Foot of the Snows: A Journey of Faith and Words Among the Kham-Speaking People of Nepal by David E. Watters with Steve and Daniel Watters. (Read more about the book in Tuesday’s post.)