Persecution Blog

Praying for Muslims: Hormoz Shariat

Earlier this month Muslims around the world finished their celebration of Ramadan, the holiest month on the Islamic calendar.

During the final 10 days of Ramadan, The Voice of the Martyrs was one of the ministries involved in a world-wide effort to encourage Christians to pray specifically for a move of God’s spirit to draw Muslims to Jesus Christ during Ramadan. The effort was coordinated by author Tom Doyle and our friends at CBN News, and featured a Facebook Live prayer meeting each evening at 8:38 (EDT) for the last 10 days of Ramadan.

Behind the scenes, it was interesting to see the opposition to this effort. VOM’s Dr. Jason Peters was the designated prayer on the first evening, and in the minutes before he was supposed to go live on Facebook his phone’s battery died AND the wifi at the hotel he was staying at went down! The second and third nights there were more “technical difficulties!”

But the videos posted have now been watched more than half a million times! Only in eternity will we know how many prayers have been encouraged by this effort, or how many Muslims responded to Christ’s call as a direct result of this prayer effort.

Ramadan has ended, but there is never a bad time to pray for Muslims to come to know Jesus. We have already shared the videos from Dr. Peters and VOM’s Todd Nettleton. Today and in coming days we’ll be sharing videos from the other eight speakers. May each one remind you to continue to pray for Muslims, not only during Ramadan but throughout the year.

The second speaker was Dr. Hormoz Shariat of Iran Alive Ministries, one of VOM's broadcast partners delivering the gospel into Iran. Due to some of those difficulties, Pastor Hormoz spoke in two videos:

 

 

Pray During Ramadan - 2

The Voice of the Martyrs is one of several ministries cooperating together in an effort to encourage American Christians to pray for Muslims during Ramadan, Islam's holy month where Muslims fast and pray in an effort to earn Allah's approval.

Each night a leader from one of the ministries involved is leading a Facebook video chat on the CBN News Facebook page. Todd Nettleton of VOM spoke on Thursday night, and a part of his message was for Muslims who might be watching the video chat:

 

You can watch all of the videos by the ministry leaders here.

Pray During Ramadan - 1

The Voice of the Martyrs is one of several ministries cooperating together in an effort to encourage American Christians to pray for Muslims during Ramadan, Islam's holy month where Muslims fast and pray in an effort to earn Allah's approval.

Each night a leader from one of the ministries involved is leading a Facebook video chat on the CBN News Facebook page. Dr. Jason Peters of VOM kicked off the campaign with this call to prayer for Muslims and the Muslim world:

 

You can watch all of the videos by the ministry leaders here.

Video Shows ISIS Hatred

For the past seven months, ISIS has been losing ground in Iraq. As they are pushed out, the evidence of their hate remains.

A friend of VOM visited Telskuf, a Chaldean village north of Mosul, and shot footage of what remained. Though ISIS was pushed out by the Kurdish Peshmerga, it’s still too close to the front line for anyone to live there.

Though it’s harsh to see the ISIS’ soldier’s treatment of the church and the homes in the village, we pray this video will push you to pray harder for those deceived by Islam and the ISIS ideology.

 

Give online to help VOM provide aid to Christians facing Islamic Extremism.

Partnering to Tell The Stories of Persecuted Believers

Telling inspiring stories of our persecuted family has always been at heart of VOM's ministry. We are thankful for wonderful ministry partners who come alongside to help us tell those stories in various forms—books, songs, films—to impact and inspire more Christians with the courage of our persecuted family and the faithfulness of God.

This week on VOM Radio we'll meet some of those partners, including Cris Doornbos, CEO of David C. Cook publishers; Steve Merkel, who co-wrote the song "We Stand As One" for the I Am N album; and Bill Curtis, President of Vision Video and producer of The Torchlighters series of animated films telling the stories of Christian heroes, including heroes who boldly stood for their faith in the face of persecution.

Listen to hear how our persecuted family has inspired each of these men—and their families—and how they are spreading those stories even further.

 

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

Be an "N" Leader in Your Church

Equip your church or small group to stand with persecuted believers like those whose homes were tagged by radical Muslims with a spray-painted Arabic letter ن, or “N.”

This collection of ministry resources will provide everything you need to lead your church, small group or class into fellowship with courageous believers who refuse to deny Christ. Be encouraged by your persecuted family members, who have so much to share about sacrifice, courage, joy, perseverance, forgiveness and faithfulness.

Get the I Am N Ministry Kit

These videos will introduce you to courageous Iraqi believers who were displaced by ISIS. As you learn their names and hear their stories, you will discover how your group can serve them and serve alongside them. Experience God’s work in some of the darkest places in the world through the stories of your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Your ministry kit includes a DVD of six inspirational videos with a Leader’s Guide, six I Am N books, six wristbands, six Christians Facing Islamic Extremists guides, six Participant’s Guides, and one I Am N music CD featuring artists such as All Sons & Daughters, Lincoln Brewster and Paul Baloche. Individual add-ons are available so you can customize your kit.

Build a Custom Kit for Your Group

Churches to Pray for Persecuted April 17

Thousands of churches in the US have been asked to set aside time in their services April 17 in order to pray for persecuted Christians around the world. The Voice of the Martyrs is one of the ministries behind this effort, called “Stand With the Persecuted Sunday.”

The first request of persecuted Christians, when VOM staff meet with them around the world, is that American Christians will pray for them. What is challenging to us is that they are not asking us to pray that they will be released from their suffering or that persecution will end; instead they ask us to pray that they will be FAITHFUL TO CHRIST in spite of what it costs them.

The Voice of the Martyrs has numerous resources to help your church be inspired to pray more fervently for our persecuted family. One video that speaks specifically to what Christians in the Middle East are facing is called Leina’s Prayer:

 

The Voice of the Martyrs also provides ways for your church to participate in practical ministries to help persecuted believers, including the new Family Med Packs initiative, as well as Action Packs and Bibles.

We are thankful that more US ministries are taking up the call to remember our persecuted family (Heb. 13:3), and we look forward to an army of prayer warriors joining the battle on April 17, as well as the first Sunday in November, The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.

Village Officials Destroy House Church in Laos

Local officials dismantled a building used by a Hmong house church in rural Laos on August 2, 2015. One of the bold Christians in the village shot video of village officials as they removed the building’s roof.

“Today is August 2,” he narrated. “We are believers in this village. We got our house [church] destroyed by our relatives, the head of the village and the village officials. … They destroy our house just because we are believers in Jesus.”

 

The 60 Hmong families that attend the church had moved to the village after being persecuted for their faith in other villages. Please pray for them.

I Am N - The Story

 

I Am N is a collection of 48 inspiring stories about our faithful brothers and sisters who have stood strong for Jesus in the face of severe persecution from Islamic extremists. Their stories will challenge and change you, and your faith cannot remain the same.

Upon pre-ordering, you can expect to receive the book within three weeks from the retailer.

After pre-ordering, visit the link below. You will be able to download two songs from the I Am N CD and to request your Bonus Resource Kit, which includes a copy of Into the Den of Infidels, a Christians Facing Islamic Extremists guide, an I Am N commitment wristband and a copy of the Iraq and Syria Special Field Report. These will be mailed directly to you from The Voice of the Martyrs.

Pre-order I Am N at these retailers:

Pre-Order Here if you live in Canada.

After you complete your pre-order of I Am N

Get Your Pre-order Bonuses

All proceeds from sales of I Am N products will be used to provide help for ISIS victims and other Christians facing Islamic extremists.

SYRIA: Christians Forced to Pay Tax

In a recent video produced by ISIS and posted online by the Middle East Media Research Institute TV Monitor Project (MemriTV), the extremist group announced that it has captured the Syrian town of Qaryatayn. Christians there were forced to flee, convert to Islam or sign a dhimma contract agreeing to live under Islamic law and pay jizya, an Islamic tax.

In the video, an Islamist explains that Christians caught trying to flee have four options: “One, for the men to be killed and the women and children to be enslaved. Two, to be exchanged (for prisoners, money or booty). Three, to be pardoned (provided they leave the Caliphate). Four, to pay the jizya and live as dhimmis under the rule of the Caliphate.”

 

A report by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) stated that ISIS received money in early September that is believed to be jizya tax collected by Christian clerks in the village. The IDs of Christians were also seized and are still being held by the extremist group.

In addition, the SOHR reported that the Saint Elian monastery in Qaryatayn was bulldozed and demolished on Aug. 6 by the extremists, who claimed that Christians worshiped the monastery instead of Allah. 

(Editor's note: it is important to remember that these options are only available to members of the traditional Christian communities in IS-controlled areas. For a former Muslim who converted and now follows Jesus Christ, there would only be two choices: return to Islam immediately or be executed.)