I was reading the Persecution Blog last night and came across this article talking about a Chineese house church leader who visited President Bush. I haven't gotten to watch the videos of him yet, but I plan to.
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Middle East Persecution
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Cyndi and I have been reading the book Voices of the Faithful. For those who don't know, this is a daily devotional book written by International Mission Board missionaries.
Each month focuses on a different area. January was God's Character, February was God's Word, etc…. June's theme is Persecution. Anyway, last night's devotion dealt with persecution in the Middle East. I tried to scan the page so everyone could read it, but it didn't work. The scripture was 1 Peter 4:13:
Here are some quotes from the devotion:
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The devotion goes on to tell the story of another former Muslim names Mohammed:
[He] became a believer and dynamic witness. He visited another country in the Middle East and distributed the Word. The group that he was with became so effective at spreading the Word that militant Islamic groups decided to put a stop to their work. They murdered Mohammed by placing a bomb in his apartment. He was buried in that country, because his family had disowned him and refused to accept his body.
How about us? Would we as believers share our new-found faith with our family and choose to return to the country knowing what was going to happen? Once released from prision, would be able to be a "joyful witness?" Would we be willing to leave our home country and go somewhere different to spread the Good News? Would we be willing to go to that other country knowing we could get killed for our faith?
Why do we in America shy away from sharing our faith? Currently, we aren't going to get killed or thrown in jail for sharing, but we don't stand up like we ought. Why aren't we salt and light as we are called to be?
I read and hear stories about great revivals in the world and in our own country and wonder why God doesn't do that today. Is it because the church has become like the church of Laodecia in Revelation? We think we are "a bag of chips and all that" and have everything together, but in reality we are really dead.
Would we come under more persecution in America if we were to actually stand up for God and what He says is right?
I'll readily admit that I don't witness like I ought. I don't always stand up for Christ like I ought. I don't pray like I ought. I don't study the Bible like I ought. The desire is there….I just don't always know how to balance American Life and what "ought." I wrote this post for the Persecution Blog Canival tomorrow because the devotion jumped at me so. Hopefully it will be posted. If you read this, pray that God will reveal to Cyndi and myself how we can do the right thing and live like we ought. Pray that we would honor Christ and don't let down our fellow brothers and sisters in chains around the world.
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Mua Say So — Under Persecution
This evening, I received an alert from Voice of the Martyrs about a Christian brother in Vietnam who is under persecution. His name is Mua Say So and he needs our prayers.
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Stopping Persecution…Is it Right?
As I was updating the site this morning, I happened to glance at the IMBNews block. (This shows the stories that are active on the International Mission Board's homepage, BTW.) As I was doing that, I noticed this story about stopping persecution, is it always right.
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Persecution Mounts in Iraq and Afghanistan
Baptist Press is reporting that Christian Persecution is mounting in Afghanistan and Iraq. I think this is just amazing….we "spend" the blood of US Soldiers…
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Continue reading “Persecution Mounts in Iraq and Afghanistan”
VOM National Mission Conference
A few days ago, I received my normal VOM newsletter. In it was a notice of The 2006 VOM Mission Conference. I want to go, and have a place to stay (I have an uncle who lives in Caney, KS). But I'd have to get there. If you haven't heard of Voice of the Martyrs, I would definantly point you to their site to learn more.
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Indians to Christians — Convert or be Burnt girls shot near church
Radicals threaten to burn Christians to death
Warn of consequences if they don't reconvert to Hinduism by Sunday
Posted: November 17, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com
More than 60 Christian converts in northern India will be burned to death if they refuse to return to Hinduism by Sunday, a group of extremists has warned. To my Indian Brothers and Sisters: I'm praying for you. Let your light shine and allow others to see God in your life
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Christian girls shot near church
WND FAITH UNDER FIRE
Christian girls shot near church
Posted: November 9, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com
Two 17-year-old Christian girls were shot yesterday in the second recent attack of its kind in Indonesia.
Washington, D.C.-based International Christian Concern said two armed men shot the girls – Siti Nuraini and another identified only as Ivon – at close range with pistols near a Pentecostal church in Poso, Central Sulawesi.
Both girls are in critical condition, in a coma.
The attacks followed the beheadings of three Christian high school students in the area late last month.
ICC said the new attack took place as 10 national police officials of the Muslim-majority nation were in Central Sulawesi probing the beheadings.
According to some reports, the perpetrators of the beheadings are in custody but have not been formally charged.
The Poso area, which has a relatively large Christian population, has seen at least 40 attacks recently against the Christian community, including shootings, killings and major bombings.
ICC says there have been no convictions or arrests in any of these attacks.
WND reported the story above today at http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47301. We need to remember to pray for our Christian brothers and sisters around the world who have to endure persecution like this.
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Why aren’t we like this???
Although China allows "belief" in a religion, the Chinese constitution does not guarantee the right to practice that religion. Adults often face severe consequences for religious actions but generally are not required to deny their faith. However, officials attempt to weaken children's faith by encouraging them to deny Jesus altogether. According to Open Doors, Public Security Bureau officers recently burst into a Sunday school room and herded 30 children into a van. Despite the scary situation, one child started singing. The van soon was filled with song. Upon arrival at the police station, the children marched bravely into the interrogation room still singing to the Lord. Threatened with having to write "I do not believe in Jesus" 100 times before they would be released, the children instead wrote: "I believe in Jesus today. I will believe in Jesus tomorrow. I will believe in Jesus forever!" Exasperated, officials called the children's parents, some of whom denied Christ. When a widowed believer came to pick up her twin sons, she refused to deny Jesus. The officers threatened her: "If you do not deny Jesus, we will not release your sons!" The widow replied, "Well, I guess you will just have to keep them, because without Jesus, there would be no way for me to take care of them!" With no avenues left open to them, the officials said, "Take your sons and go!"
Give thanks and praise to God for the faithful witness of these children. Pray the light of their faith will brighten the spiritual darkness around them. Pray God will continue to strengthen them as they face the pressures of adulthood.
That was one of many things in the VOM Prayer Alert this week. Think about this brothers and sisters in America: what would you have done? What would your kida have done? Why? Christians in America need to get a backbone. We have a big God (well, we have the only true God) and we need to start acting like it!
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Persecution
As part of the PersecutionBlog Blogger Program, I get some interesting ideas for things to blog about. The most recent one dovetailed nicely with something I had recently been talking to someone about:
One post you might consider writing is your own feelings about persecuted Christians and the persecuted church around the world. Unfortunately, this is not an issue many Christians are familiar with. It's unpleasant to think that fellow believers are being tortured and imprisoned for their faith. Yet, what more inspiring story is there than that of a follower of Christ standing firmly for their faith knowing it could mean prison, torture, even death.
Christ put it this way in the Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
So how does it make me feel that countries in the world still persecute Christians? How does it make me feel that our government won't stand up for basic human rights? How does it make me feel when a nation we call friend throws a fit over alleged desecration of Qu'ran when that same country regularly destroys any copies of the Bible they find in their country? How does it make me feel that my country–the lone superpower in the world, the one country in the world that could make a difference–does nothing. In one word: angry! I get angry when I wonder why our government doesn't stand up for what's right. I get angry at the people who allow our government to continue in the "status quo." Just so you don't get me wrong, people shouldn't be told what to believe by the government. They should be free to believe whatever they want.
How does it make me feel when I read stories from Voice of the Martyrs about my brothers and sisters in chains? How does it make me feel when I read stories of Christians not renouncing their faith when faced with torture and death? How does it make me feel when I read about parents asked to choose between their children and Jesus? In one word: inspired! It makes me dig deep in my heart and seek God. It makes me pray that I will also not renounce my Lord and Savior if I ever am faced with a similar situation. It makes me want to draw closer to God. It makes me seek Him even more.
How does it make me feel when I think of those who perform the torture? How does it make me feel when I think of those who perform the arrests? How does it make me feel when I think of those who commit murder for their government? In one word: sadness. It makes me sad that these people don't know God–and I speak here of the Great God of the Universe: the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: the God who created the earth and everthing else: the God who saved me: THE God. It makes me sad that these people will die and go to Hell without knowing of what God and Jesus did for them 2000+ years ago on the cross. Someone needs to go tell these people!
How can you help? Well, the easiest way is to just pray. Pray for the Christians persecuted for their faith as well as their captors. The next easiest thing is to visit Voice of the Martyrs and sign up for their free newsletter. Learn more about what is going on in the world. Then why not write a letter? Visit Prisoner Alert and write a letter. It is so easy! All you have to do is pick a prisoner, click a few dropdowns and buttons, and you will end up with a letter in the believer's language. Think it costs a TON to send mail overseas? Nope. The ones I have sent have cost under a buck to send (80 cents to be exact). If you want to get more involved, VOM has tons of ways you can be involved. Just get involved!
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