Christians all over the world are persecuted for their faith. Why? Christianity is like no other faith or way of life. The focus is no longer on your own life or pleasures. When you are saved and born again by faith in the incredible sacrifice of the perfect innocent Son of God, crucified for your sins, the death you deserved but were spared from, you are catapulted, in a sense, past the rest of your life here into eternity with a longing not to leave those still in the world behind.
You become, the Bible says, a Citizen of heaven, able to think with the mind of Christ and see in a spiritual dimension. You are an alien and stranger in the world and you no longer belong. The only place you are accepted and welcomed is in your relationship with God himself, with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and with your fellow Christians. In the rest of your life you are at war.
You are at war with the lazy fearful prideful spirit that is in the world, in other false religions and ideologies. It lingers in your own flesh and feelings, it is in the faces and voices all around you, that mocking, threatening anger.
When I look at current accounts of determined but persecuted Christians, I find myself trying to read between the lines to see the worldly loneliness but also the promise and joy of the eternal relationship these brothers and sisters in Christ have. Maybe they were prepared for the trials to come, maybe not. I pray for them an increased bold faith and strength that bears witness to those around them and brings an abundant eternal reward.
The following are recent reports from Voice of the Martyrs
"When the woman's family found out that she converted to Christianity she was beaten badly but insisted on her new-found religion," a source told Compass News on the condition of anonymity. "Her parents also took her to a doctor who prescribed medication for a 'mental illness' but it had no effect in swaying her from her faith," he said. "There is little the community can do. I have advised our community leaders to keep monitoring her condition but not to meddle for their own safety. We need prayers and human advocacy for such inhuman acts." Nurta's suffering began after she declined her family's offer of forgiveness in exchange for renouncing Christianity, according to the source.
According to Compass News, conversion from Islam to another religion in Somalia is considered socially unacceptable. Those suspected of conversion face harassment or even death from members of their community.
May Nurta’s parents come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior and be delivered from the deception of Islam.
Christians and expert observers are calling this a calculated effort to purge the historically moderate country of all Christian elements - both foreign and national. Legal sources said that according to Moroccan law, foreigners who have lived in the country for more than 10 years cannot be deported unless they are accused of a crime. They have the right to appeal the deportation order within 48 hours. Still almost none of the recent deportees were able to appeal their deportation as most were forcefully escorted out of the country. (Source: Compass Direct News)
These Christians have been deported from Morocco and their families. Many were forced to leave behind their wives, children, communities and businesses without even saying goodbye. Local Christians have also been experiencing increased persecution in recent days.
On May 22, they left Iran and arrived safely in another country. Sam and Lin Yeghnazar, founders of Elam Ministries and spiritual parents to Maryam and Marzieh, met them at the airport. "We are most grateful to everyone who prayed for us," said Marzieh. "The prayers of people encouraged and sustained us throughout this ordeal," Maryam said. When Sam told them their example had encouraged countless people around the world, they were quick to respond, "We are frail human beings with many weaknesses. The honor and glory go to God who has kept and used us, although we don't know why he has chosen us. All the glory goes to him." (Source: Elam Ministries)
The men are now in hiding to avoid further problems. The pastor remains inside the Buddhist temple where he is allowed to move about freely, but he is constantly surrounded by monks who are instructing him in their rituals and teachings. The villagers were told they would be shot dead if they involved the police.
Following the shooting, Pastor Manuel's wife, Gloria, ran outside and cleaned his face. With the help of her children, she dragged his body under a tree. "She ran and got her Bible and, shaking with tears, preached to all those who got near," VOM contacts said. "Her 10-year-old son said to her, 'Don't worry, Dad died for Christ and now he is with Christ.'"
You become, the Bible says, a Citizen of heaven, able to think with the mind of Christ and see in a spiritual dimension. You are an alien and stranger in the world and you no longer belong. The only place you are accepted and welcomed is in your relationship with God himself, with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and with your fellow Christians. In the rest of your life you are at war.
You are at war with the lazy fearful prideful spirit that is in the world, in other false religions and ideologies. It lingers in your own flesh and feelings, it is in the faces and voices all around you, that mocking, threatening anger.
When I look at current accounts of determined but persecuted Christians, I find myself trying to read between the lines to see the worldly loneliness but also the promise and joy of the eternal relationship these brothers and sisters in Christ have. Maybe they were prepared for the trials to come, maybe not. I pray for them an increased bold faith and strength that bears witness to those around them and brings an abundant eternal reward.
The following are recent reports from Voice of the Martyrs
Somalia, June 23, 2010
Since May 10, Nurta Mohamed Farah has been imprisoned at her home in southern Somalia because she became a Christian, according to Compass News Direct. According to witnesses, Nurta's family keeps the 17-year-old chained to a tree by day and puts her in a small, dark room at night."When the woman's family found out that she converted to Christianity she was beaten badly but insisted on her new-found religion," a source told Compass News on the condition of anonymity. "Her parents also took her to a doctor who prescribed medication for a 'mental illness' but it had no effect in swaying her from her faith," he said. "There is little the community can do. I have advised our community leaders to keep monitoring her condition but not to meddle for their own safety. We need prayers and human advocacy for such inhuman acts." Nurta's suffering began after she declined her family's offer of forgiveness in exchange for renouncing Christianity, according to the source.
According to Compass News, conversion from Islam to another religion in Somalia is considered socially unacceptable. Those suspected of conversion face harassment or even death from members of their community.
May Nurta’s parents come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior and be delivered from the deception of Islam.
Morocco, June 16, 2010
Following the expulsion of more than 40 foreign Christians in March, officials of the majority-Muslim country expelled another 26 foreign Christians in May without due process. The latest incident brings the total number of deportations to 105 since early March 2010. Sources say the deportations are the result of Muslim hardliners pressuring the nation's royalty to show Islamic solidarity.Christians and expert observers are calling this a calculated effort to purge the historically moderate country of all Christian elements - both foreign and national. Legal sources said that according to Moroccan law, foreigners who have lived in the country for more than 10 years cannot be deported unless they are accused of a crime. They have the right to appeal the deportation order within 48 hours. Still almost none of the recent deportees were able to appeal their deportation as most were forcefully escorted out of the country. (Source: Compass Direct News)
These Christians have been deported from Morocco and their families. Many were forced to leave behind their wives, children, communities and businesses without even saying goodbye. Local Christians have also been experiencing increased persecution in recent days.
Iran, June 02, 2010
Fourteen months after they were arrested for their Christian activities, Maryam Rostampour and Marzieh Amirizadeh have been acquitted of all charges by the Iranian judicial authorities. However, they were warned that any future Christian activity in Iran will be dealt with seriously.On May 22, they left Iran and arrived safely in another country. Sam and Lin Yeghnazar, founders of Elam Ministries and spiritual parents to Maryam and Marzieh, met them at the airport. "We are most grateful to everyone who prayed for us," said Marzieh. "The prayers of people encouraged and sustained us throughout this ordeal," Maryam said. When Sam told them their example had encouraged countless people around the world, they were quick to respond, "We are frail human beings with many weaknesses. The honor and glory go to God who has kept and used us, although we don't know why he has chosen us. All the glory goes to him." (Source: Elam Ministries)
Bangladesh, May 12, 2010
On April 16, an armed rebel group kidnapped a Baptist pastor from his home in a remote village in Bangladesh. The group, called terrorist activists by locals, ransacked the pastor's church, throwing Bibles on the floor, seizing a mobile phone and taking the pastor to their leader's home, according to VOM contacts. The pastor was allegedly beaten and taken to a Buddhist temple where he was told to deny his faith in Christ and believe and obey Buddha. Later that day, two Christian men were taken by the rebels to the Buddhist temple and released when they agreed to the rebels' demands.The men are now in hiding to avoid further problems. The pastor remains inside the Buddhist temple where he is allowed to move about freely, but he is constantly surrounded by monks who are instructing him in their rituals and teachings. The villagers were told they would be shot dead if they involved the police.
India, April 7, 2010
Christians in Karnataka state are under an unprecedented wave of persecution, having faced more than 1,000 attacks in 500 days, according to an independent investigation by a former judge in Karnataka. The wave of persecution in Karnataka began as fallout of the anti-Christian mayhem in Orissa state, where Maoists killed a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader on Aug. 23, 2008. Hindu extremists wrongly accused Christians. The ensuing attacks left more than 100 people dead and 4,640 houses, 252 churches and 13 educational institutions burned. Violent attacks have stopped in Orissa, but continue in Karnataka. In the latest attack on March 17, a mob of around 150 people led by the Hindu extremist VHP and its youth wing, Bajrang Dal, stormed the funeral of a Christian, destroyed his coffin and dumped the body outside, saying his burial would have contaminated Indian soil. The funeral took place later the same day, following police intervention.Pakistan, March 3, 2010
A 26-year-old Christian, Riaz Masih, was beaten by his four older brothers last month because he refused to convert to Islam, according to Compass Direct News. Riaz and his brothers were raised by a Muslim cleric, Moulvi Peer Akram-Ullah, after their Christian parents died. While his brothers all converted to Islam, Riaz remained firm in his Christian faith. His continual refusal to convert to Islam infuriated his brothers and Akram-Ullah. On Feb. 8, the brothers ransacked Riaz' house in the Punjab Province and beat him unconscious with bamboo clubs after he again refused to convert to Islam. "They said killing an infidel is not a sin; instead it's righteousness in the sight of Allah," Riaz told Compass. "They vented their fury and left me, thinking that I was dead, but God Almighty resuscitated me to impart his good news of life," he said. Riaz remains in hiding for fear that his brothers and Akram-Ullah will kill him if they find him.Egypt, March 24, 2010
On March 12, about 2,000 Muslims attacked the Copt Church of St. Michael in Mersa Matrouh, Egypt, trapping 400 parishioners inside. The Muslims then raided and burned the homes of local Christians. Twenty-three Christians were injured in the attacks, and two required treatment at Victoria Hospital in Alexandria, about 150 miles away. The violence was incited by the local Imam, Khamis Mohamad Khamis, during Friday prayers. Using loudspeakers of the adjacent mosque of Al-Ansar, the Imam urged the faithful to "holy war" against the Christian place of worship, ordering its destruction and calling for expulsion of the "infidels."Columbia, October 21, 2009
On Sept. 21, Pastor Manuel was shot and killed by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas in San Jose del Guaviare, Colombia, according to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts. FARC guerrillas made an appointment with Pastor Manuel and his family. "He thought they were going to authorize him to have an official church, which he had requested before," said VOM contacts. The guerrillas came and shot Pastor Manuel five times outside his home. A FARC guerrilla who was in the house with the rest of the family yelled, "Make sure that dog stays dead," referring to the pastor. The pastor was shot once more, in the neck.Following the shooting, Pastor Manuel's wife, Gloria, ran outside and cleaned his face. With the help of her children, she dragged his body under a tree. "She ran and got her Bible and, shaking with tears, preached to all those who got near," VOM contacts said. "Her 10-year-old son said to her, 'Don't worry, Dad died for Christ and now he is with Christ.'"
Jesus speaks about these times
If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
"Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
"A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!
"So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn " 'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law - a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'
"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me.
Matthew 10:14-40
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