Pray for the Persecuted Church

VOM-USA Prayer Update for
February 17, 2012On Tue. Feb 14 2012 at 08:42 AM
Moderator wrote: Algeria--Church Attacked in Ouargla,
AlgeriaSources: VOM Contacts, International Christian
Concern

Muslim extremists attacked a church in Ouargla, eastern Algeria, damaging
church property. According to VOM contacts, Pastor Mourad had received a
threatening letter two weeks earlier demanding that he leave the area but had
not taken the threat seriously. However, around midnight on Feb.1, several men broke through the rear gate of the church and destroyed some church equipment.
They also tried to break into the church building but were unsuccessful. In
2009, Pastor Mourad's wife was beaten and seriously injured by an unknown group of attackers. And last year, an angry mob shouted death threats while throwing heaps of trash over the church walls. Despite these attacks, Pastor Mourad is convinced that the Lord has called him to serve in Ouargla, and he refuses to leave. "No matter what happens, we will stay here," he says. Praise God for his faithfulness.

Bosnia--Believer Uses VOM-Provided Book to Share
GospelSource: VOM Contacts

A Christian in Bosnia recently shared the gospel with his neighbors by giving them some humanitarian supplies along with a VOM-provided gospel story book. After receiving a package of supplies from the Christian relief organization,Samaritan's Purse, "Henry" offered the supplies to his neighbors, along with an illustrated Jesus: He Lived Among Us story book, which tells the story of Jesus from the gospels. A 25-year-old woman kept asking Henry questions about the difference between Croatian Christmas celebrations and Christian celebrations."It came to my mind to use the book to talk more about Jesus and his plan for humanity," Henry said. "In the end, I told her to read the book and find out more about the life of this wonderful and unique man." Praise God for the creativity and willingness believers all over the world have to share Christ's message.

Sudan--School Bombed by Government Forces

Sources: Samaritan's Purse, State Department,

Sudanese forces bombed a school run by Samaritan's Purse in the Nuba
mountains in Southern Kordofan. The bombing occurred on the first day of school, when the Heiban Bible College campus was crowded with students, teachers andfamilies. Although Sudanese forces dropped eight bombs, destroying twobuildings, no one was killed. A statement from the United States' ambassador to the United Nations said the attack "underscores the viciousness of Sudan'son going military campaign in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states" in a conflictaffecting 50,000 people. Samaritan's Purse reported that four churches in theregion have been destroyed since August. Nearly 30,000 refugees from the Nuba
mountain have filled a camp across the border in South Sudan. Please pray forthose affected by the ongoing violence and for those who are bringing Jesus' name to the area.

The Fiend behind the persecution of the church

Matthew 16:13-18

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi; He was asking His disciples, Who do people say that the Son of Man is? And they said, Some say John the Baptist;and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. He said to them, But who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of [Hell] will not overpower it, NASB .

Hell's Assault - powerful but not victorious

The gates of hell, as all agree are the power and policy of it, or the acting’s of Satan, both as a lion and as a serpent, by rage and by subtlety. He does not act in a visible manner, in his own person, but by his agents. He always has two sorts of them, that work for him. He uses one class of demons and through them carries out his intention, which is his rage,and by the other his craft; which is his seductions, he now is acting like a lion and then acting like a serpent.

The Satanic work of this kind is of a double nature; ---the one, an effect of his power and rage, acted by the world in persecution--- the other, of his policy and craft, acted by heretics in seduction. By both means he works so as to separate the church from its foundation. The Works of John Owen.

Help the Persecuted Church

Christ our Leader was treated by contempt, insults, slanders, false accusations, blasphemy of his doctrine, reviling of His person and the like. Christ has made it clear to His followers that for the most part, persecution will be their lot in life.

Application

Heartfelt Ministries reports show that one of the highest web page visits is that of the Persecuted Church. I am sitting at a computer in West Palm Beach, Florida. My wife and I went to the beach on the sunny Atlantic Ocean. I am not on the run. However our brothers and sisters are not so well treated.
I fear that I will leave some out. But these are some of the countries where severe persecution is the worse: China, Iran, Iraq, Uzbekistan, South Sudan, Indonesia, Burma, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Pakistan, Vietnam and North Korea.

Let us obey the Scripture, Hebrews 13:3; Let love of the brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body, NASB.

If a member of your physical body was hurting, you would take care of it and nurture it back to health. These persecuted people are evangelical believers, pray and go to our website for links to the Voice of Martyrs .

From the Voice of Martyrs web site; "I am a Christian. I am dying today."

From the Voice of Martyrs web site; "I am a Christian. I am dying today."

Monica Dra and her husband heard the marchers outside their small home in Nigeria on July 26, 2009. They heard the chants of "Allahu Akbar" and wondered what the night would hold for them and other Christians in their village.

"We had heard rumors all night that there were going to be problems," Monica told VOM, "and now I could hear them walking and slaughtering people as they went." Monica's husband, Daniel James, grabbed her, and they ran outside to escape the radical Muslim mob. But the radicals grabbed Daniel and hacked him to death with a machete.

Monica began to run, with her Bible and hymn book tucked under her arm. But members of the chanting mob grabbed her and began striking her with machetes. Seeing a cross on a chain around Monica's neck, a militant began to chop at her neck, nearly decapitating her. By the time Monica got to the hospital, she could only breathe through the gaping wound left by the lethal blade.

"I thought, 'I am a Christian,'" she said. "I am dying today."

But Monica didn't die. After six surgeries to repair her throat and close the wound in her neck, doctors were able to save her voice. Through VOM Medical, Monica, a poor widow with a 5-year-old child, received excellent medical care and post-op follow-up. Thanks to generous donations from VOM supporters, Monica is among the more than 600 Christians who have received medical care after being injured because of their Christian faith.

Monica now needs only one more surgery to regain her normal speaking voice. "Now that I have my strength back, I have forgiven my attackers," Monica said. "Now I have more courage to serve the Lord much more."

We don't know where the next attack will occur. Nigeria? Indonesia? China? But VOM Medical is committed to serving those who are injured by persecution.

THANK YOU for helping Monica Dra and other Christians who have been injured in anti-Christian attacks around the world. With your help, VOM was able to provide six surgeries for Monica, a Christian widow with a 5-year-old son. We will soon be providing one more surgery, which should restore her normal speaking voice.

Fathers tortued for Christ

Some have asked me, "Why do you have helping the persecuted church in your purpose statement?" It is because the persecuted church is composed of born again believers whose suffering is most horrible, indeed.
Many of them spend their lives going in and out of prison because of their faith. They are like those spoken of in Hebrews;

Women received back their dead by resurrection ; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment.They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword ; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated; men of whom the world was not worthy (Hebrews 11:35-38).

The Persecuted Church page on our website is one of the most frequented. It, as do those with mental illness and bereavement, suffer greatl of body, mind and mood. We are commanded in Scripture, Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.

This is found in Hebrews 13:3.


Pastor T, a Mennonite from Ho Chi Minh City, was arrested on June 26, then beaten and taken to an unknown location. Nu, Pastor T’s wife, said her husband left home around 10 p.m. and phoned 15 minutes later to say he was being held at Ward 26 of Binh Thanh District Police Station. Nu and other church members went to the heavily guarded police station, but authorities denied having Pastor T in custody. Nu called out to her husband from a back door, and he responded, “I’m here. They have brutally beaten me. My jaw and hand are broken, and they have shackled my legs and hands. I’m very tired and am in pain.” Nu pleaded with police to let her see her husband, but they refused. Later, she saw him being taken by car to another location. Pastor T’s condition and location are unknown, and his house has been raided. Please pray for Pastor T’s health, and pray that God will strengthen and comfort him and his wife.
Please pray for these Christians. For more information about people who are being persecuted go to: http://heartfeltcounselingministries.com/persecution.aspx

Wife of Linfen Church Leader Released on Medical Parole

China Aid Association

(Linfen, Shanxi province – May 25, 2011) One of the 10 house church Christians sentenced in late 2009 to jail and labor camp terms related to the government suppression of a vast house church network based in Shanxi province has been released on medical parole due to her seriously deteriorating health, church sources told ChinaAid.

Yang Caizhen, whose husband was one of the senior leaders of the Linfen Church, was transferred in February from a prison hospital to a local hospital where test results showed her to be in seriously declining health. Due to the high cost of long-term hospitalization at the prison’s expense, the prison director decided to release her into her family’s care at their own expense. Ms. Yang is now at home, being cared for by her mother, brother and sister-in-law.

Yang, formerly a medical doctor, was given an extra-judicial two-year re-education-through-labor term which she was serving at the Shanxi Women’s Prison in the capital city of Taiyuan. She is the wife of Yang Xuan, who has served as a pastor for the churches in Linfen since 1994, shortly after the churches split from the government’s Three-Self Patriotic Movement. (More details about the couple and their ministry is available here: http://www.helplinfen.com/2011/04/daughter-of-linfen-prisoners-appeal.html.)

Yang Caizhen’s health problems no doubt were related to the heavy work demands imposed on her by the labor camp. She was forced to work every day from 6 a.m. until 10 or 11 p.m., for which she received the equivalent of $20 per month, with 77 cents for medical care and $1.38 for pocket money.

In February, Yang began to feel ill, started to run a high fever and complained of pain throughout her body. The prison clinic gave her a course of antibiotics, and two days later, the fever was gone. But she had no appetite and then experienced recurring fever that did not respond to three days of antibiotic drip in the prison hospital. She was transferred to an outside hospital, where a chest x-ray and test results from routine blood work showed her to be in poor health, including a high fever and liver inflammation. Treatment would require long-term hospitalization.

When she was released into her brother’s care three days later, Yang was barely able to speak. After paying her hospital bill, which the prison did not pay, her brother transferred Yang to a hospital in Xi’an, nine hours’ drive away. When they arrived, doctors there said her condition was so serious that any further delay in treatment might have resulted in her death.

Yang remained hospitalized for more than two weeks before going home.

http://heartfeltcounselingministries.com/persecution.aspx

Pray for the Persecuted Church

Hebrews 3:3-- Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.
An average of 171,000 Christians worldwide are martyred for their faith each year.

As I read about the horror of the persecution of born again believers I am led by the Holy Spirit, the Parakletos (Comforter), to intercede on their behalf. Some have asked why in our purpose statement Heartfelt Ministries has a section regarding the persecuted church. My answer is twofold:
(1) Because the above verse in Hebrews commands and exhorts us to have intense empathy for "those who are bound, as bound with them."
(2) Because their suffering involves a radical assault on the soul/spirit of believers, which is true of those who have a mental illness and Christians who are grieving. Helping the persecuted church is in accordance with our purpose statment. This blog is read by a number of believers who are undergoing persecution in other countries.

These brothers and sisters in Christ continue to need your prayers. God bless you and if your mind and body is well, thank the Lord for it, if not, continue to persevere and trust in these difficult trials.

Steve Bloem, for HCM