For eleven straight years, North Korea has maintained its reprehensible reputation of being the nation most hostile to the Gospel. This Communist nation resists any form of religion except the state religion of Juche, which glorifies human self-sufficiency and results in the cult worship of Leader Kim Jong-Il (who died two years ago) and his son, the new Leader Kim Jong-Un. In recent days, two North Korean Christians were killed for the sake of the Gospel. One was shot at the border as he courageously returned to his country after receiving Bible training in China. The other believer died from torture in one of the despicable prison camps reserved for enemies of the state. An estimated 70,000 Christians of all ages have been interned in these harsh prison camps, where Communist doctors conduct poisonous experiments on them with chemical and biological weapons. In addition, this week Kenneth Bae, an American…
Over two billion people in the world have no access to the Gospel—no Bible, no church, no Christians, no hope. Since many of them live in countries closed to traditional missionaries, how will they hear the Good News? One way is that Christ is calling and equipping men and women with skills—professionals—to use their talents to reach people who are hard to get to. The Power of His Rising is an inside look at how this is unfolding in South Asia, where baristas and bakers, pilots and farmers are a force for the Gospel! It’s an amazing journey by land, sea and air—down crowded streets and remote rivers—to find light shining in darkness and persecuted believers singing because of Jesus! Dispatches from the Front opens yet another window to see Christ at work in the world through His endless life and relentless grace! The 6th episode of the Dispatches from the Front series, set in South…
2013 PASTORS’ CONFERENCE: VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA When: Friday, June 14, 2013, from 9 AM to 3:30 PM Where: Colonial Baptist Church, 2221 Centerville Turnpike, Virginia Beach, VA 23464 Download or Print the Invitation with Agenda: Registration: There is no charge for this conference, however we ask that you register to let us know of your plans to attend. You can do so by using the link in the above Agenda or by clicking the “Sign Up” button below. Attendees are responsible for their own meals and lodging. Coffee and snacks will be provided during the break. Recommended Hotels: The Founders Inn and Spa 5641 Indian River Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23464, 1.757.366.5700 or online Rates: use the rate code “FMI” to receive the discounted nightly rates for Colonial Queen or Two Queen Rooms below: Thursday, June 13: $105 per night + tax; Friday-Saturday, June 14- 15: $115 per night + tax (no booking deadline to get these…
The Arab Spring began in 2011 in Libya, where the official religion is Islam and any type of proselytizing or distribution of Christian literature is illegal. Simon of Cyrene was from Libya, but the small minority of Christians today numbers only about 200,000 people. Ezzat Hakin Atallah, a native Egyptian, had lived in Libya for ten years and was the owner of a cell phone repair shop. He was known as a Christian, but that had not caused any previous problems. However, on February 17, 2013, Atallah and three other believers were rounded up and imprisoned in Benghazi on charges of spreading Christianity. On March 10, Atallah died in prison. Repeated electrical shock torture likely exacerbated his heart ailment, leading to his death. Atallah left behind a wife, Ragaa Abdallah, and two children. Please pray for God’s comfort for this family and also for the minority Christian community in Libya…
Turkey has long been a secular Muslim nation, but fanatical Islamic factions continue to pursue efforts to drive out the Christian minority population. Pastor Emre Karaali has faithfully served as the pastor of Izmit Protestant Church for 13 years after his conversion from Islam. The small congregation of 20 Turkish believers is miniscule in a city of one million Muslim people, but they were targeted. Over a year ago, two Muslim Turks infiltrated the church, and one of them even submitted to baptism. This past January, the police uncovered a plot to assassinate Pastor Emre and his family, which was orchestrated by these two men plus four other Turks who had visited the church. The plot was discovered just a week before it was going to be carried out. Although Pastor Emre had received a death threat a year ago and now this definite plan to kill him, he has…
Under President Mohamed Morsi’s new constitution in Egypt, radical Islamic law is now the law of the land. Those who convert from Islam to Christianity face prison time because the new constitution limits freedom of speech and religion. One of the legal barriers to conversion is the national ID card which identifies a person by religion. There are severe penalties for Christians changing their ID card status after their conversion from Islam. One recent example is a widow, Nadia Mohamed Ali, who was married to a Muslim man with whom she had seven children. After her husband died, Nadi and her children converted to Christianity, and they attempted to get their religion changed on their national ID card. Under Morsi’s government, Nadia and her children have been sentenced to 15 years in prison. Pray for special grace for Nadia and her children, as well as for other Christians who face…
This past Sunday the radical Islamic government of Iran sentenced Pastor Saeed Abedini, an American citizen, to an eight-year prison sentence for “threatening national security” because of his work with underground house churches. Please pray both for him and for his family in Idaho. For more information, go to http://cnsnews.com/news/article/mockery-justice-iran-sentences-american-pastor-8-years-prison.
Thank you for your continued prayers on behalf of Pastor Saeed Abidini in Iran. The original Persecution Update can be found here. Below is the most up-to-date information we have at this time regarding his case–a ChristianPost.com article by Stoyan Zaimov, Christian Post Reporter. “Pastor Saeed Abedini Still in Prison as Trial Begins; Iranian Media Accused of Lying” By Stoyan Zaimov , Christian Post Reporter January 21, 2013|4:57 pm “American Pastor Saeed Abedini has not been freed on bail and remains facing trial and possibly the death penalty in Iran, according to a statement by his wife released on the first day of his trial. “‘This is all a lie by the Iranian media,’ Naghmeh Abedini shared in a statement to the American Center for Law and Justice, who are representing the pastor’s wife and two children in the United States. The group confirmed that contrary to an Associate Press report that says Iranian authorities have claimed…
This past September, the country of Iran—the second worst nation for Christian persecution—arrested an Iranian-American pastor while he was visiting in Tehran. As a young Muslim man of age 20 living in Iran, Saeed Abedini had trained with a terrorist group to become a suicide bomber. Through an incredible work of God’s grace, Abedini converted to Christ and abandoned Islam. He eventually became a leader of a network of house churches in Iran before immigrating to America and obtaining U.S. citizenship in 2005. At great risk, Abedini has continued to visit Iran to see his parents and also to work on building an orphanage. After keeping him under surveillance, authorities in Tehran indicted him four months ago and put him in the notorious Evin Prison. Abedini could potentially be facing a death sentence for apostasy and proselytizing. His wife, Naghmeh, reported that her husband has endured harassment and torture in…
Pakistan continues to rank in the top ten most dangerous countries for Christians. The country’s strict laws that criminalize blasphemy against the Koran or Mohammed are commonly used by Muslims to make false accusations against Christians simply to settle a business or personal conflict. One of these abuses of the anti-blasphemy laws occurred this past August when a 14-year-old Christian girl with a mental disability, Rimsha Masih, was falsely accused of burning pages of the Koran. She spent three weeks in prison, and was finally released when evidence was submitted that a Muslim imam planted the burned pages on her. The charges were officially dropped on November 20th. However, Rimsha and her family are in hiding and cannot return to their home. Also, Asia Bibi, a Christian mother of five, remains under a death sentence since 2010 for allegedly insulting the Prophet Mohammed. Pray for God’s comfort and grace for…
