Persecuted for Christ

International Day of Prayer

2021-11-07T20:31:00.000-05:00

International Day of Prayer, is a day where Christians all over the world pray for their brethren in Christ all over the world. I normally forget to do something special on this day.

Not this time.

Here are some ways you can pray for your persecuted brethren all over the world:

1. Pray that Christians all over the world will know the comfort and encouragement of Almighty God.

2. Pray that their persecutors will turn to Christ as Lord.

3. Pray that God will cause His Church to grow in spite of the persecution coming their way.

4. Pray that God will give them the boldness to preach His gospel even with the threat of impending death on their heads.

5. Pray that God will provide them with Bibles so they can enjoy His Word and grow closer to Him.

We must always remember our brethren in Christ who are being horribly persecuted for His Name. And as westerners, we must NEVER take for granted the freedoms we enjoy here.

Presbyterian Church in Xuzhou Raided During Service

2021-11-04T18:57:00.007-04:00

It’s a miracle that these people have a way of watching the service online with all the persecution they face on a regular basis. Let alone that not all of them were arrested.

Just a testament to the grace of God.

11/04/2021 China (International Christian Concern) – A Presbyterian Church in China’s Xuzhou was raided on October 31 during Sunday worship. The pastor and four members of the house church were taken away, while others in attendance had their personal information taken by the police.

According to China Aid, local authorities from Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province raided Dao-en Presbyterian Church last Sunday when the worship was taking place. Pastor Fang Xiaojun and four Christians were brought to the local police station.

As a church not vetted by the state, Dao-en Presbyterian Church is not unfamiliar with persecution. In August 2018, Tongshan District Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau interrupted the Sunday service of the church’s South Campus and issued a notice of administrative punishment to Pastor Fang and Preacher Ma Ben. Since then, the church has often been raided.

On August 2, 2020, Pastor Fang and some members were gathering at a congregant’s home, while others attended online Sunday worship. The police raided the home and took Pastor Fang away. He was not released until noon that day.

Pastor Fang has a track record of standing with the persecuted(Read More).

6 Abducted in Nigeria’s Latest School Attack

2021-11-03T20:33:00.001-04:00

May these 6 people be returned to their families.

For more on how to pray for Our Nigerian brethren in Christ; click here: 5 Ways To Pray for Nigerian Christians

11/02/2021 Nigeria (International Christian Concern) – On Tuesday, gunmen raided the staff quarters of the University of Abuja in central Nigeria and kidnapped six people.

“Suspected bandits attacked the staff quarters of the university in the early hours of today. We have a report that four of our staff and their children were, nevertheless, abducted,” the university said on its Facebook page.

The attack took place close to the Nigerian Army’s barracks.

“The eyewitness who pleaded anonymity said the bandits operated for over an hour and 30 minutes,” said Sahara Reporters.

“The bewildered residents of the staff quarters and neighbors tried without success to reach out to security agents… some soldiers finally responded after the bandits had a free reign without resistance…a public primary school behind the quarters was used by the bandits as their operational base while the assault lasted.”

Over 1,400 students have been abducted just this year in Nigeria—a sharp increase over previous years in what is a relatively new trend. The mass abduction of schoolchildren began in 2014 when the Islamist terror group Boko Haram abducted 276 mostly Christian girls from a school in Chibok.

The rate of kidnappings has increased as armed groups realize its effectiveness in grabbing headlines and raising cash through the extortion of parents or state governments for ransom money.

No level of the Nigerian government has demonstrated any real ability to push back against this trend. The Nigerian national government is considering legislation that would criminalize paying ransoms for the return of abducted schoolchildren. If passed, the bill would amend the Terrorism Prevention Act of 2011 by making paying ransoms a felony punishable by a minimum of 15 years in prison.

Critics of the proposed legislation believe it misses the point. They argue that the fundamental problem at play is the lack of effective security measures and law enforcement, not desperate parents trying to get their children back.

The Nigerian government has had an inconsistent narrative on kidnappings and ransoms over the years. Though it officially condemns the practice, the government regularly pays ransoms. Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State even publicly boasted that he is in contact with certain Fulani militants and paid them to stop specific attacks. Whatever the truth of that claim, however, attacks have increased under el-Rufai’s governorship.

Pastor Forced to Flee Village in India Following Brutal Attack by Radicals

2021-11-02T20:53:00.001-04:00

For more on how you can pray for persecuted Christians in India, click here: Ways you can pray for Persecuted Christians in India

11/02/2021 India (International Christian Concern) – According to Morning Star News, a pastor in India’s Bihar state was forced to flee from his home village after being attacked by radical Hindu nationalists. The radicals reportedly used violence, threats, and other forms of opposition to drive this pastor out of his home and shut down his church.

On September 28, Pastor Raj Masih was attacked by 25 radical Hindu nationalists as he was purchasing vegetables from the market in Simri village. The radical reportedly surrounded Pastor Masih and took him to a secluded location where they savagely beat him.

“The dragged me for about a kilometer as they shouted and abused me in extremely filthy language,” Pastor Masih told Morning Star News. Once in a secluded area, the radicals punched Pastor Masih in the stomach, kicked his chest, and struck his back with fists and shoes.

“They kept repeating, ‘Stop Christian prayers. Shut down your church. If we see you conducting prayers, we will not spare you alive,’” Pastor Masih told Morning Star News. “They kicked me very hard on my chest.”

“I returned home bruised that night,” Pastor Masih continued. “My children saw me and were frightened. Since we lost my wife to COVID-19 in April this year, I am all they have.”

Following the attack, Pastor Masih decided to take the extreme step of leaving the village and temporarily halting his ministry.

“For the first time in nine years of ministry in Sirmi, I took this extreme step of taking a break from the Lord’s work there,” Pastor Masih told Morning Star News. “My children, ages 12, 9, and 7, have missed their school for more than a month now, but I thought it is enough if I am alive for them. I need to care and provide for them.”

Even though Pastor Masih left the village and halted his ministry, the radicals continued to harass him and his congregation. The radicals continued to send Pastor Masih threats through text messages and phone calls. Videos of Pastor Masih praying or sharing the Gospel were regularly posted on social media accompanied by posts urging Hindus to resist Christian preachers.

“The believers are very scared to gather,” Pastor Masih told Morning Star News about his congregation in Sirmi. “For now, it is only an attack on me, threats, and warnings, but they are afraid this will be followed by the worse. There have been past cases of brutal attacks and murders of pastors and believers in Bihar.”

“I do not know when we will be able to return to Simri,” Pastor Masih explained to Morning Star News. “We are waiting on the Lord to make a way for us. The worship services stopped completely in Simri.”

Across India attacks on Christians and their places of worship continue to be reported in greater number and severity. According to a report recently released by human rights activists, over 300 attacks on Christians have been documented in the first nine months of 2021. If this trend continues, 2021 will go down as the most violent year experienced by Christians in India’s modern history.

The Truth- why people hate Jesus’s followers

2021-11-01T16:13:00.004-04:00

So this awesome sister in Christ posted this video on the real reason for why Christians will receive hate.

It is very good. She goes through a text of scripture in 1 Kings 22 where Ahab declares his hatred for a prophet because he only spoke what was evil towards him(I.e. the truth). She basically brings this up to say this: we as Christians are going to receive hate because we speak the truth. That’s not surprising because we as Christians are United to the Truth (John 14:6) who was nailed to the cross for speaking the truth. We should should also consider that the devil, the father of lies is called the ruler/prince of this world. So naturally, we as Christians are going to get a lot of haters because we are speaking against lies and the unregenerate love their lies greatly.

Simply put, one of the simplest ways to have persecution coming your way is to speak the truth. Speak the truth about what God says particularly concerning marriage, gender and sexuality and expect persecution to come your way. The unregenerate are trying to suppress the truth (Romans 1:18) so when they hear it spoken, they will try to marginalize those who do.

Of course this is no license to be a jerk towards other people. The Christian is to speak the truth in love. The point is that even when speaking the truth in a loving fashion people are going to hate on us Christians. Something we shouldn’t be surprised about.

Persecution Headlines in the Past Months

2021-10-31T23:22:00.003-04:00

I have been AWOL for the past several months on this blog and while I was AWOL a lot of torment has been heaped on our brethren in Christ. Take a look:

1. Canadian Pastor Imprisoned-

As we all know COVID-19 has lead to social distancing. And social distancing has lead to many building closing. This includes churches. Some have insisted on continuing to open the doors of their churches so people could meet together, fellowship and hear the Word of God. Pastor James Coates was one of those people. And this lead to him being imprisoned for 35 days. During that time, James wrote an Apostle Paul-like letter to his church encouraging and admonishing them. For more on this pastor, see here: Pastor Arrested and then later released.

2. Canadian Churches burned:

For some weird reason someone decided to burn churches in Canada. Regardless of the reason, it is a sign that western churches are not immune to the sort of thing churches in places like Pakistan and the Sudan have to deal with on a daily basis. For more see here: Christian Churches set on fire.

3. Taliban cracks down on Afghanistan as troops from USA are pulled out

America has been waging a war on terror in Afghanistan almost ever since 09.11.01 when the Twin Towers came crashing down. In August, President Biden called the troops out and as a result that Taliban started cracking down on the country and as they crack down, our Afghani brethren in Christ will be inevitably targeted. This article is proof of it: Afghani Christian woman murdered for reading her Bible.

4. Christian Missionaries to Haiti kidnapped

Haiti has gone through A LOT. In June there was coup d'etat where the President was murdered. Then after that there was ANOTHER earthquake which caused many of them to seek asylum in countries like the US (and get treated like trash). To make matters worse, 17 missionaries were kidnapped and are being held for ransom by the gang leader there. See here for more on this issue: American Christian missionaries kidnapped and held for ransom.

Needless to say, there is a lot we as Christians need to be praying for as of now. And don't worry, I will make it an effort to post more regularly on this blog from now on.

A Close Look at Egypt’s Relentless Abuse of Coptic Christians

2021-02-28T21:17:00.003-05:00

Our Egyptian brethren in Christ have received MAJOR persecution from Muslims. Let's take a closer at it in this article:

For those of us who have followed the struggle of Egypt’s Coptic Christians, particularly during the presidency of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi, there’s been both good news and bad news. In Defense of Christians (IDC), an international religious freedom watchdog, presented a webinar on January 15 focusing on that long-suffering Coptic community.

The webinar featured remarks from distinguished and well-prepared speakers—including US Congressmen Brad Sherman (D-CA) and French Hill (R-AR), US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Commissioner Nadine Maenza, USCIRF policy analyst Kurt Werthmuller, and Hudson Institute scholar and Coptic author Samuel Tadros.

Ten years ago this week, Egypt’s Copts optimistically greeted the “Arab Spring,” which spread rapidly across the country, dangerously elevated the Muslim Brotherhood, and ushered in the brief presidency of Mohamad Morsi. Several IDC webinar speakers offered a smattering of applause for President Sisi’s efforts to recognize and correct abuses suffered by Egypt’s Copts during and after that period., They noted that Sisi has taken several such steps since his landslide election in 2014(Keep reading).

Equality: The coming storm in America

2021-01-31T20:56:00.001-05:00

Up this point in 2021, we have had the storming of the Capitol and the death well-known people (Larry King, Hank Aaron, to name a few).

But I sense that things they are going to get worse, A LOT worse this year, for us who name the name of Christ as I show here:

Other forms of Persecution from this year

2020-12-31T21:58:00.001-05:00

To close out 2020, one of the most turbulent years of History, here were some other highlights of the year where our brethren were persecuted:

Highlights of persecution of Christians in the past months

2020-11-30T21:59:00.002-05:00

I haven't been posting much on the persecution of our brethren in Christ, but here's what has been going on in the past months:

1. Jihadis murder Christians at Notre-Dame:

More proof showing that persecution can happen even in Western countries.

2. Youtube Restricts the Gospel of Jesus Christ:

It is disturbing when Youtube decides to get in on the persecution of our brethren in Christ by forbidding the gospel to anyone under 18.

Indonesian Terrorist Burns Down Church and Christian Homes, Killing Four

2020-11-30T20:51:00.000-05:00

The Quran commands Muslims to terrorize non-Muslims:

Fight against such of those who have been given the Scripture as believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, and forbid not that which Allah hath forbidden by His messenger, and follow not the Religion of Truth, until they pay the tribute readily, being brought low.

Sura 9:29

Sadly there are many Muslims who take these words seriously:

11/27/2020 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on November 27, an alleged terrorist attacked the Salvation Army’s service post in central Sulawesi, before burning six houses of church members. Four Christians were murdered, with three being butchered.

Around 8 a.m., the Lewonu Lembantongoa Service Post, located in Sigi Regency, Central Sulawesi, set up as an outreach effort by the Salvation Army in Indonesia (Bala Keselamatan), was attacked by the alleged terrorist.

He set the church on fire, before attacking Captain Arnianto, Mrs. Mpapa, Lieutenant Abram Kako and his wife and burning down six houses of the church members. Out of the four victims, three were hacked to death, while the other was burned.

In the video seen by ICC, the charred victim was pulled from a pile of ruins, with smoke still rising in the background. The fowler position of the body suggests the agony and pain endured by the victim before death(Keep Reading Here).

Christians Arrested While Singing Hymns in Idaho

2020-09-30T23:20:00.001-04:00

Putting this here in case any American Christian thinks they are immune to persecution here in America.

At least five Christians were arrested during a hymn sing in the parking lot of city hall in Moscow, Idaho. Hands up, don’t sing.

One of the individuals cited was Latah County Commission candidate Gabriel Rench.

The five individuals were cited for being in violation of Moscow’s mask/social distancing order, Moscow Police Chief James Fry told the Daily News.

As many as 200 people turned out for the “Flash Psalm Sing” sponsored by Moscow’s Christ Church.

“Well, it happened,” one observer wrote on Twitter. “The Moscow (Idaho) Police Department arrested my kids’ music teacher and his wife the basketball coach for singing without social distancing at a Psalm Sing protest. The music is beautiful.”

Two people were handcuffed as hundreds sang “Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow.”

“Why are the citizens not putting a stop to this? They work for the public hold them accountable. Up to and including armed resistance,” one observer asked on social media.

Every police officer and every elected leader involved in this depraved attack on the U.S. Constitution should be removed from office. And the Justice Department should launch a civil rights investigation. “Well, it happened,” one observer wrote on Twitter. “The Moscow (Idaho) Police Department arrested my kids’ music teacher and his wife the basketball coach for singing without social distancing at a Psalm Sing protest. The music is beautiful.”

Two people were handcuffed as hundreds sang “Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow.”

“Why are the citizens not putting a stop to this? They work for the public hold them accountable. Up to and including armed resistance,” one observer asked on social media.

Did you ever imagine you would see the day when Christians peacefully singing hymns would be arrested and charged with crimes?

This happened in Moscow, Idaho, not Moscow, Russia. If you want to understand why Christians are under attack, read my new book, “Culture Jihad: How to Stop the Left From Killing a Nation.”

Go here if you want watch videos of this event. Needless to say, I think we Christians should brace ourselves for more stuff like this to come.

Christians in China ordered to renounce faith

2020-07-31T22:11:00.002-04:00

God give my Chinese brethren in Christ the strength to not renounce their faith and trust in Him as Jehovah-Jireh to provide for their sins.

Impoverished Christians living in China who are receiving aid from the state have been ordered to renounce their faith or have their welfare benefits revoked, according to reports from Bitter Winter, a non-profit organization dedicated to religious and human rights in China.

During a government meeting in the city of Linfen near the northern province of Shanxi, officials from all villages under the city's jurisdiction were instructed to remove crosses, religious symbols, and images from the homes of Christians who receive welfare payments and replace them with images of Chairman Mao Zedong and President Xi Jinping.

Clearly while China says they are an atheist government, they are commanding worship, namely, worship of the head of state.

For those Christians who refused to comply, the officials were told to withdraw their welfare benefits.

A member of a Three-Self Church located in one of the villages said that officials destroyed all religious symbols pertaining to Christianity within his home and posted a picture of Mao.

The policy is also being implemented in other parts of the country.

The government of Xinyu city withdrew a disabled Christian's minimum living subsidy and a monthly disability allowance of around $14.
A church member in her 80s from Jiangxi's Poyang county had her monthly subsidy of $28 removed for saying "Thank God" when her check arrived.
An official from a village administered by a city in the eastern province of Shandong invaded a home and posted portraits of Mao and Xi saying, "These are the greatest gods. If you want to worship somebody, they are the ones."
A Christian from Weihui city who refused to sign a statement renouncing her Christian faith had her allowance canceled. She depended on state money to support her two sons after her husband died(Read more here).

The Skies Over Beijing Turn Black in Middle of Day as Government Passes New Laws Against Christians

2020-06-07T09:48:00.001-04:00

The skies over Beijing turned dark and black in the middle of the day on Thursday, as the Communist Party came together for an annual meeting.

Chen Beingzhong, a life-long Beijing resident described it in one report to the Epoch Times “as an alarm from god.” He said that there was “Thunder rolling. Heavy gale blowing. The sky was very dark … I have never seen this in my life.”

2057 top government officials are currently in session in Beijing and their agenda is not looking good for Christians. News is leaking out of the meeting about new laws for the church. The government is drafting new plans to further persecute the underground house church. The details have not come out yet, but it seems that the current coronavirus epidemic is being used as a reason for the Communist Party to put even more pressure on the church than they have in the last two years.

The thick dark clouds that descended on Beijing on Thursday seemed to be like a supernatural sign, that the forces of darkness had moved into the city. We believe that an intense spiritual battle is underway in China because of the vision that God has given to the underground church. The enemy knows that his time is short and the mobilization of the massive church in China is hastening the completion of the Great Commission and the return of Jesus Christ.

Earlier in the month, on May 3rd, BTJ reported on a raid on a house church in China (video link below). Several believers were arrested and taken away. They have not been heard from since the meeting(Read whole article here).

Police brutality on blacks

2020-05-31T13:02:00.002-04:00

Proverbs 31:8
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
9

I know that this blog is centered helping our persecuted brethren in Christ, but I have to take some time out to address this.

On Tuesday, May 26, a man by the name of George Floyd was arrested on the (possibly) trumped up charge of a forged check. He was on the ground and a cop by the name of Derek Chauvin had his knee on him saying, “I can’t breathe,” numerous times before dying. Here is a clip of the video. Far from being for the faint of heart, watch at your own risk.

On March 13, earlier this year Breona Taylor, and 26 year old African-American was shot unarmed on the trumped up charge of having drugs by the cops.

Earlier this month, Ahmaud Arberry was killed via lynching by two whites who felt he robbed them.

This is not the first time police brutality has been applied to African-Americans. Trayvon Martin and Mike Brown were offed by cops in 2012 and 2014 respectively.

And 2016 was the year in which we got MANY of the worst cases of police brutality against black people.

The murder of George Floyd seems to have been the straw that broke the camel’s back and lead to MANY riots in Minneapolis, Atlanta and other places around the country. Many stores (ESPECIALLY those in Minneapolis) were lit on fire.

Ladies and Gentlemen, racial injustice still exist in this country. As a black man living in America I am saddened that I am more than anyone of any ethnicity and gender to be hunted down by those who are suppose to protect me.

Dear Jesus, You are sovereign over all things. You fight on the behalf of the widow and the oppressed. On top of this corona pandemic we have police brutality against blacks and riots against as a result everywhere. Keep us all safe during these crazy times and remember that you are bigger than all of this. Help us all to speak out for the oppressed and may justice be brought to those shot by cops and may said cops repent and turn to you, realizing that your blood speaks a better word than that of Mike Brown, Trayvon Martin and George Floyd because Your blood cries out for the acquittal of us sinners, while the blood of Mike Brown, Trayvon and Floyd cries out to be avenged. I also pray that my white brethren in Christ will speak out against this injustice given that they have the most privilege in this country. May people also turn to you as Lord.

In Your Name,

Amen.

To all my white brethren in Christ,

If you have an OUNCE of love for the King of Kings you will speak for your African-American brethren in Christ you will speak out against this injustice.

Go to this link if you want to know specifically what you can do:

75 Things White People Can Do For Racial Justice

I also made 2 freestyles concerning the police brutality that recently happened:

May God cause there to be radical changes in the police department so that we will get closer to there being race reconciliation .

5 Ways to Pray for Christians in Nigeria

2020-04-21T10:33:00.001-04:00

Since, I have mentioned Nigeria numerous times in previous articles, it’s about time I gave an article on how we can pray for them.

Nigeria is a religiously divided country. It is country where about 50% are our brethren in Christ and 50% are Muslims. The south is majority Christian and the North is majority Muslim. The fact that 80 million know Christ as Lord is courtesy of missionary work and people taking the gospel with them after being enslaved and having slavery abolished in Britain in 1833. Our brethren in Northern Nigeria are being horribly persecuted. The main persecutors are Boko Haram and Fulani herdsman. The second group has committed more acts of violence in the past two years against our brethren in Christ than any other group globally (and considering that there are groups like Al-Qaeda, ISIS and the Taliban out there, that’s saying something). Their goal is a Sharia-ruled nation and they have the middle states in mind to make this happen.

This has resulted in multiple horrendous attacks. In February 2019, an Anglican priest was abducted along with the rest of his family. He was killed and his family’s whereabouts are unknown.

At 5:40 pm in April 2019, Boko Haram invaded the mostly Christian Kuda community in Madagali, Adamawa State. 23 people died, 20 of whom knew the Lord, and about 30 houses were set on fire. Residents sought refuge in Gulak and other places.

In Lau LGA, Taraba State, tensions rose between a radical Fulani herder and a farmer. This resulted in reprisal attacks that lasted for weeks and resulted in 65 people dying. It also lead to 18 burned villages (15 buildings of which were churches and 2 were elementary schools). Security forces that were deployed there did not intervene.

Our brethren in Christ in Nigeria are suffering horribly. In light of the aforementioned persecution, here are 5 ways to pray for our Nigerian brethren in Christ the Lord:

1. Pray for those effected by the violence committed against them by Boko Haram and Fulani herdsman. Violence perpetrated by these groups against our brethren leads to physical injury, loss of life and physical property. Pray that God will be provider of their spiritual and physical needs.

2. Be thankful to the Lord that MOST of our brethren in Christ live in the south where freedom of religion is respected. Pray that they will engage with their brothers in Northern Nigeria to help them deal with terrorism and bring them freedom of religion.

3. Lots of women are in captivity by Boko Haram. Pray that they will be released and those who have been released or managed to escape will be given physical and emotional treatment.

4. Pray that our Nigerian brethren in Christ will be able to withstand pressure to give up their faith and that they will respond to their challenges in a way that glorifies God.

5. Pray that our brethren in Christ will be given boldness to preach the gospel to the Muslims, even the more militant ones.

May we remember ALL of our brethren in Christ in lands where they are heavily persecuted for loving Jesus Christ, even with this pandemic going on.

He has risen: Evidence for the resurrection and its implications

2020-04-12T23:19:00.000-04:00

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the bedrock on which the Christian faith lies. If it didn’t happen, the Christian faith falls to pieces. Paul said it like this:

"And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins...If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead...For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man." - 1 Corinthians 15:17, 19-20a, 21

So here is a video I made a while back on the resurrection of Christ Jesus:

The resurrection has 3 implications:

1. It means that any suffering we go through is worth it and we should endure it (persecution in particular).

2. It means that our work on God’s behalf is not pointless (1 Corinthians 15:58) and we should stop in doing good.

3. It means that God will resurrect our bodies and glorify them like He did Jesus’s on the Easter.

HE IS RISEN INDEED!

Come Risen Lord Jesus, you are the one we long for above all!!

Isaiah 53 Explained

2020-04-10T23:35:00.000-04:00

Given that this is Good Friday, I want to recommend a book to everyone. It is called Isaiah 53 Explained:

It is written for Jews, but I suggest EVERYONE give it a read. It goes through how this chapter refers to the Lord Jesus Christ.

As a closing, I need to say that the Lord Jesus was said to be rejected by men and was despised. So that means he can identified with his persecuted followers and comfort them and that’s not even getting into how he was despised so they (and us who are living in the west in relative comfort and safety) could have eternal.

Thank God, He made a way through His Holy Son.

Suspected Fulani Militants Kill 4 in Bassa District Attack

2020-04-09T20:47:00.001-04:00

Having to deal with a pandemic and militants? I would hate to be these people.

04/09/2020 Nigeria (International Christian Concern) – Yesterday, April 8th, gunmen believed to be Fulani militants attacked Ngbra-zongo village of Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State. The attack was the second in the last month on the village. During this attack, the gunmen killed at least four people, including the pastor of the local ECWA church. The attackers were able to continue the attack for over an hour without any security intervention and then escaped.

The security of this area should be of huge concern to the Nigerian government as it has been a hotspot of large scale attacks in the past. In June of 2017, ove two hundred people were killed in a two-day attack on Bassa Local Government area. Despite this, there has only been minimal engagement by the authorities and none of the attackers have ever been held accountable. This has led to impunity on the part of the attackers, who believe that they can get away with whatever they want. It has also led the locals to mistrust and often hate the military and government.

This attack is especially worrisome as Plateau state is going in to total lockdown tonight due to the coronavirus, COVID-19. This will mean that many of the locals will be stuck in their homes and could be attacked again. This will also hurt the government’s attempts to stop the spread of the virus, as villagers whose homes are attacked often have to flee to other locations(Keep reading).

I pray that God will keep them safe and that the government will step in and help them out.

Christians in Guangdong Indicted for Printing Children’s Bibles

2020-04-09T19:16:00.000-04:00

Let’s pray that they get cleared of all charges.

04/08/2020 China (International Christian Concern) – Two Christians in Guangdong were arrested at the end of last year for printing children’s Bibles. Now they face charges and imprisonment.

According to China Aid, since March 2018, Liang Rurui and Zhu Guoqing in Guangdong province have been printing children’s Bibles at the request of a Christian with the surname Tang. They have handed 7000 copies of children’s Bibles to Tang.

On November 22, 2019, the local authorities in Zhongshan city inspected their printing plant and confiscated 8,176 printed books. Soon, Liang Ruiru was arrested by the police. A day later, Liang was criminally detained and bailed out on the same day, while Zhu Guoqing was arrested, criminally detained, and formally arrested on Christmas.

On March 24, First City District People’s Procuratorate in Zhongshan city officially indicted Liang and Zhu, accusing them of violating the country’s regulations and damaging the market’s order with their illegal operation. They should be criminally charged with illegal business operation(Continue to read).

Isolation Nearly Impossible for Poor Communities in Africa

2020-04-08T10:18:00.001-04:00

Okay, so far, I have posted many articles centered around Coronavirus and how it has affected America, the Middle East, Eastern Asia and Europe. I haven’t posted much on how it’s affecting Africa and there is a reason for that: not many people are traveling to Africa. This, however, does not mean that Africa isn’t being affected by the virus. It also doesn’t mean that it won’t have ANY ripple effects for any of the countries at large like Nigeria or the Sudan. This article elaborates on that.

04/07/2020 Africa (International Christian Concern) – So far Africa has been able to avoid the worst of the virus as fewer people travel internationally to many countries, but as the virus continues to gain a foothold in Africa, the virus could spread quickly. The poorest countries in Africa will find it impossible to stop the spread due to the inability of many communities to self-isolate. There are still many communities across the continent that rely on community resources which involves crowds, such as water from pumps, and electricity which only a few people may have. These villages and towns will be especially susceptible to the virus as they often do not have medical facilities, access to medical masks or chemicals to kill the virus.

If these more rural areas or the densely populated slums of larger cities become exposed to the virus, it could turn into the worst of the pandemics in the world. Governments will find it hard to enforce self-isolation due to the needs of these communities. Also, for those countries where minorities are already oppressed, this could mean more persecution and strife. Countries like Sudan, who have had growth towards freedom could easily start seeing these freedoms slip back if the governments are not careful(Keep reading).

This could also cause terrorism to increase in countries like Nigeria, Sudan, Kenya and Somalia. Which in turn means persecution against our brethren in Christ will increase. Let’s pray that our brethren will kept safe during this time and they will find treatment necessary if they have come down with the Coronavirus. Let’s also pray that the leaders will not allow discrimination based on religion to go on, ESPECIALLY, when it comes to who gets treatment for the Coronavirus. God keep them (and us) safe during this time.

Over 100 Christian Families Denied Food Aid Amid COVID-19 Crisis in Pakistan

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04/07/2020 Pakistan (International Christian Concern) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has documented another instance of Pakistani Christians being turned away from an aid distribution because of their religious identity. This marks the third incident of discrimination documented by ICC since Pakistan has gone into lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Sunday, April 5, more than 100 Christian families from Sandha Kalan village, located in the Kasur district of Pakistan’s Punjab province, were excluded from a distribution of food aid. Shahakeel Ahmed, a local Muslim and human rights defender, told ICC that Sheikh Abdul Haleem Hamid, a cleric at the local mosque, decided that the food aid would be distributed to only Muslim families.

The aid, collected by a village management committee and mostly made up of foodstuffs, was reportedly designed to be distributed among all the deserving families of the village. However, when the aid was distributed, Sheikh Hamid did not allow even a single Christian family to receive aid.

Ahmed reportedly protested against this discrimination and raised his voice against the decision made by the cleric. However, these protests went unheard.

“I condemn this inhumane and discriminatory act by my Muslim village fellows and stand in solidarity with the poor Christian population of the village,” Ahmed told ICC. “Therefore a group of like-minded individuals are collecting donations from liberal Muslims to extend foodstuff to this vulnerable segment; the Christians of this country.”

Common grace at its finest. I hope this man finds Christ and his pleas get heard.

Rights Group Urges Vietnam to Free Prisoners of Conscience Amid COVID-19

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04/06/2020 Vietnam (International Christian Concern) – A Vietnamese human rights group issued a statement calling on Vietnam’s government to free all prisoners of conscience to protect them from being infected with deadly COVID-19 as the disease increasingly spreads around the country.

On April 4, Defend the Defenders (DTD) issued a press release to highlight the potential risks faced by the prisoners of conscience given the poor conditions of prisons in the communist country. They are “one of the most vulnerable groups to Coronavirus infection as the severe prison conditions have weakened their immune system.”

DTD’s latest statistics show that Vietnam’s communist regime is holding at least 240 prisoners of conscience in severe conditions: being held in large numbers in small unhygienic cells without sunlight and windows, low-quality food, lack of proper medical services, many of them have been placed in solitary cells or beaten by prison guards or inmates for protesting inhumane treatment.

The statement said, “Releasing prisoners of conscience and allowing them to return with their families will help them avoid being infected with Coronavirus better than being held in the crowded detention facilities, and the government will reduce expenditures spending on maintaining detention facilities. It requests Vietnam’s authorities to improve living conditions in detention facilities to raise their health to help them better withstand diseases, especially the deadly COVID-19 while still keeping them in custody(Continue to read here).”

Let’s hope they get what they want.

Sri Lankan Authorities Arrest Major Suspect Linked to 2019 Easter Bombings

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04/06/2020 Sri Lanka (International Christian Concern) – According to World Watch Monitor, detectives in Sri Lanka arrested a man last month who is suspected of participating in the 2019 terror attack on churches and hotels. The attack remains the single largest attacks on Sri Lanka’s Christian population in the country’s history.

The man arrested is suspected of being the ‘handler’ of the bomber who attacked Zion Protestant Church in Batticaloa, located in eastern Sri Lanka. The man is suspected is providing transport for that bomber as well as assisting the bomber who attacked St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital.

Over 90 individuals suspected of being involved in the attacks are currently being held by Sri Lankan authorities. Investigators used cellphone records and statements from suspects to identify and arrest these individuals.

On April 21, 2019, Easter Sunday, suicide bombers attacked three churches and several luxury hotels across Sri Lanka in coordinated attacks. Some 350 people, many of them Christians celebrating Easter, were killed as a result of the bombings. ISIS took credit for the attacks(Keep reading).

I pray that God will keep my Sri Lankan brethren in Christ safe this Easter.

Palm Sunday and it’s relation to Peace

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Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Matthew 21:1-11

Peace is something that we need to have, ESPECIALLY, during this pandemic. I spoke at length about having peace in my video for the New Year and what it means to display said peace right here:

What I didn’t mention in that video is that you can’t have the Peace of God unless you are peace with God. That’s why Jesus came to earth and it also signifies why He was riding on a donkey into Jerusalem. A royal riding on a donkey meant He was coming in peace or bringing peace. It’s why we celebrated Palm Sunday. Christ was coming to bring peace.

And we need to realize something very important.

All of us are born sinners. Sin is essentially rebellion against God Almighty. And that is the thing that causes us to be at War with Almighty God. God’s a just God. He has to punish sin. At the same time, He is a loving God. He wants to be at peace with Us and forgive. So He decided, “I am going to send my Son, to take the blame for your sin.” The Lord Jesus Christ, God Almighty’s Son, took on flesh and lived a perfect life on this planet and then at then was crucified on a Roman cross, ultimately getting rejected by a God the Father at the end as a result and rose from the grave 3 days later so that anyone who trusts in Him can be at peace with God and then after that, they can have the peace of God.

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God........

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

Romans 5:1-2, 6-11

If you have the peace of God you can be at peace no matter what sort of tribulation or persecution you go through because you know God is in control. And if you are reading this blog and you haven’t turned to Christ as Lord and King, I urge you to do so right now.

Amen.