Persecuted Christians

God is using miraculous healing to bring people to Christian faith in India, praise the Lord! We read many instances of Jesus healing in the Gospels, and He is still blessing people in the same way. Here are three stories from India of miraculous healings that led to faith in Christ.  It’s amazing that Raman, Raj and Meeta* have become believers – but for them, and millions of...
Čítaj ďalej o THREE STORIES OF MIRACULOUS HEALING IN INDIA »

Rohan* has dedicated his life to Christian ministry. He ran a church in India with a congregation of 30 families. One night, his church was burned down. Thanks to your support, he was able to rebuild. But that wasn’t the most miraculous part. Rohan was born in a Christian family, and his father was a priest. He grew up aware of the antagonism that Christians could face in India. But,...
Čítaj ďalej o ROHAN: COULD YOU FORGIVE SOMEONE WHO BURNED DOWN YOUR CHURCH? »

“This is the biggest shock of our lives as Christians. Never in our wildest imagination did we think this would happen.” Up until recently Pastor Daniel Sawadogo was living peacefully in Dablo, Burkina Faso. But that peace has been shattered. On 12 May 2019, gunmen stormed a church service in Dablo, killing six Christians including the priest. They burned down the church, shops, health...
Čítaj ďalej o SUFFERING IN THE SAHEL - CHRISTIANS INCREASINGLY PERSECUTED IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA »

Maruc* is a church leader in India and one of our partners involved in teaching Indian Christians how to deal with persecution. He lives in a context where many in authority hold extreme views and want the country to be exclusively Hindu.  UNDER THREAT Because of his Christian faith and his role as a church leader, Maruc has often been threatened by Hindu extremists. “Someone...
Čítaj ďalej o GOD WILL GIVE US STRENGTH TO PLAY OUR PART »

Nepal’s Christians are in need of your prayers and support in the face of increased persecution over recent weeks and months. This persecution is largely at the hands of Hindu extremist groups aiming to turn Nepal into a Hindu state again. These groups have close ties with Hindutva groups in neighbouring India. In addition, the government of Nepal is limiting freedom of religion and in 2017...
Čítaj ďalej o NEPAL: PERSECUTION IS INCREASING – BUT SO IS FAITH »

A pastor visiting the underground Chinese church surprised his hosts by telling them he would not pray for them to become more like American Christians. At the end of a three-day training conference, one of the Chinese Christians said, “You guys can gather like this any time you want in America. Could you pray that one day we’ll be just like you?” “I will not do that,” the pastor...
Čítaj ďalej o Visiting U.S. pastor prayed Chinese church will not become like American church »

Violence towards the faithful does not seem to originate in laws or declarations of the supreme leaders, but zealous Party officials, worried about the growth of Christian communities. The testimony of a Henan priest.   Zhumadian (AsiaNews) -  Crosses destroyed and torn down; religious inscriptions covered or eliminated; blackmailing poor families with subsidies on...
Čítaj ďalej o Henan, chronicles of daily persecution: crosses and religious signs destroyed, blackmail and bans »

Maizah* is a courageous Christian from Libya, whose search for God began when she was very young. When she was eight years old, she asked her mother, "Where is God? What does He look like?" "It’s not good to ask this," her mother replied. "God has no form." ‘THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE’ Years later, Maizah had a profound spiritual experience – one she couldn’t explain...
Čítaj ďalej o FOUND BY GOD IN LIBYA: MAIZAH'S STORY »

At least ten more Christians have been killed as a spate of attacks on churches continues in northern Burkina Faso. The ten, who died in two attacks on 12 and 13 May, include another Catholic priest, Siméon Yampa. On Monday, 13 May, a procession of four Catholics was attacked while they returned a statue of Mary to their church in Singa, 25kms from Kongoussi, reported  Fides . The...
Čítaj ďalej o Burkina Faso: 5 leaders killed in 3 months as Islamists continue to target churches »

Fight or flight? What’s your natural response when you face opposition? If your faith came under fire, would you stand your ground?  For Muslih*, a secret believer in Algeria, following Jesus is a daily battle, but retreating is not an option. "When you are in a war, when you run, you turn your back on the enemy and they shoot you," he says. "We’re in a battle and it’s better to...
Čítaj ďalej o NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER: LIVING COURAGEOUSLY FOR JESUS IN ALGERIA »

Aizah faced extreme violence and rejection from her family when she gave her life to Jesus. As a woman, she was doubly vulnerable to persecution. Yet today Aizah has overcome all this to become an inspiring leader in her own right, providing protection, support and encouragement to other women like her. Aizah made a dangerous decision when she gave her life to Christ. Scared that her...
Čítaj ďalej o AIZAH’S STORY: “WHEN I BECAME A CHRISTIAN, DAD THREATENED TO KILL ME” »

German language Welche Triebkräfte sind für die Verfolgung verantwortlich? Islamische Unterdrückung: Obwohl die Verfassung Indonesiens Religionsfreiheit gewährt, gelten in verschiedenen Regionen und Territorien Indonesiens verschiedene islamische Gesetzesergänzungen, inklusive der Scharia in der Provinz Aceh. Extremistische Gruppen haben mehr und mehr Einfluss gewonnen, indem sie...
Čítaj ďalej o CHRISTENVERFOLGUNG IN INDONESIEN »

Shalet Javet testified to  Lahore High Court against her captor. She is ready "to do it again and again until he is jailed". The 15 year old was used as a sex slave. "It is not true that I converted to Islam by my own choice," she says bravely.   Islamabad (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Shalet Javed, the 15-year-old Christian girl kidnapped, sold and given in marriage to a...
Čítaj ďalej o Christian girl kidnapped, raped and forcibly converted is freed »

04/04/2019 Indonesia  (International Christian Concern) – Slamet Sumiarto, a Catholic artist and his family, became the latest victim of religious intolerance in Indonesia’s Yogyakarta region. According to Asia News, the artist recently moved his family to Karet, a village in Pleret sub-district (Bantul Regency), but the local chief and residents unwelcomed their presence and...
Čítaj ďalej o Indonesian Catholic Family Expelled from Muslim Community »

German language Anzahl verbaler Angriffe laut kirchlicher Untersuchung deutlich gestiegen (Open Doors, Kelkheim) – Die gesellschaftliche Stimmung in der Türkei richtet sich immer stärker gegen evangelische Christen. Das ist das Ergebnis einer Untersuchung der türkischen „Vereinigung Protestantischer Kirchen“. Ein Grund dafür ist der vielbeachtete Prozess gegen den amerikanischen...
Čítaj ďalej o TÜRKEI: ZUNEHMEND CHRISTENFEINDLICHES KLIMA »

Educational authorities in the Chinese district of Lishan have initiated a push to eliminate religious belief in Kindergarten, requiring students to sign a statement saying they will “advocate science, promote atheism, and oppose theism.” The commitment also requires the pupils to pledge they will not view religious websites or engage in religious forums online, according to a report by...
Čítaj ďalej o China: Kindergartenkidsforced to sign atheist declaration »

U.S. President Barack Obama visited Kenya and Ethiopia 24-28 July, partly to discuss regional security. In Kenya especially, Christians have been targeted by the violent al-Qaeda affiliate al-Shabaab. In the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on 28 July, making an American president’s first speech to the African Union, Obama said “Many of these groups claim the banner of religion, but...
Čítaj ďalej o A convert’s story »

An Ethiopian police officer was arrested, dismissed and forced to move to another part of the country after he told colleagues about his Christian faith The 25-year-old man, who grew up in Ethiopia’s eastern Somali region as a member of the nearly 100 percent Muslim Somali tribe, became a Christian two years ago. World Watch Monitor is using the pseudonym Adane to identify the man,...
Čítaj ďalej o Ethiopia: Ethnic Somali Christian police man forced to relocate after talking about his faith »

Growing up in North Korea, Seojun’s* focus was on survival. As well as his schooling, he had to work the land and sell herbs to try to make ends meet. He recalls roaming the countryside for vegetables, seeking food on the mountainside, often going hungry. That feeling of hunger - and the anxiety of possible starvation - haunted his early years. "I had a very difficult time," he...
Čítaj ďalej o SEOJUN* FROM NORTH KOREA: 'GOD IS WORKING NOW THROUGH YOUR PRAYER AND SUPPORT' »

02/01/2019 Washington D.C.  (International Christian Concern)  –  “ It was very difficult and painful as several new believers were beaten up so badly, ” Pastor Ajay Ravi told International Christian Concern (ICC). “ But I consider this a privilege to suffer for Jesus and believe God will turn this into a testimony of endurance and His faithfulness. ” Pastor Ravi bravely...
Čítaj ďalej o Small Church in India Transcends Persecution to Declare the Gospel »

Members of the United Front, police, representatives of the Religious Affairs Bureau entered the churches while Mass was being celebrated, interrupted the liturgical services, chased the faithful away, threatened them and decreed the closure of the communities. Msgr. Wei Jingyi, the bishop of Qiqihar, despite being underground, has good relations with the government. The suppression occurred after the signing of the China-Holy See Agreement.
Čítaj ďalej o Seven churches and communities suppressed in Qiqihar diocese »

In the Iranian revolution of 1979, the Ayatollah Khomeini deposed the Shah of Iran More Muslims have come to faith in Christ in this generation than in the last fourteen centuries of Islam combined. The Church in Iran is now estimated to be between 1 million and 3 million strong. That’s the analysis of Shadi Fatehi from the  PARS Theological Center  in London, England,...
Čítaj ďalej o Iran: Dreams & visions fueling unprecedented church growth »

German language Der Christ wurde von Mitarbeitern des iranischen Sicherheitsdienstes gefesselt und entführt Mohamedreza wuchs als Muslim auf, doch er hatte Zweifel an seiner Religion. Durch einen Freund hörte er von Jesus und entschied sich Christ zu werden. Als Mohamedreza bei einer Kirche anklopfte, um mehr über Jesus zu erfahren, wurde er abgewiesen, denn die Behörden gehen...
Čítaj ďalej o MOHAMEDREZA ERLITT VERHÖR UND FOLTER »

“I am so afraid that my parents will find out. My father would kill me.” These are the words of Nadeen*, a young secret believer from Morocco. When she says her father would kill her if he found out about her hidden faith, that isn’t just a turn of phrase. She’s being deadly serious. Nadeen is a 21-year-old student from a Muslim family, who came to faith after meeting another...
Čítaj ďalej o MY FATHER WOULD KILL ME' - SECRETLY FOLLOWING JESUS IN MOROCCO »

It was the first time the leader of North Korea and the leader of South Korea had met in over a decade, and the food they ate together was full of symbolism. There were dishes from the two leaders’ childhoods, noodles specially imported from Pyongyang, and the mango mousse even had a map of a united Korea on it. But this meal is something that ordinary North Koreans can only dream about....
Čítaj ďalej o NORTH KOREA'S FOOD FIGHT: EMPTY STOMACHS AND FULL HEARTS »