It seems to me like the international attention and reports have opened a small window for Christian pastor Youcef. Youcef is the Christ follower set to be executed because he would not convert to Islam in Iran. The supreme court has ordered a re-trial. This looks to me like a "face-saving" maneuver. Whatever it is, I am thankful that God has seen fit to spare His life. Read an article about it HERE.
Read a letter from Pastor Youcef in prison in Iran.
Showing posts with label persecution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label persecution. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Pastor To Be Executed
I saw a headline that caught my attention. A Christian pastor in Iran has been arrested, tried and is set to be executed. What was his crime? Being a Christian and refusing to renounce Christ. You can read the article in this Fox News Report
Tertullian once said, "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." When Christ followers are killed for no other reason than being a Christ follower the end result is the opposite of the murderers' intent. The murderers' intend for this to be a warning to others who might consider Christ and want to follow Him. It seems logical to think that, but history proves otherwise. In 2000 years, where the persecution is most extreme the gospel spreads the fastest.
Thankfully we live in a free country. We face some religious challenges, but nothing like they do in other parts of the world. As people of freedom and followers of Christ we should pray for our brothers and sisters who face serious threats each day simply for their relationship with Jesus. We should also pray for our "enemies". We should ask God to use the life of those persecuted to reach many with the gospel of Christ.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Massacre at Church
Headlines in many newspapers are recounting the story of a ruthless massacre of a specific group of people in Iraq. Did these people deserve it? Had they broken some laws? What were they doing to provoke such an attack? Nothing but worshiping God. Muslim extremists, terrorist, walked into this church and murdered 58 people simply for being Christian.
Terrible story! What these attackers don't realize is that the "blood of martyrs is the seed of the faith"(Tertullian said that). It just seems to be the way it works. They more they try and stop the spread of the gospel, the more it spreads.
Spend a moment, read this article, and pray for believers in Christ that are being persecuted all over the world.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/11/01/2593238/iraqi-christians-mourn-after-church.html
Terrible story! What these attackers don't realize is that the "blood of martyrs is the seed of the faith"(Tertullian said that). It just seems to be the way it works. They more they try and stop the spread of the gospel, the more it spreads.
Spend a moment, read this article, and pray for believers in Christ that are being persecuted all over the world.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/11/01/2593238/iraqi-christians-mourn-after-church.html
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Persecution Is Real
I am so thankful to live in America. We have freedoms here that people do not have in other parts of the world. Believers here in America need to be aware that there is tremendous persecution of Christians in other parts of the world. In fact, some of the most populous places in the world are also active grounds for arresting, confining and even killing Christians.
Here is an article that I read on the Baptist Press website. For the full article click here.
Saudi textbooks, religious freedom and why it matters James A. Smith Sr.
Posted on Sep 23, 2008
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP)--A Saudi man cut out his daughter's tongue and then burned her to death as punishment for her conversion from Islam to Christianity.That religious freedom does not exist in the Muslim Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is regrettably not a surprise.
Tragically, murdering converts to Christianity is not uncommon in Saudi Arabia. What makes this case so revealing is that the girl's father is an employee of Saudi Arabia's Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice -- the very organ of the government that enforces the nation's absolute prohibition of Christianity and conversion to Christianity.
Beyond the fact that Christians are obligated to support each other in adversity and that Christians in America must be concerned for the well-being of others, and beyond the fact that Baptists are among the first champions of religious freedom for all, understanding that true religion is uncoerced, this case should matter to Christians around the world because Saudi Arabia is exporting the form of radical Islam that teaches this sort of behavior in textbooks for Muslim schools across the globe, including America.
International Christian Concern (www.persecution.org), an organization that advocates for the persecuted church, reported the case of the Saudi father murdering his daughter for conversion to Christianity on Aug. 13. ICC relied upon an account by Gulf News, which did not identify the man or when the crime occurred, other than that it happened recently. The girl came to faith in Christ as a result of the Internet and her father is supposedly in custody, according to Gulf News.
Often times Christians make excuses for not actively sharing their faith. One reason many don't share is they are afraid it might offend someone or they are afraid of what that person might think about them. Imagine if we had to be afraid that we would be killed for sharing our faith. Our excuses don't seem to valid in light of what believers are facing in other parts of the world.
Matthew 5:10-12
John 15:20
Here is an article that I read on the Baptist Press website. For the full article click here.
Saudi textbooks, religious freedom and why it matters James A. Smith Sr.
Posted on Sep 23, 2008
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP)--A Saudi man cut out his daughter's tongue and then burned her to death as punishment for her conversion from Islam to Christianity.That religious freedom does not exist in the Muslim Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is regrettably not a surprise.
Tragically, murdering converts to Christianity is not uncommon in Saudi Arabia. What makes this case so revealing is that the girl's father is an employee of Saudi Arabia's Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice -- the very organ of the government that enforces the nation's absolute prohibition of Christianity and conversion to Christianity.
Beyond the fact that Christians are obligated to support each other in adversity and that Christians in America must be concerned for the well-being of others, and beyond the fact that Baptists are among the first champions of religious freedom for all, understanding that true religion is uncoerced, this case should matter to Christians around the world because Saudi Arabia is exporting the form of radical Islam that teaches this sort of behavior in textbooks for Muslim schools across the globe, including America.
International Christian Concern (www.persecution.org), an organization that advocates for the persecuted church, reported the case of the Saudi father murdering his daughter for conversion to Christianity on Aug. 13. ICC relied upon an account by Gulf News, which did not identify the man or when the crime occurred, other than that it happened recently. The girl came to faith in Christ as a result of the Internet and her father is supposedly in custody, according to Gulf News.
Often times Christians make excuses for not actively sharing their faith. One reason many don't share is they are afraid it might offend someone or they are afraid of what that person might think about them. Imagine if we had to be afraid that we would be killed for sharing our faith. Our excuses don't seem to valid in light of what believers are facing in other parts of the world.
Matthew 5:10-12
John 15:20
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