Voice of the Martyrs

One thing I would like to do with this blog is to introduce you to some of the wonderful ministries that are out there, helping spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and helping those who are sharing the news. One  such organization is Voice of the Martyrs. I first learned about VoM when we were in the process of adopting our oldest daughter from China. I didn't really know much about the daily persecution that Christians undergo throughout the world for their faith and their incredible testimonies. VoM helped me learn so much and in fact, I am now a trained speaker for them, sharing the message of the persecuted church with churches and small groups. I feel so privileged to be able to represent them, pray for them and have my heart broken for them. I look forward to meeting them in Heaven one day!

When Jesus was asked by His disciples about His return, Jesus spoke these words (Luke 21),

"But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. This will result in your being witnesses to them. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will gain life.”

Persecution, betrayal, martyrdom - these are not things that many of us may think of very often in America, where it is relatively easy to be a Christian. But in many countries, our Christian family is treated horribly! Imagine yourself at church on Sunday morning or at a ladies' Bible study. Now, if you lived in North Korea, Vietnam, China, Pakistan or a host of other nations, the police could come into the room, take everyone to prison and torture or even kill you without any legal proceedings. Just last month, Muslim terrorists broke into the offices of World Vision in Pakistan and killed more than 10 people there. And on March 7, Muslim herdsmen attacked Christian villages near the Nigerian city of Jos, killing more than 500.

When many Christians in America do think about persecution and martyrdom, they automatically think of Rome, the gladiators, lions, Stephen and Paul. But do you know that more Christians became martyrs for their faith in the last century, approximately 41 million, than in all the centuries before that combined?

I encourage you to go to the VoM website, Voice of the Martyrs, read through it and sign up to receive their free monthly newsletter. You can also order the free book Tortured for Christ. Learn about what our brothers and sisters are enduring as Christians so that your heart will be broken for them and so that you will pray for them. Prayer for the persecuted church is the number one thing each of us can do and it is the main request that they have. We need to do what Hebrews 13:3 asks of us, “Remember those in prison as if you yourselves were prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”

But why all this persecution? Because in no other act of a human being is God’s love shown more profoundly. Jesus was the ultimate martyr. He gave His life for us and He tells us time and again that we must be willing to do the same for others. And that is just what Christians are doing all over the world. As people willingly sacrifice their lives, not just through death but also through other types of loss and persecution, those around them see a God who is worth giving everything for. As they see Christians give everything for God, they begin to believe that God loves them and will give everything for them.

Let me interject some thoughts about America at this point. Right now, there is much concern about the future of America, both financially and morally, but I don’t think we, as Christians, should be worried and concerned or look on this as entirely bad. According to Robert E. Coleman, "The Church should not fear affliction, though it causes anguish and even death. Suffering may be necessary to convince us that we do not live by bread alone. When received as an expression of God's trust, our suffering can be a means of helping us comprehend more of the love of Christ, 'who suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps' (1 Pet 2:21; Heb. 2:10, 5:8).

Without hardship, probably few of us would learn much about the deeper life of grace." We all know this is true in our own lives. When we go through difficult times, it draws us closer to the Lord. Well, maybe God has more difficult times ahead for the Church in America, in order to draw her closer to Him and purify her for greater works as we anticipate the return, someday, of our Lord Jesus Christ.

After you read a bit about the persecuted church, you may ask yourself, why am I not hearing about this on the news? One reason is that the visual media have eroded the faith of believers in God’s sovereignty in the world. Television cameramen swoop down on the wars, famines, disasters and tragedies of this world. (if it bleeds, it leads). The beautiful, wholesome and good is less photogenic, so what God does and what God’s servants are achieving are rarely noticed. Like Elisha’s servant (2 Kings 6), we need our eyes opened to see reality. The view from a heavenly vantage point is very different. There is a titanic struggle going on in the heavenlies between the forces of the Lord Jesus and the hosts of darkness and the effects in our world are dramatic. Yet the victory has already been won on the cross!”

Sharing the good news of that victory and encouraging the persecuted church is what VoM is all about. There are many different things that they do, but I will just highlight a few:

They launch balloons, covered with Bible verses, into North Korea...the most closed nation on earth; they also send weekly Christian faxes to North Korean businesses...using any means to get the Bible into North Korea. They help with Chinese safe houses where North Koreans can find shelter and safety when they are escaping from North Korea. At these homes they often find faith in Jesus Christ as well.

In Pakistan they encourage and give legal aid to Christian prisoners and their families; you can send Action Packs into Pakistan...bags filled with clothing, blankets, the Bible and Christian literature and they produce and distribute many evangelistic tools to help win Muslims to Christ.

In China they support Christian prisoners and their families, provide aid to Christians whose churches have been destroyed and make it possible for American families to send Bibles into China through the Bibles Unbound program.

There are many more ways that VoM can help you to help the persecuted church: signing up to receive the weekly prayers requests, writing letters to prisoners and sending blankets to Sudan. We have been given SO MUCH in America. Jesus asks us to help the least of these. VoM makes it very easy to do this. It has changed my life!

Yes, the persecution of our Christian brothers and sisters can be shocking, sad and depressing. If...we stop here. But, there’s more to this story! I’d like to conclude by sharing with you what God is doing in these three countries specifically. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 16:18, that “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Satan is doing his best to destroy Christians and keep the lost from ever hearing about the good news of Jesus Christ. But our God is greater and more powerful and He is winning the battle one person at a time!

In North Korea: the number of Christians is growing despite persecution with the percentage of Christian as high as 10%!  Hearts are longing for truth and for a loving relationship with their Creator so much so that many who flee to China and receive Christ go back into North Korea, with the reality of certain death if they are caught, to share the Good News with their family and friends. Many believe that the North Korean government will fall and South Korea, a very Christian nation, is waiting to flood the country with the good news of Jesus. Just as a side note...100 years ago, Korea had no Protestant Church and was thought of as “impossible to penetrate.” Today the country is over 30% Christian and in Seoul, alone, there are over 7,000 churches...we lived there for 2 years and I can attest to the truth of this!

In Pakistan: Christians have become the second largest religious minority. Incredibly, God is appearing to Muslims in visions and dreams (more than 1/3 of the converts in Turkey said they came to Christ because He appeared to them in a dream).

In China: Every day approximately 23,000 Chinese come to know Christ! In fact, right now there are many more Christians in China than members of the Communist party. There is so much more I could share but I will end this. God is doing incredible things throughout the world and it is our joy and privilege to be involved!!!