Hello, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus. Today I need to share some stories that are both heartbreaking and inspiring—stories of modern martyrs in Afghanistan, one of the most dangerous places on earth to follow Jesus. These are stories of people who gave everything to bring the Gospel to a nation that desperately needs it. And I'm going to share something deeply personal with you—how I know that their sacrifice was not in vain.
Afghanistan. Just saying the name conjures images of war, Taliban rule, oppression, and danger. It's ranked as the most dangerous country in the world for Christians according to Open Doors' 2025 World Watch List. There are no open churches. Owning a Bible is illegal. Converting from Islam to Christianity is punishable by death. Afghan Christians must practice their faith in absolute secrecy.
Yet even there—especially there—God is at work. And faithful believers have given their lives to see Afghans come to know Jesus.
[Christianity in Afghanistan - ancient and hidden]
First, let me give you some context about Christianity in Afghanistan. Christianity actually has ancient roots there. Afghanistan was once part of the Persian Empire, and Christianity spread along the Silk Road in the early centuries after Christ. There were Christian communities in what is now Afghanistan as early as the 4th and 5th centuries.
But with the rise of Islam in the 7th century, Christianity was gradually pushed out. By the time of the Mongol invasions and subsequent Islamic rule, Christianity had nearly disappeared from Afghanistan. For centuries, there was virtually no Christian presence.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, some Western missionaries tried to enter Afghanistan, but with little success. The country has been hostile to Christian missions for hundreds of years. During the Soviet occupation (1979-1989) and the subsequent civil war and Taliban rule, Afghanistan became one of the world's most closed nations.
Today, estimates suggest there are between 10,000 and 30,000 Afghan Christians—all of them secret believers, almost all converts from Islam. They cannot attend church openly. They cannot own Bibles openly. They cannot tell their families they follow Jesus without risking death. Yet they believe. And their faith has been watered by the blood of martyrs.
[Werner Groenewald - educator and witness]
Let me tell you about Werner Groenewald. Werner was a South African, 46 years old, who had been working in Afghanistan and Pakistan for about 12 years. He worked with Partnership in Academics and Development, a U.S.-based education charity, focusing on education, training for Afghans, English as a second language, and life skills.
Werner wasn't operating as a traditional missionary in the sense of openly preaching and planting churches—that would have been impossible in Afghanistan. He was an educator and aid worker. But make no mistake—he was there because of his love for Jesus and his desire to serve the Afghan people in Christ's name. His work was an expression of his faith, even if it had to be quiet.
Werner lived in Kabul with his wife, Dr. Hannelie Groenewald, who worked at a hospital, and their children. For over a decade, they sacrificed the comforts and safety of South Africa to serve some of the world's most vulnerable people.
[The attack - November 29, 2014]
On November 29, 2014, everything changed. Gunmen attacked the compound in Kabul belonging to Partnership in Academics and Development. The attackers claimed it was a "secret Christian missionary center." One of the gunmen had a suicide vest. In the attack, Werner Groenewald and his two teenage children were killed.
Their two sons were Jean-Pierre, age 17. Rode, age 15. Teenagers with their whole lives ahead of them. Children who had grown up in Afghanistan, who had learned to love the Afghan people, who were serving alongside their parents.
They were murdered because the Taliban viewed their father's educational work as Christian mission. And they were right—it was. Not in a covert way, but in the sense that Werner's love for Afghans flowed from his love for Christ.
Dr. Hannelie Groenewald was away at the hospital when the attack happened. She survived, but lost her husband and two children in one horrific day.
[The fruit that remains - a personal testimony]
Now let me tell you why I'm sharing this story. I know a family—an Afghan family—who came to Christ through Werner Groenewald's ministry. I have seen their baptism certificate, signed by Werner himself. When I learned about Werner's death, I reached out to his wife, Hannelie, and I let her know: The family Werner led to Christ is still following Jesus in Afghanistan almost ten years later. Despite the danger. Despite the persecution. Despite everything. They are faithfully following Jesus.
Werner's death was not in vain. His children's deaths were not in vain. The seeds they planted are still bearing fruit. Jesus said in John 12:24, "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds."
Werner and Jean-Pierre and Rode were grains of wheat that fell to the ground and died. And they're producing fruit—fruit that remains.
[Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer - imprisoned for the Gospel]
Let me tell you about two other women whose story with Afghanistan is different but equally powerful: Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer. These two American women were aid workers with Shelter Now International in Kabul in 2001.
On August 3, 2001, they were arrested by the Taliban on charges of proselytizing—sharing the Gospel with Afghans. This was during the height of Taliban rule, before the U.S. invasion following 9/11. Being accused of proselytizing in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan was essentially a death sentence.
Dayna and Heather were imprisoned for 105 days. Think about that—three and a half months in a Taliban prison as accused Christian missionaries. Can you imagine the fear? The uncertainty? The very real possibility of execution?
But God had other plans. On November 15, 2001, just weeks after the U.S. invasion began in response to 9/11, they were rescued. The Taliban fled Kabul, and Dayna and Heather were freed.
[Prisoners of Hope - their testimony]
After their release, Dayna and Heather co-authored a memoir titled "Prisoners of Hope: The Story of Our Captivity and Freedom in Afghanistan." That title is so powerful—"Prisoners of Hope." Even in a Taliban prison, facing possible execution, they had hope. Hope in Christ. Hope that God was sovereign. Hope that their suffering had purpose.
Their story brought international attention to the plight of Afghan Christians and the brutality of Taliban rule. It also demonstrated the courage of young Christian women willing to serve in one of the world's most dangerous places for the sake of the Gospel.
What strikes me about Dayna and Heather is this: They knew the risks. They knew Afghanistan was dangerous for Christians. They went anyway. And when they were arrested, they didn't renounce their faith to save themselves. They held onto Christ and trusted Him through the terror.
[The state of Afghan Christianity today]
So what's the state of Christianity in Afghanistan today? It's worse than ever in some ways. When the U.S. and coalition forces withdrew in August 2021 and the Taliban retook control, Afghan Christians faced renewed persecution. Many fled the country. Some who couldn't escape went even deeper underground.
According to Open Doors, Afghanistan has been the #1 most dangerous country for Christians every year since 2022. If a convert to Christianity is discovered, they face honor killing by their own family, execution by the Taliban, or both. There are no church buildings. All worship must be completely secret. Possessing a Bible or Christian materials can lead to death.
Yet there are believers! Estimates range from 10,000 to 30,000 secret Afghan Christians. They meet in tiny house churches of two or three people. They can't tell their own families. They risk everything just to pray in Jesus's name. And many of them came to faith through the witness of people like Werner Groenewald, Dayna Curry, Heather Mercer, and countless other faithful workers who served in Afghanistan over the years.
[Why they go - love compels them]
So why do Christians go to Afghanistan? Why risk everything for a nation so hostile to the Gospel? Why would Werner Groenewald raise his children there? Why would Dayna and Heather serve there knowing they could be arrested or killed?
Because they love Jesus. And because Jesus loves Afghans. Second Corinthians 5:14 says, "For Christ's love compels us." They couldn't stay comfortable in South Africa or America when Afghans were perishing without the Gospel. They had to go.
And because they believed Romans 10:14-15: "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'"
Afghans deserve to hear about Jesus. God loves them just as much as He loves Americans or South Africans or anyone else. And if no one goes and tells them, how will they hear?
[The cost and the fruit - was it worth it?]
Was it worth it? Did Werner's death and his children's deaths accomplish anything? Did Dayna and Heather's imprisonment matter?
Here's how I know it was worth it: That Afghan family with the baptism certificate signed by Werner Groenewald. They're still following Jesus almost ten years later. They're risking their lives every day to worship the King. They're raising their children to know Christ in a nation where that could get them all killed.
That's fruit that remains. That's eternal impact. That's what Jesus meant when He said, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last" (John 15:16).
And there are others—we don't know how many because they must stay hidden. But secret believers scattered across Afghanistan, meeting in twos and threes, reading their hidden Bibles, praying in whispers, and trusting that one day Jesus will return and make all things right.
[Our response - what should we do?]
So what should be our response to these stories? Let me give you four things.
First, pray for Afghan Christians. Pray every day for those 10,000 to 30,000 secret believers. Pray for their protection. Pray for their courage. Pray that they won't deny Christ under pressure. Pray for their families who don't know they're Christians. Pray that more Afghans would come to faith.
Second, support ministries reaching Afghans. There are radio broadcasts in Dari and Pashto. There are online resources. There are ministries working with Afghan refugees who have fled to other countries. Support these efforts financially and with prayer.
Third, reach Afghan refugees in your own community. Many Afghans who fled when the Taliban returned are now living in Western countries as refugees. They're more open to the Gospel outside Afghanistan. Befriend them. Serve them. Share Christ with them. They need to know that Jesus loves them.
Fourth, be willing to go if God calls you. I'm not saying everyone should move to Afghanistan—that's impossible for most people and currently extremely dangerous. But some of you listening might be called to work with Afghan refugees, or to serve in nearby countries where Afghans can be reached, or to join ministries focused on the Muslim world. If God calls, will you go?
[The promise - persecution doesn't stop the Gospel]
Here's what we need to understand: Persecution doesn't stop the Gospel. In fact, it often spreads it! Tertullian was right: "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." Werner Groenewald's blood, along with his children's, was seed that produced fruit in Afghan soil. Dayna and Heather's imprisonment became a testimony that reached millions.
Jesus promised in Matthew 16:18: "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Not even Taliban gates. Not even in Afghanistan—the hardest place on earth for Christians. Jesus is building His church there, one secret believer at a time.
[Closing prayer]
Let me pray:
Thank you for joining me today. The story of Afghan Christians challenges us all. Will we pray for them? Will we support efforts to reach them? Will we go if God calls us?
Until next time, remember—keep your eyes on the nations, and never forget that even in the darkest places, Jesus is building His church!
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