Other forms of Persecution from this year

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

 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

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

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.

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. 

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Major Attacks by Boko Haram Could Signify Growing Strength

We should remember that some people are suffering in ways that DO NOT involve the virus and we should remember them in our prayers.

Note: Words that are bolded are from the blogger himself.

04/01/2020 Chad/Nigeria (International Christian Concern) – Over the past few weeks, while the world is distracted and consumed by the Coronavirus pandemic, Boko Haram has been causing mass chaos and devastation in the lake Chad region of West Africa. There have been a number of major attacks by the group in the last month that have involved the Nigerian Military, Niger Military and Chadian military. These attacks have killed hundreds of soldiers and reprisals by the military have reportedly killed hundreds of Boko Haram militants.

For those who don’t know, Boko Haram is a Islamic terrorist group that originated in Nigeria.

The largest and most worrisome of these attacks took place on March 23, when Boko Haram militants ambushed a large Chadian military outpost and killed more than 100 soldiers. According to the President of Chad during a televised address, President Idriss Déby Itno said “I have taken part in many operations, but never in our history have we lost so many men at one time.” This disturbing attack shows just how powerful Boko Haram is becoming. Chad is known for having a strong and effective military compared to much of West Africa. Yet they suffered the greatest loss they have ever had in the President’s 30 year reign.

Not only did chad suffer a great loss, but 50 Nigerian soldiers were killed during an ambush on a convoy on March 21 or 22. This attack came as the Nigerian military was trying to launch an offensive against the terrorist group in Yobe State. This again is one of the worst losses for the Nigerian military in recent years. The final major attack took place in Niger, when Boko Haram terrorists attacked a military post in NorthEast Niger. The attack killed at least 8 soldiers, but the Niger army did say that they were able to repel the attack and killed at least 50 Boko Haram militants.

In both the attack in Chad and Nigeria, Boko Haram was able to kill many soldiers, and steal a lot of military weaponry. This is bad as the group has said that they will target Christians in Nigeria for pass attacks on Muslims(Keep reading).

Let’s also pray that the terrorists turn to Christ as Lord and Savior.

Ancha Village, Nigeria Suffers Another Attack, Government Does Nothing

Muslims are commanded to attack and kill non-Muslims according to the Muslim Holy book:

Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the Religion of Truth, from among the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. Sura 9:29

O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and be unyielding to them. Sura 9:73

Surely Allah has bought of the believers their persons and their property for this, that they shall have the garden; they fight in Allah's way, so they slay and are slain Sura 9:111

04/02/2020 Nigeria (International Christian Concern) – Ancha Village in Plateau State of Nigeria, is a tiny village about 2 hours outside of the state capital. The small farming community is home to less than 1,000 people and yet has been the site of nearly a dozen attacks over the past few years. These attacks, often attributed Fulani militants, have killed dozens of the residents, destroyed many homes and properties, and left the villagers in fear. The latest attack took place late last night, April 1, and lasted for about 4 hours. Three locals were killed by gunfire, and another 2 people were injured in the Christian village.

The villagers had noticed suspicious movement in and around their village over the past few days. They then told the government and asked for some protection. Despite these pleas for help and the knowledge that this area has been attacked many times before, the government did nothing. They did not send any help or personnel until well after the attack was over and the attackers had left freely. It is this lack of government support and action that allows the attacker to continue their slaughter of villages like Ancha(Keep reading).

Indian Christian Leaders Pledge to Help to Combat COVID-19 in Letter to Prime Minister

I remember posting about how to pray for our Indian brethren in Christ as they were being persecuted.

They will need more prayer now with this COVID-19 going around.

04/02/2020 India (International Christian Concern) – Radical Hindu nationalists often justify their attacks on India’s Christian community because they say Indian Christians are the followers of a foreign faith and anti-nationals. Unfortunately, this hateful narrative is rarely countered by the current BJP-led government and its leader Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who share some of their ideological foundations with Hindu nationalists.

In the past six year, violent attacks on India’s Christians have skyrocketed. In 2019 alone, the Evangelical Fellowship of India documented at least 366 violent attacks on Christians and their places of worship.

In spite of this woeful treatment, India’s Christian leaders sent an open letter to Prime Minister Modi saying the Christian community would do its part to combat the deadly effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This letter was signed by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, the National Council of Churches in India, and the Evangelical Fellowship of India.

To slow the spread of the disease, Prime Minister Modi ordered a nationwide lockdown on March 24. According to many commentators, India has instituted the world’s strictest and most-wide-ranging Covid-19 lockdown.

As of April 1, India has 1,397 documented cases of COVID-19 and 35 COVID-19 related deaths(Continue reading here).