Iran forces Christian converts from Islam to declare their faith to obtain ID cards

I pray that my brethren in Iranian brethren in Christ will not deny their even while under this sort of pressure.

Christian converts from Islam no longer have the choice of keeping their faith secret in Iran after the Islamic Republic removed the “other religions” option from the new application form for the national ID card.

The National Census Bureau has narrowed the choices available to new applicants to only the four religions recognised under the Iranian constitution: Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Zoroastrianism.

This means that Muslim-born converts to Christianity, who may have preferred not to make public their faith in order to avoid hostility or persecution from their family, employers or the authorities, now have to reveal they are Christian, or lie about their faith and tick the box that says Muslim.

A Barnabas Fund contact said the ID cards, which are compulsory for every citizen aged 15 and above, are a necessary part of daily life in Iran and are required to access basic government services or to make bank transactions. The holder’s religion is not shown on the card, but information given on the application form is easily accessed by the state’s computer network.

The contact said the rule change was in line with the government’s strategy of harassing converts (and other non-recognised religious groups) and pressurising them to emigrate. She said, “Converts are frequently arrested and then released to drive them to leave the country – and, in some cases, officials have openly suggested converts leave. Because so many leave, it means that many leaders of convert groups have little theological and Biblical education(Go here).”

5 ways to pray for our brethren in Christ in Yemen

Yemen has a humanitarian crisis. It is located on Southwestern part of what is called the Arabian Peninsula and it is a majority Muslim country with Christians in the .9% category. To no one's surprise, open church activity is discouraged, leaving Islam is forbidden (as the founder of Islam taught in the Hadiths) and our brethren in Christ are often alone and without a Christian community to plug for their own growth. Bibles are hard to find but they can at least read them online or download them on to their smartphones or computers. Also the terrorist group of Al-Qaeda is active in the country too.

Here are 5 ways to pray for our brethren in Christ living in Yemen:

1. Pray that Christians find other Christians. Being a country with a small Christian population, Yemenis who find Jesus have a hard time finding other Christians with whom they can have fellowship with or grow. The Christian life was NEVER to meant to be lived OUT alone. Pray that they find a COMMUNITY of BELIEVERS and find it SOON.

2. There is THE CHAOS of civil WAR present in YEMEN and terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda are having their influence increased because of it. This sort of thing opens the door to the oppression of our brethren in Christ, among other minorities. Pray that our brethren in Christ will have peace and protection.

3. Because male and female converts (but more likely female converts) to Christianity are more than likely looking at getting divorce from their spouses and losing custody of their children, pray for the conversion of their spouses and children (and on a related note, pray that those who convert will be WITNESSES to THEIR FAMILIES so the chances of the non-believing family members converting will be higher).

4. The circumstances in Yemen is seen to be an ongoing humanitarian CRISIS. Unfortunately the emergency relief is given to pious Muslims via mosques and no one else. Pray that God provide for His adopted childrens' needs, as well as non-Christian minorities' needs as well.

5. Pray that those who give their lives to Christ in Yemen will be faithful TO the Lord Jesus and be given opportunities to be BOLD in sharing the gospel FOR Jesus Christ's sake. Pray that they WILL NOT be afraid of  THE PAIN that may come their way.

If it is His will, may God keep His adopted children in Yemen safe and bring them together in communities so they may grow in the grace and knowledge of His Son the Lord Jesus, so the gospel may be more quickly advanced. Amen.

5 Ways to pray for Christians in India

India is nationalistic and diverse. It is the birthplace of Hinduism and Buddhism. It also has one of the largest Muslim populations in the world. The Christian community is said to have it's beginnings when Thomas, one of the Lord's disciples, as far as India to preach the gospel.

There have been several sources of persecution that our brethren in Christ have been receiving in India. One would be from Hindu nationalists and the other would be from the usual Islamic jihadists. However, it seems like the Hindu nationalists are taking the center stage in persecution.

As of 2014, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Hindu Nationalist party took over and views anyone of a non-Hindu faith (including those who are Christians) to be non-Indian. And if they are non-Indian then they are enemies of the state. This has led to a lot of violence perpetrated by Hindu radicals against our brethren in Christ, ESPECIALLY those who are currently leaving Hinduism for Christianity.

What is ODD is that some of our Indian brethren in Christ are in DENIAL about this. They say that things are great in India, even though there are plenty of reports to the contrary. I put a link to a video from David Wood from Acts 17 Apologetics going into this sort of topic last month (Click). As it turns out, this persecution hasn't reached a nationwide scale (yet).

So here are 5 ways for our Indian brethren in Christ:

1. Christians have a lower social standing than most in India. Pray that our brethren in Christ will be given more chances for an education and employment in the country.

2. Pray that our brethren in Christ will be bold in evangelizing non-Christians, ESPECIALLY, in places where the anti-conversion laws are being enforced. Pray that if it's His will, that God have His hedge of protection put around them as they preach the gospel.

3. Pray that the government leaders will have their hearts changed and more SPECIFICALLY, they will abolish the anti-conversion laws.

4. Pray that people will have free access to Christian materials online and that they will be safe from Hindu radicals who don't want conversion to happen.

5. Pray that Christians in the SAFE PLACES of India will NOT be in denial about the persecution or suffering that their brethren in Christ are going through in other parts of the country. If one part of the body suffers, the rest of the parts suffer with it (1 Corinthians 12:26). So pray that our brethren in Christ come out of their BUBBLE of denial, so they can their brethren in Christ who are in a huge plight.

May God keep us all from ignoring the suffering of others even when we aren't in the midst of it and may His Kingdom get advanced.

Wave of Attacks on Christians Documented Prior to President Trump’s Visit to India

I hope that Donald Trump's visit to India included him trying to do something about the persecution of my Indian brethren in Christ.

2/25/2020 India (International Christian Concern) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has documented at least 12 incidents of anti-Christian violence taking place in the days leading up to President Donald Trump’s two-day state visit to India. This wave of anti-Christian violence highlights the religious intolerance and persecution growing across India.

Today concludes President Trump’s two-day state visit to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Prior to his trip to India, President Trump was asked by members of Congress and the American-Indian Christian community to prioritize religious freedom and the persecution of religious minorities while visiting India.

According to a senior administration official, religious freedom was likely to come up during President Trump’s interactions with Prime Minister Modi.

However, in the days leading up to President Trump’s visit, ICC documented at least 12 incidents of anti-Christian violence. Nine of the incidents took place in the state of Uttar Pradesh while the other three were documented in Haryana, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana.

Since taking power in 2014, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, led by Prime Minister Modi, has overseen a regime where religious intolerance and attacks on religious minorities have increased. Many blame this rise in intolerance and violence on the promotion of Hindu nationalism by the BJP-led government (Click).

5 Ways to pray for Christians in Iran

Iran is an Islamic theocracy. Ever since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, when Ayatollah Khomeini overthrew the Shah and proclaimed that Iran was an Islamic State, it has been known by some to be the North Korea of the Middle East. It also caused a resurgence in the Islamic concept of Jihad (holy war against non-Muslims as found in Sura 9:73 of the Quran) all of over the Islamic world giving rise to many Islamic terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda, Hamas, ISIS, Boko Haram and Hezbollah. So it should come as know surprise that Jihad is most commonly practiced in the country which caused the resurgence.

The implementation of jihad has led to the persecution of may Christians. Unfortunately for the leaders of that country, it has been failing spectacularly in what they wanted it to do.

The Iranian church is one of the fastest (if not the fastest) growing churches in the world(Click here for proof). The Christians there have not let the threat of torture, imprisonment or death keep them from spreading the gospel(!!), or showing up for church as my previous blog posts have shown. It also hasn’t halted the conversion numbers either.

Here are 5 ways to pray for the Christians in Iran in general and the Christians in Tehran, it’s capital in particular:

1. Pray that they will CONTINUE to be bold for the King. Sharing the gospel is an ENORMOUS risk since it could mean being imprisoned and/or killed. Pray that the Christians will continue to preach the gospel even at the cost of their own lives. Pray that they NEVER succumb to fear.

2. Availability of Bible materials and teaching materials. House churches have been lacking copies of the Bible  and other teaching sources due to them being illegal, thus leading the churches open to false teaching coming into the congregation. Pray that Iranian Christians will have Bibles distributed to them as well as other teaching material to stomp out heresy and have the gospel advanced even quicker than it already is.

3. Government leaders. Pray that God will move the HEARTS of those in charge of the country. Pray that they will allow for religious freedom and protect those who have left Islam.

4. Secret believers of the house church movement. Pray that they will continue to meet with each other every week even with the threat of imprisonment or worse hanging over their heads. Pray that they will CONTINUE to faithful witnesses to the culture at large.

5. Imprisoned brethren. Pray that they will be release as soon as possible and even if they aren’t released, pray that they will continue to speak to God even in their less than fortunate circumstances. Pray that they will use their imprisonment as an opportunity to share the gospel with the inmates that are there and be a light to them in general.

May God continue to do a mighty work in advancing His Kingdom in Iran.

Meet the two women who spread Christianity to hundreds in Iran’s Evin prison

It is good to see that these two women are being bold for the Lord and King of glory in the midst of these bad times. I pray that they continue to be bold for Him even in the midst of extreme and intense persecution.

When Iranian authorities sentenced two women to death in 2009 for spreading the message of Christianity, international observers feared the worse from the regime’s latest attempt to crush religious freedom in Iran.

But the regime’s punishment backfired when Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh evangelized hundreds of fellow prisoners, and even prison guards, in the 259 days before they were released following intense international pressure.

The women’s story is just one example of how the Islamic Republic’s severe attempts to suppress its own people, especially religious minorities, have failed.

Evangelizing behind bars

Rostampour and Amirizadeh initially prayed for a quick release after being sent to Tehran’s Evin prison, which is notorious for cruel and prolonged torture, using methods such as threats of execution or rape, sleep deprivation, electroshock, and severe beatings.

However, the friends soon realized “God had a purpose for being in that dark place,” according to Amirizadeh.

“At first we were praying for our release. But after a few days we realized that by meeting other women in the prison - some who were homeless or addicts - God had given us an opportunity to share the message of Christianity with people who needed to hear it the most,” said Rostampour in an interview with Al Arabiya English.

The women educated hundreds of fellow prisoners about Christianity and led Christian prayers.

“We were not allowed to have a Bible, but we lived out its teachings in the prison,” said Amirizadeh in an interview with Al Arabiya English.

Some of the prisoners initially expressed disdain for the women, calling them ‘dirty Christians,’ according to Amirizadeh, but later accepted the women and apologized for the comments.

Even some of the prison guards came to trust them.

“A female guard came to my cell and asked me to pray for her, but to keep it confidential. She said she believed that if I prayed for her, she would overcome fertility issues and become pregnant,” said Amirizadeh.

The duo gained a reputation in the women’s ward and men’s ward for their steadfast faith in the face of persecution by prison authorities.

“In prison in Iran, people don’t have any rights and it was worse for us because of our Christian faith,” said Rostampour, adding that she and Amirizadeh were physically threatened by guards and refused medical care by prison doctors.

“Whenever we got sick and went to the clinic, the doctors would first ask what our charge was before they asked how we were feeling. As soon as we said that our charges were because of our Christian faith, they would refuse to give us medication,” said Amirizadeh(Continue ).

I also need to add that it's one thing when there is one Christan working to advance the gospel. It can spread rather quickly like a spark light a fire destroying an entire forest. It's another thing when two work together to do the work of the Lord by advancing the gospel. More people can be reach and they can give assurance to each other and grow one another together (i.e. encouragement and pointing how the other can improve in constructive ways).

Iran: bookseller was lashed and jailed for selling Bible

I pray that he will be released from prison and that while in there, he will be given opportunities to witness for the Risen Lord of glory.



Reports from Iran indicate that a citizen from Bukan named Mustafa was arrested, imprisoned, and lashed on charges of selling the Bible. 
As part of enforcing Sharia laws after the Islamic Revolution, the Iranian regime has banned books with Christian content including Bibles. 
At first he was fined and forced to pay 200 million toman bail. However, informed sources say that he was summoned to detention a few days later and is held in the Bukan Central Prison. 
Bukan is a Kurdish town in West Azerbaijan Province in northwestern Iran. 
Dozens of Iranian citizens have been arrested and sent to prison on charges of acting against national security through the propaganda of Christianity this year(Continue here). 

Confirmed: Mary Mohammadi is in Qarchak Prison

Another sister in Christ imprisoned for loving Christ with her whole being. And the thing is, this isn't the first time she has been incarcerated.

Article18 can now confirm that Christian convert Fatemeh (Mary) Mohammadi is being held in Qarchak detention centre, south of the Iranian capital Tehran.

It is a month today since Mary was arrested, as protests took place in central Tehran following the Iranian government’s admission of guilt in the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane.

Since that time, there has been no word from Mary, although last week the Persian-language HRANA news agency reported that she was being held in Qarchak Prison.

At that time, Article18 was unable to verify this, but a reliable source has now confirmed that Mary is indeed being held there and that her bail has been set at 30 million tomans (around $2,250).

Mary’s family have been able to put together the amount, even though it is equivalent to more than the annual salary for Iranians, under the country’s current economic challenges.

However, Article18’s source explained that during the time it took for the family to obtain the amount, “Mary’s case was transferred from the prosecutor’s office to the court, which will now decide whether or not to grant her temporary release from prison”.

Mary has been charged with “disturbing public order by participating in an illegal rally” and provided with a lawyer not of her choosing.

She has been able to call home a few times to reassure her family that she is OK.

As the Iranian government has held celebrations to mark the 41st anniversary of the revolution, the legal system has slowed. With the Iranian New Year (Nowruz) only a month away, it is not clear whether there will be sufficient time for Mary’s family to secure her release before the holidays, or whether she may be forced to remain detained for longer still.

Article18’s advocacy director, Mansour Borji, said that he was “extremely relieved” to know that Mary is OK, and hopes soon to be able to confirm her release – “albeit temporary” – from prison(Keep reading).

My prayer is that God will raise more men and women to be bold and lead his church in Iran.

I also pray that God will Mary boldness in prison as well as giving her comfort and strength through this trial.

And of course, I pray that she is released as soon as possible.

Islamic Jihadists Kill Christian Pastor; Begin a Deadly New Year for Christians in Nigeria

In the Muslim holy book prescribes Muslims to make war against non-adherents:

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

Not all Muslims take these commands seriously, but sadly some do, especially in countries where they make up the majority like here:

2020 is already proving to be a deadly year for innocent Christians in Nigeria.

Boko Haram – the Nigerian jihadist militia pledged to ISIS – just beheaded a Christian Pastor who weeks ago was shown in a hostage video telling the world: “Don’t cry. Don’t worry. But thank God for everything.”

As reported in the New York Times, Pastor Lawan Andimi was executed by Boko Haram and his hometown attacked:

Islamic militants in Nigeria have killed a Christian pastor who had pleaded for his life in a video just days earlier, and a human rights activist said Tuesday that other extremists attacked his hometown on the same day.

The Rev. Lawan Andimi was abducted earlier this month when Boko Haram militants attacked the Michika local government area, where he was the chairman of a local chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria. He was killed on Monday.

Anyone who has seen the video knows that Rev. Andimi did not plead for his life. In fact, he was calm, and even appeared to be at peace, trusting in God and stating:

By the grace of God, I will be together with my wife, my children, and my colleagues. [But] if the opportunity has not been granted, maybe it is the will of God . . . I have never been discouraged because all conditions that one finds himself in is in the hands of God.

The unshakable faith of this pastor should be humbling to every Christian. The fact that he was executed by Islamic radicals because of his faith should infuriate every human being.

In the same week, another group of jihadists reportedly murdered two Christian teenage girls.

[Muslim Fulani] herdsmen on motorbikes rode into Gora-Gan village in Zango Kataf County at about 5 p.m. shooting villagers on sight, according to a local resident. Luka Biniyat, spokesman for the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), confirmed the killing of Briget Philip, 18, and Priscilla David, 19.

Other young Christians were injured in the attack, including a 12-year-old(Keep reading).

Persecuted Church in China Brings Hope Amid Coronavirus Epidemic

I just got word of this coronavirus spreading in China. It is great to see my brethren in Christ over there serving those in need even while they are facing persecution:

01/31/2020 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – A new respiratory virus with origins in the Chinese city of Wuhan has now infected 8,200 people across the world, and has claimed nearly 200 lives.

The outbreak of the coronavirus, which causes pneumonia-like symptoms, prompted Chinese authorities to quarantine several major cities. The usual lunar new year holidays, which typically last no more than 10 days long, have also been tentatively extended to mid-February to prevent the disease from spreading further.

In this time of desperation and fear, China’s Christian community, which has suffered an intensified crackdown by the government in recent years, has stepped up to fill in the gap left unattended by the incompetent authorities.

A Chinese Christian Twitter user shared on January 27, “Some overseas Christians shipped supplies designated to serve local hospitals through local churches, with the intention to ask them to pass on to the hospitals. Yet the supplies were confiscated, and the Christian who received the shipment was invited to ‘have tea’ with the police (which is a common practice employed to intimidate and threaten citizens).”

 Christian human rights lawyer Sui Muqing, who has been sharing updates and comments on the outbreak online, received calls from the police and was asked to delete his posts. They called his recent commentaries on Wuhan pneumonia excessive and claimed that his words have caused social damage to the Party and the country.

“If you do not delete [the post], we will take further measures,” said the police, who acknowledged that the order “came from [a] higher level.”

When maintaining stability through censorship remains a top priority for the government, innocent citizens are left to fend for themselves. Emotions are running high as many were advised to self-quarantine until further notice, and masks are flying off the shelves.

Christians in Wuhan seek to bring a message of peace and hope to their neighbors with creativity. A video shared by Father Francis Liu from Chinese Christian Fellowship of Righteousness shows that encouraging sermons are being broadcasted to their communities through speakers placed on balconies. A Christian rode his bike to a pharmacy where people gathered and played a sermon through a portable speaker.

Another video shows that Christians were distributing face masks and Gospel pamphlets to passersby on the streets. Playing in the background was a message broadcasted to address the fear and uncertainties of ongoing crisis.

Activities like this would normally attract the police’s attention and Christians would face possible threats or arrest. Yet, during this unusual time, most streets are empty and the authorities are occupied looking after themselves, so these Christians are able to carry out their activities(Continue to read here).

Paul said in His 2nd letter to the Corinthian Church that we are to endure when persecuted. What a great form of endurance. The Lord served His disciples even when he knew that He was looking at extreme torment and death on Calvary's cross, as well as rejection from His Heavenly Father. In the same way, His followers in China serve people who are victim to the coronavirus even as they are being tortured for His name's sake.