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).

Pakistani Christian Leaders Report Another Incident of Aid Being Denied to Christians

Because the leaders of Pakistan still feel the need to persecuted my Pakistani brethren, even during this Pandemic.

04/03/2020 Pakistan (International Christian Concern) – Christian leaders in Pakistan are reporting another incident in which Christians were denied government food aid amid the COVID-19 crisis. This marks the second report of government aid being denied to minorities in Pakistan due to their religious identity.

“A few days back there was an announcement made through a mosque’s loudspeaker in the Sher-Shah neighborhood of Lahore inviting citizens to collect the government’s announced foodstuffs,” Pastor Irfan James from Talents Ministry of Pakistan told International Christian Concern (ICC). “When Christians reached the distribution point and presented their national identity cards, they were asked by staffers to get out of the line claiming the foodstuff was only for Muslim citizens.”

Among the Christians denied aid in Sher-Shah was Rachel Bibi, age 50. Speaking to ICC, Bibi said, “Christians often face religious hatred and discrimination. However, we never thought of this biased behavior by the majority people at this critical time of COVID-19. The authorities must take action against those involved.”

According to Pastor James, he received multiple telephone calls a day from members of his congregation reporting similar denials of aid. Pastor James went on to ask the international community to step in and extend aid to the minority communities of Pakistan.

Since March 21, most of Pakistan has been placed on lockdown as authorities seek to slow the spread of COVID-19. However, this national lockdown has significantly affected the country’s poor and vulnerable communities. This includes Pakistan’s religious minorities(Continue to read here).

Pastor in Nepal Arrested for Praying Against COVID-19 Virus

And what is so bad about praying that the a Coronavirus going away?

03/29/2020 Nepal (International Christian Concern) – According to Morning Star News, a Christian pastor in Nepal has been arrested for praying against the COVID-19 virus on a video that has circulated on social media. The pastor, who was taken into custody on March 23, could face up to six months in prison after being wrongly accused of giving false information about COVID-19.

In a video translated by Morning Star News, Pastor Keshab Acharya prayed in front of his church congregation, saying, “Hey, corona – you go and die. May all your deeds be destroyed by the power of the Lord Jesus. I rebuke you, corona, in the name of Lord Jesus Christ. By the power or the ruler of this Creation, I rebuke you… By the power in the name of Lord Jesus Christ, corona, go away and die.”

According to Junu Acharya, Pastor Acharya’s wife, her husband received a call on March 23 at about 8 p.m. from an unknown man requesting prayer for his sick wife. Pastor Acharya invited the man to come to their house for prayer. However, when there was a knock at the door, four police officers entered the home, surrounded Pastor Acharya, arrested him, and took him to the police station.

Christian leaders in Nepal have spoken out against the arrest of Pastor Acharya. Pastor Mukunda Sharma, Executive Secretary of the Nepal Christian Society, told Morning Star News that he had urged the District Superintendent of Police to act fairly and not implicate Pastor Acharya in any criminal charges.

“I told [the District Superintendent] that the police cannot prosecute the pastor for exercising his faith and that it is a gross violation of human rights,” Pastor Sharma told Morning Star News. “He assured me that the pastor was taken into custody only for an inquiry(Keep reading).”

Iraqis’ Faith Grows as Churches Close

It’s great to know that years of persecution and not even this virus, can stop the work of God in Iraq.

03/30/2020 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – Chaos has unfolded throughout every decade of Iraq’s recent history. Today, a virus keeps the country closed, leaving the vulnerable unable to access basic resources. The vulnerable include those displaced by ISIS, Islamic extremists whose genocide against religious minorities sowed chaos across Iraq. The genocide was foreshadowed by a massive bombing against a church a few years prior. But even before this, chaos was still unfolding. The early 2000s were plagued by militia violence, prompting one of the first waves of Christian immigration from Iraq.

For Iraqi Christians, chaos and uncertainty have always defined life. Today’s uncertainty is different. Rather than fleeing their homes, Christians are staying home and reflecting on the spiritual lessons they have learned throughout years of persecution.

Sarah is a young woman living in Baghdad, active in her church, and musically gifted. She has watched how decades of persecution have impacted the Christian community. “Churches in Iraq—Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestants—were always there in every crisis passed, since forever,” she observes. Now again, the country is in a crisis. This time, however, the churches are closed. For Sarah, that is not necessarily bad. “Personally, the current crisis improved my spiritual life. God is my shelter, where I can run to whenever needed.” 

Even while the Christian population in Iraq has shrunk, the number of Muslims converting to Christianity has grown. For many, it was watching the persecution of Christians that served as a witness. When they converted, they faced persecution from their families that left many homeless, jobless, and with nowhere to go. Yet, their faith has only grown, including during this current crisis, which has further isolated them from society.

“I am leading a great group of believers who came to Christ and changed their religion,” says one pastor. “This is only another challenge that has been added to their many challenges. I am encouraged to be with them; they have no fear. Sometimes I encourage them. Then I realized that I am encouraged by them and by their faith.” 

Even so, several Christians find this current situation harder for their faith. In every crisis of persecution, the church was open and present. For context, Sarah explains that “after 2003, the churches in Iraq suffered persecution, especially in between 2005 – 2011. The bombing of a church during Sunday prayer by suicide belts in 2010 was the last maybe… today, we can see how the church rebuilt, and people can have prayers there once again.” 

And yet now, because of a virus, the churches are closed for the first time. For so many Christians, church is their community. Societal discrimination has left them with little else. Thus the inability to pray in church during a time of hardship sits unwell among the hearts of some. “I’ve attended the evangelical church since 20004,” says one woman. “I can confirm that the spiritual level was always better during crises and hard times. I am against closing the churches and canceling services.” 

It can be frustrating to watch churches close for something invisible, given the history of the churches staying open even in times of violence. It helps, however, to think of the situation in a different way. “We’ve been distributing Bibles until the government’s statement about the curfew,” says a Christian leader. “We had to close the office as everybody else. Persecution over the history had a positive impact on Christians’ faith. This time may be the persecution didn’t come by a physical enemy, it is like a virus. I believe God gives us protection.” 

“We need to be real facing our fear. This time, our faith decides who we are. I pray we stay close to God all the time, not only the hard times,” adds another.

It is, at least, an opportunity for reflection. An opportunity that, because of the years of chaos faced by Iraq, has been difficult to grasp. As one convert says, “When I came to know Christ many years ago, I was growing on my faith through attending services and listening to the word of God. But due to life and business, I couldn’t read and listen to the word of God. This epidemic helped me to go back. Even I am worried about the future of this country, but I believe in the blood of Christ(Read more).

SJWs and the western persecution of Christians

This video shows why Western persecution of Christians will NOT be going away:

I have a lot of things to say about this video. Firstly, I need to say SJWs (Social Justice Warriors) go after Christians is cowardice. They don’t have the stones to mock Muslims or go speak out against women’s rights which are being violated. Long story short, they aren’t really Social Justice Warriors. 

I have to also say something about Chick-Fil-A (and they really deserve a flogging). Back in the summer 2012, Chick-Fil-A (a fast-food chain owned by a Christian family and famous for their TASTY chicken) was reported to make donations to organizations that were against same-sex marriages and made a statement that celebrated the traditional view of marriage. This sent the gay rights activists into a frenzy. It drove lots of people to eat at Chick-Fil-A on one day in support of the organization. Fast-forward to 2019, Chick-Fil-A has rescinded on supporting organizations that oppose same-sex marriages. This is very cowardly. It shames the Cross and the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is NOT the way you respond to persecution. You stand by the Word of God, regardless of how controversial it may be and you NEVER back down no matter what flack comes your way. 

The people who own Chick-Fil-A should be ashamed of themselves.

8 Ways to Pray for during this pandemic

So this post going to be sort of a sequel to my blog post on what the Coronavirus and how to respond to it, I feel obligation to add how to go about pray during this pandemic. Here’s how:

1. Calm assurance in God's sovereignty.
2. Dispelling of fear and worry.
3. Opportunities to serve neighbors.
4. Wisdom in decision making.
5. Global gospel advance.
6. Willingness to follow instructions.
7. Healing for those affected.
8. Pray that Asians in America will be protect from hate crimes.

I included the last one for a reason. The Coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China. Therefore some people are going to be (irrationally) blaming Asians living in America for bringing the virus over to this country. This article shows that it’s already happening:

An FBI report obtained by ABC News says the stabbing of three Chinese-Americans at the Sam's in Midland was a hate crime.

The document detailed the incident in which "three Asian American family members, including a 2-year-old and 6-year-old, were stabbed … The suspect indicated that he stabbed the family because he thought the family was Chinese, and infecting people with the coronavirus."

The FBI is warning that there's an increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans as the coronavirus crisis continues to grow.

"The FBI assesses hate crime incidents against Asian Americans likely will surge across the United States, due to the spread of coronavirus disease … endangering Asian American communities," according to the report, which was done by the FBI’s Houston office and distributed to local law enforcement agencies across the country. 

"The FBI makes this assessment based on the assumption that a portion of the US public will associate COVID-19 with China and Asian American populations(Keep reading)."

We need to pray that God will keep a hedge of protection around the Asians living in this country (and by extension other western countries), because I sense this is only going to get uglier.

As I said in my 1st post from yesterday, this could not be a better time for the church to show the world how big her God is. Let’s show this by displaying the power of prayer.

North Korean Christian Woman Risks Everything to Be Baptized

This is a GREAT example of boldness and bravery. As I said in a previous post, North Korea is THE WORST place to be a Christian.

So this woman deciding to be baptize is the epitome what means to take risks for Christ.

A North Korean Christian woman escaped to China for the chance to live a better life and to be baptized.

The woman, identified by Open Doorsministry as "Bon-Hwa," fled the repressive country more than two years ago. With the help of Open Doors' partners, Bon-Hwa found shelter in a safe house and attended her first Women to Women secret meeting.

It was at this meeting that Bon-Hwa came to know Jesus, leading to her baptism into Christ.

"She wanted to be baptized so badly that she couldn't wait any longer," said the Open Doors pastor who baptized her.

But baptizing North Koreans is illegal and dangerous, so Bon-Hwa, her pastor, and group leader traveled to a remote location that "took many hours to reach."

An Open Doors staff member described Bon-Hwa's baptism as a "holy moment." The pastor opened the small ceremony in prayer and christened the refugee - then everyone recited the Apostles' Creed(Keep reading).

God, give me the strength to be as bold as that woman. I want to give you the maximum amount of Glory.

In your name, Amen.

Coronavirus: What it is and how to respond to it

Okay, so I have given article after article about how are brethren in Christ in persecuted countries are faring with this Coronavirus going on. However, I have not gone into this thing: what is the Coronavirus?

The Coronavirus is a disease that is curable. However, the strand of Coronavirus which is going around in the world right now is called Covid-19. The symptoms include: fever, shortness of breath, runny nose, sneezing and coughing.

This virus strand began in Wuhan, China and stayed in China since it commenced on New Years Eve 2019.

This all changed on January 21, 2020 when the first confirmed case of the virus came in the United States. It came courtesy of a man who traveled to Wuhan from Washington State. Before this Japan, South Korea and Thailand reported their cases the day before that.

On the 23 of January, China put Wuhan on complete lockdown, where the  virus began. Flights and trains were suspended, buses, ferries and subways in an attempt to stop the virus from spreading.

On the 30th, the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international. This designation is reserved for extraordinary events that can spread internationally.

On the 11th of February, the virus was given the name, COVID-19.

On February 26, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms a case of COVID-19 in a patient in California with no travel history to a place where the virus broke out, not contact with someone diagnosed with the virus.

On the 29th of February, the first person to die was a man in Washington State with no travel history to China. There were 2 other deaths at a nursing home on the 26th to be recorded as the first deaths to happen in the United States.

On March 3rd, CDC allowed anyone to be tested for the virus with out restriction. No doubt, this came after the above mentioned death.

March 13th, President Trump declared this pandemic a state of National Emergency and decided to open up a $50 billion in federal funding to take care of COVID-19.

On March 15th, CDC warned against large gatherings, which included conferences, festivals, parades, concerts and the like. This was done to decrease the chances of the Coronavirus spreading. The next day, people were warned against going to gyms where people could catch the virus by touching unclean weights.

On March 17th, West Virginia reports it’s first COVID-19 case, showing that the disease was present in all 50 states(Read here for more). 

It is amazing how fast this thing has spread, how quickly has caught the attention of the news and how it has affected many systems. Churches are now meeting online for worship services and Bible studies. Schools are having online classes and some people are out of a job.

It’s crazy.

In the midst of all this craziness, how should we as Christians be acting? I will tell you what we SHOULDN’T be displaying: Anxiety, worry or panic. Our God is control of everything. This pandemic did not catch Him by surprise. It happened according to His Purpose (Ephesians 1:9). We need to put our total trust in Him and know that He is working this out all for our good.

What then should we be doing? We should, of course, be loving our neighbor. Here are 8 ways to do so:

1. Share from our overstock of supplies.

2. Building trust and sharing Christ.

3. Giving $0 to “faith healing” abusers

4. Supporting your local church

5. Being gentle and kind in lines

6. Keeping tabs on the elderly

7. Wash your hands

8. Encourage each other

This is a time where the Church needs to step up and be a light to the world around. Let’s get started on that.