.The Weekly Persecution & Prayer Alert
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Pastor Dale Morgan
Nov 27, 2011, 4:11:29 AM11/27/11
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.The Weekly
Persecution & Prayer Alert
The Voice of the Martyrs, Canada
Thursday, November 24, 2011
"Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you."
-- Jesus of Nazareth
***********************************
In this week's edition: reports from Vietnam, Nigeria, Eritrea, India and Egypt.
***********************************
1. Believers beaten and belongings destroyed in Vietnam
(Source: Compass Direct News)
More than a dozen Christian men, women and teenagers were brutally beaten and their property destroyed near Hanoi, Vietnam, in what sources say was a religiously-motivated attack.
The Christian house church leaders, as well as other assembled believers, were severely injured during a gathering in the home of Pastor Nguyen Danh Chau in Lai Tao village. A gang burst into the home at 9:30 a.m. on November 13 and warned Nguyen that they would kill him if he continued gathering Christians, according to sources in Vietnam. The attackers then beat him until he lost consciousness.
The offenders smashed chairs, overturned a pulpit and tore a cross from the wall and threw it into a nearby pond. They also destroyed motorcycles owned by four of the pastors present, which was an enormous loss for them.
The believers are members with the Agape Baptist Church, an unregistered house church organization of about 2,200 believers who worship regularly in 38 congregations. The head of the Agape Baptist Church, Nguyen Cong Thanh, met with the injured and said all he could do was weep at the violence. "Why do they gratuitously beat servants of the Lord like this -- what crime have they committed, what enemies have they made?" he said. "All we want to do is gather people to worship and serve God and our fellowman."
Please pray that those beaten will make a full recovery and that the Agape Baptist Church will grow stronger despite the violence and oppression. Pray that the perpetrators of this attack will repent and look to Christ for salvation.
***********************************
2. More than 130 Christians murdered by extremists in Nigeria's north this month
(Source: Compass Direct News)
A murderous, four-hour rampage in early November in the eastern region of northern Nigeria left 150 people dead -- at least 130 of them Christians, according to church sources. Ten church buildings were also bombed and hundreds of people are still missing after more than 200 members of the Islamic extremist Boko Haram sect stormed the Yobe state capital on November 4. The attacks by Boko Haram were motivated by anti-Christian sentiments. Witnesses say the terrorists asked Christians they met to recite the Islamic creed, and those who could not do so were instantly slaughtered.
The day before the terrorist attack, an armed Muslim gang not believed to be affiliated with Boko Haram, killed two Nigerian mothers and injured 12 others including an eight-year-old boy in a raid on a Catholic church in Kaduna state. "As these Muslims began shooting, they shot Mrs. Justina Isaac, a mother of three, who had all the while been hanging around by the window outside the church listening to my teachings in the church," said a Catholic seminary student who was leading worship at the time. "And when she was felled by the bullets, the cry of her baby attracted another woman, Mrs. Hassana Luka, who came out of her house close to the church to find out what the problem was, only to be killed too." The following night, the gang went on to attack a Christian village in the same area killing another Christian and injuring one other.
Please pray that those who are beating and killing Christians in northern Nigeria will see their sin and will turn to Jesus and repent. Pray that the Lord will protect Christians in the region and that the families of those murdered will find peace and comfort in Him.
***********************************
3. Three Christians die in Eritrean military camps
(Source: Open Doors)
Denied their most basic needs for survival, three Christians have died in Eritrean military camps.
Two Christian women died in the Adersete Military Camp in western Eritrea, according to a local source, as they were confined in a dungeon-like cell intended for religious prisoners. Twenty-eight-year-old Terhase Gebremichel Andu and Ferewine Genzabu Kifly, 21, both employees of a wholesale store, were arrested during a prayer meeting in 2009 at a private home. After two years of physical military torture and the denial of medical care, the women succumbed to starvation and poor health.
Within weeks of these deaths, Angesom Teklom Habtemichel, a 26-year-old Christian, also died in an Eritrean military camp after serving two years. He contracted severe malaria but was denied medical treatment because of his written refusal to recant his Christian faith. He died one week later.
Eritrea has a history of severely mistreating Christians and is known as one of the worst nations for Christian persecution.
Please pray that the unwavering faith of Terhase, Ferewine and Angesom will be an example of Christ to unbelievers. Pray that those mourning will trust that, in Jesus, even death has lost its sting (1 Cor. 15:55). Pray that other Christians imprisoned in Eritrea will soon be released.
***********************************
4. Police detain, beat converts from Islam in India
(Source: Compass Direct News)
Seven newly baptized Christians were detained and beaten by police in India's Kashmir Valley, and arrests are expected for Christian leaders considered responsible for converting the former Muslims.
Police identified the converts and pastors from a video recording of the baptism obtained by Kashmir's grand mufti (the highest official of religious law), Bashir-ud-din Ahmad. The video was later posted on YouTube.
Ahmad alleged that Pastor Chander Mani Khanna of All Saints Church, whose church is affiliated with the Church of North India (CNI) denomination, was converting young Muslims by offering money. The mufti told media that the video is definitive evidence that Muslims were being "lured" to Christianity, although it only shows the baptism ceremony. The pastor said the Muslim youths had been coming to the church on their own initiative and wanted to take part in communion. Pastor Chander told them they had to follow a procedure if they wanted to join in the sacrament, and they expressed desire to be baptized.
Please pray that Pastor Chander will not be charged and that the young converts will remain steadfast in their faith. Pray that the gospel will spread throughout the region despite opposition and oppression.
***********************************
5. Thousands of Egyptian Christians gather to pray for country
(Source: Dr. Wafik Wahba, Associate Professor of Global Christianity at Tyndale Seminary)
On November 11, an estimated 70,000 Christians gathered for worship and prayer at St. Simon Church (also called the Cave church) in Cairo, Egypt, while millions more around the globe watched the live broadcast on TV and the Internet. From 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following morning, Christians from varying denominations focused their prayers on repenting, forgiving, and dedicating themselves to live consecrated lives.
The prayer event, the largest of its kind in Egypt's modern history, comes during a tumultuous time for the country. In February, the former president was forced out of office and Egyptians have since faced continuing chaos, brutality, and frustration. The culmination of this sense of despair reached an unprecedented level on October 9, when at least 26 people were killed and hundreds more were injured when army personnel attacked a large gathering of predominately Christian protestors.
Elections for the next house of parliament are set to begin on November 28. The elected parliament will be entrusted with the task of drafting a new constitution and establishing a new government. There are currently 25 parties competing for the nearly 500 seats in parliament, contributing to the complexity of Egypt's election process. These parties vary from Islamic fundamentalists to Marxists. Christians and Muslims alike worry that their dreams of a free and democratic country that respects religious freedom will be undermined by Islamic extremism.
Despite the unrest and uncertainty, Christians in Egypt are looking to the Lord for protection and guidance. A prayer movement has been growing for the past few years and is now spreading to churches across the country.
Pray that Christians in Egypt will place their hope and trust in Jesus Christ, who has been given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). Ask the Lord to bless and protect His children in Egypt. Pray for continued unity among believers. Pray for peaceful and just elections.
***********************************
The Voice of the Martyrs, Canada
Thursday, November 24, 2011
"Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you."
-- Jesus of Nazareth
***********************************
In this week's edition: reports from Vietnam, Nigeria, Eritrea, India and Egypt.
***********************************
1. Believers beaten and belongings destroyed in Vietnam
(Source: Compass Direct News)
More than a dozen Christian men, women and teenagers were brutally beaten and their property destroyed near Hanoi, Vietnam, in what sources say was a religiously-motivated attack.
The Christian house church leaders, as well as other assembled believers, were severely injured during a gathering in the home of Pastor Nguyen Danh Chau in Lai Tao village. A gang burst into the home at 9:30 a.m. on November 13 and warned Nguyen that they would kill him if he continued gathering Christians, according to sources in Vietnam. The attackers then beat him until he lost consciousness.
The offenders smashed chairs, overturned a pulpit and tore a cross from the wall and threw it into a nearby pond. They also destroyed motorcycles owned by four of the pastors present, which was an enormous loss for them.
The believers are members with the Agape Baptist Church, an unregistered house church organization of about 2,200 believers who worship regularly in 38 congregations. The head of the Agape Baptist Church, Nguyen Cong Thanh, met with the injured and said all he could do was weep at the violence. "Why do they gratuitously beat servants of the Lord like this -- what crime have they committed, what enemies have they made?" he said. "All we want to do is gather people to worship and serve God and our fellowman."
Please pray that those beaten will make a full recovery and that the Agape Baptist Church will grow stronger despite the violence and oppression. Pray that the perpetrators of this attack will repent and look to Christ for salvation.
***********************************
2. More than 130 Christians murdered by extremists in Nigeria's north this month
(Source: Compass Direct News)
A murderous, four-hour rampage in early November in the eastern region of northern Nigeria left 150 people dead -- at least 130 of them Christians, according to church sources. Ten church buildings were also bombed and hundreds of people are still missing after more than 200 members of the Islamic extremist Boko Haram sect stormed the Yobe state capital on November 4. The attacks by Boko Haram were motivated by anti-Christian sentiments. Witnesses say the terrorists asked Christians they met to recite the Islamic creed, and those who could not do so were instantly slaughtered.
The day before the terrorist attack, an armed Muslim gang not believed to be affiliated with Boko Haram, killed two Nigerian mothers and injured 12 others including an eight-year-old boy in a raid on a Catholic church in Kaduna state. "As these Muslims began shooting, they shot Mrs. Justina Isaac, a mother of three, who had all the while been hanging around by the window outside the church listening to my teachings in the church," said a Catholic seminary student who was leading worship at the time. "And when she was felled by the bullets, the cry of her baby attracted another woman, Mrs. Hassana Luka, who came out of her house close to the church to find out what the problem was, only to be killed too." The following night, the gang went on to attack a Christian village in the same area killing another Christian and injuring one other.
Please pray that those who are beating and killing Christians in northern Nigeria will see their sin and will turn to Jesus and repent. Pray that the Lord will protect Christians in the region and that the families of those murdered will find peace and comfort in Him.
***********************************
3. Three Christians die in Eritrean military camps
(Source: Open Doors)
Denied their most basic needs for survival, three Christians have died in Eritrean military camps.
Two Christian women died in the Adersete Military Camp in western Eritrea, according to a local source, as they were confined in a dungeon-like cell intended for religious prisoners. Twenty-eight-year-old Terhase Gebremichel Andu and Ferewine Genzabu Kifly, 21, both employees of a wholesale store, were arrested during a prayer meeting in 2009 at a private home. After two years of physical military torture and the denial of medical care, the women succumbed to starvation and poor health.
Within weeks of these deaths, Angesom Teklom Habtemichel, a 26-year-old Christian, also died in an Eritrean military camp after serving two years. He contracted severe malaria but was denied medical treatment because of his written refusal to recant his Christian faith. He died one week later.
Eritrea has a history of severely mistreating Christians and is known as one of the worst nations for Christian persecution.
Please pray that the unwavering faith of Terhase, Ferewine and Angesom will be an example of Christ to unbelievers. Pray that those mourning will trust that, in Jesus, even death has lost its sting (1 Cor. 15:55). Pray that other Christians imprisoned in Eritrea will soon be released.
***********************************
4. Police detain, beat converts from Islam in India
(Source: Compass Direct News)
Seven newly baptized Christians were detained and beaten by police in India's Kashmir Valley, and arrests are expected for Christian leaders considered responsible for converting the former Muslims.
Police identified the converts and pastors from a video recording of the baptism obtained by Kashmir's grand mufti (the highest official of religious law), Bashir-ud-din Ahmad. The video was later posted on YouTube.
Ahmad alleged that Pastor Chander Mani Khanna of All Saints Church, whose church is affiliated with the Church of North India (CNI) denomination, was converting young Muslims by offering money. The mufti told media that the video is definitive evidence that Muslims were being "lured" to Christianity, although it only shows the baptism ceremony. The pastor said the Muslim youths had been coming to the church on their own initiative and wanted to take part in communion. Pastor Chander told them they had to follow a procedure if they wanted to join in the sacrament, and they expressed desire to be baptized.
Please pray that Pastor Chander will not be charged and that the young converts will remain steadfast in their faith. Pray that the gospel will spread throughout the region despite opposition and oppression.
***********************************
5. Thousands of Egyptian Christians gather to pray for country
(Source: Dr. Wafik Wahba, Associate Professor of Global Christianity at Tyndale Seminary)
On November 11, an estimated 70,000 Christians gathered for worship and prayer at St. Simon Church (also called the Cave church) in Cairo, Egypt, while millions more around the globe watched the live broadcast on TV and the Internet. From 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following morning, Christians from varying denominations focused their prayers on repenting, forgiving, and dedicating themselves to live consecrated lives.
The prayer event, the largest of its kind in Egypt's modern history, comes during a tumultuous time for the country. In February, the former president was forced out of office and Egyptians have since faced continuing chaos, brutality, and frustration. The culmination of this sense of despair reached an unprecedented level on October 9, when at least 26 people were killed and hundreds more were injured when army personnel attacked a large gathering of predominately Christian protestors.
Elections for the next house of parliament are set to begin on November 28. The elected parliament will be entrusted with the task of drafting a new constitution and establishing a new government. There are currently 25 parties competing for the nearly 500 seats in parliament, contributing to the complexity of Egypt's election process. These parties vary from Islamic fundamentalists to Marxists. Christians and Muslims alike worry that their dreams of a free and democratic country that respects religious freedom will be undermined by Islamic extremism.
Despite the unrest and uncertainty, Christians in Egypt are looking to the Lord for protection and guidance. A prayer movement has been growing for the past few years and is now spreading to churches across the country.
Pray that Christians in Egypt will place their hope and trust in Jesus Christ, who has been given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). Ask the Lord to bless and protect His children in Egypt. Pray for continued unity among believers. Pray for peaceful and just elections.
***********************************
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