Home » Posts tagged 'Africa'
Tag Archives: Africa
Islamic Extremists Behead 50 People in Brutal Attack on Villages in Mozambique
Graphic showing the Cabo Delgado province in Mozambique. (Image credit: CBN News)
(CBN) ISIS militants reportedly have murdered 50 people in a gruesome attack on several villages in the African coastal nation of Mozambique.
The victims were herded onto a soccer field in a northern village and then beheaded, according to eyewitness accounts reported by the state-owned Mozambique News Agency.
Local police also said scores of women and children were abducted in the attack and several homes were burned. Any villagers who tried to flee were captured and brutally murdered. The murders continued for almost three days.
“They burnt the houses then went after the population who had fled to the woods and started with their macabre actions,” Bernardino Rafael, the head of Mozambique’s police, told a press conference, according to The Times of London.
The militants shouted “Allahu Akbar” (“God is greatest”) while firing their weapons and setting homes on fire, according to media reports.
Fighting erupted in the Cabo Delgado province of the country in 2017 after an armed group with ties to ISIS began carrying out deadly attacks there.
The unrest has led to the deaths of more than 2,000 people and displaced more than 430,000 in the mainly Muslim province, according to the BBC.
Even though the area is rich in energy products, the people who live there have seen little of the reported $60 billion made from the province’s natural gas reserves. The extremists have used the ever-present poverty and unemployment to recruit young people in their quest to establish Islamic rule or a caliphate over the area.
Mozambique’s government has asked for help from other nations in trying to put down the revolt. The government says its military needs specialized training before confronting the militants, the BBC reported.
But human rights groups also warn that government security forces are also to blame for torture and killings while trying to restrain the militants’ activities in the province.
Dear Prayer Warriors, we are asking for you to join in sober, vigilant prayer on the conference call with us. Our persecuted brothers and sisters are desperate for our prayers.
Consider this,
7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:7-10
We will lifting up the nation of Mozambique
Pray for Bob Fu
Dear Friends,
What do you think about when you hear about China? A pandemic? Trade wars? Political corruption?
When I think of China, I think of a vibrant and growing church that often faces severe persecution for their faith. I think of Christians who consider prison a “seminary of suffering.” I also think of my friend, Bob Fu, whom I have written about over the past few weeks.
Bob was a student leader during the Tiananmen Square Massacre. He and his wife were imprisoned for their faith, and eventually made their way to America where Bob started China Aid in support of religious freedoms in China.
Recently, a Chinese billionaire (living in New York City) made an “elimination list,” in which he named over 30 Chinese human right activists living in the USA, and stated that they should be killed. Bob Fu is at the top of his list.
Government authorities had to evacuate Bob, his wife Heidi, and their two daughters to a safe house as reports of a planned bombing at his house had surfaced. Even now, Bob and his family remain in an undisclosed location, and are unable to return to their home or their ministry office.
I spoke with Bob this week, and his spirits are high. He is no stranger to persecution. The death threats are real, and his family is under considerable stress. Heidi’s mother is so upset over her daughter’s safety that she has been hospitalized.
When I first wrote about this situation, I received many emails from our friends and supporters committing to pray for Bo Fu and his family. I also received emails questioning the motives of the Chinese billionaire calling for Bob’s death. His English name is Miles Kwok, and he is a self-proclaimed anti-communist activist. However, Kwok is actively using his money and influence to try to kill Bob and leading Chinese human rights activists.
“Bob needs our prayers and our support. The enemy is trying to silence one of the leading activists supporting our persecuted brothers and sisters in China.”
“There is no question,” Bob shared with me “Miles Kwok is working with the Chinese Communist government. This is the way the deception works. He accuses me of being a fake pastor and a Chinese spy, and says he is against communism. Only, the opposite is true.”
Bob needs our prayers and our support. The enemy is trying to silence one of the leading activists supporting our persecuted brothers and sisters in China. Recently, an estimated 200 pastors and church leaders gathered in Midland, TX (Bob’s hometown) to rally in support of Bob and his family.
Bob Fu is a close friend of my family, and a partner with RevelationMedia. He has helped us translate and distribute our content to China. Please remember him, his family, and his ministry in your prayers.
With all of the negative news surrounding China, it is easy to forget the plight of our brothers and sisters there. I encourage you not to let the enemy turn our attention away from China and its persecuted Christians. Together with them, we are just pilgrims in this land on our way to eternity with our King!
Steve Cleary
CEO/Founder
RevelationMedia
As those in the Body of Christ suffering persecution, we will also pray for:
Leah Sharibu and Alice that they will be set free from Boko Haram captivity.
On Jul 08, 2020 · Leah Sharibu was kidnapped along with 109 other students on February 19, 2018 when Boko Haram attacked a boarding school in the city of Dapchi, Maiduguri Diocese, in north-eastern Nigeria. A month later, some of the girls died in captivity and all the others were released, except Leah.
Pastor Wang Yi to be released from prison, for his family, the children, and the church in China.
On December 28 the police raided the Early Rain Church and arrested Pastor Wang Yi, his wife Jiang Rong, and ten elders of the well-known 750-member church for holding “illegal” services. Some 100 believers were detained, questioned, and later released. Pastor Wang’s wife was also released. Pastor Wang remained in detention.
Anita, an Iranian Christian, persecuted by the Islamic regime.
The release of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani from Iran, and his family as their Persecution continues. He is serving the second year of his six-year sentence, recently reduced from ten years.
Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani converted to Christianity at the age of 19 and leads a 400-member house church in Rasht, Iran. Since 2006,
Iranian authorities have consistently harassed and detained Pastor Nadarkhani and his family. In 2010, the authorities sentenced him to death for apostasy before acquitting him in 2012.
He was tried again in 2017 on false charges of “acting against national security” and promoting “Zionist Christianity,” for which he was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. By July 2018, plainclothes agents raided his home to execute the sentence, beating and apprehending him and using a taser gun on one of his sons. He is now incarcerated at the notorious Evin prison near Tehran.
The harvest for the Kingdom of God.
“2 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
His servant
Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Leader
Prayer Conference Call Details
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
From any location on your phone
Time:
9:00 PM Eastern
8:00 PM Central
7:00 PM Mountain
6:00 PM Pacific
Call in number: 712 775-7035
Access Code: 281207#
Recommended: For those who may be subject to added charges for conference calls. Please download the app, it’s free!
MOBILE APP: Free Conference Call HD also provides a quick and easy way for you to dial into conference calls without having to remember the dial-in credentials. Save all of your conference call dial-in numbers and access codes using this free app. With the Free Conference Call HD you can instantly dial into a conference call via 3G/4G data network and or regular mobile carrier. Google Play link or App Store – iTunes
What is Persecution Watch?
Persecution Watch is a U.S. national prayer conference call ministry that prays specifically for the global Persecuted Church. For over a decade, Blaine Scogin led this national network of believers who faithfully pray for the persecuted and the global harvest for the Kingdom of God.
The group meets via a free call-in service every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday night at 9pm Eastern (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted and our missions became one. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch is an important part of our own.
With the passing of Blaine into glory on December 26, 2019, Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continue the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with our dedicated prayer warrior team.
On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters have been invited on the call to share the trials they’re facing. The team serves to encourage them by washing their feet in Spirit led prayer.
Time is often reserved for those on the call to ask questions. We believe this helps to gain a better understanding of the situation that persecuted Christians endure in their specific nations. Q&A also helps us to focus our prayers based on their current needs.
Persecution Watch also hosts callers who want to pray united from other nations. If your heart is perplexed by the sufferings of our persecuted brothers and sisters, you no longer need to pray alone. We welcome all who desire to pray for the persecuted church and consider it a joy to pray together with you.
If you’re new to the call and can’t find your voice, listen in and pray silently or on mute. We are grateful and thank the Lord for bringing us all together to pray in agreement for our persecuted family in Christ. We can all be prayer warriors on this call!
NOTE: Persecution Watch has a new email address for the prayer team and those who would like to receive urgent prayer requests, weekly call prayer points and notification of special prayer events and special guest speakers.
Please fill out the form below to be included in our new distribution list to receive this important information. We are grateful for your prayers and to the Lord for guiding us as we continue the Persecution Watch prayer call mission.
Note to Voice of the Persecuted (VOP) readers: The Persecution Watch prayer team is also the prayer team of Voice of the Persecuted. SIGN UP today.
URGENT: PRAY FOR BIBLE TRANSLATORS UNDER ATTACK
Special Report: Translators persecuted for translating the gospel
By Nena Podbury for American Bible Society—This week, we received heartbreaking news about an attack against Bible translators and we’re urging everyone to pray.
American Bible Society has been supporting a network of churches that are working on 25 Bible translation projects for unreached people groups in Central Asia and the Arabic Gulf region. Working in an undisclosed location in Northeast Africa, where the Christian church faces strong opposition, Christians risk their lives to translate God’s Word.
Last month, a terrorist group became aware of these translation efforts. Two weeks ago, this militant group burned the translation facility and killed five members of the lead translator’s family. The lead translator was also seriously injured. Another 49 translators were abducted and are still missing.
Despite this horrifying tragedy and the constant threat of extreme danger, this network of pastors plans to carry on its work.
They need our prayers. Let us cry out to God for these brave translators and for God’s Word to continue to shine light in the darkness.
Pray for:
- The missing translators. Pray for the safe release of the 49 translators who are missing.
- Translation work. Pray for these translation projects to be completed so that those 25 unreached people groups will have access to God’s Word in their native language. Pray for safety, wisdom, and courage for all translators.
- The lead translator. Pray that God will bring healing and comfort to this translator who lost members of his family.
Cairo Bishop Urges Church To Be Ready For Martyrdom
Archbishop Mouneer Anis. Michael Adel, Bridges Cultural Center
(World Watch Monitor) A senior Anglican archbishop from the Global South called for the Church to be “ready to sacrifice their lives for the sake of Christ” in the face of persecution, restrictions, terrorism, and violence carried out in the name of religion.
Archbishop Mouneer Anis of Cairo was addressing archbishops and bishops from some of the most difficult places in the world in which to practise the Christian faith: Sudan, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi, Southern Africa, West Africa, Indian Ocean, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and South East Asia.
More than 100 delegates also discussed the importance of ecumenical and inter-faith dialogue. Guests* at the opening session included representatives of the Vatican, Coptic Orthodox Church and Al Azhar University in Cairo, the seat of Sunni learning.
The leaders of the Anglican Communion’s Global South (the world’s third largest Christian denomination, after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches) – which is home to 72 per cent of the worldwide Anglican population, or about 62 million people – discussed critical challenges facing them, including poverty, the refugee crisis and religious violence.
Archbishop Anis said the Church in the Global South had many challenges and weaknesses, and highlighted the prevalence of disease and “polygamy, tribalism, corruption, and harsh treatment of women”, as well as false teaching.
He also warned of an “ideological slavery” resulting from “some Western churches and organisations us[ing] their wealth and influence to push their own agendas in the Global South”. He continued: “We need to be aware of this, and resist all kinds of slavery, whether financial or ideological”, or else face “cultural defeat and captivity”.
While the archbishop and other speakers stressed fidelity to the teachings of Christ and criticised provinces they accused of departing from them, Anis added: “We cannot continue to focus on the faults of others while neglecting the needs of our own people.”
A former Bishop of North Africa, Bill Musk, noted that North African Christians were persecuted in the early centuries of Christianity as they are now, and said unity was vital to withstand such challenges. A communiqué from the talks reported: “The Arab invasions eventually overwhelmed the Church [in North Africa], but the seeds of its demise were sown long before.”
Bishop Emeritus Musk also praised the fifth-century Council of Carthage, which took place in what is now Tunisia, at which it was decided that no diocese had the right to discipline leaders in another, despite a deep cultural divide within the Church. Bishop Musk described the Church at that time as being riven between a Latin elite that advocated a compassionate response to Christians who denied their faith under persecution, and local Berbers, who insisted upon faithfulness to Christianity until death.
Speakers at the conference emphasised the Church’s North African heritage, challenging the view of the Church as a foreign imposition foisted on Europe’s former colonies. American Canon Dr. Ashley Null, highlighted the “deep dependence” of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, one of the architects of Anglicanism, on St. Augustine, whose bishopric of Hippo lies in modern-day Algeria.
Dr. Null, who is writing a five-volume study of the private theological notebooks of Archbishop Cranmer, noted that “in his day, Augustine was derided as the son of a Berber who spoke Latin with an African accent”.
On the second day of the conference, the bishops had a 90-minute audience with President Fatah Al-Sisi, who told them Egypt was keen to guarantee freedom of belief and worship for all its citizens. Egypt’s Coptic Christians have complained of targeted attacks worsening again this year.
Voice of the Persecuted is on the ground in Nigeria to care for our Christian brothers and sisters experiencing brutal persecution.
We are committed to being a VOICE for persecuted Nigerian Christians and bring them comfort, relief, and encouragement. We have committed to a long-term mission in Nigeria. When they are able to return home, we will be there to encourage and help rebuild villages and their lives. They will not be forgotten!
We want you to know that even in great hardship, they thank God and feel extremely blessed that He has kept His hand on 
them. They have been so encouraged and thank God for each one of you who have joined this mission through prayer and your support.
Together with your generous help, we can reach the goal to alleviate horrific suffering. In darkness and desperation, let us serve in love, with open arms and giving hands to provide light and hope.
HELP SAVE THE PERSECUTED
Every day, we thank God that He is working through you to care for His children and to further His Kingdom! As you greatly bless others, may God continue to bless you. Thank you so much for your support. We couldn’t do it without you!
You may also send your gift to:
2740 Third St
P.O. Box 122
Trenton, MI. 48183
If the Lord is placing it on your heart and you are able, please help us to continue the mission in Nigeria. It will be a long term project. Donations always desperately needed
Muslim Migrant Boat Captain Who Threw Praying Christians Overboard, On Trial For Murder
Fleeing refugees risk dangerous seas. Photo: Mstyslav Chernov/ commons.wikimedia.org
Cameroonian immigrant has been put on trial in Spain for the murder of six fellow occupants of a flimsy migrant boat because of their Christian religious beliefs.
Survivors of the hellish 2014 crossing from Morocco to the southern shore of Spain described how the accused, the Muslim captain of the inflatable craft identified as Alain N. B., blamed Christian passengers for the onset of a storm and forced six men off the boat to a certain death.
According to some of the 29 survivors from the more than 50 sub-Saharan migrants who boarded the boat near Nador, northern Morocco, the accused “blamed the rough seas which were rocking the boat on the prayers led by a Catholic pastor on board”.
Read survivor accounts of what transpired in the Full Report
Rising Islamist militancy across Sahel belt threatens African Christianity
As the world focuses on potential military advances against the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, it risks overlooking another vast region where militant Islam is a growing threat to the Church – in the continent where the Church is growing fastest: Africa.
Amongst other factors, the chaos in Libya since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi – characterised by easy access to weapons of all sorts combined with the increasing presence of jihadists – has had a spill-over effect into Africa’s vast Sahel region. This spans the African continent from Senegal in the west to western Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia in the east. (The ‘Sahel’ describes the ecological and geographic region between the Sahara Desert and the humid and fertile savannah belt north of Africa’s tropical rainforest).
The most dramatic example of this Islamist militancy is in northern Mali, where Islamist militants and foreign fighters made common cause with Tuareg rebels to take over a large portion of the country in 2012. For most of the year, until the French military were forced to intervene, armed Islamist groups ruled the region, banning the practice of other religions and desecrating and looting churches and other places of worship.
In addition to the main group involved then, the jihadist Ansar Dine, other militant groups active in the Sahel region include Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Boko Haram and Islamic State (IS).
A new report from Open Doors International, a charity providing support to the global Church under pressure, shows that the rise of Islamist militancy in the region is undermining freedom of religion. According to the report, puritanical and militant versions of Islam (particularly Salafism/Wahhabism) are increasingly taking root – in a manner that reflects recent developments in the rest of the world – as a result of Islamist missionaries and NGOs from the Middle East, funded by (until recently) oil-rich Gulf States like Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Fertile ground
The Sahel, which encompasses parts of Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia, has been predominantly Muslim for centuries. Due to a mix of environmental, demographic, economic and political factors, all the states that exist in this region are very fragile.
Troops from Mali and Niger, supported by their French counterparts, conduct regular joint operations to hunt for militants in the western part of the region.
The report indicates that the Islamist groups in the region are very hostile to Christianity and show this through violent acts. Northern Mali has witnessed violent attacks against Christians and churches – notably in 2012, during jihadist occupation. There have also been a series of abductions by jihadist groups, which kidnap Christian workers not only to finance operations through demanding ransoms, but also to deter Christians from working in the region. The Swiss missionary, Beatrice Stockly, kidnapped in Timbuktu in January, is still being held hostage by AQIM.
In neighbouring Niger, Islamists burned down more than 70 churches, as well as Christian homes, schools and orphanages, in a series of arson attacks in January 2015.
Rampant radicalization
Islamist groups in the Sahel, like others elsewhere, don’t tolerate other Muslims who adhere to a version of Islam different from their own. Violence and terror is their preferred modus operandi. The report suggests that any further increase in their numbers and influence would add to the difficulties Christians are facing.
Even if these groups do not succeed in imposing Sharia and establishing Islamic “caliphates” at a national level, they will still contribute to the overall radicalisation of the population and the spread of an extremist and intolerant version of Islam, says the report. It says this has created an environment in which any Christian outreach ministry – not to mention the very existence of the Church itself – faces violent resistance.
The radical militancy of jihadist groups in the Sahel is also spilling over further south and giving rise to terrorist attacks in predominantly Christian parts of West Africa, notes the report. The attack on the Grand-Bassam resort in Ivory Coast (March 2016) has highlighted the vulnerability of these countries.
In the long-term, unless these groups are defeated, it is very likely that they will intensify their campaign of terrorism and violence in southern Nigeria and other West African countries which have thus far been relatively spared from terrorist activism, warns the report.
It concludes that the situation for Christians in the Sahel is precarious. It says the region is becoming a new major hotspot for Islamist groups, many of which have allied themselves to international terror franchises like IS and al-Qaeda. It is very important that the countries in the region strengthen their cooperation against these militant groups, says the report, adding that countries outside the region capable of providing assistance should also help.
In addition to robust and decisive military action, the report says it is also important not to adopt a purely one-dimensional approach. The socio-economic and political realities in the region, of which the militant groups take advantage, also need to be transformed, it says. It is only when these underlying realities are changed that Christians and non-Christians will be able to enjoy security and freedom in the region.
Eritrean Church Leaders still in jail 12 years later
Kiflu Gebremeskel, Patriarch Abune Antonios, Haile Naigzhi Photos: World Watch Monitor
(World Watch Monitor) Although the tiny East African nation of Eritrea has a population of just 6 million, Eritrea is one of the leading sources of refugees in Europe. There are many reasons for this, but chief among them is a lack of religious freedom.
The Eritrean government outlawed worship outside of Islam and the Orthodox, Evangelical Lutheran and Roman Catholic Church in 2002, driving all other Christian churches underground as they faced varying degrees of restrictions and attacks. Since then, thousands of Christians have been arrested and incarcerated without benefitting from a legal process. Among them are a number of prominent church leaders arrested in 2004, who remain incarcerated today, almost 12 years later. World Watch Monitor spoke with the family of one of these prisoners.
Haile Naigzhi, leader of Eritrea’s Full Gospel Church, was arrested during the early hours of 23 May, 2004. He was taken from his home to Police Station #1 in Asmara, then moved to Wongel Mermera – a dungeon-like prison in Asmara, where he still resides, alongside at least five other prominent church leaders (see list below). They have little hope of release anytime soon.
For years following Naigzhi’s arrest, his wife and three children (names withheld to protect their identity) waited for his release. In 2013, his wife received credible information that the government wanted to arrest her and the children, so she decided to flee.
As World Watch Monitor reported last year, the journey out of Eritrea is fraught with danger. Movement in Eritrea is heavily controlled through an internal travel-pass system and checkpoints; anyone trying to cross the border can be shot on sight. If you make it past those first two hurdles, you reach the desert, exposed to the unforgiving elements and lawless human traffickers. Whatever destination you aim for after that could see you either crossing the Mediterranean on a rickety boat or dodging deportation from African countries with diplomatic and ideological ties to the Eritrean government.
World Watch Monitor cannot divulge the details of the Naigzhi family’s journey, nor where they ended up, but today they are settled in a new country, where they have been granted asylum.
“We feel safer here,” said Naigzhi’s wife. “We are able to freely serve God. I am also happy because the children are in a good school.”
But their 19-year-old daughter misses home. “Ever since we left our country, things have dramatically changed in a way we didn’t know they would. I knew the moment we left that we would have an uphill battle until we are able one day to go back home again. And it was all true.”
Naigzhi’s wife added: “I miss my husband dearly. It is very lonely for me.”
Their eldest daughter last saw her father when she was seven, whereas the youngest son (13) does not remember a time when they were all together.
The other boy, 17, last saw his father when he was five and confessed to also feeling homesick.
“I miss home, I miss my friends, and I miss our house,” he said.
“It is difficult, but we hold on to Jesus,” said Naigzhi’s wife.
Her daughter added:
“We learnt that having a ‘bed-of-roses’ kind of life on earth is not actually God’s number one plan for us, but that everything we face in this world shapes our spirits into the beautiful spirit the Lord wishes to see in us. I am happy in every way and most especially to be the daughter of the Most High God. I am also happy to be the daughter of a prisoner for Christ. He is the best dad ever! God will make things perfect one day, and I trust Him with all my heart. He is faithful to keep His word.”
Eritrea is No. 3 on Open Doors’ 2016 World Watch List, which ranks the 50 countries in which it is most difficult to live as a Christian. No-one knows for certain how many Christians remain in the elaborate network of incarceration centres in Eritrea. Although there seems to have been a lull in arrests, pressure remains high on Christians and on society in general. Thousands are still intent on fleeing the country, the majority aiming for Europe. Hundreds have died trying.
Incarcerated church leaders
Abune Antonios
Head of the Orthodox Church, removed from his position in 2007 after criticising the Eritrean government for interference in church activities. Two priests accompanied by government security agents entered the Patriarch’s residence and confiscated his personal pontifical insignia. He was replaced by Abune Dioskoros – a development orchestrated by the Eritrean government. Patriarch Antonios, who has never been charged with any offence, remains under house arrest and strict state surveillance.
Ogbamichael Teklehaimanot
Senior pastor of the Kale Hiwot Church. Arrested for participating in a Protestant wedding ceremony in Barentu on 9 January, 2005. Taken to Asmara Police Station No. 5, then subjected to 10 months of solitary confinement and hard labour at Sawa military camp. Released after six years, then re-arrested six months later, after a fleeing church member, who was being monitored, called him. Now back in prison in Barentu, where he has been for 11 years in total.
Kidane Weldou
Senior pastor of the Full Gospel Church and member of the executive committee of Gideons International in Eritrea. When his vehicle was found abandoned in 2005, his wife and four children assumed he had been arrested. Believed to be in Wongel Mermera prison.
Haile Naigzhi
Leader of Eritrea’s Full Gospel Church, arrested at his home during the early hours of 23 May, 2004, and taken to Police Station #1 in Asmara.
Kiflu Gebremeskel
Founder and senior pastor of Southwest Full Gospel Church, and member of the executive committee to the Full Gospel Church of Eritrea. Before he became a full-time pastor, Dr. Gebremeskel was also a mathematics lecturer and until 1999 was department and faculty head at the University of Asmara. Has a Ph.D. in mathematics from Chicago University. Taken from his home in Asmara Gejeret in May 2004. Wife and four children have not been able to visit him.
Million Gebreselasie
Anaesthetist and pastor of Massawa Rhema Church. Arrested on 3 June, 2004, five days after another pastor, Tesfasion Hagos (who has since been released and granted asylum in another country), visited his church and home. Arrested at a police checkpoint just before entering Asmara, as he was returning Pastor Hagos’ belongings to his home. Taken to the 2nd Police Station, where he was held for about two months, before being relocated to Wongel Mermera, where he remains. Unmarried.
Futsum Gebrenegus
Eritrea’s only psychiatrist. Also served as an Orthodox priest. Arrested in Nov. 2004 for allegedly being involved in the renewal movement within the Orthodox Church.
Gebremedhin Gebregiorsis
Expert theologian and Orthodox priest also arrested in Nov. 2004 for allegedly being involved in the renewal movement within the Orthodox Church.
Tekleab Menghisteab
Doctor and Orthodox priest also arrested in Nov. 2004 for alleged involvement in the renewal movement within the Orthodox Church.
Watchman’s Warning: The World Reels Like A Drunkard & The Western Church Is In Denial
(Voice of the Persecuted) [updated] Over 70 people including Christians were slaughtered celebrating Easter at a children’s park in Pakistan. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar has claimed responsibility for the attack admitting they targeted Pakistani Christians and threatened future attacks. The death toll in Brussel’s has risen to 35. Israel has warned it’s people to get out of Turkey. Syria and Iraq are on fire as is Africa. Maajid Nawaz addressed what needs to be understood in this report,
“… in the context of the global jihadist insurgency that is upon us: unprecedented in its scale, pluralistic in its leadership, fractured in its strategy, nevertheless inspiring in its central message, and popular enough in its appeal that it is able to move masses.”
“…in the month of March there have been jihadist attacks in eight different countries, and I’m not including the ongoing jihadist civil wars in Afghanistan or Syria, the similar one brewing in Libya, and smaller scale attacks and killings across the world. Turkey, Ivory Coast, Iraq, Mali, Nigeria, and Belgium have all fallen prey to this insurgency.
A jihadist guerrilla war is being waged against world order, and the international community is woefully unprepared to address the problem.”
Christians are slaughtered and kidnapped yet barely a whisper from the churches in the West. We have asked many American Christians to raise their voices but the majority remain silent. Not even a mention when 2 of our own were killed in the Brussel’s attack. What’s happening? Do you not know that silence condones evil? That it is evil?
Take a trip through social media posts and it will sicken you. Christians are more concerned with tearing each other apart and judging others, including Christians, than they are in saving people from the coming disaster. Then, those who watch and warn and are met with scoffers and disdain, too many wishing to ignore the “doom and gloom”. However, they’re quick to put out prayer requests when hardships or illness affects them. Is that wrong? Absolutely not! We should be willing to lift one another up. But how can we pray for the persecuted church when we have no willingness to share or even hear news of their persecutions? How can we come to their aid when we have no idea what they need?
Where are the calls for unity in the Body to defeat this evil in prayer? The persecuted are receiving visions to use the weapon of prayer against the dark forces coming against them. Do we doubt that reality because we have never had a divine vision? Even the Pope is calling for prayers for God’s hand to stop this evil. Prayer is our direct line to the Father. Yet the majority of the churches in the West are silent.
Our Brethren across the globe are suffering, dying and enduring torture, and we can’t even unite in prayer. It is one of the worst humanitarian crises the modern world is facing. But we are sound asleep as the bridesmaids in the parable of the Bridegroom. It’s sad and it’s shameful.
God did not command us to carry on as everything is normal. Jesus said it would be as in the day’s of Noah, people would be marrying, and celebrating as though nothing was wrong. Our own leader in America dances the tango in the face of evil while the world explodes in violence. Using the excuse, we can’t let them disrupt our life. My God, have mercy on us. Forgive us Father.
Dear brothers and sisters, Jesus knew man’s reaction to things unpleasant. He warned us in advance of the troubles we’d face, particularly as the Day of the Lord draws near. He warned us so we would not be caught off guard. That we could brace ourselves and stand firm, unable to be knocked off the foundation. He is with us, he makes us strong and we can handle anything when we are in Christ! When one in the Body suffers, we all suffer. But we can go through it with them as if a part of our own body has been injured. Jesus makes that possible!
Open your mouth, demand your church leaders address this. Unite in prayer. We are in a great spiritual battle with evil forces. There’s a reason God said, “Come out of her my people lest you go down with her.”
Revelation 18:4
“For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.” I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.…
What are we doing? Instead of getting into the word of God we are trusting in man, some even trusting in horoscopes, mediums and evil spirits though we’ve been warned against it. Some call it entertainment so it doesn’t count. Who whispers these things in their ears? We find ourselves more concerned with offending those who are lost and worshiping false gods, than we are with saving the lost. Political correctness, the buzzword of the decade has effectively silenced the Body of Christ. Wake up! I recall a dream I had about many executions by hanging and being woke up with the words: “They will die in their sins.” But we are silent because we don’t want to offend? The One we’re offending is the One who may tell us, “I don’t know you.” Wake up sleeping bride.
The world is reeling like a drunkard. You would think that the body of Christ would be on it’s knees in prayer, not partying and carrying on like nothing is wrong. We can only warn, hope you listen and open your eyes. LORD, wake up Your Church! Church, listen to the LORD.
Remember Jesus said:
Mark 13:32-37
But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’
HELP PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS
Together with your generous help, we can reach the goal to alleviate horrific suffering. In darkness and desperation, let us serve in love, with open arms and giving hands to provide light and hope.
Every day, we thank God that He is working through you to care for His children and to further His Kingdom! As you greatly bless others, may God continue to bless you. Thank you so much for your support. We couldn’t do it without you!
You may also send your gift to:
2740 Third St
P.O. Box 122
Trenton, MI. 48183
URGENT: We’re almost there, but need your help! #CompassionInAction
We’re almost there! Needing to raise only $400.58USD more to cover families suffering in extreme conditions with shelter, food and necessary medical care/medications (such as insulin) for another month. No amount is to small to bring #hope, #love, #encouragement. Sometimes the littlest things make a huge impact. #CompassionInAction Words cannot describe their gratitude. Please pray for this to be accomplished in the next 42 hours.
CLICK on the Donate Button to help us with this urgent need. THANK YOU!
Together with your generous support, we can reach the goal to alleviate horrific suffering. In darkness and desperation, let us serve in love, with open arms and giving hands to provide light, hope and encouragement. No amount is too small to give comfort.
Voice of the Persecuted uses your donation for those God has burdened on your heart. Whether it be Nigeria, Pakistan, Thailand or any other VOP’s Project13:3 aid relief program, you can be sure it will be used exactly where you want it to go. Add a note when donating to let us know.
Everyday, we thank God that He is working through you to care for His children and further His Kingdom! As you greatly bless others, may God continue to bless you. Thank you so much for your support. We couldn’t do it without you!
You may also mail your gift to:
2740 Third St
P.O. Box 122
Trenton, MI. 48183
VOICE OF THE PERSECUTED 