Let us pray for our persecuted brethren. Rev. Joe Diaz, RN, BSN, (Ret)  | In the book of Acts, Chapter 9, the Lord Jesus appeared to the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus and said, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"(vs. 4) Those that persecute the church, persecute Jesus. In the same way, when we minister to the needs of the persecuted church, we minister to Christ.
Be challenged this week to reach out to Jesus by tending to the needs of His suffering body, the persecuted church.
Many Christians around the world are imprisoned because of their faith. The Voice of the Martyrs has a new tool to help you to minister to and encourage our captive brothers and sisters. You can even write a letter -in their language! Visit PrisonerAlert.com for more details. (Click here)
Have a blessed week!
VOM Web Editor
| Prayers for March 2, 2004
From The Voice of the Martyrs
|  | 
BELARUS  (Religion Today)
State pressure on religious groups in the former Soviet Republic of Belarus is reportedly increasing, with Baptist pastors among the latest to be punished for leading unregistered denominations. Since October 2002, amendments to Belarus�?religion law require religious groups to undergo compulsory re-registration. Groups that do not register are banned from carrying out religious activities, and most religious meetings are forbidden. Forum 18 reported that several Baptist pastors had been fined for hosting unregistered congregations. Thirty Baptist Union congregations reject registration, saying it violates church-state separation. A number of Pentecostal and other religious groups have also been fined in recent months. Some Protestants reportedly have been fined for singing hymns or have been prohibited from purchasing property.
Pray all Christians in Belarus will remain faithful to the Lord Jesus. Pray the Lord will bring about a change to allow all churches to worship in freedom.
CHINA (Missions Insider/Christian Aid)
For the first time in over 50 years, the Chinese government is building two churches in Beijing, a city with a population of 14 million. Since 1949, when the communists took over China, many existing church buildings have been left to neglect or have been confiscated for other purposes. Only a few new churches have been built. The "official" church represents a mere 10 percent of the Christian population with approximately 90 million believers attending house churches. Pastors of these new churches will be expected to be communist-friendly and may well preach theologically incorrect sermons (for example, we are saved by love not by grace). Despite this, Chinese Christians rejoice that more church buildings will be available to believers.
Pray the gospel will be preached freely in these new church buildings. Pray God will protect believers from being deceived by false doctrines.
ERITREA (Religion Today)
On Sunday, February 16th, police hauled to prison 51 Protestant Christians worshipping in secret in the Eritrean capital of Samara. The pastor was arrested with his congregation and held until February 18th, when the pastor was separated from the group and locked into an underground cell. The same day all but four were transferred to the Sawa Military Training Camp, where they remain incarcerated. There are now at least 347 Protestant Christians known to be jailed in at least nine locations across Eritrea. They were arrested for attending "illegal" worship services, possessing Bibles or witnessing about their faith. Some of them, including a number of soldiers, have been in prison for nearly two years.
Pray imprisoned believers will be witnesses of their SaviorÂ’s love to fellow prisoners and prison officials. Pray the Lord will move quickly to allow these prisoners to be released. Pray Eritrean government officials will seek the Lord.
NIGERIA (ASSIST News Service)
According to Barnabas Fund, some 49 Christians were massacred by Islamic militants in a raid on the Christian town of Yelwa, on Tuesday, February 24th. Most of the Christian victims were shot as they ran to seek refuge in a church. The attackers are thought to have been mainly ethnic Fulani Muslims. Local security sources said the merciless tactics used in the assault suggest Islamist fighters from Chad and Niger may also have been involved. (Click here)
Pray those who lost family members in the massacre will experience GodÂ’s mercy and comfort. Pray GodÂ’s Holy Spirit will descend in power to bring salvation and peace to the people of Nigeria.
PALESTINE (VOM/Canada)
Greg Musselman, Associate Communications Officer for The Voice of the Martyrs-Canada, recently traveled to the West Bank to meet with Palestinian Christians. He learned that a Muslim convert to Christianity had been murdered in Nablus, allegedly because he had become a Christian. Another Christian convert received a letter with a bullet enclosed warning him to stop sharing his Christian faith or the next bullet would be for his head. Another convert named Mustafa said, "One day I will see Him face to face, and everything IÂ’ve been through will be worth it." Israeli scholar Justus Weiner of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs said that life has become a living hell for Palestinian Christians.
Pray God will give our brothers and sisters in Palestine a courageous faith, knowing their reward rests in eternity with Christ. Pray the Lord will make His presence known through His Son, Jesus Christ, to Palestinian Jews and Muslims.
 1 PRISONERALERT.COM:
http://www.prisoneralert.com
2 NIGERIA:
http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/s04020101.htm
| |
Free Forum Hosting
Important Announcement
First 
