Not a Problem to Solve, But People to Serve: Helping Persecuted Christians in Israel and Gaza
Release Date: 07/13/2024
MISSIONS: Emerging Technology Key to Spreading Gospel
VOMRadio
There are more cell phones in the world than cars, toilets, or people. What if each of those phones could be turned into a Bible? Using their backgrounds in electrical engineering and software development, David and Josiah Palusky have developed technology tools to help Christian workers spread the gospel in places where people are unreached and there is often Christian persecution. David is the founder and president of . He will share how the ministry began and tools they’ve developed to help provide unreached people in remote places with access God’s Word. Josiah, Director of Strategic...
info_outline
A HEART OF FIRE: Her Husband Was Martyred, But She Refused to Leave
VOMRadio
In 2018, Huldah’s husband was martyred for his Christian witness. Family and friends urged Huldah to leave the village, to retreat to a safer location. She refused, and seven years later she is still living and serving the Lord in the same village. “My God is great, and He will take care of me,” she says. Listen as Huldah shares how God has cared for her since her husband’s death, often using members of Christ’s body to serve and support her in times of need. She’ll also talk about the process of forgiveness. Huldah still sees the people who killed her husband, yet she doesn’t...
info_outline
SOUTH ASIA: God Can Use Anybody to Share the Gospel
VOMRadio
Over the last fifteen years living and ministering in South Asia, Brian, a leader with , has witnessed numerous changes. One aspect that hasn’t changed is openness to the gospel. Brian will explain where Christian persecution usually begins and how it can feature a mix of family, community, and/or the government coming against the church and against new followers of Jesus. Emphasizing that God is the one who changes hearts and minds, Brian shares how, when we read the New Testament, we see that God is sovereign even over the persecution He allows His children to endure. “[Christian...
info_outline
INDIA: Human Rights Lawyer Says, “It’s God’s Fight. I Am Here to Serve.”
VOMRadio
In India, carrying a Bible to a meeting—or even offering a Hindu tea and cookies—could be construed as illegally “enticing” that Hindu to change his or her religion. Under anti-conversion laws currently enacted by 12 of India’s states, such “enticement” can result in a long prison sentence. And once charges are filed against a pastor or other Christian, there is no presumption of innocence; it is up to the accused to prove their innocence. Sister Joti, a human rights lawyer in India, has worked on numerous religious freedom cases. She will tell listeners about 80 pastors...
info_outline
SUSANNA KOH: Awaiting a Verdict in Malaysia Court Case
VOMRadio
On November 5th, a judge in Malaysia will deliver a verdict in the case of Susanna Koh vs. the Malaysian government and members of the police believed to be involved in the abduction of her husband, Pastor Raymond Koh. Raymond disappeared off the streets of Malaysia in 2017; he hasn’t been seen or heard from since, and his car has never been found. Susanna and her children shared their story at The Voice of the Martyrs’ National Conference in September. They are asking Christians around the world to pray ahead of this important court verdict. Susanna shared how she sees, in hindsight, that...
info_outline
MIDDLE EAST: The Word of God is Priceless
VOMRadio
“I just want the Bible. How much does it cost?” First, the young Druze woman tried to access and read her own religion’s holy book. But she wasn’t allowed to read it. Then she tried to find a Quran. Finally, she came to a church and asked to purchase a Bible, worried she wouldn’t have enough money to pay for it. The pastor told her that God’s Word is priceless, but that he would give it to her without cost. Shocked, she took the Bible and began to read, eventually giving her life to Jesus. Brother Michael, a gospel worker in the Middle East, will share more of this young woman’s...
info_outline
Middle East and North Africa: “Because of Jesus!”
VOMRadio
Churches in Algeria have been closed by the government. Pastors have been threatened. But ministry continues. Pastor Abraham and Sara are back on VOM Radio this week to continue our conversation about God’s work in the Middle East and North Africa—and the Christian persecution that Christ’s followers face. Listen for the story of one pastor who has repeatedly changed his phone number because of constant threats. Yet he remains in his country and continues to share the gospel with Muslims. They will also offer an update on the situation for Christians in Syria as we near the one-year...
info_outline
MIDDLE EAST: Healings, Dreams & God’s Love Drawing Refugees to Christ
VOMRadio
Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced from their homes and their countries amidst war and upheaval in the Middle East. Pastor Abraham and Sara are living as representatives of God’s love to displaced people in the Middle East. The ministry can be messy and difficult, yet they persist in demonstrating love in practical ways. And they are seeing great fruit for their ministry. Abraham and Sara will share how one woman—the widow of an imam—had heard all kinds of negative things about Christians. But when she came to the church, she found something very different: people who...
info_outline
MALAYSIA: Government Denies Christian Converts Changed ID Cards
VOMRadio
In Malaysia, every citizen carries an ID card that includes religion; every person is classified as either “Muslim” or “Non-Muslim.” The Malaysian constitution promises religious freedom and the right to choose one’s religion. So what happens if a citizen changes their faith? “Brother Samuel” will answer that question this week on VOM Radio. Born into a Muslim family, he came to know that Jesus was the Son of God, then chose to leave Islam behind to follow Christ. At first, he kept his newfound faith quiet, knowing that being publicly identified as a follower of Jesus could bring...
info_outline
PAKISTAN Persecution Response: Singing the Word of God
VOMRadio
After dozens of churches and Christians’ homes in Jaranwala, Pakistan, were attacked, looted and burned by a mob, Christians gathered in and around the ruins of their former church buildings to sing and worship the Lord. The words they sang were directly from Scripture: Psalms of lament; reminders that even in times of suffering we can come to the Lord and trust in His sovereignty. , professor at Wheaton College and co-leader of the , is back on VOM Radio, sharing the story of the Punjabi Psalter: what it is and how it has impacted the church in Pakistan and parts of India for generations....
info_outlineOctober 7th, 2023 is one of those dates that will always be remembered.
On that terrible morning, Ben Barrett was working for VOM with persecuted Christians in the Middle East and leading the ministry’s work in Israel, including Gaza and the West Bank. His phone began to light up with messages from both Messianic Jewish believers and Arab Christians—even before the terrible attacks were announced in international news. The messages had a consistent request: “Please pray for us!”
Families and individuals like Pauline Ayyad, a previous guest on VOM Radio, asked for prayer as contact with relatives in Gaza was cut off. A messianic Rabbi asked prayers for his daughter who was ordered back to her military base, not knowing when she might return home. Video footage from a pastor in Sderot, the closest settlement to the Gaza Strip, showed him barricaded and lying flat on the floor as trucks full of terrorists shouting “Allahu Akbar!” passed by his home.
Listen as Ben shares about his last trip to the Middle East, where he met with pastors from both Jewish and Muslim backgrounds who are taking the gospel to radical areas despite the risk. He’ll also tell the stories of Jewish-background believers in Orthodox or Ethiopian communities who face Christian persecution through shame, excommunication, and job loss.
Pray for unity amongst believers in the Middle East. Pray for boldness in the spread of the gospel in spite of the risks.
Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the podcast. Or listen each week—and receive daily reminders and specific ways to pray for persecuted Christians—in the VOM App for your smartphone or tablet.