NICARAGUA: A Battle Between the Gospel of Christ and the Powers of Evil
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“What is key is that many of these pastors and leaders have understood the true gospel.” Despite government threats of exile, prison, or death, Pastor Chico, a front-line worker in , says pastors are still preaching the truth of God’s Word—no matter the cost. They know, as the Bible says, that “faith comes by hearing” (Rom. 10:17). The price of their preaching can be high. Listen as Chico shares about a pastor who lost his Nicaraguan citizenship when he left the country to attend a Christian conference, and pastors imprisoned without a trial or any legal process in which to defend...
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LAOS: How Should We Prepare for Persecution when Jesus Himself Died?
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Christians in Laos know they will face persecution when they follow Jesus. Brother Sionh, founder and president of Khmu Christian Connection, says he doesn’t have to make a special effort to prepare Christians for persecution because they already know it will come. He says some Khmu follow Jesus privately and secretly because they fear the loss of opportunity that comes with being known as a Christian. Brother Sionh remembers how his parents and many others came to faith before World War II when an American missionary walked to their village and told them Jesus has power over evil spirits...
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AFGHANISTAN: “Once You Begin to See What God Can Do…”
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This week, Brother Matthew continues sharing stories of God’s calling on his life to Afghanistan and how he came to know the beautiful, amazing people within that broken nation. As he saw God at work in Afghanistan, he says his faith and hope increased. Afghanistan is a nation where many Christians have laid down their lives. With his long experience there, Matthew met, worked with and learned from these martyrs. Listen as he shares memories of several heroes of the faith that he knew as friends and colleagues in the gospel effort. One of those Brother Matthew will tell of is Werner...
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CENTRAL ASIA: Visions, Visas, and Venturing to Unreached People in Afghanistan
VOMRadio
Brother Matthew was a worldly teenager when his mother decided she and her son needed to go to church. By the end of that first service, both of them had committed their lives to following Christ. As Matthew grew in faith, he was convicted and inspired by the Acts accounts of Paul’s missionary travels. Studying Paul’s efforts to take the gospel to the gentiles, Matthew began to ponder who were the gentiles in his generation, living far from the truth of Christ? As he began to ask that question in prayer, God laid on his heart the nation of Afghanistan. Matthew began taking steps towards...
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MISSIONS: Reducing Barriers, Easing Burdens, and Delivering God’s Word
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“God, where are You working in aviation that I can participate?” Throughout his life, Steve Russell, CEO and President of Jungle Aviation and Relay Service (better known as ) has asked the Lord what He had in store next. That pattern continued when he earned his pilot’s license; he wondered how the Lord would use that new skill to open doors for Kingdom impact. Little did he know God would use it to move him toward leadership in a global missions effort! Long before Russell arrived at JAARS, God was giving him experiences to prepare him for this season of service. Steve will share how...
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INDIA: “I Am Willing to Pay the Price. My Heart is Prepared.”
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“Pastors are only asking for prayer for the ministry to continue, and prayer for conversion of [their] persecutors,” Brother Vijay says, “No one is asking that the persecution would stop.” Brother Vijay, a gospel worker in India, is back to share what it means to follow Christ in India today, and how pastors and believers there take persecution in stride. The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi sees any Christian gathering as a crusade—an attempt to convert people. Authorities even send spies to monitor Christian gatherings. But spies in church still hear the message;...
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BIBLE ACCESS: More Persecuted Christians Receiving God’s Word
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Brother Wybo served persecuted Christians for decades as part of Open Doors with Brother Andrew. Andrew, the author of God’s Smuggler, had a passion for Bible distribution and didn’t shy from taking necessary risks to get God’s Word into hostile areas and restricted nations. While serving with Open Doors, Wybo created the World Watch List which tracks countries where Christians face the most restrictions and persecution. Now he’s led in the creation of a new list which tracks how difficult it is for Christians around the world to access Bibles. The tracks nations where governments...
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INDIA: God Answers Prayer that Fellow Pastor Would be Arrested
VOMRadio
After months in prison for sharing the gospel with Hindus, Pastor Paul’s health was failing. He offered a desperate prayer: he asked God to allow another pastor to be arrested who could come to the prison and encourage Paul. “Lord, arrest one pastor and bring him to be in prison so we can have fellowship.” God answered Paul’s prayer, and four days later, he read in the newspaper that a pastor had been arrested. Two weeks later, that pastor was with Paul in the prison, and he brought him great encouragement: “My church has been praying for you!” After his fellow pastor arrived...
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INDIA: “My Jesus is Victorious. I Will Suffer for Him.”
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Pastor Paul was doing gospel outreach in Northern India when he was arrested by police and accused of “forcing” Hindus to convert to Christianity. He wasn’t forcing anyone but only sharing with people who expressed a hunger to hear the truth. When police arrived, Paul and his coworkers weren’t having a service or studying the Bible; they were eating a meal. Still, it was considered a crime. “Which god are you praying to?” police asked. Little did Pastor Paul know that his faith would be tested as he heard that question repeatedly over the coming weeks. Pastor Paul and his three...
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LATIN AMERICA: Obedience Comes with a Price
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Serving as the Regional Leader for VOM’s work in Latin America, Isaac Santiago tells what it’s like to be a Christian today in countries like Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Colombia. He has witnessed the shift since 2018 in Nicaragua—listed as a Restricted Nation in —through more laws that directly affect the church and severe restrictions and government pressure similar to what Christians face in Communist nations like Cuba and China. While some Christians in Nicaragua are weary and struggling to adjust to the new persecution reality, Christians in Cuba have dealt with such restrictions...
info_outlineOn 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 God was preparing Raymond ahead of his abduction. He was memorizing large sections of Scripture, taking long prayer walks, and even driving around Malaysia to pray for God’s Spirit to move in different areas.
After he was abducted, Susanna went to the police station to file a missing person’s report. Instead of asking questions designed to locate Pastor Raymond, police interrogated Susanna. They demanded information about her husband’s ministry activities and accused him of evangelizing ethnic Malay people.
In the days since the abduction, God has used Christian music, prayer, and Scripture to encourage her, even though there were times she was angry with the police who repeatedly interrogated her. One day, she was convicted of her anger and unforgiveness towards the police; she repented for her sin. Susanna will share how the Lord led her to go the extra mile to demonstrate forgiveness for her husband’s persecutors.
Susanna and her family filed a civil case against the Malaysian government and the police in 2020. Listen as she shares how she sought the Lord ahead of filing the case and how the Lord confirmed her decision to move forward.
Not knowing what happened to Pastor Raymond has been hard for Susanna and her family, freezing their grief. “The unknown is a struggle,” Susanna said, “but we will go into the court with an attitude of victory, because Jesus has already won through His blood on the cross.” She also takes joy in knowing that Raymond’s story of faithfulness has gone around the world and encouraged many Christians.
You’ll also hear from Raymond and Susanna’s children, Esther, Jonathan, and Elizabeth, as they share their struggles and share memories of their father.
You can watch a special video podcast of this interview at www.vom.org/koh. Pray for the verdict coming up on November 5th. Pray for the judge. Pray that there will be justice and the truth will be revealed.
The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians throughout the year, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.