VOMRadio

Welcome to The Voice of the Martyrs Radio Network! Join host Todd Nettleton each week as we share testimonies of brothers and sisters suffering for their faith in Christ. The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) is a nonprofit, interdenominational missions organization that offers practical and spiritual help to persecuted Christians around the world.

CHINA: When We Fear, We Pray More 09/13/2025

CHINA: When We Fear, We Pray More “We are Christians. [Persecution] can happen any time.” As the pastor of an illegal house church in China, “Brother Enfu” knows the truth of that statement. Listen as he shares why and how he prepares his wife and children for the day he may eventually be arrested and sent to prison. He will give an update on Christian persecution in China and how believers there are responding faithfully despite increasing government pressure. Enfu will explain how a new law prohibits foreigners in China from talking about their faith—even in private settings. He’ll also share how the CCP’s persecution strategy has changed, charging pastors and other church leaders with “fraud” or other financial crimes rather than using overtly religious criminal charges. “Christianity is the narrow way, and the government is warning people about it,” Enfu says. Instead of large church events, the gospel is spreading through one-on-one conversations with co-workers or neighbors as Christians share what Jesus has done in their lives. Brother Enfu encourages pastors and church leaders he trains to stay in China and serve Christians there, rather than leaving China for a more comfortable position in the West. He says that when he hears of a brother or sister imprisoned for their faith, it’s an encouragement to him, even as he acknowledges the suffering they are enduring. is one of those Chinese pastors who stayed in China and stood firm in his faith. He is currently serving a nine-year prison sentence. Pray Chinese believers will be faithful in their daily life and ministry and pray for government leaders, including President Xi Jinping, to find and follow Christ. 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 or device today. /episode/index/show/vomradio/id/38204670

TÜRKIYE: When You Become a Christian, Attacks Come 09/06/2025

TÜRKIYE: Given a New Testament and a Vision, He Became a Follower of Jesus 08/30/2025

PERSECUTED ERITREAN PASTOR’S DAUGHTER: None of Our Suffering is Ever Wasted 08/23/2025

CHINA: Counted Worthy to Suffer for Christ 08/16/2025

CHINA: Counted Worthy to Suffer for Christ When Yang Rongli, a pastor of Linfen Golden Lampstand Church in Shanxi Province, China, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, she responded with words of celebration. “I got the top reward!” she said, considering it an honor to suffer for Christ and referring to the fact that her prison sentence was longer than other church members. She and her husband, Pastor Wang Xiaoguang, remain in prison. Listen this week as Bob Fu, former prisoner for Christ in China and the founder and president of , shares updates from persecuted Christians in China, including Pastor John Cao, Pastor Wang Yi, and other Chinese Christians. The Chinese Communist Party continues to pursue absolute government control of churches and other religious institutions in China. Pastors and church leaders face long prison sentences for “fraud” when their church collects tithes and offerings, or “illegal border crossing” if they travel to meet with fellow believers outside China. Despite being prevented from leaving China following the completion of his seven-year prison sentence, Pastor John Cao continues serving the Lord through daily prayer meetings. He’s even baptized new believers—despite Communist guards required to escort him everywhere he goes! Bob Fu, author of God’s Double Agent, reports on recent church raids in China, including arrests of children attending Vacation Bible School. The Communist Party forbids any religious outreach or training for children under age 18. With two years remaining in his nine-year sentence, has composed books in his head during his time in prison, as well as praying daily through a list of more than 1,000 prayer requests. You can write letters of encouragement to Wang Yi and other Christian prisoners in China, Eritrea, Iran and other nations at . There are a few seats remaining at . The conference will take place in Bartlesville, Oklahoma September 25-27. Attendees will hear from Bob Fu and other persecuted Christians—including several former VOM Radio guests—during the conference. Learn more and . /episode/index/show/vomradio/id/37839565

CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION: What’s Different About Christians Who Endure? 08/09/2025

CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION: What’s Different About Christians Who Endure? Do we really believe that to live is Christ, and to die is gain? After serving for more than a decade as a gospel worker and church planter in Asia, Brother Kevin asks all believers to consider whether we actually live as if we believe these words from Philippians 1:21. He says that of ten people who come to faith in Christ in the area where he works, nine recant when the pressure of persecution rises. Yet seeing the joyful endurance of the one who remains faithful is a great source of encouragement to him. Kevin will share how the Lord called him to serve unreached people groups in Asia, and explain what a new believer is likely to face when they come to Christ in a Buddhist and animistic culture, where persecution usually begins at the family or village level. Because of fear-based animistic practices and the communal culture, the entire community feels like they are at risk when a member of their community becomes a Christian. Kevin has walked with friends who’ve been put in prison or kicked out of their villages. Some are living in tents because they refused to recant their commitment to Christ. Yet they meet these hardships with joy, responding in faith and perseverance to their persecution. Kevin will discuss how individualistic worldviews in Western nations like the United States compare to the collective Asian culture, and how believers show the unity within Christ’s body as they rely on each other when part of the body is hurting. Learn more about the church in Asia and how to pray for Christians there and around the world who face persecution for owning a Bible, gathering for a church service, or simply wearing the name of Christ. 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 or device today. /episode/index/show/vomradio/id/37737440

Questions for Converts: Are you ready to be rejected? To die for Jesus? 08/02/2025

Questions for Converts: Are you ready to be rejected? To die for Jesus? Some Christians in —ethnically Chinese or Indian believers—have freedom to practice their faith in Christ. But if an ethnic Malay person becomes a believer in Jesus, he or she will face intense Christian persecution. The Malaysian government sees ethnic Malay people as off limits for evangelism and holds them subject to Islamic Shariah law. “To be Malay is to be Muslim,” says Carter Gates, leader of VOM’s international ministry work in Asia/Pacific. “Ethnic Malay’s can’t even [openly] say they are interested in learning more about Jesus.” As Carter meets with VOM’s ministry partners, one shared key hindrances that keep Malays from following Christ and the questions he uses as he engages them in gospel conversation. One of those questions: are you ready to die for Jesus? Gates says he was challenged as he thought about evangelism in free nations versus in Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam, China and other restricted areas and hostile nations. “This pastor is in a context where he knows what [sacrifice] means,” Carter says. “We should consider these costs in America too.” We’ll also share an update on the court case over the forced disappearance of Pastor Raymond Koh in 2017. A verdict is expected in the case in November. Listen to what shared during her first visit with VOM Radio about how she and her family struggled after her husband's . She also shares how the Lord helped her to forgive those who persecuted her husband. Please pray for truth to be revealed through this legal process and pray for the Koh family as they await the verdict. for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians—in Iran and other nations—throughout the year, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your or device today. /episode/index/show/vomradio/id/37639725

ASIA/PACIFIC: “Who’s Going to Buy Rice From You, Now That You’re a Christian?” 07/26/2025

God Enables Persecuted Christians to Hear Our Prayers 07/19/2025

God Enables Persecuted Christians to Hear Our Prayers Established 28 years ago by Congress, the (USCIRF) is charged with monitoring religious persecution around the world, reporting to Congress, the President, and the Secretary of State and making recommendations on advancing religious freedom through US foreign policy. is the current chair of USCIRF. Prior to that appointment, she served in Congress from the state of Missouri. Even before her service in Congress, Hartzler came with a group from her church to volunteer at The Voice of the Martyrs. Listen as she shares more about her role in reporting on and seeking religious freedom for our brothers and sisters in restricted areas and hostile nations. She’ll also share her own experiences of advocating on behalf of persecuted Christians directly to leaders of other nations. After getting VOM’s monthly magazine and reading Richard Wurmbrand’s story in Tortured for Christ, her eyes were opened to Christian persecution and she was moved to pray for our persecuted Christian family, taking Hebrews 13:3 to heart. Hartzler was impacted by her time serving at VOM. Her heart was also moved when she met a Chinese Christian woman at her church. The woman shared how she’d felt alone in solitary confinement in China—until she had a vision from the Lord of people praying for her. “God may be enabling somebody in prison to see and to hear our prayers—and to be encouraged,” Hartzler says. In Congress, Hartzler adopted three Christian prisoners in China to advocate on behalf of. Pastor Wang Yi—one of the three—is still in prison, serving out his nine-year sentence. You can write a letter to him, and petition government officials on his behalf, at . Listen for ways you can pray for USCIRF’s work and for followers of Christ working in government to advance religious freedom around the world. 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 or device today. /episode/index/show/vomradio/id/37448300

IRAN: “What you intended for evil, God used for good” 07/12/2025

IRAN: “What you intended for evil, God used for good” Neda was born in Iran to a Muslim family. She grew up as a Muslim and married a well-known Iranian athlete. But their marriage was on the rocks. At 22, feeling broken and empty, Neda called out to Allah for help. But she found no solace, and grew angry and disillusioned with a god that refused to answer her prayers. As Neda’s heart continued searching, God supernaturally told a family member living in the Netherlands to go back to Iran and share the gospel of Jesus. Neda came to faith in Christ through her relative’s witness and her life was radically transformed. Her husband, surprised and amazed by the change he saw in her, placed his trust in Jesus too. God faithfully restored their marriage and called them to ministry. Neda drew strength from the stories of other persecuted Christians. She read a story in a book from The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) about a girl who was assaulted and became pregnant. Yet she responded with remarkable faith by entrusting everything, even her body, to God. God used this story to teach Neda about the importance of obedience and sacrifice despite fear of persecution and threats of imprisonment and violence. Over the next thirteen years, Neda and her husband faced increasing persecution from the Islamic government. In one incident, officials raided their home and threatened her husband at gunpoint. She and her husband ultimately decided to leave Iran, yet they continue to serve from abroad . Neda encourages every Christian to lay down their own desires and fully surrender to God's will—even when it means taking up their cross and enduring suffering and persecution. She also shares specific ways to pray for Christians in Iran during the current turmoil there. for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians—in Iran and other nations—throughout the year, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your or device today. /episode/index/show/vomradio/id/37379735

MONGOLIA: Church is the Core of Missions 07/05/2025

MONGOLIA: Church is the Core of Missions Last week , trainers to church planters and former missionaries to Mongolia, shared about their efforts to plant a church in Mongolia—and the high cost they paid for serving there when their infant son died. This week, listen as they unwrap some of the principles they learned in that process, lessons they are now teaching to pastors and church leaders around the world, including hostile areas and restricted nations where VOM works. Brian, the author of and , says that many in Western churches want to “buy a box” and follow a checklist for church planting, skipping the difficult process of seeking the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and guidance. He challenges church planters to empty themselves of their own culture and learn the people and culture of where they are church planting, while always keeping in step with the New Testament. “If we don’t see it in the New Testament,” Brian says, “then we’re not going to institute it on the nations.” Brian and Louise also share how generous and missions-minded the church in Mongolia is. They ask, “What can we do to obey Jesus?” As Brian & Louise train Mongolian missionaries to go out to the nations, these radical church planters know that the core of missions is the church. They are not willing that anyone should be unreached. A nation that once sent out violent conquerors is now sending missionaries committed to conquering hearts with the Prince of Peace. Please pray for Mongolian Christians, and for church planters throughout the world as they work and sacrifice to bring every tribe, tongue, and nation into fellowship with Christ. Listen also for a special testimony from a former prisoner for Christ in Uzbekistan, Dmitry “David” Shestakov. Hear the difference it made when Christians around the world wrote letters to him in prison, then go and write letters to Christians in prison right now at . You can also hear Shestakov share his story in . for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians throughout the year, as well as providing free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your or device today. /episode/index/show/vomradio/id/37081290

MONGOLIA: “Was I called? Was I chosen? And did I obey?” 06/28/2025

Egypt: “Our God defends us always” 06/21/2025

MISSIONARY: Obeying the Great Commission 06/14/2025

AFRICA: Walking the Path With Our Persecuted Christian Family 06/07/2025

AFRICA: Walking the Path With Our Persecuted Christian Family After working in South Asia and living in Nepal for 18 years, Matthew Hanson has taken on leadership of The Voice of the Martyrs international ministry efforts on a new region: West and Central Africa (WACA). Listen as he tells how the persecution of Christians looks different in Africa from South Asia. The church in Africa is large; attacks on Christians there often affect a larger scale. Radical Islamist groups are the main persecutors in his region, and Matthew will share how it’s affecting believers in his region, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burkina Faso, Benin, Nigeria and Togo. Just in the DRC, there are 100+ active rebel groups. Church attacks and the displacement of followers of Christ has become sadly common. How does The Voice of the Martyrs respond to the intense persecution Christians in his region are facing? Listen as Matthew explains how he and his team evaluate needs and work through partnerships and local believers to help meet those needs and encourage believers. Matthew will share about the ministry of presence and how it plays such a key part of helping with trauma recovery for persecuted Christians. As Islamist groups move into places like northern Togo, , Matthew and his team are hearing new reports of persecution and needs that VOM can help to meet. “The church does an incredible job of serving one another,” Matthew says, “it’s a community of believers coming together, and it’s really exciting.” Hear stories from Matthew about a woman’s joy when she received a Bible provided by VOM, the holy moment when eight new believers from Muslim backgrounds took the step of baptism, and the story of a kidnapped Christian miraculously saved from a jihadist group. Please pray for persecuted Christians in West and Central Africa. for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians throughout the year, as well as providing free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your or device today. /episode/index/show/vomradio/id/36850155

Bethel Radio & TV: Echoing the Voice of Our Persecuted Family in Spanish 05/31/2025

Bethel Radio & TV: Echoing the Voice of Our Persecuted Family in Spanish Miguel Angel Angeles, executive director of , shares the history of a ministry that started with one Christian asking a radio station to play audio cassettes of his sermons on the air. As the radio ministry encouraged and built up the church, it expanded into Venezuela, Colombia, and other areas. Today, Bethel is a network of hundreds of radio and television stations, based in Peru and reaching Spanish speakers all over Latin America and the world. Miguel will share about his own start serving in IT with Bethel TV, and how he came to understand the importance of bringing awareness of the persecuted body of Christ through Bethel programming. “My first time listening about the persecuted church was when Petr Jasek came to a conference in Peru to share his testimony,” Miguel said, “and it created a hunger for me to learn more.” After hearing speak at a conference about his own arrest in Sudan, Miguel’s church began to meet every Monday to pray for the persecuted church and to learn more about fellow believers facing Christian persecution. Week after week, God prepared Miguel’s heart as it was continuously stretched by the stories of bold faith in the face of hostility and persecution. After reading Tortured for Christ, by Richard Wurmbrand, the founder of The Voice of the Martyrs, Miguel knew he needed to share about persecuted Christians with the broader church in Latin America and with his radio audience. Listen as Miguel shares the heart of his church for missions. Churches dedicate one Sunday a month to focus on missions and missionaries. You and your church will be encouraged to make missions and praying for persecuted Christians a regular part of your worship gatherings as well. Pray this week for Miguel, his family, and Bethel Radio & TV as they continue serving the Lord and sharing the voice of persecuted Christians with Spanish-speaking people around the world. for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians throughout the year, as well as providing free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your or device today. /episode/index/show/vomradio/id/36793660

INSANITY UNLEASHED: Persecuted Christians Show How to Live as Sheep Among Wolves 05/24/2025

INSANITY UNLEASHED: Persecuted Christians Show How to Live as Sheep Among Wolves Nik Ripken and his wife, Ruth, spent decades sitting down with hundreds of persecuted Christians in restricted nations and hostile areas around the world. They didn’t go to instruct these bold believers. They went to learn from them. The lessons they learned were published in , Nik’s book, and now he and Ruth have created a video series called . In this series, they share lessons from believers in persecution to help Christians everywhere know how to live as sheep among wolves (Matthew 10:16). The lessons come from more than 650 interviews with persecuted Christians in more than 70 countries. Listen this week to hear stories from Nik and Ruth about their travels and what they’ve learned from persecuted Christians. They’ll share how meeting believers in other countries gave them a better understanding of the Biblical truth that we are all part of one global Body of Christ. Nik and Ruth have been humbled by the fervent prayers of brothers and sisters around the world as they pray for Christians in free nations. Nik will explain how this video series has the aim of raising up evangelists and church planters who will go to the unreached, rather than only pastors and teachers who are trained to minister to those who’ve already heard the gospel. “[Many American seminaries and Bible colleges] train you up to be sheep among sheep,” Nik says. “We are teaching [Christians] how to be sheep among wolves.” Ruth and Nik also share advice on succeeding in the marathon of ministry, including the importance of daily time in God’s Word and memorizing scripture—just as our persecuted family does as they prepare for persecution. for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians throughout the year, as well as providing free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your or device today. /episode/index/show/vomradio/id/36693845

AFRICA: Bibles, Partnerships and Equipping the Next Generation For Gospel Work 05/17/2025

AFGHANISTAN: Afghan Christians Sow Spiritual Seeds Through Gospel Conversations 05/10/2025

Global University Equipping All for Service and Obedience to Grow the Church 05/03/2025

ALL SUFFER TOGETHER: Serving Persecuted Christians Through Partnerships 04/26/2025

Deep Knowledge of God Helps Christians Endure Persecution 04/19/2025

Different Jobs, But Both Help Christians in Restricted Nations 04/12/2025

RUSSIA/UKRAINE: “The War Accelerated Our Ministry” 04/05/2025

LOCKED IN A MIDDLE EAST PRISON: “We See Jesus Clearer In Times of Suffering” 03/29/2025

ARRESTED IN MIDDLE EAST: Prison Was a Mission Field 03/22/2025

ARRESTED IN MIDDLE EAST: Prison Was a Mission Field Brother Nathan had a ministry sharing the gospel and praying with Muslims in the Middle East. He and other believers had been evangelizing for more than eight years. The responses were almost always positive. Then, out ministering with two others last year, they ran into a very different response. Nathan and his two friends found themselves in a police office, their hands behind their backs, facing a serious charge of “heralding Christianity.” Nathan’s missionary journey started long before his arrest. At 19, Nathan joined YWAM to experience short-term mission work after deciding to give his entire life to be used by the Lord—wherever He asked Nathan to go. Nathan will share how Peter’s choice to step out of the boat onto the water with Jesus inspired him to be all in with Christ. As a young man and zealous missionary, Nathan didn’t think much about the risk of Christian persecution—until it happened. Listen as he tells the story of his arrest and what he felt when as he realized he could be facing years in prison. Nathan will also share how the Lord relieved fear and anxiety when he and the other believers took their prison bread and the water and turned it into a sacred remembrance of Christ’s suffering: “It was almost as if Jesus just walked into the cell and took anxiety off our left shoulder, fear off our right shoulder. He gave us peace instead and then walked out…it was very supernatural.” Nathan will share advice and encouragement to future missionaries and describe his missionary work in the Middle East. “Muslims are hungry for prayer,” Nathan shares. “They are real people with real issues who long for prayer.” Nathan had many opportunities to pray healing over Muslims and see the Lord at work. Join us next week to hear more of Nathan’s experience in prison and how a prison cell became their mission field for Christ! for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in Syria, North Korea, Iran, China and other nations throughout the year, as well as giving free access to e-books, audio books, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your or device today. /episode/index/show/vomradio/id/35791115

Learning From Persecuted Christians: “Is Jesus for the tough places?” 03/15/2025

OM President: Who Am I to Stop Missionaries From Going To Hard Places? 03/08/2025

SYRIA: What’s Happening with Christians Under New Regime? 03/01/2025

SYRIA: What’s Happening with Christians Under New Regime? Do you believe the Lord brought them to us so they can hear the gospel?” The question was asked by a pastor in Aleppo, the war-torn city in Syria. Members of the Islamist group that would soon control the country were standing in front of his home, machine guns in hand. “That’s a Kingdom-minded church!” says John Samara, a Christian from Syria and the founder and leader of , a ministry reaching people with the love of Christ in Syria, the Middle East and North Africa. Samara has seen God answer prayers for revival during the last 12 years of civil war in Syria. Yet he also sees more Christian persecution coming as more Muslims come to know Jesus—and as the new regime in Syria tightens it’s control over the country. While the new government—which overthrew the longstanding Assad regime late last year—publicly says they want more religious freedom and will make a place for religious minority groups, what’s happening on the ground isn’t matching their lofty words. “We’re looking at potential genocide against Christians in Syria,” says John. The new government grew out of a group that formerly claimed allegiance to Al Qaeda and ISIS. John will also discuss his new book, , living as a persecuted Christian in the Middle East, and seeing his father deal courageously with constant interrogation and interference from the secret police. Order a copy of today to read amazing stories of God at work and learn how the Spirit of God speaks through us, even in times of great fear! John spoke during The Voice of the Martyrs’ . You can still access this powerful event online to hear stories of faith and courage in the shadow of radical Islam. Pray for our Christian brothers and sisters in Syria to stand firm in their faith amidst rising Christian persecution. for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in Syria, North Korea, Iran, China and other nations throughout the year, as well as giving free access to e-books, audio books, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your or device today. /episode/index/show/vomradio/id/35482135

TÜRKIYE: Foreign Christians Being Forced Out 02/22/2025

TÜRKIYE: Foreign Christians Being Forced Out Dozens of foreign Christians have been quietly forced out of Türkiye in recent years. After moving his family to Türkiye (formerly Turkey) in 2001, Jerry Mattix served in aid ministry and as a pastor. Last month he was told he is no longer allowed to enter the country—even for short visits. Jerry and his wife grew up in missionary families with hearts for missions. During his first semester in Bible school, God grabbed Jerry’s heart for the Kurdish people in Türkiye, one of the largest unreached people groups in the world. Listen to hear how Jerry and his wife started ministry together in Türkiye, and the story of Jerry’s first expulsion from the country in 2013, when he was labeled a “threat to national security.” Türkiye was founded as a secular republic, but in recent years government leaders have grown more open about favoring Islam. Jerry fought his first expulsion in court, and judges ruled in his favor, allowing him to reenter the country in 2016—but not to live there. Jerry and his family planted new roots in North Cyprus. They have seen the Lord’s hand at work despite their family’s upheaval. Following the massive earthquake on February 6th, 2023, Jerry made repeated trips to Türkiye to partner with local pastors and lead international Christians in to serve in relief work. Listen as Jerry explains the government’s decision to remove foreign Christians from Türkiye and hear how the local church has “grown legs” to carry forward the ministry as foreign workers are being forced out of the country. “We’re not praying for peace and prosperity, or for Christian persecution;” Jerry says, “We are praying for the kingdom of Christ to grow and thrive—whatever it takes.” Pray for Jerry and other foreign Christians who have been kicked out of Türkiye and for believers in Türkiye to continue in the ministry God has called them to. Listen to more stories from Türkiye on VOM Radio with , , and . for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians throughout the year, as well as giving free access to e-books, audio books, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your or device today. /episode/index/show/vomradio/id/35383465

VOMRadio

TOPICS