Tag Archives: faith

Buddhist converts in China face daily persecution

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https://www.opendoorsusa.org/prayerapp

Friends, Open Doors workers recently visited some ethnic minority believers in China—ranked 23 on the 2020 World Watch List—who are from Buddhist backgrounds. Their house church was recently shut down by local authorities. The believers were told to stay away by authorities but decided to keep meeting together, despite the very real possibility of arrest.

Attendance at the church meetings is down because of threats by local officials. Tithes and offerings are down too. As a result, the pastor and his wife have to make ends meet by picking mushrooms.

The believers are dealing with more than just the local government. The local culture is primarily Buddhist, so Christians are not welcome, especially Christians who have converted from Buddhism. A few women in the church are victims of domestic violence—punishment from family members because the women choose to follow Jesus. Our workers report that, in spite of all of this, believers remain joyful!

Please pray Buddhist-background believers in this village and other places in China are strengthened in their faith as they experience persecution.

Pray believers choose to continue meeting together despite the personal risk.

Pray for provision for church leaders’ daily needs.

Pray Open Doors workers are able to continue visiting communities in order to meet believers and encourage them with teaching, in worship and times of personal prayer.

Photo: The baptism of a convert from Buddhism.

The 2020 World Watch List has been released! Click here to learn more.

Christian persecution spikes in Cuba

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Complete story here.

Recorded violations include harassment of religious leaders, arbitrary detention, confiscation of religious property, the forced closure of churches, and restrictions on travel, movement and the distribution of religious materials.

Phoebe, CSW’s Cuba advocacy officer, told Premier News Hour: “The primary leaders of the Cuban Evangelical Alliance have received travel bans and have not been allowed to leave the country since forming this alliance in June 2019.

“There are also outspoken advocates for religious freedom and documenters, who when they’re documenting violations due to their role as ardent defenders of religious freedom, are often stopped, arrested, arbitrarily detained, due to their work in this field.”

SIOBHAN BAILLIE: We must fight to end persecution of Christians

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The Stroud MP’s weekly column.

It seems to me that MPs could quite easily spend all day attending committees and All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) without stepping foot in the famous debating chamber.

There are literally hundreds of APPGs about fascinating subjects.

Residents write to me all the time to consider joining certain groups too – which is a helpful way to highlight areas of local interest.

My time in Westminster is dedicated to Stroud so I am assessing all the APPGs to find which committees will help progress my six priority areas here and your campaigns locally. I’ll keep you informed of the ones I join!

A significant number of residents raised the issue of Christians being persecuted around the world during the election campaign and since being elected, I was asked to attend an Open Doors event. Open Doors is a charity that produces an annual ‘watch list’ of the top 50 countries where Christians are at risk.

Importantly, they campaign for recognition of freedom of religion and beliefs.

There are of course many faiths and groups that sadly suffer persecution.

It is my belief that we need to fight to ensure that people should be able to practice their faith or have no faith at all in safety.

I am pleased to support them and I will follow the work of the PM’s special envoy closely. He was well received by Open Doors last week.

Finally, my street stall in Dursley gave me the opportunity to speak to residents in the winter sunshine. The Cam and Dursley Transportation group came to discuss Gloucestershire’s Local Transport Plan consultation meeting at SDC on Thursday, February 13, 11am to 3pm. This is a date for all diaries! I will work to bring positive changes to bus, train and rural transportation issues.

Lebanon Readies New Government

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01/26/2020 Lebanon (International Christian Concern) – Lebanon is currently readying its new government and has decided that the ministry will be formed by 10 Christians and 7 Muslims (4 Shi’ites and 3 Sunnis).

It is customary for Lebanon’s governmental team to be a reflection of the country’s religious demographics. The constitution dictates a balance. The head of government is Sunni, the President of Parliament is Shi’ite, and the President of the Republic is Maronite Christian. This structure was formed following a bloody civil war that pitted all sides against each other. It was intended to create a balance of power to prevent future conflicts.

However, this system has come under pressure both from prolonged Iranian influence through Hezbollah and more recently from protesters. Demonstrations began about four months ago as citizens demanded an overhaul of the ruling system, citing problems with corruption and a worsening economy. Three months have passed since the government had resigned, leaving tensions unresolved and a worsening political climate. Questions have persisted on how this will impact the delicate religious balance reflected within the government’s structure.

For interviews, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org. 

Scripture of the Day

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Galatians 3


2. This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3. Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
4. Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.
5. He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
6. Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
7. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
8. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
9. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Two pastors murdered on Christmas in CAR

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https://www.opendoorsusa.org/prayerapp

Open Doors has just learned that two pastors of an evangelical church in the Central African Republic (CAR) were brutally murdered. Members of a rebel militant group shot and killed pastors Michel Archange Redimo (64) and Paul Orosio (51) as they were returning from a Christmas service on December 25. Because of continued security issues, both pastors had to be buried in the village they died in rather than in their home villages.

Pastor Redimo (64) was married and the father of 16. His widow and children are being cared for by a church in another village. Pastor Orosio (51) was married and father of 6.

Central African Republic is 25th on the 2020 World Watch List, with 924 Christians killed across the country during the reporting period.

Please pray for the families of the murdered pastors. Pray the Lord will comfort them and provide for them.

Pray for the believers who are left without pastors to teach and lead them as a result of the murders.

Please pray for peace in CAR, as it is ravaged by insecurity that keeps people in need of assistance.

Photo: Pastor Michael Archange Redimo (64)

Christian activist denied education in Iran

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Friends, a young Iranian Christian convert has been kicked out of her Tehran university without explanation. Fatemeh Mohammadi (21), who prefers to be called Mary, converted to Christianity from Islam as a teenager. She served six months in prison at the age of 19 for being a member of a house church in Iran and is now a Christian activist.

Last month, according to Article 18, Mary tweeted that she had been kicked out of Azad University the night before exams and had not been told why. The day before being kicked out of school, Mary tweeted about the cases of ten Christian converts currently serving prison sentences in Iran because of their nonviolent practice of their religious beliefs.

Iran is ranked #9 on the 2020 World Watch List.

Please pray Mary continues to have courage and boldness to speak up on behalf of all Christians in Iran.

Pray she is able to pursue her education.

Pray all Christians in Iran would be allowed to attend church and practice their religious beliefs.

Scripture of the Day

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Mark 12

13. And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words.
14. And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?
15. Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it.
16. And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar’s.
17. And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him.

Scripture of the Day

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Matk 6

6. He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
7. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
8. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
9. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

Scripture of the Day

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Mark 4 (The Sower)

13. And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
14. The sower soweth the word.
15. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
16. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
17. And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.
18. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
19. And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
20. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

Scripture of the Day

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Psalms 14
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
1. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
2. The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
3. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
4. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.
5. There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.
6. Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.
7. Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

Scripture of the Day

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Philippians 3

7. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
8. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
9. And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
10. That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
11. If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

Scripture of the Day

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Psalms 10

12. Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble.
13. Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.
14. Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.
15. Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none.
16. The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land.

Psalms 8

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1. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
2. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
3. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
4. What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
5. For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
6. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
7. All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
8. The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
9. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!