Luke 8
19. Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press.
20. And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee.
21. And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.
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.
Friends, on January 19, a released captive of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP)—the same Islamic terrorist group who kidnapped Leah Sharibu in 2018—in Nigeria told local media that she spoke with Alice Ngaddah who reported that Leah Sharibu is alive and doing well. This is notable and welcome news; we have been praying for Leah and Alice over the last 18 months. Alice was an aid worker who was kidnapped by the radical group, while Leah was a schoolgirl who has been in captivity since February 2018 because she is a Christian.
The former captive, Jennifer Ukambong Samuel, is an aid worker with Action for International Medical Alliance (ALIMA) who was kidnapped by ISWAP—which is an offshoot of Boko Haram—on December 22; she was freed on January 16.
“We thank the Lord for Jennifer and her colleagues’ release and for the ray of hope about the other female captives, including Leah, that would no doubt be very welcome to their loved ones. However, …. Open Doors strongly urges the Nigerian President to continue his efforts to liberate the hostages held by Boko Haram,” said Jo Newhouse*, a local Open Doors spokesperson.
Open Doors calls on believers around the world to continue in fervent prayer for the release of Leah, Alice and other captives.
Pray for God’s sustaining grace to all loved ones eagerly hoping to be reunited.
Pray President Buhari continues his efforts to liberate the hostages held by ISWAP and Boko Haram.
Pray for the hearts of the radicals in ISWAP. Pray God would move mightily and soften their spirits to hear His voice.
If God moves you to become more involved in supporting believers facing persecution, we encourage you to tap here to explore our Frontline Partner Program.
*Representative names and photos are sometimes used to protect identity.
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)
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.
Luke 1
30. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Mark 14
3. And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.
4. And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?
5. For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.
6. And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.
7. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.
8. She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.
9. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.
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.
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.
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.
Romans 5
6. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
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.
Matthew 1
18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
19. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
20. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
22. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23. Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
John 12
23. And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
25. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
26. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
Romans 2
1. Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
2. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
3. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
4. Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
A Laymans Discourse 
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