News and Prayer for the Persecuted Church

Government Continues Mental Torture of Pastor as Court Frees and Immediately Re-Arrests Him  10/9/2013 Kazakhstan (International Christian Concern) Pastor Kashkumbayev, 67, was released to house arrest after having been imprisoned since May for his Christian activities, only to be immediately re-arrested for religious extremism.  He is not receiving adequate medical care while imprisoned. It is believed the government is making an example of him for being a Christian.     Full story Pray for Pastor Kashkumbayev's safety and protection while being detained Pray that God would bring comfort to Pastor Kashkumbayev's family during this difficult time Pray for international awareness for Pastor Kashkumbayev's quick and full release Muslims and Christians in Pakistan Protect Churches with Human Chain 10/8/2013 Pakistan (Opposing Views) In protest to the September 22 bombing of All Saints Church in Peshawar, Pakistan Christians and Muslims joined together this past Sunday to form a human chain protecting a church.  Recent incidences of persecution in Pakistan include terrorist bombings of churches in response to US drone strikes.   Full story Pray the protests will be a catalyst for greater unity between Christians and Muslims in Pakistan  Pray for the healing of victims from the September 22 All Saints Church bombing Pray that the government will provide protection for Christians and religious minorities in Pakistan More Than 60 Church Leaders Remain Locked Up in Communist Vietnam 10/8/2013 Vietnam (International Christian Concern) International Christian Concern has received a tragically long list of the names of 63 Christian pastors and church leaders who remain locked up in deplorable conditions in four prison camps around the country.  There is hope that these Christians will soon be freed- the American government is working on passing a bill that will deny Vietnam certain aid until the human rights situation improves.    Full story Pray for the health and safety of the imprisoned pastors and church leaders Pray for hope in the midst of suffering for the families of the imprisoned leaders Pray that Vietnam would stop its persecution of Christians and religious minorities China Relentless in Persecution of House Churches 10/4/2013 China (International Christian Concern) There have been many recent incidences of beatings, detainment, vandalism, and general persecution of Christians in China. China claims to support religious freedom, but the only protestant church they officially recognize is the Three-Self Patriotic Movement, and it seems to be more an instrument of suppression than a true church.     Full story Pray that China's intolerance for religious minorities will garner the international concern it warrants  Pray the house churches will be legally recognized by the government and they will stop being targets for raids   Pray the local authorities will be stopped from persecuting Christians by higher authorities  Two Indonesian Christians Sentenced to Three Years Behind Bars for Evangelism 10/3/2013 Indonesia (International Christian Concern) It has been confirmed that two Indonesian Christians were sentenced to three years in prison on August 2 for conducting evangelistic activities among Muslims. The Christians, known as Kashfi Rosyid and Jalaudin, are brothers and were arrested by police on March 20 in Sukabumi, West Java,after an angry mob of approximately 200 Muslims attacked their home.  Full Story  Pray for courage and strength for the two brothers while they are detained Pray the Indonesian government will realize their policies that encourage religious tolerance are being violated  Pray this incident will not incite a rise of Christian persecution in Indonesia Out of the Darkness: Isolated Christians in Laos Consistently    Refuse    to    Give up on Christ 10/3/2013 Laos (International Christian Concern)     Christians in Laos are facing persecution for refusing to worship false gods. Though they are constitutionally given religious freedom, Christianity is not always recognized as a religion and foreign missionaries are not allowed to enter. Most occurrences of persecution are reported from small villages. The Christians being persecuted are showing strong resistance.    Full Story  Pray for strength and resolve for Christians who are facing persecution in Laos Pray the situation in Laos will gain more recognition which will lead to greater freedom for Christians

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of the destitute." - Proverbs 31:8

Insights about Egypt from an Egyptian. -Interview of Dr. Victor Khalil

This was an interview done by a friend & colleague from college, Annette Jordan (her picture to the left).


Insights regarding the current situation in Egypt

The current demonstrations in Egypt is an answer to the prayers of many of the oppressed Christian believers in that country. Millions have been praying for deliverance because of the persecution. Christians believe that God is answering their prayers and the outcome is going to be good. The Egyptian government has been oppressive for 30 years. For the last 10 years, the country has been stagnant. Food prices are very high. Egypt is 2nd in receiving aid from the U.S., but much of that money never reaches the people. (60% are under the age of 30, 90% of them are unemployed. 70% make less then $4.00 a day.) The uprising in Tunisia helped spark the uprising in Egypt. People in the Middle East are tired of the rulers. There will probably be some hurt, but freedom is not free.

The Church in the Middle East is praying that:

The American government will act wisely. The analysts consider Mubarak as our friend. The U.S. needs to be more concerned about the people.

Pray for a new government to come in, but not one controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslim Brotherhood used to hold 88 seats in the Egyptian parliament. After the last elections they only hold

The Egyptian people are tired of the violence. The New Year's Eve attack on the church in Alexandria hurt the Islamists. The uprising we are seeing today is tied to that. Some Muslims went to churches and said, "We either live together or die together." The Egyptians do not want violence - if the Muslim Brotherhood takes over they will not only persecute Christians, but they will also oppress liberal Muslims.

The Church has decided to stay away from the protests - they are continuing to pray for the situation. So far the Muslims are not attacking Christians Right now the clash is between the Muslims and the government Fundamental Muslims vowed before Christmas to destroy the church in Alexandria as an example of their plan to destroy all Christians in Egypt.

The violence from groups like the Muslim Brotherhood has led many Muslims into Christianity because it makes them question Islam. The Muslim Brotherhood has started to speak up and condemn the violence because they are realizing this. The Egyptian army is not against the people, but the police are. In 2005 the Muslim Brotherhood was strong even in the military, but they have lost and are continuing to lose power.

The media is giving few details about Jordan right now. There is a Middle Eastern saying, "If Egypt goes, the whole Middle East will go." Egypt is important because it is an economic, educational, media center for the entire Middle East. Egypt often acts as a liaison for countries without American embassies - since Egypt is at peace with Israel, meetings involving Israel can take place there because it is neutral ground.

The government shut down communication (blackout of internet and cell phones) which made the people more angry and caused them to take to the streets. There are hundreds of thousands of protesters. Many comments were made that it was a big mistake that the Egyptian authorities shut down communication and it resulted in increased demonstrations in in the streets. Arabic Christian satellite in North America continued to broadcast what is happening (they got images from other means) and that led many Egyptians to turn to the Christian satellites for information!

The Muslim Brotherhood is losing ground in the Middle East, but unfortunately they are gaining ground here in our nation. Victor shared how God is moving in (Muslim) Sudan - he said that there are 100 Muslims becoming Christians every day. There are signs that say "Jesus loves you" and Bibles are being handed out! Victor said that the people of Egypt are not against the United States. They say that America delivered Iraq from Saddam, and now America needs to deliver Egypt from Mubarak.

PRAY: Pray for protection of believers (Christians and Muslim believers) Pray for protection of Muslims who are on the verge to becoming believers Pray for wisdom for a new liberal government