Fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality
- Romans 12:11-12
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Vietnam
In general, this year has been better for established churches, but it seems that new churches are facing more persecution regardless of where they are. This also has been a year of unprecedented breakthrough. Over fifty denominations joined together and organized a Christmas service in Saigon. The authorities tried to block the registration of the service, but the churches boldly gave pamphlets and invited everyone to attend the meeting held in a field outside Saigon, even though the authorities wouldnt allow it. Application was repeatedly made but the government was not forthcoming with their permission. Finally forty-eight hours before the meeting was going to start, registration was given for 3000 people to attend.
There were reports of police prohibiting buses of up to 300 Christians from attending. But the crowds were too much for the police to stop. In Saigon 40,000 people met to worship and 8,000 became Christians. In Hanoi 12,000 Christians worshipped together and 2,000 became Christians which is extremely unprecedented in Vietnams history
Despite this amazing breakthrough, persecution is the norm for many in Vietnam. Our church planters are pressured and prohibited from holding Christmas meetings in many areas. Police intimidate believers, break up meetings and threaten new believers to not continue in their faith. These testimonies are widespread and are not a few isolated incidents. Bible schools are shutdown and Christians are still being beaten for their faith.
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Cu Hat Church Update: It has been a year since the authorities destroyed and pillaged the Cu Hat church building and the church in Cu Hat is thriving. They built a replacement prayer house out of tarps and bamboo three days after the destruction of their church building. There is obviously a sense of loss among the believers. But more than the loss, there is a real joy in their changed lives and in continued encounters God. In fact, through this event the church grew from 520 to 532 members by the very next week. 6 months later, the tarps of the prayer house were shredded from wear but the church has been using its offerings to slowly convert the bamboo shack into a permanent structure using a special hardwood locally called 100 year teak. .
The Christians here are incredibly grateful to you, who have helped them and prayed for them, but they somehow feel responsible for their churchs destruction. But in spite of the destruction, there is new life. The pregnant Christian who was tasered in the incident now has a healthy baby boy. God is using this churchs situation for good. He does not live in temples built by men and his church will go on longer than a mere hundred years and gates of hell will not prevail against it.
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Middle East
It is difficult to identify with the hardships that new Christians in the Middle East face. Persecution is largely outside of our western personal experience, but regardless of our experience it is remarkable what God is doing in the Muslim nations. Their stories are of incredible heartbreak and injustice. Frankly, many of the stories are too appalling to put in publications. However, these are not stories; these are lives we directly work with. From stories of horrific torture, family rejection, rape and murder, new Christians are laying down their lives for their new found Savior.
The Father has a spectacular way of entwining suffering and the miraculous. He is paradoxically the Lion and the Lamb that was slain to redeem us (Rev 5:9). For example, some Christians felt very strongly that they needed to get Bibles into Iran, which seemed an impossible task. When they tried to cross at the border they were quickly found out. The Bibles were confiscated and the Christians denied access into the country. End of story, right??? Well, not really… there was an Iranian church desperately praying for God to send them Bibles. One church member of this congregation happened to work at this particular border crossing. He stumbled across these garbage bags full of Bibles in the dumpster. Rejoicing that God answers prayer and he brought the Bibles to his church for them to witness the miracle that God had done. God turns what seems to be our failures, into miracles and only God, can entwine the two so beautifully.
Different countries have different strongholds, and innovative strategies are needed to help the church grow. Church planting in Muslim nations, has a different flavor than church planting in communist countries, or here in the West. Christian TV broadcastings are a potent tool for God to use to touch lives in many seemingly closed countries. In many ways these broadcasts can go into places where a single church planter cannot. Sometimes, it is the only opportunity that people will have to hear the Gospel. Broadcasts are reaching people for Jesus whether they are in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen or even in the UK and Netherlands. Muslims are being reached as never before.
Sometimes you have to be creative in sharing the gospel.
One believers job flowed over to become his ministry as well. He hooks up satellite dishes for a living. He is a Muslim convert, with a Muslim background and a Muslim name. While he is hooking up his customers satellite dish, he says there is one channel that you should never, ever, watch. Here, Ill show you the frequency so you can delete the channel when I leave. In fact, Ill just turn it on and you maybe should watch one particular program so you know what I mean. This program has a priest teaching from the Quran and points to Jesus in his messages. Just remember to delete this program and never watch it again when I'm gone.
So whatever you do, do not watch these testimonies of what God is doing Amazingly, God is touching lives, one person at a time.
DriftWood
I was walking along the beach after a storm when a piece of driftwood caught my eye. It had been a root growing in boulder strewn with dirt, squashed flat, twisting around a rock, and worn smooth as it forced itself through a crack that was too small. Its shattered ends spoke of it being violently torn from its tree by raging waves that finally carried it to my beach.
Years ago, the day after I was dragged out of the surf nearly dead I sat on that beach and I stuck my hand in a random spot and pulled out a crucifix lost by some unknown previous visitor.
That was the first time I pondered Jesus.
I picked up that piece of driftwood from the beach. Each of us is tempted to look at the scars and twists of our life and remember struggles and hardships. Sometimes we all feel like saying "God shouldnt I have been a branch high up in the tree in the sunshine and fresh air where I could grow strong and straight?" But so much of what happens in our lives we have no control over, like the country or the family we are born into. I think God sees something different than we do when he looks at the struggles in our lives. I think He recognizes that these struggles are producing in us the same sort of beauty that His Son developed in his short and difficult life here on earth. He can find beauty in a twisted piece of driftwood.
"But let the trials have their full effect. so you can be perfect, complete, lack in nothing ". James 1:2-4
I am constantly inspired by the tremendous cost the Persecuted Church is willing to pay for their faith. Please pray for us that God would anoint us with the grace to inspire hope, patient endurance, long suffering and forgiveness for those persecuting them. We appreciate you trusting us with your finances as we partner with you to make our world a better place in Jesus name. We could not do this without you.
Glad to serve.
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Snapshots
of the underground church
Church planters; equipped with battery powered keyboards, illegal transtations of the bible, the presence of the Lord and an indomitable spirit. Through them the country side of Vietnam is being reached with the gospel
Focusing prayer on the Muslim world
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We are not afraid of death. We are not afriad of the hardships. We are very joyful
in serving the LORD. For even if we die, that means we rejoice with the Lord Sooner
- Misses "Huong" Church Planter e
Thank you for Praying
and being involved
International Christian Response (ICR): works with the persecuted church throughout the world. We exist to provide spiritual and material assistance for believers persecuted because of their Christian faith. We support evangelism and church planting in countries that restrict opportunities for citizens to engage in corporate worship or other religious activities.
We also seek to bless the North American church by providing inspiring examples of courageous Christian living. This way both groups are strengthened and encouraged in love. We learn how to stand together, as brothers and sisters in one body, united with one another in suffering for the proclamation of the Gospel.
