Installment #20 - Persecution Watch - Iran

Jamal Ghalishorani, his wife Nadereh Jamali, and Hamik Khachikian were arrested on January 21st and are being held without charges by Iranian authorities. These Christians were taken from their homes in the early morning. Their families have not been notified as to where they have been taken or how they will be charged, according to a Compass Direct News report.
Arrests and pressure on Christians from authorities have ramped up even further in the past few months, the source said. “We are quite sure that these arrests are part of a bigger operation from the government. Maybe up to 50 people were arrested. In Tehran alone already some 10 people were arrested all on the same day.”

The arrests are particularly disturbing in light of the Iranian parliament’s approval last September of a new penal code calling for a mandatory death sentence for “apostates,” or anyone who leaves Islam for another faith (i.e. followers of Jesus Christ). Under the new penal code, male “apostates” would be executed, while females would receive life sentences. Source: Open Doors

Installment #19 - Persecution Watch - Middle East

When Najee made the decision to turn from Islam to follow Jesus, he knew his life would never be the same.

He had found what he had searched for all his life! And despite his fears, Najee told his wife he had become a Christian.

Being a devout Muslim, Najee’s wife felt obligated to tell her father… who in turn shared the news with the local imam. A few days later, Najee’s body was found dead… with a Bible taped around his body with a single gunshot through the Bible.

Installment #17 - Persecution Watch - Afghanistan

Taliban gunmen shot and killed 34-year-old Gayle Williams, a Christian aid worker in Kabul, as she was walking to work because she was "spreading her religion," The Associated Press (AP) reported. The Taliban claimed responsibility for shooting Williams, a South African – British national who worked with disabled Afghans.

"This woman came to Afghanistan to teach Christianity to the people of Afghanistan. Our leaders issued a decree to kill this woman. This morning our people killed her in Kabul," Zabiullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Taliban, told AP.

AP reported Williams was working for a Christian charity organization, SERVE (Serving Emergency Relief and Vocational Enterprises), which has worked with Afghan refugees in Pakistan since 1980. In a statement on its Web site, SERVE described Williams as "a person who always loved the Afghans and was dedicated to serving those who are disabled."

Installment #16 - Persecution Watch - Iran

An Iranian Christian couple in their 60s died last week from injuries sustained when secret police raided their house church service and severely beat them, according to a source for Compass Direct News. Amiri and his wife hosted the house church meeting just outside the central Iranian city of Isfahan. The secret police beat and arrested all those in attendance. Amiri died in a hospital on July 30 from injuries sustained from the beating and Amiri’s wife, Sakineh Rahnama, died on August 3 from stress-related causes, according to Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN).

Installment #15 - Persecution Watch - Pakistan

On June 21, 16 Christians were abducted by Muslim extremists when they gathered to pray in Academy Town, Peshawar, Pakistan. According to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts in Pakistan, "Salamat Masih and 30 of his family and close friends were gathered to pray and celebrate the birth of his daughter, when 12 Taliban [members] of the Lashka-e-Islam group broke into his house yelling and shouting.

They held the believers at gunpoint. The Muslim house-owner, Haji Muhammad Saraj, was also present at the time to collect rent." VOM contacts added, "With machine and automatic guns, they forcibly separated the men from the women and children. Slapping the Christian men, they commanded all 16 men, including Pastor Zulifqar and Haji Muhammad Saraj, to get into the five waiting vehicles."

The 16 Christian men were held captive for an hour. "They were beaten and abused, and had all their money and mobile phones stolen from them. During this time, the Taliban attempted to persuade Pastor Zulifqar to convert to Islam, which he unquestionably refused. After sunset the Taliban took them to another place where they were kept in a cave until their release 10 hours later," VOM contacts reported.

Installment #14 - Persecution Watch - England???

How far has the "Christian" west fallen when Christians are being persecuted in ENGLAND for handing out tracts!!! How is it a "hate crime" to speak the Word of God? This is America's future if we don't get back to our roots and quick.

Missionaries Equal to Terrorists???

Muslim leaders in Uzbekistan declared Christian missionaries "as dangerous as terrorist activities or the illegal drug trade." Their basis is that missionary activities disrupt society b/c Uzbek families do not tolerate relatives who covert from Islam.

So instead of calling for families to have more tolerance or allow freedom of choice with their relatives, they have actually made persecution even more accepted by comparing such activities equal to terrorism. What is even worse is that the Catholic and Orthodox church leaders have joined the declaration.

Installment #10: Persecution Watch - Jordan

A Jordanian man who is on trial for converting from Islam to Christianity may lose legal custody of his children and have his marriage annulled if found guilty of “apostasy.” Mohammad Abbad, 40, fled Jordan last month after Muslims violently attacked him and his 10-year-old son in their home. His father sued him on charges of apostasy for leaving Islam.

“I can’t win this case as long as I insist that I converted from Islam to Christianity,” Abbad wrote from the safety of a nearby country. “The court will annul my marriage, I will be deprived of my kids, I will be with no ID or passport, and my properties will be confiscated.”

Read rest of story here.

Installment #9: Persecution Watch - Uzbekistan

On April 3, Pastor Bobur Aslamov was beaten and jailed in the city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, following a police raid on a house church meeting. According to Forum 18 News, "Other members of the house church were also beaten during the raid. The pastor remains in detention in an unknown location." At last report, no formal charges had been filed against him. Source: Voice of the Martyrs

Installment #6 - Persecution Watch - Ethiopia

On March 3, Muslim militants killed at least two Christians and wounded dozens in Nensabo town southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. According to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts and reports from International Christian Concern, militants attacked Christians, including women and children, while they were attending a worship service. According to reports, "Eight of the wounded have been taken to the town of Awassa for hospitalization, while others with serious injuries were taken to Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa. Among the wounded were a police officer and a Christian whose hand was cut off by the attackers." Reports indicated that the attack was part of a plan by Muslim militants, influenced by the spread of Wahhabism, in the area to wipe out Christians from the Muslim-dominated region.

Source: Voice of the Martyrs

Installment #3 - Persecution Watch - Iran

The Iranian parliament is reviewing a bill for the Islamic Penal Law that legislates the death penalty for apostasy. According to the Institute on Religion and Public Policy, the draft law defines an apostate as "any Muslim who clearly announces that he/she has left Islam and declares blasphemy." This proposed law is aimed to deter conversion from Islam.

Comparative Study of Christian and Islamic History

I just finished reading these two books, Unveiling Islam & Christian Jihad, by the same authors who are brothers, Ergun Caner & Emir Caner, who were raised Muslim and both converted to Christianity. They offer a very unique perspective on both religions.

In Unveiling Islam they give a very accurate history of Islam from Muhammad to the present. It is a very well laid out look at it's history and beliefs. Their biggest goal of the book is to equip Christians with the tools needed to be more effective witnesses to Muslims.

In Christian Jihad they also give a very accurate history of Christianity in reference particularly to the Crusades and the Inquisition. One thing I didn't know that I learned by reading is that Pope Urban II, the pope who called the first Crusade, actually used as a part of his rallying call that if the crusader fought, he was assured salvation whether he died or not. This is where they got the title of the book as they show these two very dark spots on Christian history completely distorted the Bible. Unlike the Koran which actually says if you die in battle you go to paradise, that is absolutely no where in the Bible. Their main goal for this book was to give Christians a precise history of our past shortcomings, especially when the church and the state where too tightly linked for warfare, in hopes that we don't repeat them again due to those events still being a very hard obstacle to overcome in many parts of the world.

Installment #1 - Persecution Watch

Due to a number of satellite and internet issues as well as work reasons, I've been unable to post for a few days. I think everything should be back to normal now.

This is something I had planned to do this weekend, but due to reasons mentioned above was unable. I hope to make it a regular addition at the least weekly. After reading the books, The Costly Call and being challenged by a Christian brother, I've been convicted a lot lately to pray for Christians who are facing major persecution for just being Christians and to share their plight to inspire others to hopefully do the same. Here is my first one:

SUDAN (Compass) A suicide bomber detonated a grenade after approaching 34 youth holding a church meeting in Upper Nile State in September. Five young people were killed and 20 were injured in the blast.

The Costly Call

I've just finished reading both of these absolutely amazing books. They are both a compilation of 20 stories each of first person accounts of the persecution faced when converting to Christianity around the world. The first book is a story of 20 different people raised as Muslims from 18 different countries. The second has 8 stories from former Muslims, 4 from former Hindus, 4 from former Buddhist, and 4 from former Secularist/Communist.

The saddest thing was that the majority of the persecution was a result of their family members who disowned them and then turned them over to authorities. These books chronicle everything from beheadings, to major torture, to abandonment and everything in between. They are two of the most heart wrenching books I have ever read. It will definitely challenge you to pray for those around the world who accept Christ from these backgrounds and in countries that don't allow such freedom.

However, that is not the whole story. The thing that the books and stories have done the most for me is challenge me big time to look at my life and what I'm willing to do in order to tell others of Christ, no matter the cost. Every one of these people never once faltered in sharing Christ despite and often times in the midst of brutal torture. They counted everything as lost except that they had Christ and their lives are a living testimony of that faith.

Fasting Debrief

Warning: Very long post, but hopefully worth the read, especially the last paragraph =)

As I wrote on September 13th, I felt led to do the Ramadan fast. The fast ended yesterday, so here is my debrief.

Physically: I felt like I was cheating. Yes, it was a little hard the first couple of days like all multiple day fasts are, but once my body got used to eating at night instead of during the day, it wasn't that bad. I was still eating pretty much the same amount of food each day, but instead of eating at 8am, noon and 6pm, I ate at 7pm, midnight, and 5am. I've been a little sleepy during the day due to the break of sleep, but not that much either.

Spiritually: As with all Christian fasts, it is not just about starving yourself. If all you are doing is not eating and not spending additional dedicated prayer time above your normal prayer time, then you aren't fasting, you are dieting or worse, starving yourself. My pattern when I fast is during the time that I normally eat, I instead spend that time in prayer. As with my previous fasts, this one taught me a lot and challenged me a lot.

Lessons: The longest fast I had done previously was a 7 day fast. Fasting for 30 days was definitely a very powerful experience. I drew closer to God than I think I may ever have before. That was the biggest theme during my fast that God spoke to me was to draw near to Him. I even read a book that Mimi gave me entitled, "Drawing Near: A Life of Intimacy with God" by John Bevere. I highly recommend it if you feel your life could benefit from being closer to God...yeah I know...that covers everyone =)

The second big lesson I've learned is the total need to be praying for Muslims, especially the radicals. I've been going through a 40-day daily devotion on the book of Jonah written by Brother Andrew of the Secret Believers book I blogged about a couple of days back. It is a very powerful and extremely convicting study on praying and witnessing to your "enemies." In one of the devotions he asks the very powerful question of if no one is praying for Osama bin Laden, how do we ever expect him to learn about Christ? Can you imagine if bin Laden were to have a Damascus road experience (Acts 9:1-22) like Saul and become the Paul to the Muslim world!!!

Al Janssen, the co-author of Secret Believers, tells of a story on his blog (you may have to join the free site to read it) of a meeting with one of the members of Islamic Jihad in Gaza. Abdul (not his real name) said he had read the Bible, had many questions, but never met a Christian in order to ask the questions. Since that first meeting, they have had several more and who knows where that will lead. I also just read on Drudge that Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind behind the '93 WTC bombing, has converted to Christianity. As a former very radial Muslim, Yousef could have a huge effect on some sitting on the fence if his conversion is true and real and he starts sharing the love of Christ as radically as he "shared" his Muslim faith (obviously minus the bombings and killings).

Direction: One of the purposes of my fast was to get direction for my future after this tour of duty in Iraq. Right before coming, I had started to sense that I'm being released out of politics and back to full time ministry. That will be a big change, so it isn't something I'm taking lightly, hence the fast. Ever since my mission trip to Kazakhstan in '05, my heart for missions has continued to grow. Coming to Iraq last year and then the mission trip to Burundi in May both worked to solidify that calling.

As some of you know, one direction I had been pursuing was entering the Army Reserve in the Chaplain Corp. However, I feel one of the things I sensed from God during my fast is that He wants me in the field sooner. If I were to go the Chaplain route that would mean, 3 years of seminary then 4 years of Army Reserve, so with my one year here, that would mean a minimum of 8 years before I could go full time missions.

My Church in LA, HPC, has a program called Elevate. It is a three year internship where you gain amazing practical ministry experience and at the same time earn your seminary degree. So with that route due to the third year being in the field, I could be full time in 4 years as opposed to 8. I still have more to pray about for the final details and exactly when to start, but as of now, that is the direction I'm leaning and I'm very excited about it!

Witness: The other main purpose of the fast was to create opportunities to witness to the Muslims I work with. On that front as well, God showed up big time. First, of the four people in my office who were fasting, me being the only non-Muslim, the fact that I was the only one to not break the fast early, was a huge witness for Christ. I was asked several times, how I could do the fast and not be Muslim. My response was always that it is what Christ asked me to do, so He is giving me the strength to do it.

The month long fast led to several spiritual discussions as well with a couple of my Muslim co-workers, especially the one I mentioned in my original post about the fast. I was able to share what the Injil (Muslim word for New Testament) says on fasting, specifically Mathew 6:16-18. One of the things God showed me about the Muslim fast is that it is a burden and not a privilege due to it being a mandate and not a choice. Because of that, they were almost always very somber and had the poor pitiful me attitude. I was asked once, "how are you fasting and still keeping your smile?" That is when I shared that verse.

After sharing several other scriptures about fasting in the Injil, I asked if he had ever read it being the Koran says that Muslims are to obey it as well being it is one of the Holy Books. He said that he had heard a couple of verses on the radio once in Arabic from the Injil and it was the most powerful words he had ever heard in his life (you can imagine how my heart started racing when he said that =) He called the radio station who was offering the Injil in Arabic, but he never received it. He tried finding it on his own and couldn't. He bought an English New Testament, but it didn't have the same effect on him. I asked him if he would read it if I was able to get him a copy in Arabic and he said absolutely. So...I went straight to my computer and ordered one! Hopefully it will get here in the next week or so.

I feel even more after this experience that Christians need to fast more. We have lost the importance of it as one of the major spiritual disciplines. A friend of mine posed an awesome question. What would happen if the entire Christian world fasted together for 30 days like Muslims do? The thought of that is mind blowing. I can guarantee that the world would not be the same after those 30 days (I can also guarantee the result wouldn't be to "celebrate" by killing non-Christians). So, what are we waiting for? This will definitely not be my last 30 day fast, and next time hopefully God will lead some others to join me. I'm thinking from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday might be a good time for such a fast. Stay tuned =)

Religious Holiday = Killing People?

If you skate on over to Nancy's blog you will see we had another rocket attack last night and a much worse one than last time (2 US Soldiers killed and nearly 40 injuries due to 6 rockets and 8 mortars fired at our base). I had the same question as Nancy. What does it say about your religion when on one of its holiest days (the day that Mohammad supposedly received the first words of the Koran) you "celebrate" by killing people? It would be the same as Christians going out and murdering people on Christmas or Easter in order to "celebrate."

Please keep everyone here in your prayers a little more intentionally than usual over the next couple of days as Ramadan ends today and tomorrow as the attacks will likely increase due to their month of fasting being over and it is time to once again "celebrate."

Secret Believers

This book is a must read! However, be warned, it has the potential to radically change plans for "your" future as it is changing mine. While waiting for the book, you can go to their website. I highly encourage you to sign up for the 40 day study on the book of Jonah. As the sign up page says, it will NOT disappoint, but will challenge you big time! This book, website, and study all played major roles in my decision to do the Ramadan fast and another confirmation for what I'm starting to sense more and more for my future plans.

Fasting During Ramadan

Today marks the beginning of Ramadan. For the next 30 or so days, Muslims will fast all things pleasurable during the daylight hours. As soon as the sun sets, then all is permissible again until it rises the next day. The main items that the Muslims I work with here are talking about are food and cigarettes as access to "pleasurable" things are pretty limited here.

I've felt convicted to follow the 30 day fast as well for two reasons. First, I'm really starting to sense some major life changes after this time in Iraq. So, I'll be praying during my fasting time for direction and confirmation. I also look forward to taking another step closer in intimacy with God as this will not be easy and will produce more reliance on Him. Fasting is one very important spiritual discipline that Christians unfortunately have for a large part lost. I for one have definitely learned and experienced its many benefits to my Christian walk and look forward to looking back on this experience down the road to see where God takes me.

Second, I see it as a witnessing tool to be able to relate to Muslims. One that I work with was blown away that me and Mimi are waiting until marriage for sex. He said I was the first Christian he has met that is living what Christians say they believe. As sad as the truth of that statement is, it has opened the door of respect to allow me to have spiritual conversations with him. When I told him that I was planning on doing the Ramadan fast, he said I couldn't do it because I'm not Muslim, meaning that I would not have Allah's help so no way I could do it. I replied that Christ will give me the strength to do it being He is calling me to do it. I look forward to giving Christ glory throughout this time.

Proving the Pope Right

As I'm sure most of you know by now, last week the Pope quoted a medieval text which called Islam a violent religion and Mohammed, evil and inhuman.

After Muslims worldwide protested (not just the "radicals"), started torching Churches and murdered a nun in response to this undisputed historical fact, the Pope said the words he quoted did not reflect his personal opinion.

Torching churches, murdering nuns, forcing journalist to convert to Islam by gunpoint...nah...no violence or evil in that religion now whatsoever. It was only a medieval quote that doesn't reflect the modern times at all. Ignorance must be truly bliss.