Turn on the news and you'll see upheaval in every corner of the world, including attacks on our Christian brothers and sisters. But Cole Richards, Executive Vice President at The Voice of the Martyrs, reminds us that in the midst of this earthly suffering God is producing eternal fruit every single day.
For the first few days after Bob Fu was arrested for his Christian work in China, his prayers were pretty simple: "Lord, get me out of here!" He even prayed that God would punish his interrogators for persecuting God's children! But as days passed, Bob saw that God had a ministry for him in prison, and his prayers changed. Instead of praying only to be released, he asked God to use him while he was in prison. And God answered his prayer.
As a young man, Dale Rhoton was invited to join a prayer meeting to ask God to move across the nations. The young man that invited him was George Verwer; later the two would help send thousands of young people into gospel work around the world through Operation Mobilization (OM), the ministry they founded
For Christians in China, persecution is just "part of the package" for those who follow Christ. Dory, part of VOM's newsletter staff, just returned from China, where she met Christians who face arrest and imprisonment for following Jesus Christ. In fact, one of her meetings with a pastor had to be cancelled because the pastor was arrested before she could meet him
"Lance" is a gospel worker in the nation of Turkey, a nation where 99.8% of the almost-80-million people are Muslims. This week on VOM Radio, Lance shares some of the challenges he faced in moving to a Muslim nation, building relationships and reaching out with the gospel.
Australian John Short was taken prisoner in North Korea. He was repeatedly interrogated. He was forced to write a "confession" of his "crimes," including the offense of wanting more North Koreans to follow Jesus. But if God asked him today, Short would happily go back.
Australian John Short was detained inside North Korea after leaving gospel tracts near a Buddhist temple. He was facing years in prison--but he wasn't afraid. "Fear and faith cannot exist within my heart at the same time," he says.
The last two weeks on VOM Radio we've heard from John Short, the Australian Christian detained in North Korea in 2014 after leaving gospel tracts outside a Buddhist temple. This week we hear another side of the story, from John's wife, Karen, who was at home in Hong Kong dealing with the media, praying for her husband and receiving encouragement from all over the world.
In one of the most-listened-to episodes of VOM Radio in 2016, Australian John Short shares the story of his detention in North Korea. He was repeatedly interrogated. He was forced to write a "confession" of his "crimes," including the offense of wanting more North Koreans to follow Jesus. But if God called him today, Short would happily go back.
With almost 90% of people in Bhutan identifying as Buddhists, those who follow Christ are a tiny minority. Pastor Rajiv, a church planter and leadership trainer in South Asia, works to reach Bhutanese people for Christ and knows what happens when someone follows Jesus in this restricted nation. Rajiv will share his own story of coming to Christ and how he was called into missions. Listen as Todd Nettleton interview this pastor on this episode of VOM Radio.
Join this week in looking back on some of the most moving moments on The Voice of the Martyrs Radio in 2023. We thank the Lord for allowing VOM Radio to share these amazing stories of the power of the gospel and God’s peace in the midst of persecution throughout 2023. We also THANK YOU for listening and praying for our persecuted brothers and sisters in hostile nations and restricted areas.
The anxious mother in India had tried everything. Her son was very sick. It seemed he would soon die. She’d been to the Hindu temples and made offerings to many Hindu gods. Nothing had worked. Her son only became sicker. Then, a traveling salesman suggested that she pray to Jesus. She did—and her son was healed! Amazed and awe-struck, the mother and son hunted down the salesman to find out more about this Jesus who answers prayers. Today, her son is a pastor and evangelist who’s travelled more than 40,000 miles sharing the gospel. God is at work in hostile and restricted nations!
That’s just one of the stories you’ll hear this week from David Witt, CEO of Spirit of Martyrdom and a former staff member at The Voice of the Martyrs. David will also share stories from his encounters with Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, VOM’s founders, and the “holy experience” of visiting one of the prison cells where Richard was held in Communist Romania.
David will also tell how he became aware of and involved in ministry to persecuted Christians, and how God used the attacks of 9-11 to draw the attention of American Christians to radical Islam and the scriptural call to love our enemies.
Today, the ministry David leads is training up church planters and leaders in multiple countries—with an eye on training that’s easily reproducible to other potential leaders. Listen as he shares how those being trained immediately put their learning into action, and how we can pray for these frontline gospel workers.
The International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians is coming soon. CLICK HERE to access resources—including a video about a persecuted Christian in Nigeria—to help your church, small group and family pray for persecuted Christians on this important day.
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“People need God, but they just didn’t know it.” Sara says. It was only a short time into her outreach ministry when Sara first experienced pushback. God reminded her that Jesus faced persecution with humility and that is the model Sara tries to follow when opposition arises. Her own family’s responses to her Christian faith reminded her that she couldn’t save anyone herself but had to trust God to do the work, and to trust his timing. Listen as Todd interviews Sister Sara on VOM Radio.
This month we are commemorating the 10th Anniversary of The Voice of the Martyrs Radio. This week we look back on one of the most powerful conversations ever shared on VOM Radio airwaves. Sister Amber spent more than a decade in Tibet providing vocational training to local people and sharing the gospel. She felt God’s call especially to work among Tibet’s nomadic tribal people. Amber watched as God brought about a great ministry breakthrough: people who’d been completely closed to her message were now asking to learn more about Jesus! But just days after the breakthrough Amber experienced persecution. Listen as Todd Nettleton interviews Amber on this episode of VOM Radio.
