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Discussion Forum : Devotional Thoughts : In the Shadow of His Cross...Our Persecuted Brothers and Sisters

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 Re: Supplimental

This is a 15 minute video about Robert Jerome Thomas. This dear brother was martyred in Korea for taking the gospel there. In North Korea the blood of the martyrs is still shed.


https://youtu.be/ll7TZIsb_AM


John 12:24

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it does, it bears much fruit.

The early church father Tertullian tells us that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. Much martyrs blood has been shed in the nation of North Korea. Let us remember those dear saints in our prayers. Let us pray that the gospel of Jesus Christ will bring His light into dark hearts in that nation.

From the foot of the cross.

Bro Blaine

 2016/12/27 18:26









 Re: Suppklmental

Picture of North Korea taken from the International Space Station. Very prophetic. Notice the physical darkness in N. Korea. Indicative of the spiritual darkness that lies in that nation. Let us pray that the light of Jesus to shine in North Korean hearts.

http://www.nasa.gov/content/korean-peninsula-seen-from-space-station#.WGL8EjgCYiA.mailto

Bro Blaine

 2016/12/27 18:47









 Re: Thursday AM, 12/29/16

#10...The 12 Faces of Persecution series tells the real story of believers suffering for their faith   

The ultimate betrayal: when your own family wants you dead.

“By joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

— Romans 12:12

Nazeera was cooking breakfast for her family one morning when the unthinkable happened.

As she poured cooking oil into a hot pan, the liquid flashed — and the bottle exploded all over this mother of three, completely engulfing her in flames.

The minute he heard screams coming from the kitchen, Saeed, Nazeera’s husband, ran downstairs, but in the confusion didn’t know what to do to save her. Meanwhile, their 16-year-old son did the only thing he could think of: he hugged his mother, hoping that would put out the flames.

The teenager ended up badly burned. Nazeera eventually died from her injuries.

What appeared to be an accident...was murder

Only later did Saeed find out that one of his brothers and one of Nazeera’s brothers had devised a deadly plan to take the vegetable oil out of the bottle and replace it with gasoline. The reason: Saeed and Nazeera refused to return to Islam.

This was by far the worst, but not the first time the family had been caught in this holy war between Christianity and Islam.

Even after Nazeera passed away, the family could not find anyone willing to testify to who was behind this senseless murder.

“No one will be a witness for us,” Saeed said dejectedly. As an example of how deep their hatred was for his decision to follow Christ, he admitted, “My own family told me that if I was killed and cut into pieces, they wouldn’t do anything to help or be a witness on my side.”

Counting the cost

A lesser man might have given up at that point, figuring that the cost of being a believer in the Arabian peninsula was just too high.

But not Saeed.

“We ask people to pray for us, as we are all alone,” he said. “Pray for my children as now I am their mother and father, and their only friend. We need prayers for God’s strength and to give us strong faith.”

Then he added, “I want people outside to know that even if we get cut into pieces, we won’t leave Jesus Christ.”  

In places like Yemen, it’s not unusual to hear about Christians being killed for putting their faith in Christ. Please pray for persecuted believers everywhere.
____________________

From the foot of His cross.

Bro Blaine

 2016/12/29 8:20









 Re: Friday AM, 12/30/2016

#11...The 12 Faces of Persecution” are real accounts of persecuted Christians who are standing strong as they suffer for their faith.

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?”

— Luke 14:28

Pastor Odona knows there’s a cost to being a Christian leader, particularly in a country like the Central African Republic that is hostile to those who preach the gospel.

But despite the inherent danger, he continues to share Christ with his neighbors whose lives have been turned upside down by the violence.

“Please pray for the liberation of my country, and for believers who are discouraged,” he says unselfishly. And we might add…please remember to pray for Pastor Odona as well.

Hunted by rebels

From the very moment they invaded the region, the rebels have had Pastor Odona in their crosshairs.

Several close calls were reported, including the time his family barely escaped before the radicals plundered his house and then occupied it. Only after an imam warned them that “this is the house of a servant of God and you will be cursed if you don’t leave” did they vacate the premises.

Until security has been restored, Pastor Odona does not dare bring his family back into the home. Instead, they’ve secretly gone to live with other believers throughout the region.

“Our life has been totally disrupted,” he says. “My wife and I live at another pastor’s house with our youngest son. Our other children have been scattered amongst other pastors.”

Planting churches in the midst of danger

But Pastor Odona is not budging.

Instead, he’s fighting back in the only way he knows how — by planting a group of churches right in the middle of the rebels’ stronghold.

“Risking everything is worth it,” he says. Christ is worth it. And his neighbors are worth it. That’s why he’ll never slow down, until every last person in his village has heard about this person called Jesus who died for them.
_____________________

The persecuted believers know that Jesus is worth it. Along with the Apostle Paul, these believers are willing to suffer the loss of all things, even their lives, to know Jesus. And to make Jesus known.

Let us remember our brothers and sisters in prayer today. And also let their example be our hearts desire. Our hearts desire being that we will suffer the loss of all things to know Jesus and to make Him known.

From the foot of His cross.

Bro Blaine

 2016/12/30 8:15









 Re:

The 12 Faces of Persecution” are real accounts of persecuted Christians who are standing strong as they suffer for their faith.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

— Deuteronomy 31:6

Peyman has one of the most important jobs in the world. It’s also one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.

He is a Bible delivery worker and partner of Open Doors, working in the Persian-speaking world. Every day, Peyman is responsible for bringing large numbers of Bibles and Christian literature to believers who are desperately waiting for them.

If he’s caught carrying Bibles — which are forbidden in his region — he could be thrown into prison or even tortured for violating existing laws.

Yet, he does it anyway, believing that God is directing him every step of the way.

“Some groups I’ve delivered Bibles to had already begun copying them by hand because they were eager to have their own copy,” Peyman recalls.

Every story he shares tells of God’s divine providence.

A close encounter

Once, an entire congregation professed faith in Christ but had no Bibles or Christian literature to deepen their faith. So members of the church, including a woman named Ava, began praying for a miracle.

A few weeks later, Ava and Peyman bumped into each other while shopping in the same market. Not knowing who he was, she carefully began telling him about Jesus. But Peyman stopped her mid-sentence, revealing to her that he, too, was a believer.

That’s when Ava shared about their church’s need for Bibles.

“I was astonished to find out this group of believers had no biblical material at all,” Peyman says. The next day, he met with Ava’s pastor and within a week, the church had dozens of Farsi Bibles and copies of the New Testament.

For the isolated, underground church, the work of Peyman and others who deliver Bibles is of utmost importance. Sometimes, these Bibles are the only thing keeping new believers from giving up when times get hard.

That’s what happened to Dareios, a former drug addict who came to know Christ and was fighting to stay sober when he got his first Bible. “When I was healing from my addiction, I was isolated from everyone. The only friend I had was my Bible.”    Dareios’s and Ava’s churches received Bibles because of your generosity. But for every believer who has received one, a hundred more are praying that someone like Peyman would visit their church.

_____________________

Let us pray that those who cry for the word of God im restricted Nations will have the Bible provided for them.

From the foot of his cross.

Bro Blaine

 2017/1/6 9:10









 Re: Saturday AM, 2/11/17

https://youtu.be/Sw-Y35kcolc

The above is a link to a short VOM video. In the video two North Koreans are listening to the message about Jesus. One is holding a forbidden New Testament or Bible. If these two precious people are caught. They can be very well martyred in a death camp or mercifully executed on the spot. This video is not a dramatization.

Please do keep these young men in your prayers. Please keep the believers in North Korea in your prayers. Please keep the persecuted in your prayers.

From the foot of his cross.

Bro Blaine

 2017/2/11 11:35









 Re: Saturday PM, 2/11/17

.
North Korea is ranked #1 on the Open Doors World Watch List. It has held this position since 2002. The World Watch List consists of 50 countries where persecution is considered the most extreme. So for North Korea to be ranked number one on this list it has the distinction of having the most extreme persecution of believers in the world.

If one is caught possessing a Bible or attending an underground church meeting in North Korea. A bullet through the head would be merciful. But if this dear saint is sent to a North Korea death camp. Then their family and two generations of their extended family are imprisoned.

Yet despite the horrendous persecution the church continues to grow in North Korea. Jesus made the promise that up on Him, The Rock, He would build His church. And the Gates of Hell will not Prevail against it.

The open doors video below tells of the church in North Korea and what God is doing in the midst of the persecutions in the nation. The videos only about 6 minutes long period after watching a video please remember persecuted brothers and sisters in the nation of North Korea and your prayers.

https://youtu.be/4nOQq5xHSc0

From the foot of His cross.

Bro Blaine

 2017/2/11 19:25









 Re: Sunday AM...2/12/17

.
This is a story of a dear sister in North Korea. This is her story where she found hope even in the midst of a North Korean death camp.

Saints this story is real. This is not made up. What is taking place in North Korea is an ongoing reality of brothers and sisters around the world today who carry the cross and suffer for our Lord Jesus Christ.

https://youtu.be/nbUoqzyVa1M

Please do remember the persecuted brothers and sisters in your prayers.

From the foot of His cross.

Bro Blaine

 2017/2/12 7:46









 Re: Sunday PM, 2/12/17

.
A few years ago a sister shared on our call about a dear saint who got out of one of the North Korean death camps. I do not know if she had escaped or if she was released. But eventually I believe she made her way to South Korea. This dear sister was asked how did she endure the imprisonment in North Korea. Her response was, "I heard the prayers of the saints."

I do not know if Hea Woo was that sister. But a brother from Open Doors continues to tell her story in the link below. Again let us continue to remember persecuted brothers and sisters in North Korea and elsewhere in our prayers. May they also hear the prayers of the saints.

https://youtu.be/OXDzUr1XtDU

The brother narrating the video ask some pointed questions to us in the West. What will we sacrifice or would cost will we pay for a relationship with Jesus.

Again dear Saints these are not made up stories. But these are actual people who have suffered and our suffering for their relationship with Jesus.

From the foot of His cross.

Bro Blaine

 2017/2/12 19:30









 Re: Monday AM, 2/13/17

.
Romans 12:1

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship.

I reflected on this verse this morning. I thought of those dear saints who offeref their bodies unto martyrdom. They gave themselves up in that final witness for Jesus.

All too often we in the west think that the martyrdom of believers was something that took place in first-century Rome. Or that took place during the time of the Reformation. We can read about the martyrdom of believers in books such as Foxes Book of Martyrs or Martyrs Mirror. And for sure these are actual accounts of believers who laid down their lives for Jesus in times past.

But, brothers and sisters, we need to realize that the martyrdom of believers continues in this day and age. The stories and the videos I share with you are not made up. These are not coming from the imaginations of Tim Lahaye when we have been taken away in a mythical pre-trib rapture. But followers of Jesus, in this day and age are actually laying down their lives for the Lord Jesus Christ and their blood is being shed. It has been estimated that every 5 to 10 minutes a precious saint gives their life for the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the link below is the story of a modern-day martyr for Jesus. Her name is Fatima. She came to Christ in the nation of Saudi Arabia. The video below tells her story. It tells of the risk she took to follow Jesus.

Again dear saints this story is true. It is not made up. It is not fictional. But just like our sister, Hae Woo, of North Korea. Fatima was a real person. She is now in the presence of Jesus.

Before her early death. Fatima blogged the statement,

"And by God I am unto death a Christian."

Before she was horribly martyred by her brother Fatima wrote these last words in her blog.

"Jesus Christ is my light and salvation. Whom Shall I Fear?"

In honor of this dear sister who is now in the presence of Jesus. Fatima who lived from 1982 to 2008.

Below is her story.

https://youtu.be/-C23vIl0dKw

From the foot of His cross.

Bro Blaine

 2017/2/13 7:01





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