"The 20th century is to be pre-eminently a century of mission to the Muslims.

... Samuel Zwemher, Bahrain 1902...

An underground church planter in the Middle East was asked how he handled persecution. This was his response.

"Working for Jesus in the Middle East there are many great risk. Persecution is a part of the Christian life. So it is my honor if I can experience part of the Christian Life. Serving is my love, not my job. Serving is a grace for me. If God gives this honor. But first God, and second the people who are going to hell, are worth it. Jesus told us that I will send you as Lambs between the wolves"...

... Underground Kingdom worker in the Middle East...

The most favorite prayer to pray is the 23rd Psalm. The most popular prayer that is prayed is The Lord's Prayer. The least prayed prayer is the one found below,

... The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest..Matthew 9:37-39

My brothers and sisters why are we not praying this prayer above? For that matter why are we not going to the Harvest?

... I also say to you that you are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it...Matthew 16:18

... Behold I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves... Matthew 10:16

A church worker in the Middle East comments that sheep are dumb animals. They do not know any better.

It just occurred to me this morning that Jesus is using us dumb sheep to build his church. When one thinks on this it is pretty scary. Yet in parts of the world this is known as the persecuted church. :-)

The other amazing scary thing is. It will be the sheep that will overcome the wolves. That should cause us a step back and wonder at the marvelous wisdom of God. At His marvelous wisdom of how He is building His church. This we call the persecuted church.

... Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!... Romans 11:33

To God be the glory!

Brothers and sisters in persecuted nations have to ask the hard questions. They deal with questions that we believers in America have yet to deal with. The following from a church leader in the Middle East illustrate what I'm talking about.

"There are people, that our brothers and sisters that I talk to all the time. And they are very close to me. They almost feel and in some ways even closer to me, then my natural sisters and brothers and family and immediate family. And I have to think about this saying, what if we are all together one day, and radical Muslims break our door down and they start raping all the girls in there. What what I think, and even what was crazier I went and asked one of them. What do you think or what are you going to do if a guy, not just one guy, what if they come and gang rape you? What are you going to do at that moment?

And this ex radical Muslim said to me. That now a follower, a passionate follower of Christ, a fiery follower of Christ, said. I have given up my rights. I have given up my position. I have given up everything for Jesus. I have given up my desires. I have even given up my future.

And at that moment when they come and rape me I will close my eyes and say now I offer my body as a living sacrifice for you as it just says in Romans 12:1.

And when that girl said that to me, that blew my mind. How someone can go to the secret place of their heart and find Jesus at that moment when they are getting raped and say Lord on my knees I offer you my body as a Living sacrifice.

And that's what God is doing to radical female Muslims. He is transforming them into radical insane, crazy Christians, that I mean, you can't put into words what that girl said. And how perfectly deep what she said, and how strong, and what grace must be on her life that she could say that so strongly and so confidently to say at that moment. I will picture Jesus and say now I give you my body."...


... 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... Romans 12-1

I have heard of those dear saints offering their bodies up as sacrifices and being martyred for Christ. I never thought about this in the context of a sister being raped by Muslims. But this did happen when two sisters from a ministry team where horribly abused by those of ISIS. Yet these sisters kept telling their attackers they forgave them. And were praying for them in the midst all of their being horribly violated. Somehow their sacrifice was a sweet aroma to Jesus.

... Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma...Ephesians 5:1-2


As I continue to reflect upon the sister who said that if she was raped she would offer her body willingly as a sacrifice to Jesus. I thought of Jesus Himself on the cross. Jesus was physically beaten. He was left half naked hanging on the cross. He was humiliated. He willingly offered himself as a sacrifice for us. He did this out of love. And yet God accepted His sacrifice as a fragrant aroma. So is it any wonder that this sister would be willing to offer her body to her Savior as a fragrant sacrifice to Him.

As the brother said. This should blow our minds. And hopefully enlarge our hearts.

... Now there was some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast; and they came to Philip, who was from Bethesda of Galilee, and began to ask him saying, "Sir we wish to see Jesus." Philip came and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip came and told Jesus. And Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified. 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. He who loves his life, loses it, but he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, He must follow Me; and where I am, there and My servant will be also; if anyone serves me, the Father will honor Him...John 12:20-26


We hear much about the marvelous miracles that God is doing in restricted nations. Muslims, in particular, are having dreams and visions that are drawing them to the Lord Jesus Christ. In nations such as Pakistan the healing of one Muslim from an incurable disease can result in 50 more coming to Christ. A Pakistani pastor commented on our call, that believers in Pakistan have been told that Muslims have to be reached with miracles. And this is happening.

I heard a pastor from Pakistan comment several years ago that s Western trained doctor when faced with a Muslim who has an incurable disease will remark to that person I cannot do anything for you. But go to the Christians they can heal you. And this testimony has been borne out time and again. Often the healings resulting in them coming to Christ.

But against this backdrop of marvelous grace that God is showing in signs and wonders to draw Muslims to Him. There is also the cross. A Muslim one day may be healed of a disease to bring them to Christ. Or a Muslim may have a dream or a vision of Jesus to bring them to Christ. May very well the next day be called to give their life for him. They may be called to lay down their lives for Jesus in the ultimate act of sacrificial love for Him.

A church planter who works in the Middle East has seen both sides of the story. Or I should say both sides of the cross. This church planter commented that he has seen those healed of diseases. He has seen those having demons driven out. He has seen people set free from the darkness of Islam. He has scene people transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the light and love of Jesus.

But then this church leader has also seen those who suffer in the shadow of the cross for Jesus. Even those unto martyrdom.

This church leader commented,

..."God's love language to us his grace. Our love language to God is obedience. Even obedience to death"...

..."Come to Jesus and expect to be a sacrifice"...Joseph Tsom

Of Those Persecuted

... You are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts...2 Corinthians 2:2-3


An American pastor had been invited by the Chinese underground church to come and preach to the persecuted brethren. After he preached a series of messages in one house church the congregation started singing. His interpreter told this pastor that they were singing, "We do not listen to sermons. We do not listen to sermons. We do not listen to sermons."

Needless to say the pastor was quite offended wondering why did he leave his family and his church. Why did he travel several thousand miles to preach to the underground church. Only to have them sing, " We do not listen to sermons." As these thoughts were going through the pastor's mind, his interpreter then added the second part to the song they were singing, "We are the sermon. We are the sermon. We are the sermon.." I'm pretty sure the pastor repented of his thinking after hearing the second part of that song.

There is no denying that our persecuted brothers and sisters love the word of God. I daresay they love it far better than we do in the west. And they are willing to risk their lives to own a copy of the precious scriptures. They are even willing to die for owning such a copy of the scriptures in places such as North Korea.

Men such as William Tyndale died for bringing the scriptures into the vernacular of the people.

But the persecuted church take it one step further in that the scriptures aren't something that they merely read or memorize or study. They do not have the luxury of going to seminaries or engaging in online forums about esoteric theology. To the persecuted church the scriptures are the Word of Christ Himself.

To brothers and sisters in restricted nations the Word of God is Christ himself dwelling in them. They take the scriptures and incarnate the Word of God into their hearts. That's why the Chinese house church believers can sing "We do not listen to sermons. We are the sermon."

To the persecuted Church the Word of God is the Christ himself living in their hearts. They take the word of God and memorize and meditate on it to where it gets into their core being. And thus they become that living letter of Christ. They become those vessels of authetic Christianity.

There's been a lot of give-and-take in the Forum lately of the authority of scriptures. There have been debates over which translation is the most superior to use in one's walk with Christ. Our persecuted brothers and sisters would say to us in the West. Are you are abiding in the Word of God? Are you abiding in Christ? Jesus is the Word of God.

Only by abiding in Christ and His word abiding in them do the persecuted endure. On then by us abiding in Christ and His word abiding in us will we endure what is yet to come.

I believe our persecuted brothers and sisters would pray this prayer out of Psalm 119:17,

Deal bountifully with your servant,
That I may live and keep your word (Jesus)

Brothers and sisters let that be our prayer today also.

...Of Those Persecuted...

Job 23:12

I have not departed from the command of His lips,
I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.


Believers in Eritrea are imprisoned in shipping containers. These are basically metal coffins that are hot in the day and cold at night night. They have very little ventilation. Some of our brothers and sisters have died in these metal coffins.

There's a brief time during the day when the doors of these containers are open so that those imprisoned may go to the toilet facilities. There's a welcome breath of fresh air. But there will be some saints who will quickly pull out scraps of paper and read them real quickly. These scraps of paper contain precious scriptures. These scraps of paper are circulated from believer to believer. These are the words of life that believers cling to to give them hope in the terrible conditions in which they endure.

These scraps of paper become more precious to the believers than even their physical food, what little they get. The scraps of paper contain the Living Word to sustain those in prison for their faith in Jesus Christ.

Let us remember those in prison for their faith in Jesus Christ. Let us pray that they have access to the Living Word. Let us pray for those believers that meditate on the verses on those scraps of paper lodge in their heart to strengthen and encourage them in the trials in which they endure. Let us remember those imprisoned in Eritrea in our prayers. And those in prison for their faith in Christ around over the world.

...Of Those Persecuted...

... Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord...1 Peter 2:1-2


I have seen in the VOM magazine pictures of North Korean believers who will be huddled under a cover reading the word of God. They may have a small candle or perhaps a penlight. They cover themselves so as to not attract the attention of the secret police. For to own a copy of scriptures in North Korea is punishable by imprisonment or even death. If a believer in North Korea is imprisoned. Two other generations of his family will also be imprisoned. That would be their parents. themselves, and their children. Yet North Korean believers are willing to risk even their lives to own a copy of the precious word of God.

Even in Eritrea. If a believer is caught in the shipping container possessing one of the scriptures on the slips of paper mentioned this morning. They could be beaten and tortured.

There are elderly saints in China who have never owned a copy of the word of God. When these dear saints receive their first Bible. Tears will fill their eyes and they will hug and caress that Bible as if it were gold itself. Indeed this is the precious word of God that is more precious than gold.

Persecuted brothers and sisters value of the word of God perhaps far more than we do in the West. We have Bible translations and Bible apps. But the question is how much tine do we spend in the word of God. It seems that we spend far more time debating which translation of the word of God is to be used. Or spend far more time debating the contents of the word of God then in reading it.

I have read of fellowships in the Middle East. These precious Believers may have only the New Testament. Ywt their New Testaments will be well-worn. Almost falling apart. A testimony to the believer who has diligently read and hungered for that word.

Brothers and sisters let us pray that the persecuted will have access to the word in both the written and digital form. Let us pray that they will have access to the word in the oral form. Let us pray that the word of God will penetrate the darkness that the persecuted find themselves in. Let us pray that the persecuted will be strengthened by Him who is the word. Let us also pray that we will hunger for the word as they do.

...... Of Those Persecuted.......

... He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called the Word of God... Revelation 19:13

John MacArthur shares about an experience in England. His host showed him a martyr's Bible. These were Bibles that were dipped in the blood of slain saints. Those who had been slain for the word of God and their faith in Jesus. Those who had been slain because of the testimony they had maintained. Even being faithful to death. Many of these saints probably were slain during the reign of her who was called Bloody Mary.

As John MacArthur picked up the Bible reverently. He saw that this Bible had been used. The pages were dog-eared and tear stained. And he saw that the blood of one precious saint covered this Bible. I cannot help but wonder if the fragrance of Christ still rested on that Bible.

We do not know if this saint was a brother or a sister. Only Jesus knows. But this precious one sealed their faith in Christ with their own blood. Their Bible bore witness to that.

Those who persecuted and martyred the English saints would often dip their Bibles in the blood of the slain as an insult. But later these Bibles became prized as Martyrs Bibles.

As I thought of the above account shared by our brother, I thought of the verse in Revelation 19:13. His name is called the Word of God and He has a robe dipped in blood. I realize the context is probably the blood of the enemies of Jesus.

But as I meditate upon the verse in the account shared by John MacArthur. I wonder too if the robe of Jesus that is dipped in blood would be in the blood of his precious martyrs. Those who have been slain down through the ages for the testimony they have born for Him.

Brothers and sisters let us remember the martyrs this day. Of those who were slain in times past. Of those who are slain even this day. Let us remember those witnesses of Jesus.

.......Of Those Persecuted.......

Probably not blain ...


2Why is Your apparel red,
And Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press?

3“I have trodden the wine trough alone,
And from the peoples there was no man with Me.
I also trod them in My anger
And trampled them in My wrath;
And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments,
And I stained all My raiment.