The King is Coming to Reign!!!

Persecution Prayer Alert from Open Doors
AUGUST 2006

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Week of the 2nd

"Know, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us form the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord." Romans 8:37 – 39

I am sure you have been praying about the many terrible situations we see and hear on every news cast. But today we want to focus with you upon Israel, Lebanon, and Gaza. We of all people have hope and faith, not in ourselves but in the God of All Hope.

Israel and Lebanon: In the last few days we have heard from several of our Open Doors contacts in Israel and Lebanon. So far, attacks and problems are concentrated in the north of Israel and the south of Lebanon. However, the ‘headquarters’ of Hezbollah are in Jordan and there are also factions in Syria. These prayer requests are from Galilee, East Jerusalem, Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon: "Your prayers are very vital and much needed."
In Lebanon today, at least twenty percent of the population has been uprooted and they have gone to stay with relatives or friends at hotels, in parks, at schools, and in monasteries. Various churches and church groups have put together their meager resources and shown up at these places with food and prayer. Sometimes they hear the response, "The last time we were forced to leave we came here, so we knew you were going to help us once more." So there are wonderful opportunities for the Christian Church to reach out to people who have had very little contact with Christians in the past.

Please Pray:
That this war will not spread throughout the entire region.
For the believers caught in the conflict and for their protection; pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for peace in the West Bank and Gaza strip.
That we will not face more serious humanitarian disasters in these areas and that people will be able to provide for their families.
For Gaza as less attention is given in the news lately, but fighting is still ongoing in this area.
That no more innocent civilians will be killed.
For essential needs like food and medicines to be supplied in Lebanon in spite of the blockade and in Gaza despite the fighting.
For God to deflect Hezbollah missiles away from their targets--this happened in the 1991 Gulf War and it can happen again as we pray. Pray also that Israeli counterattacks will not errantly destroy schools and hospitals, or kill women and children as they attempt to dismantle the Hezbollah forces.

China:* According to Compass Direct, the China Aid Association (CAA) reported that government raids of two house churches last week resulted in the arrest of about 80 Christians. Six policemen interrupted a fellowship meeting of 43 Christians in Hubei province, south of Beijing, and detained 20 of them on July 21. Eight were sentenced to 10 to 15 days in jail, while the rest were released by 5:30 p.m. that day. Police also confiscated Christian books from the home. On July 19 in Henan province, authorities detained and interrogated more than 60 house church members, CAA reported. So far, CAA has documented 1,958 arrests in 2005 and 2006. Despite this persecution, let us give thanks and praise to the Lord for these persistent lovers of God and His Word!

Please pray:
For the joy and encouragement of the Holy Spirit for the many Chinese believers who have been arrested, harassed, and imprisoned for being faithful witnesses.
For the Lord to supply the needs of those who have suffered heavy fines and confiscation of their property.
For those who are now in prison, that Jesus would make His presence known to them, with signs and miracles. And our Chinese brothers and sisters always ask us to pray that, "Our witness will not falter, and our fellow prisoners will come to know their Savior."

Week of the 9th

"Finally be strong in the LORD and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." - Ephesians 6:10-12

Bangladesh: Monwar, a former Muslim who embraced the Christian faith and was baptized three months ago in Tangail district, Bangladesh, has been faced with increasing persecution. Recently his own uncle, Juran, (a Muslim) filed several false charges against Monwar and his family. One of the false charges is recounted below:

"Monwar is an armed gangster, creating atrocities in the village. On July 12, at 9 o’clock in the morning, Monwar was trying to build a pillar on our land, which he illegally acquired. My wife, Kohinur, who was pregnant at that time, came to stop him. Monwar caught her by her hair, kicked her in her belly, and stabbed her with a heavy iron knife on the chest, clearly intent on killing her."

Mexico: On July 28 in Chiapas, after seven years in jail, a sentence of 25 years was pronounced by the SecondDistrict Judge to the third group (case 46) of prisoners in the Acteal "massacre" case after their previous sentence of 36 years, 3 months had been nullified in 2002. However, one prisoner who is very ill was released.

A total of 76 prisoners are in prison for allegedly participating in the murder of 45 Tzotzil Indians, including 37 women and children, and injuring 17 others, in an armed confrontation on December 22, 1997, in the Acteal area of the municipality of Chenalho, Chiapas. Over half of these men are evangelical believers from the Chenalho community. Most of these prisoners were unjustly arrested and have been imprisoned for the past seven years.

Please Pray:
-For the Lord’s own justice to break through these spiritual and political barriers.
-For the innocent to soon be released, with praise and glory given to God.
-For the witness of these men to be sustained by the power of the Holy Spirit.
-For their families to be full of unfaltering confidence in Christ and able, by His mighty power, to comfort each other and their imprisoned loved ones.

Week of the 16th

"To love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength and to love your neighbour as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." Mark 12:33

Labib, a friend of Open Doors who works with the Palestinian Bible Society, visited our office in Southern California earlier this year, and, while we have spent many hours praying for him and the ministries in Palestine, he said that he has been praying for us! We had planned to bless him that day, but he instead blessed as by again praying for the ministry of Open Doors. When we asked why, reminding him that we were not living in danger as he was, he simply stated that we were in danger of becoming weak. Labib said that we needed to arm ourselves with the blood of Jesus and be prepared to love our brothers and sisters. Not just Christian brothers and sister but all mankind, regardless of religion, race, political position, age…..He prayed that we use each and every breath we take to "love [our] neighbor as [ourselves]"- James 2:8. Labib provides an inspiring example of how he lives in the midst of the conflict and gives us all a promise of hope.

Palestine: Labib Madanat spoke this week to the Open Doors staff in the United Kingdom. He recounted the struggles and decisions that face him daily. This past February, the Palestinian Bible Society in Gaza City received a terrorist threat: "Close and leave Gaza by the end of the month or be bombed." The Bible Society staff counted the cost, surrendered their lives to Christ, and refused to leave despite the real threat to their lives. Labib Madanat, a Jordanian Christian who is the director of the Palestinian Bible Society, explains that the Bible Society is called to serve the Palestinian people including the Muslims. The Society's commitment to love and to serve their ‘beloved’ Muslims continues, uninterrupted.

Labib asks Christians in the West to pray that:
-The Church inthe Middle East will be clean and stand for righteousness, justice, peace and reconciliation.
-The Church in Lebanon will seize the opportunity to demonstrate the love of Christ; to take the towel of Jesus and wash the feet of the tired, persecuted, and bewildered refugees running away from the fighting in Lebanon.
-The Church in Palestine and the Messianic Jews in Israel will be given the grace and power to rise up to live according to how Christ wants them to live.
-The voice of the Gospel is heard and Christians have the boldness to speak to the Muslim Arabs, and to their friends.
-That Arab Christians will have real love for the Jewish people beyond all politics.
-Labib and other Palestinian Christians will become more engaged with the Muslim communities in the disputed territories, and for the Lord to create opportunities for Muslims to taste and see how good He is.

Week of the 23rd

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." I Corinthians 15:58

Iran:* Seven years after Issa Motamedi Mojdehi converted from Islam to Christianity, Iranian secret police jailed him for abandoning Islam--but officially charged him with illegal drug trafficking. Authorities formally charged the 31-year-old Christian with drug trafficking when he was arrested two weeks ago. But secret police officials have told Motamedi Mojdehi that his real offense, said to be recorded in his confidential legal file, is "abandoning Islam." Officials told him that unless he renounces his Christian faith and returns to Islam, he will remain in jail and possibly face execution. An officer, identified only as Mr. Baghani, warned the arrested Christian that it might take "several executions" before Iranians understand the consequences of apostasy under Islamic law. Local sources have confirmed that Motamedi Mojdehi and his wife Parvah, who also converted to Christianity, "came to the attention of the authorities" in January, when they chose a name from the Bible, Micah, for their newborn son. The jailed Christian and his wife are members of a local house church group and, in addition to their infant son, they have an 8-year-old daughter, Martha.

Security officials told Motamedi Mojdehi that no one outside Iran would ever know or care about him, informed sources told Compass.

Please Pray:

Thanksgiving that thousands and even millions of Christians will hear of this unjust imprisonment of Issa and will pray for his release.
For Issa’s health and that he will not be tortured
That Issa’s witness will remain strong in the midst of all opposition
That the Holy Spirit will strengthen and comfort Issa and his wife, Parvah, and that their children will be protected. For all of the Christians in Iran, that this threat of "many executions" will never be carried out.

China:* On Thursday, August 17, Chinese authorities released Zan Aizong, a journalist who reported on the Hangzhou City police using force to demolish an unregistered church building and beating hundreds of believers on July 29. Zan, 37, the former China Ocean News bureau chief in Zhejiang Province, was arrested on Aug. 11 for "spreading rumors and disturbing social order." Two days before his arrest, Zan received a notice from his employer that he was "no more suitable for the job." In a telephone interview on Sunday August 20 Zan said, "As a journalist, my responsibility is to report the truth, even though it means losing my job." After Zan’s arrest, Reporters without Borders launched an appeal for his release. His Chinese friends also supported him by writing articles and calling for international attention. One of them, Yu Jie, is a famous Chinese writer who became a Christian about three years ago. According to Yu, Zan visited his church several times and was recently baptized in a house church in Hangzhou. Yu wrote, "As a one-month-long baptized Christian, Zan Aizong is practicing what [is] taught in the Bible, ‘Mourn with those who are mourning, to be chained with those who are being chained.’"

Yu believes Zan’s experience in jail will only make him identify more with the plight of believers in the unregistered Church. Zan agreed, telling Compass, "I had a sense of joy when I was in custody, because I knew it was for the glory of God. We shall overcome the evil with good." Zan also said, "As a journalist, I report the truth; as a Christian, I spread God’s love."

Please Pray:

Thanksgiving to the Lord for Zan’s release, and even more for his newfound faith in Jesus.
For Zan’s continued courage, freedom and witness.
For the others who have spoken up in his defense.
Rejoice in the light that Jesus continues to bring into China through His Church

Week of the 30th

"Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain: and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit." James 5:17, 18

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