Joe and Dawn are back on VOM Radio share what the Lord has been doing through their discipleship training and Bible smuggling ministry in the Middle East. They will also share how God opened a new door to ministry among women trapped in prostitution. Joe and Dawn are involved in Bible delivery to persecuted Christians in Iran. Believers targeted by the Iranian regime face the challenging choice to flee the country or stay, knowing they could be imprisoned for their faith. A Christian sister has recently begun a two-year prison sentence, yet she reported to prison excited about the ministry opportunities God had prepared for her in prison. In spite of so much Christian persecution, thousands of Iranians are choosing to follow Christ. Joe says that for many of them, “Islam is getting old.” It is exciting for Joe and Dawn to be involved in the great harvest of church growth happening among people of the Middle East. There are also burdens Joe and Dawn carry as they labor in this ministry work. Listen to hear how they choose to give their anxieties to the Lord each day, and how they think about raising their children in a “dangerous” part of the world. They will share some of the key lessons they want their children to notice in their lives and in God’s work around them. Last time they visited VOM Radio, Joe shared his testimony of how he met Jesus as a prisoner through God’s Word, and how his life was completely changed. Listen here as he tells how God transformed him from a prisoner and criminal into a committed follower of Christ. Joe and Dawn will also encourage you to pray for open doors to deliver Bibles across all parts of Iran, and for their family during a season of rest and Sabbath with the Lord. Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the Podcast
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Yobiri heard the gospel at a young age through a foreign missionary and desired to know more. He didn’t own a Bible nor know how to read, so he relied on Christians from other villages to share God’s Word with him.
Read MoreOn February 13, a Christian named Nin died, leaving behind two daughters, Neung and Nom, and a son, Ram. Since 2009, the three teenagers also lost their mother, a sister and their grandmother, all of whom were believers. After Nin’s death, his older brother and sister-in-law blamed the deaths on the family’s belief in God.
Read MoreCoronavirus restrictions have limited opportunities for evangelism during past Persian New Year celebrations, but this year, Christian workers reached many travelers with the Good News about Christ. On March 25, front-line workers met a young Iranian lady, Fariba, in a shopping center and gave her a package of gospel materials, including a Bible.
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It was 7:30 on a Sunday morning when two brothers, ages sixteen and eighteen, rode their motorcycles to the Santa Maria Catholic Church in Surabaya, Indonesia, and detonated their explosives, killing themselves and six others in the blast. Five minutes later, the boys’ father drove a car filled with explosivesinto the Surabaya Center Pentecostal Church. The bombs detonatedoutside the building, killing the driver and six churchgoers. In another part of town, the boys’ mother and two sisters, ages nine and twelve, approached the Diponegoro Indonesian Christian Church with explosives strapped to their bodies. When a security guard stoppedthem, they detonated their explosives, killing themselves and the securityguard. No church members were killed in the blast. A single family attacked three separate churches within a span of ten minutes. Twelve Christians were killed, and more than forty men andwomen were injured. Shortly after the attacks, the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the bombings. Investigators eventually learned that the family had spent time in Syria and was working with the group Jemaah Ansharut Daulah, an Indonesian militant group with close ties to ISIS. Indonesia is the most populous Muslim nation in the world. Althoughattacks against Christians there have become less
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Simo is a tall man with straight posture, hinting at his careers in the army and later as a police investigator. Like many of his countrymen, Simo was born a Muslim but had always held his faith lightly. It was tradition and it was culture, but he had felt more loyalty to his country than to his Muslim religion. In the early ’90s, Algeria transitioned from a one-party political system to a multi-party system, and surprisingly an Islamist party then won the election. To avoid the possibility of a government led by extremists, the army quickly took over, launching an insurgency that lasted six years. Simo served as a police detective during the insurgency, and one day he found himself interrogating a young Muslim man who justified his violent actions by citing the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. “I thought, if all this is right and Islam is telling us to kill, then Islam is not a religion and I cannot follow it anymore,” Simo said. Disillusioned with the religion he had grown up in, Simo began to consider Christianity. After visiting some churches, including a Kabyle Protestant church, he noticed a real difference between followers of
Read MoreMuslims around the world are commemorating the holiest month on the Islamic calendar: Ramadan. Muslims fast from sunup to sundown as a way to dedicate themselves to Allah and earn his approval. It is a strategic time for Christians to pray fervently for the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus and the truth of the gospel during Muslims’ heightened spiritual interest. Listen as guests explain the significance of Ramadan, then lead in praying for Muslims to encounter Christ during this month. They will also help listeners pray for persecuted Christians serving amongst Muslims. Our guests, who work in Muslim nations and among Muslims, will provide specific ways we can pray during this Ramadan month and especially the “Night of Power.” Set a reminder to pray each day during this pivotal time for the Holy Spirit to reveal Christ to Muslims during Ramadan–through dreams and visions, a Christian friend, a Bible, gospel broadcast, social media post or in some other way. Guests leading us in prayer include: Susanna Koh, the wife of kidnapped Pastor Raymond Koh, from Malaysia. (Hear her story.) “Soher” from Yemen Tom Doyle, Uncharted Ministries(Previous appearances on VOM Radio here and here.) JoAnn Doyle, Not Forgotten Ministries(Previous appearances on VOM Radio here and here.) Mehrdad Fatehi, PARS Theological Center(Previous conversations on VOM Radio here and here.) “Shawki” from Bahrain Lucy, Global Catalytic Ministries(Listen to “Ali,” also from GCIC, here.) Amir Bazmjou, Torch Ministries(You can hear Amir’s story here.) (Amir’s wife, Rashin, is the daughter of martyred Iranian Pastor Hossein Soodmand. Hear her story here.) Dick Brogden, Live Dead Ministries(Previous conversations on VOM Radio here and here.) David from Egypt Mike Ansari, Heart 4 Iran Ministries(Previous conversations on VOM Radio here, here, and here.) Hormoz Shariat, Iran Alive Ministries(Previous conversations on VOM Radio here and here) Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the Podcast.
Read MoreOn Tuesday, March 8, armed assailants abducted Rev. Joseph Akeke from his home in southern Kaduna state. During the abduction, the assailants shot and killed Luka, the church security guard.
Read MoreJacques Coutou is a former pastor who now equips other pastors with God’s Word. Jacques converted a room in his home into a warehouse where he stores the Bibles he helps distribute to pastors throughout Mali.
Read MoreAfter numerous surgeries and doctors could not treat his 8-year-old daughter, a Muslim man reached out to his Christian sister for prayer. The Muslim brother had treated his Christian sister badly and had not spoken to her for nearly a decade because of her decision to follow Christ.
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