Idrissa had mastered the mystical arts of his region. He regularly mixed occultic enchantments with Muslim traditions to cast spells upon people. But when a Christian evangelist visited his town and Idrissa tried to cast an evil spell on the minister, it had no effect.
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Last week, Brother Max shared his testimony of seeking God through following Islam then, when he met Jesus, finding a peace he’d never experienced before. After finding that peace, Max wanted to tell everyone he knew, but he was not prepared for how his community would react with anger and persecution. Max found it very natural to talk about Jesus with people who had known him before his salvation. They could see his life was drastically different, and they wanted an explanation. Brother Max was eager to share God’s Word with those who asked. He told them he’d found the ‘passport to heaven.’ But leaving Islam is not permitted, and his family and community persecuted him for his faith in Christ. His father could see how Max’s life had changed for the better—but still urged him to return to Islam. Max explained, “If I take Jesus from my heart, I will become the old Max again.” He challenged his father to read the New Testament. Persecuted first by those he knew, Max and his witness for Christ soon drew the attention of the government. He was arrested and interrogated by several police. It was a frightening experience; his legs shook with fear as the police questioned him and forced him to write a “confession” that would be used against him, dictating the words he was supposed to write. Christians gathered outside the police station, praying for Max during the interrogation. The presence and prayers of his Christian brothers and sisters encouraged Max, and a holy boldness came over him. He turned the table on the police, asking them questions instead of answering theirs. Listen as Brother Max shares how the Lord worked through that situation and later brought Max face to face with the one who prosecuted him—now a follower of Christ! He’ll also share about training new believers in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan to withstand Christian persecution after they leave Islam to follow Jesus. “Our time is short,” he says, “so we should be ready to meet Jesus.” Max will also equip listeners to pray for Christians in the region—including those facing persecution. Listen to the first part of Max’s story here, and learn more about Max’s ministry, Global Teams, here. Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the podcast.
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Three Indian believers faced murder charges after praying for a church member who later died. Pastor Surjan Khariya became a believer in 2004 after being healed from the same illness that had taken his 7-year-old daughter’s life. Like most in his tribal village in Jharkhand state, India, he was an animist, worshiping nature with animal sacrifices and offerings of alcohol. But when he was healed from the disease after Christians prayed for him, Surjan gave his life to Christ and became the leader of a house church. Another member of Surjan’s house church, a man named Kolah Lohra, literally stumbled across the church one day in 2010 after hearing sounds of worship coming from the building. Kolah, who had battled alcoholism and drug abuse for years, drunkenly stumbled into the church meeting, dancing to the drumbeat and singing loudly. Unfazed by his drunken performance, the Christians invited him to come back the next day, which, surprisingly, he did. Kolah felt profoundly changed through Christian worship and prayed for a new beginning. He immediately boxed up all his drugs and tobacco and threw them out. In 2017, Kolah’s 27-year-old nephew, Krishna, along with his wife and three children, decided that they,
Read MoreA local church met on their leased property recently when an angry Hindu man interrupted, ordering the congregation to stop their Christian activities. He then dragged one of the elders out and hit him in the face with a fistful of mud.
Read MoreFront-line workers are ministering to many Christian women in Nigeria who lost their husbands in attacks by Islamists in recent years. Grace was five months pregnant and had two other children when militant Fulani Muslims attacked her community, shooting indiscriminately and killing her husband, Musa, as he walked to work.
Read MoreInternet conferencing services are powerful tools for front-line workers to reach and train Christians in restricted countries. One web-based course offered live lessons focused on spiritual healing. The class profoundly impacted one Iranian woman: “The lesson examined Bible verses on forgiveness. We also discussed the power of unforgiveness on our emotions,” she said.
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Kill a martyr; make a follower. If only England had known what the deaths of Scottish Covenanter leaders would do for the movement, and how those courageous men and women would light a fire of faith among the next generation. So it was for nineteen-year-old James Renwick, a graduate of the University of Edinburgh despite his family’s humble means. Renwick had watched Donald Cargill die, had heard his stirring last words, and had seen his head and hands strung up on Netherbow Gate. That day Renwick determined to carry the mantle, to be a Covenanter preacher. He turned out to be a very good one. He was clear, sincere, and passionate. In the meetings he held along hillside heather and valley stream, hundreds would hear him preach about a gospel centered on Christ, a church free of state control, and a destiny of joy that God had prepared for each person who trusted the Savior. Cargill would have been proud to hear him and see him evade capture time and time again. One time, Renwick traveled to Newton Stewart for a series of outdoor meetings, called conventicles. During his stay at the town’s inn, anofficer of the king’s army, also
Read MoreAs a boy in Uzbekistan, Brother Max couldn’t imagine a God that cared about his life or had a plan for him. His biological parents didn’t want him. In his Islamic culture, he felt shame because he was adopted. He was consumed with the idea of getting revenge against his birth parents, who had abandoned him. Every day was dark. He felt hopeless and prayed every night that he would not wake up the next morning. When the Soviet Union collapsed, radical Muslim missionaries entered Uzbekistan to encourage young people raised under communism to pursue Islam. Max began training under an imam, seeking God, and learning more about how to pray to Allah in the required way and the history of Islam. But those lessons, and his increasing knowledge, never brought the peace he craved. Max had many questions about Islam. Why couldn’t Allah understand his native language? Did Prophet Mohammed’s life match his teachings? But Max was told to just accept the teachings, that his questions had no answers, and he should stop asking. Max first learned about the God who loved him from a friend whose life had been changed. Max wrestled with this new idea. How could God love me if my biological parents didn’t? If God loves me, why didn’t he help me achieve all the goals I had for my future? After wrestling spiritually for several months, Max came to fully trust Christ and seek forgiveness for his sin. Instantly, he felt differently. He finally felt peace in his heart, and from that moment his life changed completely. He started sharing his testimony with people who remembered how angry Max had been before Christ, explaining that he was a new creation! He even forgave his biological mother. As a new Christian, Max wasn’t worried about Christian persecution; he simply wanted to share what Jesus had done for him. Today Brother Max is serving the Lord with Global Teams, where he helps train others to evangelize Muslims and plant churches in hostile and restricted nations. Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the podcast.
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Eyewitnesses said it was like a scene from a movie. On Feb. 13, 2017, three black SUVs surrounded Pastor Raymond Koh’s silver sedan and forced it to the side of the road. Men dressed in black got out of their vehicles, grabbed Pastor Koh and shoved him into one of the SUVs while men on motorbikes stopped any approaching cars. The SUVs and Pastor Koh were gone in 40 seconds, and no one has heard from him since. Susanna is convinced that her husband’s abduction is tied to a 2011 confrontation with officers from the Selangor Islamic Department. As she and her husband hosted a dinner one night for sponsors of a charity they had started in 2004, 30 officers raided the event on the assumption that they were evangelizing Muslims, an illegal act in Malaysia. While some Muslims were among those attending the dinner, its sole purpose was to thank sponsors of their Harapan Komuniti (Hope Community) charity, which helped the poor, single mothers, children, drug addicts and those diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. About 120 people from various backgrounds attended the event in a local church. During the raid, the officers took photographs and videos of those in attendance, and
Read MoreSince accepting Christ, Ton, age 17, and Tan, 15, have been harassed for their decision by their mother and older siblings. Their mother and the rest of the family are aggressively pressuring the girls to travel to Vientiane to prostitute themselves and send the money back to the family.
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