“You can help persecuted Christians, but they can help you more.” Richard Wurmbrand, the founder of The Voice of the Martyrs, shared this truth with Steve Cleary and it changed forever his perspective about being in fellowship with our persecuted family. Cleary, founder and president of Revelation Media, was an early staff member at The Voice of the Martyrs, including traveling to churches and other events with Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand. Today, Steve is following God’s call to develop iBible to share Gods Word in animated video form with people all over the world. The iBible app and content is designed to present the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. It’s already impacted people all over the world. “I want to make iBible and give it to the church. So, we’re asking the church to help us,” Cleary says. By 2033, Steve and his team hope to have the whole Bible completed in 300 animated episodes. Listen as Steve shares memories from serving with Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand and what he learned from them about our persecuted family. “Richard taught me that [persecuted Christians] are not victims, but that they are strong in Christ. And they can strengthen us.” Steve will also tell about his role helping bring Wurmbrand’s story to life on film through Tortured For Christ. You can watch completed episodes of the Bible—in multiple languages—on the iBible app, and you can watch Tortured for Christ and the prequel, SABINA: Tortured For Chris, the Nazi Years, on the VOM app. Pray for Steve and the iBible team as they work with the global church to develop partnerships to build and distribute Biblical content throughout the world. Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the podcast.
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Bhaluwan Kumar Paiswan was serving a 20-year prison sentence for gang-related crimes when he ended up in a cell with a Christian evangelist. Annoyed at first, he eventually placed his faith in Christ and experienced new joy and peace. When he was released early, he met another evangelist who discipled him, and they began to work together. The church in that village grew to 25 people in a few years with many more showing interest.
Read MoreTwo families in one Bru tribal village in Laos became Christians in February 2023. One of the families was driven out after enduring the threats and pressure of the community, which included the destruction of crops and livestock. The other family, Xing, Nang and their three children, were then alone, facing the same daily persecution as the family who had been driven out.
Read MoreBen Barrett and his wife were open to go wherever God wanted them to go. Ultimately, God called them to go on mission to one of the world’s most concentrated areas of lost people – North India and Nepal. It wasn’t always an easy transition, but God instilled a deep love for the people in their heart and a desire to reach them with the gospel. Ben is VOM’s new Regional Leader for work with persecuted Christians in South Asia. Listen as he shares how the rise of Hindu nationalism and Hindutva ideology have affected the church in India. President Narendra Modi’s recent reelection has emboldened radical groups across that country to continue and even expand their Christian persecution efforts. Ben will share specifics of how our brothers and sisters have been persecuted for their faith by Hindu radicals. Ben recently met with a front-line worker who has served 800 pastors in recent years who’ve been arrested or detained for their Christian faith. Listen as Ben shares how the hope of the gospel drove him and his wife forward in their own mission service and Ben’s advice to those considering cross-cultural gospel work. Pray for God to raise up new leaders in the church and bold courage for persecuted Christians in India, Nepal, and throughout South Asia. Also listen to Part 1 of this conversation with Ben Barrett where he discussed persecution in Israel and how Christians have been affected by the conflict in Israel, including Gaza and the West Bank, since October 7. Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the podcast. Or listen each week—and receive daily reminders and specific ways to pray for persecuted Christians—in the VOM App for your smartphone or tablet.
Read MoreIn Benin, local politicians are often strongly influenced by voodoo priests. In one part of the country, voodoo practitioners have convinced police to arrest four pastors because of songs they heard Christians singing during worship services. The complaints about the Christians’ songs have interrupted the services and activities of roughly a dozen churches in that area.
Read MoreChristians in Tunisia are finding it harder to gather and worship the Lord together. Front-line workers say the Tunisian government has banned Christians from meeting in hotels or other public gathering places without official pre-approval. “Only foreigners and officially registered NGOs [non-governmental organizations] are allowed to meet in those facilities,” said a front-line worker. The worker added that one church leader has been harassed and “can no longer lead weekly services on Wednesdays and Saturdays.”
Read MoreWhile meeting for prayer on June 28, 2023, Poonam Bind, her parents and another sister in Christ were arrested on charges of converting Hindus. They spent the next two months in jail. Poonam and the other Christian women with her used the time to minister to the other 150 female inmates in the jail and led many of the women to place their faith in Christ. “I realized God had a wonderful plan for those people to be saved, and so I was there,” Poonam said. “I saw how people were treated and troubled and how badly they needed Jesus in their lives.” She continues to disciple many of the women who came to Christ in the jail.
Read MoreOctober 7th, 2023 is one of those dates that will always be remembered. On that terrible morning, Ben Barrett was working for VOM with persecuted Christians in the Middle East and leading the ministry’s work in Israel, including Gaza and the West Bank. His phone began to light up with messages from both Messianic Jewish believers and Arab Christians—even before the terrible attacks were announced in international news. The messages had a consistent request: “Please pray for us!” Families and individuals like Pauline Ayyad, a previous guest on VOM Radio, asked for prayer as contact with relatives in Gaza was cut off. A messianic Rabbi asked prayers for his daughter who was ordered back to her military base, not knowing when she might return home. Video footage from a pastor in Sderot, the closest settlement to the Gaza Strip, showed him barricaded and lying flat on the floor as trucks full of terrorists shouting “Allahu Akbar!” passed by his home. Listen as Ben shares about his last trip to the Middle East, where he met with pastors from both Jewish and Muslim backgrounds who are taking the gospel to radical areas despite the risk. He’ll also tell the stories of Jewish-background believers in Orthodox or Ethiopian communities who face Christian persecution through shame, excommunication, and job loss. Pray for unity amongst believers in the Middle East. Pray for boldness in the spread of the gospel in spite of the risks. Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the podcast. Or listen each week—and receive daily reminders and specific ways to pray for persecuted Christians—in the VOM App for your smartphone or tablet.
Read MoreMrs. Thai, a Christian widow in a Khmu tribal village in Laos, was persecuted by her own family and kicked out of her house because of her faith. She lived alone, and none of her family cared for her. She passed away on December 27, 2023. Her family did not want to take responsibility for her funeral. Members of the local body of Christ came to bury her, but the village headman would not permit them to bring it into the village cemetery, concerned that it would displease the ancestor spirits.
Read MoreTeoboldo and Denise minister in one of Colombia’s “red zones,” areas dominated by guerrilla violence and illicit activity associated with illegal drug trade. They have been threatened and confined to their house; at other times, they have been forced to cancel worship services because of threats. They’ve had friends killed for refusing to comply with the warnings from guerrillas, yet they remain faithful amid the risk. “This is the area where God has placed us. That is where we are going to stay until God tells us otherwise,” Teoboldo said. The couple has three children, but their middle child died two years ago from complications during heart surgery.
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