A Personal Story of Persecution

     It is one of the remarkable blessings of writing this blog --- I hear from a fellow Christian half-way around the world!  This time it came in the form of an email asking for prayer and a word of encouragement in the face of persecution by radical Muslims.  As always, I am humbled that God is using this blog to connect His faithful among the world.  I will let this faithful minister tell you his story in his own words:

Dear Belle in Christ,

     Greetings to you in the most precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ from India!

     We are very glad to share with you that God has given us a burden and vision in our lives to reach specifically to The MUSLIMS by The Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have dedicated our lives into His hands to be used according to His will and plan in our lives. 

      Our Lord Jesus is using us to fulfill His plan and will, in and through our lives. Already several Muslim men and women surrendered their lives to Jesus and they are following His teachings. They are witnessing about Jesus and their testimonies to their relatives and neighbors. God is adding more men & women to our worship services almost every week for His own glory.

     Militant Muslims are often torturing physically, and trying to kill us and the believers from Muslim background for their new faith in Jesus. Even though we are facing heavy persecutions and threats by the Militant Muslims, our Lord Jesus is using our lives for the extension of His Kingdom and He has protected us for His own glory. Militant Muslims are constantly trying to murder us. Our lives are in danger at this moment.

      We are in great need of your kind prayers in our own lives and for the persecuted believers. Humbly, we request you kindly pray for God’s protection from the hands of  Militant Muslims. Please also pray that we might be always faithful to His call in our lives and grow in Him.

     

     This man asked that I not share his name or the name of his ministry, for fear of reprisal, so I will refer to him as Ravi.  In subsequent emails he has revealed more personal details about God's call on his life.  Ravi learned about Jesus by reading The New Testament after receiving a free copy from a Christian organization. His wife, Priya, had learned about Jesus through a Bible correspondence course before their marriage.

     Priya is a registered nurse and she used to work at a hospital.  Ravi says, "One day, God's Spirit asked her to pray for a Muslim lady patient who was admitted at the hospital.  She obeyed His whispers into her heart and prayed for the Muslim lady for the first time in her life. Later on, God had asked her to resign from her work at the hospital and go to the Muslim villages and minister to them through health care ministries. She obeyed His call in her life and she resigned from her work at the hospital. At present, she is reaching the Muslim women and children through the very informal way of health care ministries. God is using her for His own glory and we were able to establish a few house Churches through our health care ministries by His grace."

     But Ravi's story is no less inspirational.  While reading His Word, Ravi felt Jesus calling him to do His ministry, although there was no one to explain the Gospel to him, because he had no contact with Christian people in his area.  However, he felt that God had given him a vision about reaching out to Muslims with The Gospel of Christ.  A ministry was born and Ravi states, "I have surrendered my life into His hands to work among the Muslims according to His will and guidance in my life."  

     But that comes at a very high price!  As people of Hindu and Muslim faith come to know the Lord, their very lives are in danger.  Ravi shared some links with me that will give you a terrifying picture of what it means to be a Christian in this part of the world.  Please go to this link and read their story:  http://www.persecution.org/2012/04/13/islamic-extremists-beat-mock-christians-in-india/.  This is just one of many!

     Then there is the latest email I received, in which he related that he said he was "very sad to inform you that one of our believer's daughter has been raped because of her parents strong decision to follow Christ. The radical Muslims have given threats and asked her parents to return to Islam. But, they didn't listen. Then, forcefully, their daughter was raped and they brought shame on the family. But, still her parents are regularly following Christ and witnessing to their neighbors and relatives. Praise The Lord!"

     As a Christian, I cannot imagine being faced with these kinds of trials.  But, as fellow Christians, I ask you to pray for God's protection and encouragement for these brave souls.  We do not need to know their real names or their precise location ... God knows who they are, and He knows the sacrifice they are willing to make on behalf of His kingdom!  

     Are we prepared to do the same?  Do we have the courage and the conviction of our faith as do our brothers and sisters in India?  If you have ever doubted that the persecution is real or growing, here is your proof.  And if you ever needed a prompting to be about God's business and win souls for Christ, then here is your example to follow.  America is fallow ground and ripe for the planting of God's Word.  We have much work before us!

Philippians 2:17    "Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all."