Persecution in Vietnam | New Christians Forced to Leave their Villages
Several Hmong families have been forced to leave their villages in northern Vietnam after coming to faith in Jesus.
In one province, 13 people from three families converted to Christianity after a sick family member was prayed for by a Hmong Christian and recovered from their illness. The families have been forced to leave their village due to pressure from local officials and must find a new place to live.
In another province, a village leader forced a Christian family of eight to leave their home. The family now has no land to farm, and they are struggling to make a living.
There are now no Christians living in these villages because converts to Christianity have been forced to leave.
Source: VOM Canada
Prayer Points
- Praise God for His work in saving Hmong people and using them as his witnesses.
- Pray for these families who have lost everything to follow Christ. Ask the Lord to supply all their needs according to His glorious riches.
Posted in 
Persecution in China | Government Plans to Eradicate House Churches
The Chinese government has launched a new three-phase campaign to eradicate Protestant house churches.
China’s Three Phase Campaign to Eradicate House Churches
The government’s strategy is clearly outlined in a document released last September during a training session run by China’s State Administration for Religious Affairs.
1. From January to June 2012, local authorities will conduct a thorough investigation of house churches nationwide and create files on each of them.
2. For the following two to three years, authorities will strongly encourage unregistered churches to join the government-approved Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM).
3. House churches refusing to comply will be shut down within 10 years.
Response from Church Leaders
In a recent survey conducted by China Aid in several provinces, over 95% of house church leaders said they had already felt the impact of these investigations, while 85% said local religious affairs departments had already created a file for their group.
Since the beginning of 2012, we have noticed an increase in the frequency of persecution and suppression of house churches. In addition to the continuing persecution of Shouwang Church in Beijing, the number of similar cases has risen 20% over last year and has spread into other areas, including Christian education, publication and bookstores.
Source: China Aid
Prayer Points
- Pray that Chinese churches will not be fearful of threats and pressure from the government but will remain faithful to Jesus (Hebrews 10:23).
- Pray that believers throughout China would be bold in sharing the Gospel despite the difficulties they face and will encourage one another.
- Pray that God will prevent the local authorities from stopping house churches meeting.
Stephen Gardner | 3 reasons why I’m excited about Unashamed 2012
This post is written by Stephen Gardner, Youth Minister at St Matthew’s Anglican Church West Pymble.
On Friday 18 May, St Matt’s Youth Community is hosting an Unashamed event in partnership with St Swithun’s Pymble. It will be the first of many, we hope. I think the work of Thirteen Three is vital and of enormous benefit for Australian youth communities.
Here’s three reasons why I am so excited about Unashamed 2012:
1) It will inspire Christian youth to live for Jesus
I love how in the book of Revelation, John shares his vision of God’s throne with a bunch of struggling Christians.
One thing he shares to inspire the believers is a picture of Christians who have gone through some kind of tribulation (Revelation 7:14).
They are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple… Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst… For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their Shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes (Revelation 7:15-17).
It’s a reminder to keep fighting the good fight for Jesus and to remember that their persecutors won’t have the final say. God will. And he will share his victory with his people. Awesome!
2) It will challenge doubters to take Jesus seriously
I think the hardest part of telling people about Jesus is not convincing people of the historical claims of Jesus but helping them to see that He is still relevant.
The martyrs whose blood has been spilt for Jesus not only inspires Christians, it also offers a profound challenge to unbelievers. There is a new king, Jesus, and there is a new community, the Church, being formed in the world. This new community pledges allegiance to King Jesus before all else, even if the price is death.
The fact that there are Christians still willing to die for Jesus is a reality check to youth in Sydney who don’t think Jesus is relevant anymore.
3) It will help create links between our youth community and the persecuted church
We have been exceedingly blessed in our church with safety to preach Jesus and stacks of resources.
One thing we’re hoping and praying for Unashamed 2012 is that it will begin an ongoing partnership between our youth community and our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world. We want to be informed and share the blessings God has graciously given us.
For more information about the Unashamed events and to see if there is an event coming up in an area near you, go to www.thirteenthree.org.au/events
Persecution in Nigeria | Deadly Attack on Christians at Bayero University
At least 16 people were killed in an attack on church services at Bayero University in Kano on Sunday 29 April.
News agency AFP reported:
Explosions and gunfire rocked Bayero University in the northern city of Kano, with witnesses reporting that two church services were targeted as they were being held on campus.
A witness told AFP the attackers had first thrown in explosives and fired shots, “causing a stampede among worshippers,” adding that “they now pursued them, shooting them with guns. They also attacked another service at the sporting complex.”
The BBC said in its report:
No group has said it launched the attack, but the violent Islamist Boko Haram group is active in Kano. It has recently attacked churches.
Nigeria’s central government has struggled to contain Boko Haram. The militant group operates mainly in the predominantly Muslim north, but has also struck as far south as the capital, Abuja.
Kano state police spokesman Ibrahim Idris said that by the time police arrived, the attackers had “disappeared into the neighbourhood.” A manhunt is under way.
Source: Assist News Service, BBC
Prayer Points
- Please pray that God will comfort the grieving.
- Pray for the injured.
- Ask the Lord to give wisdom and discernment to all those in authority in Nigeria, especially church leaders.
KYCK 2012 | Lessons from the Persecuted Church: Bold Evangelism
This post was originally given as a presentation by Bec Sparkes at Thirteen Three’s KYCK 2012 seminar.
Voice of Martyrs has collected countless stories of people who are on fire for sharing the Gospel even if that means forfeiting their health, their social standing, their families and friends, their reputation, their livelihoods, their citizenship rights…the list goes on.
Hearing all these stories makes me reflect on what personally stops me from sharing the Gospel and in comparison my reasons suddenly feel trite.
Rasa: Former Witchdoctor Becomes a Christian
I want to share with you one of my favourite stories about a man from Laos. Rasa* was a witchdoctor from Laos who was highly regarded and respected within his community where witchcraft and animism were commonplace.
But Rasa one day came into contact with a Christian pastor who led him to the Lord. He was warned about the dangers of letting others know he was a Christian, so Rasa kept his faith a secret and found himself living a double life.
However, all that changed when the villagers brought to Rasa a man who had a deep cut that was bleeding profusely. Rasa prayed to the Lord in his heart and miraculously the blood flow stopped. Rasa, no longer able to hide Jesus, publicly announced that he was a follower of Jesus and no longer practised witchcraft.
Rasa later experienced interrogation from the local authorities, harassment at his home and he was removed of his citizenship rights. However, Rasa says that even if he has to die for his faith he will not turn away because he knows that God loves him.
Living a Double Life
Do you ever feel like you’re living a double life for Jesus? I know I’ve felt like this.
But Rasa’s story encourages me to look to our powerful and loving God. Jesus tells us not to be afraid of man but to fear God.
My prayer is that God would give His people the courage and the boldness that we need to share the Gospel with our loved ones, with strangers, the people on the trains, bus stops,and people everywhere so they can hear of the amazing news of Jesus Christ!
*name changed
Click here to find out what Bec Sparkes is doing to support persecuted Christians.
KYCK 2012 | Lessons from the Persecuted Church: Perseverance
This post was originally given as a presentation by David Low at Thirteen Three’s KYCK 2012 seminar.
One thing that inspires and challenges me when I hear the stories of persecuted Christians is that so many of them don’t give up or back down in the face of persecution. It’s amazing just how often persecuted Christians face threats, loss of families, torture, imprisonment, or even death, yet they still continue to follow Christ.
Hearing their stories makes me wonder why they keep going.
Not Afraid of Death
One thing I’ve realised is that they are not afraid of death. They know that if they die they will just go straight to Heaven to be with Jesus.
Jack Vinson, a missionary in China, was held up by bandits who threatened to kill him. Jack simply replied, “Kill me, if you wish. I will go straight to God.”
Another reason why persecuted Christians continue to persevere is because Jesus tells us in Matthew 16:24 that we must be willing to give up everything to follow Him.
Make a Stand for Christ in Australia
Finding out why they are willing to go through all the pain and death really challenged me. It’s made me wonder what I would do in their situation.
Even here in Australia, I reckon we need to be willing to make a stand for God.
In Matthew 10:32-33 Jesus says it plainly,
Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
If we really want to follow Jesus and do what He says, then we must be willing to persevere through whatever it takes.
My Passion for the Persecuted Church
My passion is to help support those who face persecution and encourage them to continue to persevere for Christ and His kingdom.
All over the world, persecuted Christians ask us to pray for them. One thing that amazes me is that they don’t ask that the persecution would stop, but that they would stay strong through it.
Persecuted Christians are an inspiration for me to live my life wholeheartedly for God.
Click here to find out what David Low is doing to support persecuted Christians.
KYCK 2012 | A Radical Life: Lessons from the Persecuted Church
Have you been challenged in your faith by the stories of persecuted Christians?
We definitely have!
One of the things we’ve learned is that we need the persecuted church more than they need us. We have so much to learn from them about following Jesus and being unashamed of the Gospel.
Thirteen Three at KYCK
Thirteen Three was asked to run a seminar at KYCK this year, a youth conference attended by over 5,000 people. The theme of our seminar was A Radical Life: Lessons from the Persecuted Church.
Our Ambassadors shared some of the lessons they have learned from our persecuted family and challenged youth at KYCK to live radically for Christ.
Here are the four lessons from our Ambassadors:
- Unashamed (Bron Mercer)
- Joy in Suffering (Tadhg Parker)
- Bold Evangelism (Bec Sparkes)
- Perseverance (David Low)
David Hanzen is a youth leader who was at the seminar. He wrote on our Facebook Timeline:
I have just come back from KYCK and as a youth group leader took some of my youth to your seminar. I just want to say thank you. The youth that went were challenged a lot and are now thinking about how we can support Thirteen Three.
It was awesome to hear what our Ambassadors have learned from the persecuted church, but we’d love to hear from you too!
What lessons have you learned from the persecuted church?
Persecution in Vietnam | Cut Down the Cross
On 15 September 2011, local authorities cut down crosses on three church buildings in Kon Tum province, Vietnam.
Vietnamese authorities cut the cross of a churc building in Kon Tum province, Vietnam.
Rachel, a Bible college student supported by Thirteen Three, was a member of one of the churches.
I am very sad about what has happened to my church. Please pray for us that we will have faith in this difficult situation and that one day the Gospel will be free to spread in Vietnam.
The cross lies on the ground after being cut down from the church building.
When Rachel was 14 years old, she was arrested by the police, interrogated, beaten and forced to stand on nails in an attempt to get her to deny her faith.
Read more of Rachel’s story here.
Persecution in Vietnam Today
One of the main tactics used by the Vietnamese authorities to persecute Christians is intimidation.
They want Christians to stop serving the Lord. They want pastors to live in fear and submit to the authority of the state. Cutting down the crosses was one way for the authorities to show the Christians who is really in control.
But just like when Peter and the apostles were brought before the Sanhedrin and ordered not to teach about Jesus (Acts 5:17-42), Vietnamese Christians declare, “We must obey God rather than men!”
Voice of the Martyrs contacts report that other intimidation tactics used by Vietnamese authorities include:
- monitoring of Christian activity
- raiding church meetings
- taking pastors and Christian leaders to the police station for questioning and interrogation
- beating house church pastors
There have been increases in religious freedom in Vietnam over the last decade. But situations like this show that, while the government says there is freedom of religion in Vietnam, the situation on the ground for Christians is very different.
Please pray for our Christian brothers and sisters serving the Lord in Vietnam under persecution.
Prayer Points
- Pray for members of Rachel’s church, that they would be steadfast in their faith and that God would sustain them through persecution.
- Pray that Vietnamese Christians will be bold in their witness of Jesus, particularly to the authorities.
- Pray for the Bible college students Thirteen Three is supporting, that their training will prepare them for a lifetime of frontline ministry.
‘We Are The Outpost’ Make Music for the Persecuted Church
This post was written by Matt Sparks, Youth Pastor at MBM Rooty Hill.
Here at MBM Youth we love Thirteen Three. We’ve been working alongside these guys for a few years for the cause of the Gospel in local youth groups and overseas among the persecuted church.
Here’s the reason we love what they do… they share the same vision as we do! They want to see young people living wholeheartedly radical, Jesus-centred lives that have local and global impact.
We have been so encouraged and convicted by the stories 13:3 bring. We need the persecuted church more than they need us! We need their stories, their example of faith, their boldness. So we decided to be bound with them. They inspire us to radical discipleship and we want to pray for them and provide for their needs.
One way we thought we could be bound with 13:3 was to give a significant portion of the EP sales of our youth band (We Are The Outpost) to bless the persecuted church.
The vision for We Are The Outpost is that as a youth group we would be an outpost of God’s kingdom and glory on earth. We believe that the persecuted church is an outpost of God’s glory in the darkest of places.
We would love to give as much money as possible to 13:3 to support the distribution of Bibles in Colombia and the training of Bible college students in Vietnam, Myanmar and Indonesia.
Partnering with the persecuted couldn’t be easier – purchase a copy of We Are The Outpost’s latest EP Awaken for $10.
Persecution in Syria | Violence Drives 50,000 Christians from Homes
During the past six weeks more than 50,000 Christians have left their homes, fleeing from persecution and violence in Syria.
Homes have been attacked by ‘fanatics’ who are linked to al-Qaeda. Islamists have gone to houses, forcing Christians to leave. Fears have grown that Islamists are gaining influence and power in this region. The increased violence and persecution has caused many to flee and escape to villages in the mountains.
Throughout the ongoing unrest, Syrian Christians have faced a dilemma of allegiance. They regard the current regime as having been a protector for many years and fear that any replacement regime is likely to prove more hostile. Yet along with others in Syria, they know that open allegiance to either the government or to the opposition could bring retaliation from the other side.
Source: International Christian Concern, Middle East Concern
Prayer Points
- Pray for the Christians who are suffering in Syria that they will not be afraid but will trust in the Lord.
- Pray that those driven from their homes will find a new place to settle and that they will be surrounded by people to love and support them.
- Pray the Lord will use Christians in Syria as a light for the Gospel.
