TKC Ministries
May 2020
Current Topic:
The Persecuted Church
Christians facing lions
When we talk about the church most of the time we are talking about perhaps belonging to a church, or being active in the church like singing in the choir or becoming a deacon or deaconess. Perhaps you have a calling to start a church, or maybe you are a valuable financial supporter , or the cleaner or maintenance personel.
Whatever your roles may be, they are all wonderful opportunities to know the Good Lord and serve him. Along with that we are fortunate enough here in the United States to , for the most part , participate in these activities unheeded , unopossed , and with little or no fears. Although history has certainly shown us that violence has and most likely will , stop by a place of worship.
However I'm not talking about a darranged person committing violent assault. Rather I'm talking about being persecuted for your belief in the Good Lord , His Christ , and His word.
I did some research and would like to share some of my findings......
In the bible there are numerous attacks on God's people. Starting in Genesis all through out the book.
Cain kills his brother Abel Genesis 4:8
Our Lord and Saviour Jesus suffered much persecution , name calling , physical assualts , and mocking, whipping , plots to have him killed, being spit on , crucifixion!
In the bible who was imprisoned for preaching the Gospel? All of the apostles, as a group (Acts 5) , Peter (Acts 12) , Paul and Silas (Acts 16) , Paul (Acts 22) , Aristarchus (Colossians 4)
Ref. Answer.com
* Madame Guyon - Jeanne-Marie Bouvier de la Motte-Guyon (commonly known as Madame Guyon, French 13 April 1648 - 9 June 1717) was a French Mystic and was accused of advocating *Quietism , although she never called herself a Quietist. Quietism was considered heretical by the Roman Catholic Church , and she was imprisoned from 1695 to 1703 after publishing the book , "Short and very Easy Method of Prayer.
Madame Guyon
***Quietism - a doctrine of Christian spirituality that , in general , holds that perfection consists in passivity (quiet) of the soul , in the suppression of human effort so that divine action may have full play. Quietistic elements have been discerened in several religious movements , both Christian and non - Christian , through the centuries; but the term is usually identified with the doctrine of 'Miguel de Molinos , a Spanish priest who became an esteemed spiritual director in Rome during the latter half of the 17th century and whose teaching were condemned as heretical by the Roman Catholic Church. Ref. "Encyclopedia Britannica"
Christians face 5 - 12 year prison sentence for preaching the gospel in Bolivia Inemesit Udodiong 1/24/2018
Preaching the gopsel in Bolivia , a country in South America , is the fastest way for Christians to get a prison sentence.
Church leaders report that a new law has been passed and it states that anyone caught telling others about their faith could face five to twelve years in prison. The law titled Article 88 says "whoever recruits, transports, deprives of freedom or hosts people with the aim of recruting them to take part in armed conflicts or religious or worship organizations will be penalized 5 - 12 years of imprisonment. This is according to a translation by Evangelical Focus , a media initiative of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance.
Canadian Pastor arrested for preaching the Gospel.
Christian Chat Jun 27 2019
On the streets of Toronto , Ontario on Sunday , June 23 2019 , two events took place.
1. The Pride Parade. many men were naked , and simulated sex was seen among the participants. The parade had been billed as "family friendly" and young children were in attendance and saw these men walking around. Nakedness is "indecent exposure" and a criminal offence in Canada ,but nothing was done about these people , and the police were everywhere.
2. A preacher named David Lynn , continued his street preaching for the day , the third or fourth place his congregation had been , a few blocks from this parade. First, protesters started screaming at him. then they started attacking him and hitting him. The mob grew , until the police came. David Lynn hoped they had come to arrest the people who were hitting and punching him. Instead , they told him to move on. He did move , but then the police told him to shut off his loud speaker , as he was violating noise bylaws , as it was the same volume he always used , he asked to see a noise meter , but there was not one. He shut it off , but continued to speak about Jesus. He was handcuffed and dragged to the squad car , while he asked why he was being arrested. Inside the car, they told this black man he was being racist and homophobic. Fortunately , he live streams every event so there is a record ,and there was no derogatory remarks , just the gospel. The police charged him disorderly conduct. his court date is July 10.
Interestingly , he said members of his congregation continued to preach and they were not arrested. They only arrested the pastor to make an example of him.
Chinese Pastor Wang Yi sentenced to nine years in prison for preaching the Gospel. December 30 , 2019 Robert Kenna in stories of persecution.
The Chinese government just sentenced Pastor Wang Yi of the Early Rain Church to 9 years in prison. The New York times reports , "as part of his sentence , he will also be stripped of his political rights for three years and have 50,000 renminbi , or almost $7,200, of his assets seized, according to the statement."
The government stated that the charges related to subverting state power and illegal business operations. The Early Rain Church posted a Facebook message in response , saying , "Pastor Wang Yi was just sentenced to 9 years in prison for proclaiming the gospel."
Vietnam August 11 , 2016
Over 100 pastors imprisoned for preaching the Gospel.
In what appears to be an attempt to control the growth of Christianity in the region , government authorities in Central Highlands of Vietnam have arrested another 66 pastors for preaching the gospel and for refusing to consolidate their churches into a much smaller congregation. These newly arrested pastors join more than 40 pastors who are already in jail; some of them have been imprisoned since 2001.
This unjust imprisonment of Church leaders without a trial is even more concerning due to the horrific and life - threatening prison conditions in Vietnam. Local sources even allege that prisoners who who do not follow strict protocol have been poisoned. Christians account for only about 10% of vietnam's population but they are viewed with suspicion by the authorities. Vietnam Christians are being unjustly restricted and their church leaders are being inhumanly imprisioned.
Although they have long faced an uphill battle in terms of religious freedom, problems for Christians escalated over the last few weeks as the authorities arrested dozens of pastors and imprisoned them. ACN Malta
Faith and values published February 27 2019
The truth is , persecution is more prevelant and geographically dispersed than any other time in history. Approximately 215 million Christians worldwide experience very high to the extreme persecution. Newsweek reported in January 2018 that "the persecution and genocide of Christians across the world is worse today than at any time in history".
In Egypt , Christian Coptic women are targeted , kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam and sold as domestic servants where they are sexually exploited and physically abused. Just last year , drug cartels killed 23 Christian leaders in Mexico and four in Columbia specifically for their faith and standing up against the cartel's criminal activity in the country. On Mother's Day in Indonesia , an Islamic family launched a suicide bombing attack on three churches killing 10 people and severely injuring another 40. The Christian governor of Jakarta was found guilty of blasphemy , forced to step down from his office and sentenced to jail for his faith.
Additionally , the Chinese government has started a systematic campaign to destroy church buildings and all Christian - related structures , begining with the demolition of one of the largest churches in China where over 50,000 Christians worshipped every week.
Persecution.com - The voice of the martyrs
About the VOM - The Voice of the Martyrs is a nonprofit, interdenominational Christian missions organization dedicated to serving our persecuted family worldwide through practical and spiritual assistance and leading other members of the body of Christ into fellowship with them.
VOM was founded in 1967 by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand , who was imprisoned for 14 years in Communist Romania for his faith in Christ; his wife, Sabina, was imprisoned for three years. In 1965 they were ransomed out of Romania , and soon thereafter they established the global network of missions of which VOM is a part. The Wurmbrands based these missions on Hebrews 13:3 , which instructs us to "Remember the prisoners as if chained with them - those who are mistreated - since you yourselves are in the body also."
AVIATION
Mission Aviation Fellowship - MAF
You'll find MAF in the hardest-to-reach locations, where people live isolated from the rest of the world, cut off from the most basic necessities. Our highly trained pilots maneuver Cessna and KODIAK aircraft through rugged terrain. And while passengers might hold their breath, MAF pilots skillfully land at short, unimproved airstrips on the sides of mountains, in jungle clearings, or on tropical rivers—to bring medicine and doctors, disaster relief, education, evangelists, Bible translators, food supplies, agriculture and clean water projects, and more. Why do we do it? Because we’re passionate about sharing Christ's love beyond where the road ends.
MAF.ORG
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