Closer to the Fire with Greg Musselman

While the Democratic Republic of the Congo is home to one of Africa's largest Christian-majority populations, militant Muslim groups severely persecute believers along the nation's eastern border with Uganda. When rebels capture groups of people, they often release the Muslims while killing any Christians who refuse to convert to the Islamic faith. Amid the ongoing violence, the church in this war-torn country is under immense pressure.

Dr. David Kasali serves as the founder of the Congo Initiative, a Christ-centred educational institution that seeks to bring spiritual transformation to the country. He joins Closer to the Fire host Greg Musselman to discuss the violent attacks on followers of Jesus in the DRC, the many other challenges facing the nation’s believers, and the reasons why he chose to return to such a dangerous place despite the risks.

Length: 40 minutes

Episode Notes

To view the interview with Dr. Kasali https://www.vomcanada.com/cttf-videos/video/cttf-cd-ten-years.htm

Congo Initiative: https://congoinitiative.org

Pray for the Democratic Republic of the Congo: https://www.vomcanada.com/drc.htm

On February 13th, 2017, a Malaysian pastor named Raymond Koh was kidnapped in broad daylight by a group of men in the greater Kaula Lumpur area while on his way to a friend's house. The incident was captured on CCTV cameras, providing evidence that least 15 men in three black SUVs were part of the abduction. More than seven years later, his wife Susanna continues to search tirelessly for answers regarding her husband's disappearance.

Todd Nettleton, host of VOM Radio for the Voice of the Martyrs USA, has reported on the pastor’s mysterious disappearance ever since the incident took place, and then later interviewed Susanna Koh to hear her story. During this episode of Closer to the Fire, Todd joins podcast host Greg Musselman to address recent developments in the case and discuss whether Pastor Raymond may still be alive after all these years. During the interview, Todd also provides insight into the various challenges presently facing other followers of Jesus in Malaysia.

Length: 27 minutes

Episode Notes

To watch the interview with Todd Nettleton https://vomcanada.com/cttf-videos/video/cttf-my-wheres-koh.htm

To purchase your copy of Todd’s book, When Faith is Forbidden: 40 Days on the Frontline with Persecuted Christians, go to: https://store.vomcanada.org/purchase/when-faith-is-forbidden

Listen to VOM Radio at: https://www.vomradio.net

Voice of the Martyrs Canada: www.vomcanada.com

In 2022, Christian activities across Russia – including gathering for worship, distributing Bibles and Christian literature, as well as personal evangelism – were investigated by Russian police and punished as crimes by Russian courts of law. Believers were forced to pay fines and, in most cases, those who challenged the court’s decisions lost their appeals. This trend of mounting opposition against the country’s Christian population is being closely monitored by The Voice of the Martyrs Korea.

Closer to the Fire host Greg Musselman is joined by Dr. Eric Foley, who serves as the CEO and Co-Founder of VOM Korea, to discuss the heightened persecution of evangelical Christians in Russia. Dr. Foley offers insight into how the invasion of Ukraine is affecting Russian believers and addresses how the church is navigating increased challenges amid the ongoing war. Additionally, he provides an update on the growing underground church in North Korea.

Length: 52 minutes

Episode Notes

To watch the interview with Dr. Foley

The Voice of the Martyrs Canada | Closer to the Fire - Russia: Evangelical Believers 'Fined for Faithfulness (vomcanada.com)

The Voice of the Martyrs Korea: www.vomkorea.com

Read VOMC’s latest Persecution & Prayer Alert report on Russia:     https://www.vomcanada.com/ru-2023-02-02.htm

The Voice of the Martyrs Canada: www.vomcanada.com

The latest crackdown against followers of Jesus in the East African nation of Eritrea has led to the arrest of more than 200 Christians – including children – within a span of 12 months. According to Dr. Berhane Asmelash, who serves as the Director of Release Eritrea (a ministry based in the United Kingdom), most of the recently arrested believers were taken from their homes without any warning, and some were even apprehended during the middle of the night. In multiple cases, entire families were taken into custody and remain in prison today.

Dr. Berhane joins Closer to the Fire host Greg Musselman to discuss these latest arrests and provide insight into why, after more than 20 years, persecution against the country’s evangelical Christians remains ongoing. Dr. Berhane also shares about his own experiences as a believer who formerly lived in Eritrea, where he was arrested, imprisoned and tortured for his faith in Jesus. Dr. Berhane’s moving story of faith is recounted in his recently published biography, Brother, I Have Come to Arrest You.

Length: 42 minutes

To view the full interview with Dr. Berhane Asmelash https://vomcanada.com/er-videos/video/er-government-crackdown.htm

To order your copy of Dr. Berhane’s newly published biography, visit: https://releaseinternational.org/product/brother-i-have-come-to-arrest-you/

Voice of the Martyrs Canada: www.vomcanada.com

Christians in India are finding themselves increasingly under the threat of violent persecution. The growing hostility is often driven by an ongoing belief among Hindu extremists that all Indians ought to be Hindu – and that the practise of any faith outside of Hinduism is not welcome in India. This mindset has led to numerous violent attacks across the country; crimes perpetrators of the violence are permitted to continue with impunity.

In this episode of Closer to the Fire, podcast host Greg Musselman speaks with Manorama Mallick, a believer from Odisha State who has suffered greatly for her faith. The Christian woman’s husband was tragically poisoned to death for being a follower of Christ, and Manorama herself was physically attacked for refusing to renounce her faith in Jesus. Even though the beating left her with significant hearing loss, this faithful Christian widow continues to serve the Lord today by providing greatly needed ministry to impoverished people living within the slums of Odisha State.

During the episode, Greg is also joined by Rev. John Sankara Rao of Divine Ministries India to discuss a recent incident in which 120 Christians were forced to “reconvert” to Hinduism in Odisha State. In addition, Rev. Rao shares an update on Dr. K.A. Swamy, an evangelist who was left in a nearly vegetative state after suffering a brutal attack by Hindu radicals during the year of 2017 for handing out Bibles on the streets of Hyderabad. To support Dr. Swamy’s journey to recovery, Voice of the Martyrs Canada has provided financial assistance for the injured Christian man’s medical expenses.

Length: 37 minutes

Episode Notes

Voice of the Martyrs Canada: www.vomcanada.com

Following Ayatollah Khomeini’s Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran became the world's only country to be governed by an Islamic theocracy. Today, many of those living under the Islamic regime are filled with despair. Yet, their disillusionment has opened new doors for the Gospel, which is sweeping across the nation via satellite TV, the Internet, as well as a growing number of house church movements.

Even so, the government continues its attempts to thwart the spread of Christianity by persecuting the nation’s followers of Jesus. Many Iranians are also coming into a relationship with Christ after leaving the country and moving abroad, where they are passionate about seeing fellow Iranians – both inside and outside of the nation – come to faith in Jesus. One such person is Shah Ahmadi of Iran Alive Ministries, a U.S.-based organization and trusted ministry partner of Voice of the Martyrs Canada. In this episode of Closer to the Fire, host Greg Musselman sits down with Shah at the Iran Alive headquarters in Texas.

Length: 42 minutes

Episode Notes

To watch the interview with Shah Ahmadi https://vomcanada.com/ir-videos/video/ir-hopelessness-opens-door.htm

Iran Alive Ministries: www.iranalive.org

Voice of the Martyrs Canada: www.vomcanada.com

A religious freedom advocate recently warned that a proposed Canadian law could imperil citizens’ freedom of speech and religious liberty, raising concerns for Christians across Canada.

Jeff King, who serves as the president of International Christian Concern (a religious watchdog group based in the U.S.), says the proposed law, Bill C-367, would amend the Criminal Code by removing religious exemptions from Canada’s hate speech laws. If enacted, he warns that the new measures could impact public expressions of Biblical truth.

In this episode of Closer to the Fire, host Greg Musselman is joined by VOMC’s CEO, Floyd Brobbel, to talk about what it could mean for Canadian Christians if the bill or one like it is passed into law. Floyd also discusses the various degrees of persecution, and where the church in Canada is currently positioned on the persecution scale.

Length: 46 minutes

Episode Notes

To watch the interview with Floyd Brobbel

https://vomcanada.com/cttf-videos/video/cttf-vomc-bible-prison.htm

To purchase a copy of Trouble on the Way by Floyd Brobbel, go to: https://store.vomcanada.org/purchase/trouble-on-the-way

View Jeff King’s interview with CBN News: https://www2.cbn.com/news/us/persecution-watchdogs-warning-canadian-bill-could-send-christians-jail-quoting-bible

Sign up to receive VOMC’s Persecution & Prayer Alert emails and free monthly magazine: https://store.vomcanada.org/subscribe

The Voice of the Martyrs Canada: www.vomcanada.com

The Christian faith has a long history in North Africa. In fact, the early church father, Augustine of Hippo, was from this region of the world. However, after invasions by Arab Muslims, much of North Africa’s public Christian worship and witness disappeared during the seventh century AD.

Today, many North Africans are rediscovering their Christian heritage. As a result, the church is expanding rapidly, but so is persecution against followers of Jesus. VOMC’s Minister-at-Large, Greg Musselman, recently travelled to an undisclosed country to hear firsthand about the situation facing our North African family in Christ. During this time, Greg met with Christian leaders from Algeria and Libya to discuss the growing challenges being encountered by believers in these Muslim-majority nations.

Length: 30 minutes

Episode Notes

To view the full video report on Algeria, go to: https://www.vomcanada.com/dz-videos/video/dz-growing-persecuted.htm

To view the full video report on Libya, visit: https://vomcanada.com/ly-videos/video/ly-dangers-following-1.htm

The Voice of the Martyrs Canada: www.vomcanada.com

For Christians in Iran who convert from Islam, there is not even a semblance of tolerance for their faith. Conversion from Islam to Christianity is illegal in this Middle Eastern nation, and anyone discovered to be a member of a house church can be charged with a crime against national security. Followers of Jesus who are arrested and detained may also be subjected to torture and abuse during imprisonment.

Despite the intense opposition to the Gospel, Iran is considered home to the fastest-growing church in the world. One of the ministries working in this oppressive country is the American-based organization, Iran Alive. This partner of Voice of the Martyrs Canada is witnessing a deep spiritual hunger among the Iranian people, and many are turning to faith in the Lord!

In this episode of Closer to the Fire, host Greg Musselman speaks with Lily Meschi, the Director of Partner Relations for Iran Alive, about the various challenges and opportunities facing Christians in her home country. Lily also shares the story of her journey to Jesus, how she survived a 14-year abusive marriage, and her passion for seeing women in Iran and beyond experience the same freedom she now enjoys in Christ.

Length: 45 minutes

Episode Notes

To view the interview with Lily Meschi

https://vomcanada.com/cttf-videos/video/cttf-ir-bringing-light.htm

Iran Alive Ministries: https://iranalive.org/

Voice of the Martyrs Canada: www.vomcanada.com

A sessions court in Islamabad has handed down a 25-year prison sentence to a Muslim man for murdering a Christian woman three years ago after she turned down his marriage proposal. Judge Azam Khan of the Islamabad Sessions Court convicted Muhammad Shahzad (also known as Shani) for the murder of 24-year-old Sonia Allah Rakha while acquitting three other suspects who had been involved in the case.

Closer to the Fire host Greg Musselman discusses this landmark verdict with Asher John of Kross Konnection, a digital media platform that advocates for human rights on behalf of vulnerable minorities living in this Muslim-majority nation. During their conversation, Asher also provides an update on a recent incident in which a pastor in Jaranwala faked his assassination, and describes the current situation for followers of Jesus in an area where thousands of militant Muslims burned churches and Christian homes this past August.

In addition, Asher and Greg preview a documentary focussing on the plight of Pakistan’s Christian women and girls, who are being kidnapped, forcibly converted to Islam, and then married against their wills – incidents that have been taking place with alarming frequency throughout the country.

Length: 37:30

Episode Notes

To watch the interview with Asher John

The Voice of the Martyrs Canada - Closer to the Fire (vomcanada.com)

View the Stolen Lives documentary: www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=YQXm_5Lo0Ig

Kross Konnection: www.krosskonnection.pk

The Voice of the Martyrs Canada: www.vomcanada.com