The Front Line Report

War persists in Iran, and Christian persecution is ramping up against believers who face interrogation, beatings and imprisonment.

Joe and Dawn, front-line workers in the Middle East, are helping deliver God's Word into the Islamic Republic of Iran. When one of their Iranian co-workers disappeared, they began to mobilise prayer from believers around the world. They were at a church when the brother called after 58 days with no contact. His first words were joyful: "I didn't deny Christ!" Barely recognisable after so much mistreatment, he found joy standing firm for Christ.

Joe and Dawn will share more stories of believers who have been persecuted in the midst of the Iran war, the state of Bible smuggling into Iran, and how they process putting others at risk to continue providing God's Word to Christians in Iran.

Yet the work continues, and Joe and Dawn will share what the Lord has been teaching them in this season. Pray for our brothers and sisters in Iran who are imprisoned and beaten for their faith, and for the encouragement of the church there in the middle of upheaval and great economic challenges.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court of Finland found Päivi Räsänen guilty under a legal statute concerning "War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity." Räsänen has been a member of Finland's parliament since 1995 and is a former Minister of the Interior for the nation. Her "crime" was writing lessons for her church clearly communicating what the Bible says about human sexuality.

The criminal case against Räsänen – a medical doctor, wife and grandmother – began in 2019 when she posted a picture to social media showing her Bible open to Romans 1:24-27, with a caption asking why her church's leaders had signed on to co-sponsor a "Pride" event. A police investigation recommended no charges be brought; the prosecutor brought charges anyway and then appealed not one but two lower-court findings of innocence.

Listen as Räsänen shares her incredible story of Christian persecution in a Western democracy that claims to protect religious freedom and where a majority of the people identify as Christians. She will also share how God has encouraged her through the Scriptures and through fellowship with other members of the Body of Christ.

This week, Noah continues his conversation with Daniel Sheyesteh, the founder of Exodus from Darkness [www.exodusfromdarkness.org] and a former Muslim from Iran.

Daniel shares how the Lord revealed Himself through the amazing conduct and speech of the Christians he met once he began attending church. “These people are free, fully free; they respect their wives… they are friends with their wives … these are lovely people, heavenly people, but we have called them infidels.”

Daniel encourages Christians in the West to speak out about the problems of Islam in the West and take every opportunity to share the blessings of Christi with our Muslim friends and neighbours.

Daniel’s book, The House I Left Behind [The House I Left Behind - Voice of the Martyrs], is available as a hard copy or Kindle edition.

VOM Australia CEO Noah interviews Daniel Shayesteh, who recently spoke at the NSW Crown Conferences.

Daniel, founder of Exodus from Darkness, was born in Iran. Once a devoted Muslim, he taught Islamic philosophy and became a prominent political leader during Iran’s Islamic Revolution. However, ideological conflict and growing disillusionment led to his arrest and death sentence. This crisis ultimately became a turning point in his journey to faith in Jesus Christ.

Following his dramatic escape and conversion, Daniel has devoted his life to sharing the gospel with Muslims and equipping Christians to understand and lovingly engage with people of other beliefs.

In this conversation, Daniel discusses the likely future of the Iranian regime, the violence and conflict inherent in Islam and the differences between Islamic and Western cultures. He also shares his love for the Iranian people and his grief at being unable to return to his beloved homeland.

Daniel’s book, The House I Left Behind, is available as a hard copy or Kindle edition: https://vom.com.au/product/the-house-i-left-behind/

The gospel worker from China was stunned by how many biblical resources were available to Christians in America. He created a plan to scan one Bible commentary onto CDs that could be carried back into China and copied for underground Christians there. But he needed help. He reached out to find a more technically capable person to help with the process – and an international ministry was birthed!

Ken Bitgood was the young man recruited to help with that scanning project. Today he and Digital Bible Society are distributing Scripture resources in more than 4,500 languages!

When Ken first became a follower of Jesus, he was encouraged to live in God's Word. He'll tell how he did that (with the help of a car stereo) and how it birthed in him a passion to see people of all nations, tribes, and tongues access the riches of the Bible and Christian resources to encourage and edify the Body of Christ around the world.

In their 25th year of ministry, the Digital Bible Society is working alongside more than 400 organisations to distribute resources, free and free to copy, in over 6,000 languages. Ken will share a story of a man from Beijing he met at a conference, who pointed to the DBS resources and said, "This is what put me in jail!"

You'll hear more of Ken's heart to see labourers in the harvest fields as he shares his belief that every language should have God's Word translated for them in his lifetime. Visit the Bible Access List to learn more about where there is a shortage of Bibles and places that are restricted from having God's Word.

On 11 September 2012, Islamist fighters attacked a United States diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. Four Americans were killed in that attack. Just a few months later, Ronnie and Anita Smith, a young American couple, moved to Benghazi with their infant son. Their goal was to live out their faith in Christ and have opportunities to introduce Libyan people to Christ.

"We wanted to live our lives out in a place that didn't know Jesus," Anita says.

Anita acknowledges that there was fear in moving to a dangerous place, especially soon after a deadly attack on Americans. But Anita says God gave both her and Ronnie peace about residing in Libya to further God's Kingdom.

Ronnie was shot and killed while on a morning jog in Benghazi.

Days after Ronnie's death in December of 2013, Anita was on national TV in the United States and on Arabic-language TV all over the Middle East, forgiving her husband's killers and expressing her love for the Libyan people.

Ronnie Smith taught chemistry to high school students at the Benghazi International School and was admired for his knowledge and chemistry skills, but even more for his warm personality and love for his students. Anita shares how their Libyan neighbours looked out for them and welcomed them into their families, spending time together, drinking tea, and talking about life and faith. When she hears of Libyans who started following Christ after hearing the testimony of her and Ronnie, it's a powerful reminder of how Christ is using their sacrifice. Listen also as she shares how we can pray for the widows of persecuted Christian martyrs all over the world today.

As a Fulani herdsman, the young man burned churches, threatened Christian farmers and even killed Christians in the middle of the night. But his life changed when he saw how a Christian woman responded to his threats of murder. Today he is a follower of Christ who has experienced Christian persecution as his own family tried to kill him.

Listen as Brother Philip, a field minister for VOM in Africa, talks about meeting this young man and shares stories of other Fulani followers of Jesus. "They know the cost, and they've considered the cost and chosen to follow Jesus," Philip says.

Philip will also share more about the power of being physically present with our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ and the encouragement it offers them as VOM staff and partners provide holistic care for both physical and spiritual needs.

Philip continues to be inspired by the growth and faith of persecuted Christians who choose Christ despite the suffering they must endure. You'll hear how VOM provides persecuted brothers and sisters opportunities to start a small business in order to provide for themselves and their families and continue the ministry God has called them to.

Hear how you can pray for persecuted Christian brothers and sisters in places like Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and around the world.

Last October, Pastor Wang Lin, one of the leaders in Zion Church in China, was arrested and imprisoned under false charges of "fraud" and "illegal business practices". Sarah Su (Su Ziming in Chinese), wife of Pastor Wang, recounts the day her husband was arrested and the Christian persecution they faced even before he was imprisoned.

Sarah will share about her husband's role in Zion Church's leadership and in training other leaders, how the church continues to reach many people despite persecution from the Chinese Communist Party, and recent updates about Pastor Wang's condition in prison.

"The moment I married Wang Lin, I decided to face all this together," Sarah says. "I knew that his mission was to train and disciple more Christians in China … I knew something like [this] would happen one day."

You'll hear from Sarah how she continues to face this persecution with courage, faithfully enduring times of worry and loneliness. She will share how she and her husband both are committed to serve the Lord, no matter the cost.

Zion Church made international headlines during President Trump's visit to Xi Jinping in Beijing in May and with the release of Zion senior pastor Ezra Jin from prison during America's 4 July celebrations. Sarah thanks God for Jin's release, and says the case against Zion Church continues, with eight church leaders remaining in prison. She asks that we pray for their release, the dismissal of charges, for their physical and spiritual health, and for her and her children, along with family members of the other persecuted Christians from Zion Church.

Visit Prisoner Alert to write an encouraging letter to Pastor Wang Lin, and letters to other Christians imprisoned for their faith in Iran, Eritrea, and China.

https://www.prisoneralert.com/

Becky Graves was living a comfortable American life when her husband suggested a family mission trip to Haiti. She told him – forcefully – NO! But then God changed Becky's heart; that "short-term" trip became a defining moment in her life. Fourteen years later, Becky is still serving the people of Haiti. She's also waging a battle with cancer. Becky has chosen to find joy – regardless of her circumstances – in the work of ministry in a difficult place and in the cancer fight. "Cancer and Haiti both taught me that I have to be comfortable with uncertainty and rely on the Lord," she says. She also says that suffering can be a gift. Becky leads a ministry called Haiti Awake. She also serves as a security trainer for global gospel workers through Concilium. Listen as Becky recounts her first diagnosis in 2019, how she's found opportunities to witness even in hardship and how her perspective on suffering has been shaped.

When the pastor began to weep, Cade Jefferson, the leader of VOM's work in the Middle East and North Africa, wasn't quite sure how to respond. He had just explained to the pastor how The Voice of the Martyrs comes alongside persecuted Christians and how the ministry was ready to help should a member of his congregation be persecuted or arrested for sharing the gospel with Muslims.

"We've found the people that are going to help us," the pastor exclaimed.

Hear about the dream that the pastor had the night before meeting with Cade, and how Christian persecution may look different for Christians in different parts of the region, depending on whether they live on the Arabian Peninsula, in North Africa, or the Levant.

Cade will also share how he and his team view their region through the lens of the persecuted church and how they see the differences for Christians in countries with historic, infant, or predominantly immigrant churches. You'll hear specific kinds of persecution our brothers and sisters experience in places like Mauritania, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya and more, including the danger they willingly endure to boldly engage in gospel conversations with Muslims.