The Front Line Report

In 2018, Huldah's husband was martyred for his Christian witness. Family and friends urged Huldah to leave the village, to retreat to a safer location. She refused, and seven years later, she is still living and serving the Lord in the same village. "My God is great, and He will take care of me," she says.

Listen as Huldah shares how God has cared for her since her husband's death, often using members of Christ's body to serve and support her in times of need.

She'll also talk about the process of forgiveness. Huldah still sees the people who killed her husband, yet she doesn't hold a grudge in her heart but instead has forgiven them.

Hear what Huldah's ministry looks like today in the village, and how she lives out Matthew 25:40's call to serve the Lord by caring for the least of these.

Over the last fifteen years, living and ministering in South Asia, Brian, a leader with Operation Mobilisation, has witnessed numerous changes. One aspect that hasn't changed is openness to the gospel.

Brian explains where Christian persecution usually begins and how it can feature a mix of family, community, and/or the government coming against the church and against new followers of Jesus. Emphasising that God is the one who changes hearts and minds, Brian shares how, when we read the New Testament, we see that God is sovereign even over the persecution He allows His children to endure.

"[Christian persecution] causes believers to grow in their faith." Brian says, "I think it's a real witness that this faith is so much bigger than what is happening to me in this world."

“I just want the Bible. How much does it cost?”

First, the young Druze woman tried to access and read her own religion’s holy book. But she wasn’t allowed to read it. Then she tried to find a Koran. Finally, she came to a church and asked to purchase a Bible, worried she wouldn’t have enough money to pay for it. The pastor told her that God’s Word is priceless, but that he would give it to her without cost. Shocked, she took the Bible and began to read, eventually giving her life to Jesus.

Brother Michael, a gospel worker in the Middle East, will share more of this young woman’s powerful story and the Christian persecution she faced from her family while standing firm in Christ. In spite of persecution, even locked in a room, she continued to share the gospel.

Learn what it’s like to live as a Christian in the Middle East, and what believers face after leaving Muslim or Druze backgrounds to follow Christ. As believers engage in conversations with family and friends, they carefully plant spiritual seeds while testing their listeners’ hearts to see if they are ready to go deeper.

Brother Michael also shares how he trains and leads discipleship through Discovery Bible Study groups, which are multiplying as new believers share their personal testimonies with family and friends. One group started with nine believers but today has multiplied into more than twenty groups with 150 believers!

Hear how you can pray specifically for Brother Michael and our persecuted Christian family in the Middle East.

Churches in Algeria have been closed by the government. Pastors have been threatened. But the ministry continues. Pastor Abraham and Sara are back this week to continue our conversation about God’s work in the Middle East and North Africa—and the Christian persecution that Christ’s followers face.

Hear the story of one pastor who has repeatedly changed his phone number because of constant threats. Yet he remains in his country and continues to share the gospel with Muslims.

They will also offer an update on the situation for Christians in Syria as we near the one-year anniversary of the fall of the Assad regime.

Abraham and Sara will also share how Christians fleeing violence and danger in the region are going as missionaries to their new homelands—sometimes reaching their countrymen even in far-off lands!

Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced from their homes and their countries amidst war and upheaval in the Middle East. Pastor Abraham and Sara are living as representatives of God’s love to displaced people in the Middle East. The ministry can be messy and difficult, yet they persist in demonstrating love in practical ways. And they are seeing great fruit for their ministry.

Abraham and Sara will share how one woman—the widow of an imam—had heard all kinds of negative things about Christians. But when she came to the church, she found something very different: people who loved her and helped her. Listen to hear the story of how God answered the woman’s prayer within 24 hours, and how a dream led her to commit her life to Jesus.

Leaving Islam behind to follow Jesus comes with a cost, though. Abraham and Sara will also share what Christian persecution looks like in the region, including pressure from families or tribes as well as Islamists or government authorities.

“We are planting seeds,” Sara says, “we are the tools for His Kingdom.”

In Malaysia, every citizen carries an ID card that includes religion; every person is classified as either ‘Muslim’ or ‘Non-Muslim’. The Malaysian constitution promises religious freedom and the right to choose one’s religion. So, what happens if a citizen changes their faith?

Brother ‘Samuel’ was born into a Muslim family, but he chose to leave Islam behind to follow Christ. At first, he kept his newfound faith quiet, knowing that being publicly identified as a follower of Jesus could bring all kinds of trouble.

But as he grew in faith, he felt convicted about his silence. Jesus had died for him. How could he be unwilling even to acknowledge Christ?

Learning of his conversion, Samuel’s family encouraged him to dive more deeply into Islamic training and activities. Wanting to honour his father and his family, Samuel agreed to attend Islamic classes. But instead of bringing him back to Mohammed, the training forced him to become more rooted in Biblical truth and more capable of explaining and defending Christian doctrines.

In 2018, Samuel began the process of applying for a new national ID card, changing his religion from “Muslim” to “non-Muslim”. Seven years later, his court case is still dragging on.

Listen to part two of Noah and Patrick’s conversation as they highlight what life is like in a Muslim dominated country of Southeast Asia [name of country withheld for security]. Being a Christian convert from Islam presents life-altering legal challenges to individuals who wish to marry the person of their choice! Hear about VOM Australia’s work in this country to send the small yet faithful church.

Listen also about the nation of Brunei, where Muslim background believers are offered bribes from the government to return to Islam.

This week on VOMAus Radio, hear from our partners in Nigeria, Kent and Ruth of Christian Faith Ministries (CFM).

As they choose to love their enemies, God continues to work powerfully through CFM.

CFM is a valued long-term ministry partner of VOM Australia, equipping the church for evangelism in dangerous regions and caring for those affected by religious violence.

Interview courtesy of our friends at Vision Christian Radio.

Australians are keen travellers to many Southeast Asian countries, but day-to-day life for small populations of local Christians can be a struggle.

This week on VOMAus Radio, Patrick and Noah discuss Christian life in a Muslim-dominant Asian nation [name of country withheld for security], including a special education outreach project for children without identification documents, and much sought-after leadership training for local pastors.

This week on VOMAus Radio, Noah and Patrick discuss the persecution of Christians in the extensive and hugely populous nation of India.

While India’s constitution guarantees religious freedom, in reality, anti-conversion laws are commonly used against pastors and evangelists, and attacks on pastors have become more common.

In the north of the country, where it’s a Hindu stronghold, anti-Christian sentiment is strong. In the south, persecution is most likely to occur in rural areas. Hear about how VOM Australia is at work in supporting pastors, providing training, Bible distribution and a safehouse for new converts who have been abandoned by family. Through this work, Christians are reminded that they are not alone.