The Front Line Report

This week on VOMAus Radio, Dr Yousaf Sadiq returns to continue his conversation with Todd Nettleton.

After dozens of churches and Christians’ homes in Jaranwala, Pakistan, were attacked, looted and burned by a mob, Christians gathered in and around the ruins of their former church buildings to sing and worship the Lord. The words they sang were directly from Scripture: Psalms of lament; reminders that even in times of suffering, we can come to the Lord and trust in His sovereignty.

“I want the world to know this fascinating story and what it means for the church in Pakistan.” Yousaf says, “It’s such a precious heritage.”

Dr Yousaf will also share about his work to support and include the ministry of persecuted Christians in the work of the Lausanne Movement.

This week on VOM Aus Radio, here from Dr Yousaf Sadiq. He was born into a Christian family in Pakistan.

His mother worked as a cleaner at a local school so that Yousaf and some of his ten siblings would have an opportunity to be educated. In the evenings, he would help his mother clean the school where he was a student during the day. Despite their deep poverty, Yousaf gratefully recounts how his family’s needs were always met.

Today Yousaf is a professor at Wheaton College and co-leader of the Lausanne Persecuted Church Initiative. He remembers how his parents invested time and energy in training their children to walk with the Lord, and how they led by example.

Yousaf also shares what it looks like to live in Pakistan as a Christian. There are many pressures within the society, but Yousaf understood at a young age that Christian persecution is part of following Christ.

“I felt not only strengthened but also privileged that this was happening,” he says.

This week on VOMAus Radio, we hear from Brother ‘Enfu’, the pastor of an illegal house church in China. Listen as he shares why and how he prepares his wife and children for the day he may eventually be arrested and sent to prison.

He will give an update on Christian persecution in China and how believers there are responding faithfully despite increasing government pressure.

Instead of large church events, the gospel is spreading through one-on-one conversations with co-workers or neighbours as Christians share what Jesus has done in their lives.

Brother Enfu encourages pastors and church leaders he trains to stay in China and serve Christians there, rather than leaving China for a more comfortable position in the West. He says that when he hears of a brother or sister imprisoned for their faith, it’s an encouragement to him, even as he acknowledges the suffering they are enduring.

Bayram is back to finish the conversation from last week. Hear stories of people in Türkiye leaving Islam and embracing Jesus Christ – and the persecution they’ve endured for making that decision. Bayram will tell the story of a young atheist who, after talking with Bayram for an entire evening, saw Jesus in two dreams. This young man embraced the gospel and became a follower of Jesus. It was a costly decision: as soon as he became a Christian, everyone around him became an enemy.

Bayram also equips us to pray for Türkiye and for our Christian brothers and sisters there.

This week on VOMAus Radio, hear from Brother Bayram, who came to the US from Türkiye to further his education. He started a business, where one day a Christian customer gave him a New Testament. He began to read it, the beginning of a path that would lead him to faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and the Son of God.

It was a costly decision: his devout Muslim wife divorced him and wouldn’t allow him to see their daughter. His brother had Bayram committed to a mental hospital, thinking anyone who would leave Islam was mentally unstable.

It has been a difficult road, but Bayram’s faith has only grown stronger as he has seen God work in his life and his country. Bayram will encourage and instruct listeners on how we can help lead Muslims toward Christ, wherever they are.

You can connect online with Brother Bayram and his ministry at www.albtci.org.

This week on VOMAus Radio, Patrick and Noah continue the conversation on what it’s like to worship and gather as Christians in Vietnam – sometimes the consequences are severe. Yet the church is making a bold stand for Christ.

In the coming weeks, we will hear more from Patrick as he explains further about the persecuted church in Southeast Asia and how VOM Australia is coming alongside our persecuted brothers and sisters to equip and aid them when opposition comes.

This week on VOMAus Radio, we hear once again from Patrick, who oversees VOM Australia’s field work in Southeast Asia, sharing about Vietnam.

This country has a long and complex history, and it remains one of the few communist countries in the world. Life here can be difficult for Christians. Yet, praise God, the church continues to grow.

Patrick outlines the various forms of persecution in Vietnam, including the consequences faced by a couple who gave their daughter a biblical name.

This week on VOMAus Radio, listen as Bob Fu, former prisoner for Christ in China and the founder and president of China Aid Association, shares updates from persecuted Christians in China, including Pastor John Cao, Pastor Wang Yi, and other Chinese Christians. The Chinese Communist Party continues to pursue absolute government control of churches and other religious institutions in China. Pastors and church leaders face lengthy prison sentences for 'fraud' when their church collects tithes and offerings, or 'illegal border crossing' if they travel to meet with fellow believers outside China.

Bob Fu, author of God's Double Agent https://vom.com.au/product/gods-double-agent/ , reports on recent church raids in China, including arrests of children attending Vacation Bible School. The Communist Party forbids any religious outreach or training for children under age 18.

This week on VOMAus Radio, Hana Menghisteab returns to share how speaking publicly about her father and her family’s suffering was painful, but how God used it to open a door for healing in her life.

Before his arrest in 2004, Dr Tecleab Menghisteab was a medical doctor and a leader in the Eritrean Orthodox Church. He is one of more than 300 Christians currently in prison in Eritrea.

Hana was six years old when her father was arrested. Hana will tell how growing up without her father left her wounded in many areas of her life. However, Hana says, “God does not waste pain; He doesn’t waste the years of tears.” Instead, the Lord uses suffering to display His glory.

Listen to Hana’s previous interviews with VOMAus Radio: https://soundcloud.com/vom-oz/sets/interviews-with-hana?si=67b6d15a70f44c14bdd08507fdba3bc6

This week on VOMAus Radio, hear part two from Patrick as he shares remarkable stories from the field, of persecution, forgiveness and overcoming, with God’s help and strength.

You will be amazed and strengthened by the testimonies of Rachana, whose husband tried to kill her after she became a Christian, and Nanda, once a devout Buddhist priest who lost his prominence and reputation for Jesus.

Be encouraged as you hear how God is at work in this ‘Hostile’ nation. We hope it spurs you on to pray for believers in this nation and pray for VOM Australia too, as we seek to minister for those who suffer for His name.