Nik and Ruth Ripken went to Africa as missionaries. They experienced great works of God, but also great hardship and loss. Malaria almost killed them. Four Christian friends in Somalia were killed in one day. Their 16-year-old son died suddenly. 

Out of their wrestling with grief and loss God gave them a new mission: meet with persecuted Christians all over the world and learn from them. For Nik, it was a very personal quest.

“I don’t know if Jesus is trustworthy anymore. Somali believers are dead. Our son is dead. Our dreams are dead. And we want to know, Is Jesus for the tough places?”

Out of their quest Nik Ripken Ministries was born. Nik shared the lessons persecuted Christians had taught him in a book, The Insanity of God. The book eventually became a film, released shortly after this interview was recorded.

Today, Nik and Ruth host their own podcast, Witness & Persecution, and have recently launched a video-based group study, Insanity Unleashed.

Listen as Nik and Ruth share their stories of God calling them to missions from very different backgrounds, and the hardship and loss they experienced on the field in Africa as missionaries.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in Syria, North Korea, Iran, China and other nations throughout the year, as well as giving free access to e-books, audio books, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

Andrew Ginsberg has been the president of Operation Mobilization USA for the last six months, stepping into the role and following in the footsteps of George Verwer, founder of OM (and past VOM Radio guest). Coming from a Jewish upbringing, Andrew tells the story of the nine-year path that led him to following Jesus—and then his eventual route into full-time ministry.

Andrew shares three things the Lord taught him in the 18 months before he took over the presidency of OM-USA, preparing him to lead OM through this season. He also talks about the weight of leadership when sending gospel workers to places where their lives are at risk due to Christian persecution. Andrew is reminded that it’s his job to inform, not to stop people from being a witness for Christ.

“It’s very easy to give up control, hold my hands up, and let the Lord do the work,” Andrew says, “The gospel moves in our presence but not because of our presence.”

Andrew will also share the story of one witness in Sudan, and how OM-USA is using social media to reach individuals willing to be disciple-makers. His greatest joy is to see others called to go and spread the gospel to the unreached parts of the world.

Pray that the Lord would call more laborers into the harvest and that the gospel wildfire would continue to spread in closed nations.

OM co-founder Dale Rhoton has also been a guest on VOM Radio.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in Syria, North Korea, Iran, China and other nations throughout the year, as well as giving free access to e-books, audio books, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

Do you believe the Lord brought them to us so they can hear the gospel?”

The question was asked by a pastor in Aleppo, the war-torn city in Syria. Members of the Islamist group that would soon control the country were standing in front of his home, machine guns in hand.

“That’s a Kingdom-minded church!” says John Samara, a Christian from Syria and the founder and leader of Ananias House, a ministry reaching people with the love of Christ in Syria, the Middle East and North Africa.

Samara has seen God answer prayers for revival during the last 12 years of civil war in Syria. Yet he also sees more Christian persecution coming as more Muslims come to know Jesus—and as the new regime in Syria tightens it’s control over the country.

While the new government—which overthrew the longstanding Assad regime late last year—publicly says they want more religious freedom and will make a place for religious minority groups, what’s happening on the ground isn’t matching their lofty words.

“We’re looking at potential genocide against Christians in Syria,” says John. The new government grew out of a group that formerly claimed allegiance to Al Qaeda and ISIS.

John will also discuss his new book, The Victor’s Crown of Glory, living as a persecuted Christian in the Middle East, and seeing his father deal courageously with constant interrogation and interference from the secret police. Order a copy of John's book today to read amazing stories of God at work and learn how the Spirit of God speaks through us, even in times of great fear!

John spoke during The Voice of the Martyrs’ I AM N Virtual Event. You can still access this powerful event online to hear stories of faith and courage in the shadow of radical Islam. Pray for our Christian brothers and sisters in Syria to stand firm in their faith amidst rising Christian persecution.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in Syria, North Korea, Iran, China and other nations throughout the year, as well as giving free access to e-books, audio books, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

Dozens of foreign Christians have been quietly forced out of Türkiye in recent years.

After moving his family to Türkiye (formerly Turkey) in 2001, Jerry Mattix served in aid ministry and as a pastor. Last month he was told he is no longer allowed to enter the country—even for short visits.

Jerry and his wife grew up in missionary families with hearts for missions. During his first semester in Bible school, God grabbed Jerry’s heart for the Kurdish people in Türkiye, one of the largest unreached people groups in the world.

Listen to hear how Jerry and his wife started ministry together in Türkiye, and the story of Jerry’s first expulsion from the country in 2013, when he was labeled a “threat to national security.” Türkiye was founded as a secular republic, but in recent years government leaders have grown more open about favoring Islam. Jerry fought his first expulsion in court, and judges ruled in his favor, allowing him to reenter the country in 2016—but not to live there. Jerry and his family planted new roots in North Cyprus. They have seen the Lord’s hand at work despite their family’s upheaval.

Following the massive earthquake on February 6th, 2023, Jerry made repeated trips to Türkiye to partner with local pastors and lead international Christians in to serve in relief work.

Listen as Jerry explains the government’s decision to remove foreign Christians from Türkiye and hear how the local church has “grown legs” to carry forward the ministry as foreign workers are being forced out of the country. “We’re not praying for peace and prosperity, or for Christian persecution;” Jerry says, “We are praying for the kingdom of Christ to grow and thrive—whatever it takes.”

Pray for Jerry and other foreign Christians who have been kicked out of Türkiye and for believers in Türkiye to continue in the ministry God has called them to. Listen to more stories from Türkiye on VOM Radio with Joy Subasiguller, Andrew Brunson, and David Byle.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians throughout the year, as well as giving free access to e-books, audio books, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

Four in 10 people on earth have never heard the name of Jesus. Brother Harold, a gospel worker for 15 years among Muslims in Central Asia, joins VOM Radio this week to share what he’s seen and learned during seven years mobilizing missionaries to go into all the world.

Harold will share how his own daughter was called to full-time missions and offer advice and encouragement to parents sending out their sons and daughters to be gospel workers, knowing that some will never come back.

“There are about 450,000 Christian missionaries worldwide,” Harold says, “but only 15,000 go to the unreached, to the 3.4 billion unreached people.”

Today Latin American and African churches are on fire for Christ, sending out the greatest number of missionaries to the world. How can the church in North America come alongside these willing workers?

Listen as Brother Harold encourages local pastors to be involved and supportive of missions in their congregations, including practical advice to pastors. He will also encourage those of every age to be involved in missions and share the benefits of attending the Perspectives course that helps all believers understand their roles in the Great Commission.

Harold also shares a recent experience where he was convicted by God in a taxicab.

Pray for unreached people groups to hear the gospel and for missionaries to be sent into the harvest fields.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians throughout the year, as well as giving free access to e-books, audio books, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

“And he said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” – Luke 10:2

Nathan and Kari have served as gospel workers in South Asia through different seasons of life. Today they serve as leaders there with the International Mission Board (IMB). Listen as they share how they arrived on the mission field from two very different upbringings. Nathan grew up in a family with generations in missionary service. Kari didn’t find Jesus until her 20s—after exploring Hindu and Buddhist teachings and spirituality.

Nathan and Kari understand the great need in South Asia for gospel seed planting, harvest and discipleship. The IMB reports that every year there are an average of 106 people groups engaged with the gospel for the first time.

“The gospel fire is burning,” Nathan says, “and it’s not waiting for foreign workers but in the hands of locals.”

Nathan and Kari will share how they equip both Western gospel workers and local believers to focus on the missionary task. In South Asia, Christian persecution continues, at times propelled by government decrees (like anti-conversion laws in India) and at other times coming from close family members of the believer.

Listen as Nathan and Kari share advice to those who are pursuing missions as the Lord calls and how personal spiritual disciplines help sustain us in the tasks the Lord has for us. Pray God will provide more laborers into the unstoppable gospel wildfires around the world. Learn more about the Four Fields mission philosophy at Four Fields of Kingdom Growth.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians throughout the year, as well as giving free access to e-books, audio books, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

With the call to invest his life in ways that will outlive him for eternity, Pastor Bennie, a ministry leader working in ten different nations in Asia and Africa, desires to finish well—just as he saw his parents do. His passion is discipleship for young people to raise up Daniels and Timothys who will use their voices for Christ.

Pastor Bennie has his own story of watching his father praising God while being beaten by militants. At the age of six, Bennie asked, “Why can’t my dad protect me?” Working with young people today, he hears similar questions like, “Why is my father serving God in prison? What was his crime?”

Listen as Bennie shares about gospel work in Sierra Leone, bringing medical teams to serve people who have never seen a doctor, and discipling the hearts of former Muslims growing into evangelists, pastors and church leaders.

“Our job is to saturate them with the gospel,” Bennie said. He even distributes Bibles to Muslim students, knowing that God’s Word will produce fruit.

You’ll learn more about Alpha Ministries’ discipleship program for young people and what happened when Bennie asked, “How many of you have gone through persecution?” He will talk about serving and praying for persecuted Christians in Myanmar, India, Bangladesh and other nations.

As Bennie meets with young, persecuted Christians, he is challenged as he hears their stories of persecution and suffering, yet encouraged by the faithfulness they exemplify despite imprisonment, rejection, and other abuse.

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In the eyes of the Chinese Communist Party, loving Jesus makes Christians “unpatriotic.”

Bob Fu, founder and president of China Aid, explains: “[The communists believe] you cannot love your country and love Jesus.”

Absolute government control of churches and other religious institutions continues to tighten in China as persecuted Christians are unwilling to comply with the doctrines of the Communist Party, which is expanding efforts to “Sinicize” the church. Listen to hear how pastors and church leaders are now being charged with fraud or other financial crimes, rather than charges relating to religion.

Bob Fu, author of God’s Double Agent, will also share an update on John Cao, who was released from prison last year but still is not free. The CCP continues to watch Cao’s every move, yet he continues to serve the Lord through a house church, daily prayer meetings, and a small Bible school — even baptizing new believers despite constant surveillance!

Pastor Wang Yi is now six years into his nine-year prison sentence. Like Richard Wurmbrand, who founded The Voice of the Martyrs and wrote hundreds of sermons in his head during his 14 years in prison, Wang Yi has written three books in prison. Wang also continues to pray daily through more than a thousand items on his prayer list. If you’d like to write letters of encouragement to Christian prisoners or petition their governments, go to www.PrisonerAlert.com.

Listen as Bob Fu shares how he stays personally encouraged despite constantly hearing of the sufferings of our spiritual family in China. He also suggests specific ways to pray for our Chinese Christian brothers and sisters.

The Voice of the Martyrs recently launched a new, daily podcast; Extreme Devotion is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians throughout the year, as well as giving free access to e-books, audio books, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

When Hope first mentioned to her husband the idea of moving their family to the Arabian Peninsula to continue their gospel work, Nagy’s reply was direct: “Never! Don’t mention that country to me again!”

It was a dangerous place for persecuted Christians. There were many questions and worries about moving there. But then God began to answer their questions, sooth their fears and confirm His call on Nagy and Hope, and their sons.

Last week, Nagy and Hope told the story of their life and ministry in Libya, including after ISIS took over parts of the country. They also shared that the day when God told them to leave Libya—immediately. The family returned to their home country, asking the Lord, “Where would You have us serve next?” Nagy and Hope expected a quick answer; they still had their bags packed, ready to serve when the Lord revealed where He wanted them to go.

But God didn’t call them to another place for six years. At that time they wondered why; today it’s clear God was preparing their family for what was to come.

Listen to hear how God revealed to Hope the country in the Arabian Peninsula where He was sending them, a country that was “not on our radar.” She’ll also share how she wrote down all the fears and worries she had about moving to that country—and how God answered her fears one-by-one, in the same order she’d written them down! Then God confirmed their call by revealing their destination to their sons, giving them also a clear sense of His calling.

Listen as Nagy and Hope share the openness they’ve found among Muslims on the Arabian Peninsula, and the persecution faced by new Christian believers there. They’ll also share specific ways you can pray for gospel workers in Libya and across the Middle East.

The Voice of the Martyrs recently launched a new, daily podcast; Extreme Devotion is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians throughout the year, as well as giving free access to e-books, audio books, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

Nagy and Hope grew up in the Middle East in families that followed Christ and encouraged them to serve God and be people of His Word. They were serving the Lord doing good work in their home country when they felt God’s call to go to another county in the region: Libya.

The transition was difficult and discouraging. They were forced to navigate a different community and expectations, and to learn a different Arabic dialect. With no fruit to be seen, Nagy and Hope were at times discouraged and disappointed. Yet God was working.

After months of gospel work, one lady came to Hope asking questions about the gospel. Nagy and Hope were excited! They felt it was worth it to be in Libya if only one person came to Christ! Then their new friend was detained and interrogated. She cut off all contact with Hope.

“It was hard,” Hope says, “but at the same time there was hope. Maybe the Lord would give us more opportunities.”

The Lord did bring about more opportunities, but they didn’t come without disappoints and hardship. Nagy and Hope will share more opportunities they had to disciple new believers and the obstacles they faced. When war broke out across Libya, the Lord still called them to stay, promising protection for their family and even their neighbors. God opened the hearts of many as they saw the Lord provide in their time of need.

Listen as Nagy and Hope share when the Lord clearly told them their time in Libya was over and they had to leave. Please pray for Libya and for the continued ministry of gospel workers in that country.

The first day of the new year marked the launch of a new, daily podcast from VOM. Extreme Devotion is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians throughout the year, as well as giving free access to e-books, audio books, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.