Secret Church

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Pray for the Persecuted: Pastor Youcef Re-Arrested Posted: 08 Jan 2013 04:00 AM PST In Iran Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani was re-arrested on Christmas day on charges that he still had 45 days left of his three-year-long sentence which he needed to complete.  He had been previously arrested and sentenced to death for converting to Christianity for Islam.  With the help of his attorney, Mohammed Ali Dadkhah, he was cleared of that charge, but sentenced to 3 years for proselytizing Muslims.  He was released early on September 8, 2012 under the understanding that the remainder of his time, about 45 days, would be served in the form of probation.  Although he posted bail and did not violate his probation, 108 days later, he was taken back to the same jail.  Iranian officials say that he will be released in 45 days upon the completion of his full sentence and some paperwork. This means that he should be freed again on February 7.  However, according to Jordan Sekulow, Executive Director of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), “When you show up in an Iranian jail, you don’t always come out, and we’ve seen that time and time again.  So it’s not a good thing at all.” Since his release in early September, Pastor Youcef’s attorney has been arrested and sent to one of the harshest jails in Iran.  The extreme Iranian Revolutionary Guard has imprisoned another pastor in this same brutal facility. When all is said and done, these are only the cases that we hear about in the media.  The reality is that many more such cases occur than we get wind of, and these Christians and their families need our prayers too.  May we remember the persecuted as we begin 2013 and be inspired by their faith in the toughest of circumstances. Pray Pray for Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani and his family during this trying time.  Pray that by His grace, God would strengthen their faith.  Also, pray that He would use the Nadarkhanis in the lives of believers and nonbelievers who are observing this situation to convict, challenge, and encourage. Pray that Pastor Youcef’s attorney, Mohammed Ali Dadkhah, would come to faith in Christ during this difficult time.  Pray that God would protect him from physical harm.  Pray that God would guard Dadkhah against hardening his heart toward Him in the horrible circumstances he now finds himself and instead, humbly turn to God for refuge. Pray for the other pastors and believers who are in Iranian jails, both the cases we know about and the ones we don’t.  Ask the Lord to give them grace to remain steadfast in their faith and witness and for His gospel to go forth as a result of their current situations. Information for this post was gathered from VOM’s Prisoner Alert and Fox News.

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Zondervan Blog

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Stock up your Bookshelf with Zondervan in the New Year Posted: 02 Jan 2013 01:59 PM PST Did you make a New Year’s resolution to read more in 2013? We can help! Zondervan is giving away a prize package of some fantastic titles (and a great calendar as well). We’re giving away three prize packs that include one of each of the following: 1. Jimmy Carter Through The Years 2. Undaunted 3. Who is this Man 4. Betrayal (Hatcher) 5. Material Witness (autographed by Chapman) 6. Circle Maker 7. Circle Maker prayer Journal 8. Fire of the Raging Dragon 9. 2013 Amish Calendar 10. My One Word 11. Daniel Fast 12. NIV Once a Day Bible for Teens 13. The Adventure Bible, NIV: Book of Devotions 14. God's Messages for Little Ones 15. The Beginner's Bible Kid Sized Devotions 16. Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing 17. Grace, Gold & Glory: My Leap of Faith 18. The Circle Maker, Student Edition 19. The Purpose Driven Life You can enter to win by clicking here. Good luck and happy 2013!

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Weekly Prayer Updates Update 01/04/2013

vom groups weekly prayer updates "Prayer is the pulse of life; by it the doctor can tell what is the condition of the heart. The sin of prayerlessness is a proof for the ordinary Christian or minister that the life of God in the soul is in deadly sickness and weakness." - Andrew Murray "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints" - Ephesians 6:18 VOM-USA Prayer Update for January 4, 2013 On Thu. Jan 03 2013 at 02:45 PM Moderator wrote: As we begin a new year, we want to begin with a reminder from the life of The Voice of the Martyr's founder, Pastor Richard Wurmbrand. Sabina Wurmbrand reached over and pinched her husband's arm. "Richard," she said fiercely, "stand up and wash away this shame from the face of Christ. They are spitting on his face!" "If I do so," Richard Wurmbrand answered, looking intently at his wife, "you will lose your husband." Her eyes bore into his. "I don't want a coward for a husband." They sat in a Romanian national congress on religion shortly after Communist soldiers had stormed their country. The assembled Christian pastors, priests, and ministers of all denominations stood, one by one, and spouted praise to Joseph Stalin and to the new Communist leadership, who had put thousands of Christians in prison. As Richard stood to speak, many were thrilled to see that this well-known pastor would join their cause. But instead of praising the Com-munists, he praised Jesus Christ as the only path to salvation. "Our first loyalty," he told the gathering, "should be to God, not to Communist leaders." The gathering was broadcast live across Romania, and thousands across the country heard Richard's challenge. Realizing the damage Richard was doing, Communist officials rushed the stage. Richard escaped out the back door but was a hunted man from then on. He would later spend fourteen years in prison. Most of us will probably never be challenged to make our stand for Christ in front of an entire nation. But we are all called to make a stand for him wherever we are each day. It is not the size of the witnessing audience but the sincerity of our stand that matters. Our lives may not depend on what we say. But our jobs may depend on our decision to voice our convictions. It may mean losing a relationship. It may even mean estrangement from our families. In any case, it is far better to endure the consequences of our convictions than to regret their noticeable absence. When and where will you seize the opportunity to take a stand for Christ today? Suggested Links Persecution.com The Voice of the Martyrs official homepage. Find links to our programs, read news about recent events, and learn more about the organization. VOMBooks.com Order books, videos, and other materials related to the persecuted church through our secure online store. Like us on Facebook Become a fan of VOM on Facebook! Connect with other fans and discuss recent events. PrisonerAlert.com Write to a Christian Prisoner in their own language! Use our letter-writing template online to build your letter, and send it by mail to a needy Christian. Follow us on Twitter Follow VOM-USA on Twitter for updates and prayer requests. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the Weekly Prayer Updates topic at www.vomgroups.com. If you have received this email in error or if you wish to unsubscribe, click here.