Secret Church

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Pray for the Persecuted Posted: 29 Jun 2012 09:45 AM PDT Each week, we will post some specific ways that we can be praying together for our brothers and sisters around the world who are actively sharing in Christ’s suffering through persecution.  Take some time to lift the believers in each of these regions before our Father in heaven.  At the same time, pray for those enacting the persecution to be kindly drawn to repentance and to experience new life through faith in Jesus. Nigeria Pray for Nigerian Christians to remain steadfast in their devotion to Christ and in making disciples amid violent persecution from a radical Islamist sect. Pray for their persecutors to turn to Christ upon seeing believers’ strong witness for Him. For more information on the persecution in Nigeria, go to Open Doors. Egypt Pray for Egyptian Christians to continue to endure in faith, to continue to be bold and fervent in prayer, and to have wisdom in the face of an uncertain future under a new president.  Praise God for answering prayers that His will be done and that He would “save Egypt from possible violence and bloodshed that was most likely going to happen after announcing the name of the winning president.” Pray for the hearts of non-believers to be softened as they see the Christians’ joy, peace, and supernatural love despite the hatred they endure from those around them. For more information on the persecution in Egypt, go to Open Doors. Indonesia Pray for local Indonesian churches to persevere and lovingly respond to anti-Christian opposition that seeks to make them close and/or tear down their church buildings. Pray for the people who are pressuring local authorities to enforce this outdated mandate to relent and, instead, to glorify God upon seeing the Christians’ good deeds.  Pray for the local government officials who are tearing the buildings down. For more information on the persecution in Indonesia, go to Voice of the Martyrs.

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Weekly Prayer Updates Update 06/29/2012

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 June 29, 2012 On Thu. Jun 28 2012 at 06:48 AM Moderator wrote: China -- Police Raid Baptismal Service Source: China Aid Association Psalm 66:3–5 Seventeen Chinese believers were temporarily detained and questioned earlier this month after local officials and police raided a baptismal service at the Bajaihu house church in Niuchang, in western China. More than 20 Christians were celebrating a baptism on the morning of June 7, when police officers raided their service. Officials from the domestic security department held 17 of the Christians for questioning until 7 p.m. The leader of the house church, Wang Lili, was not present during the raid, but officials confiscated her purse, which contained her government ID, her keys, and more than $565. Wang asked police for her purse the next day, but they refused to return it to her. And police required the husband of one detainee to sign a guarantee that his wife would not attend the house church services again. This caused the man, who is not a Christian, to become very angry with his wife. Pray for this woman and the other house church members. Pray that Christians in China will be able to worship as openly as they wish. Israel -- Update: Bomber's Lawyers Request Plea Bargain Source: VOM Contacts Ecclesiastes 8:11–13 Attorneys for Jewish extremist Jack Teitel have proposed a plea agreement wherein Teitel would plead guilty to amended charges that do not include reference to hate crimes, according to recent Israeli news reports. If convicted under the amended charges, Teitel could be sent to a psychiatric facility rather than prison. Teitel has been charged with--and on multiple occasions has admitted to--bombing the home of well-known Messianic pastor David Ortiz, among other crimes. Teitel's motivation for the bombing was thought to be ridding Israel of those with beliefs different from his own. It took the courts more than two years to determine that Teitel was mentally fit to stand trial. Pastor Ortiz's son, Ami, was severely injured in the bombing but has made a significant recovery. The Ortiz family has requested prayer for the trial proceedings, that the judge would give appropriate sentences for each of Teitel's crimes. "We have trained ourselves not to lose hope," wrote Pastor Ortiz's wife, Leah. "His Word comforts, supports, guides and gives hope, and his spirit enfolds us in his love." Egypt -- Christians Face Uncertain Future Under New President Source: VOM Contacts Psalm 27:1–3 The fears of Egyptian Christians were realized on Sunday when Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi was declared the winner of the presidential election. "I have not slept in three days to follow the results of the election," wrote Aasim, our VOM worker in Egypt. "He is the worst man to control the country for us as Christians." Just hours after the polls closed, the military leadership council issued a constitutional declaration limiting the powers of Egypt's future president. In a previous move to retain control, two weeks ago the council dissolved the parliament, which was dominated by members of the Muslim Brotherhood party. Pledging to be a president for all Egyptians, Morsi has resigned from the Muslim Brotherhood and has promised to include Christians in his government. But Christians remain wary. "We trust that God is also in control and maybe he wants to revive the church in Egypt," said Aasim. "We are waiting for the Lord." Vietnam -- VOM Project Pray for those involved in a project to purchase and distribute digital media players equipped with audio Bibles, Christian movies and Christian audio books. The media players will be given to rural and tribal pastors. ************* • Printer-Friendly Format • Add the PrisonerAlert application on Facebook • Download the prayer application on the iTunes Store or the Android Marketplace • Download the photo issue application on the iTunes Store or the Android Marketplace • Digital versions of our books are available on the Amazon.com Kindle and Barnes & Noble NOOK bookstores: search for Living Sacrifice Book Company 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.

Weekly Prayer Updates Update 06/22/2012

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 June 22, 2012 On Mon. Jun 18 2012 at 02:22 PM Moderator wrote: Syria -- War Brings Additional Trials for Syrian Believers Source: VOM Contacts Matthew 6:10 Christians in Syria who share their faith have always faced danger, but the escalating civil war is making evangelistic efforts even more dangerous. Several evangelists who work with VOM have lost family members. "In some cases, people were killed because of their Christian identity," said VOM's program officer for the region. "We are checking into how we can be of assistance to those who have been injured for their faith, including one whose face was mutilated as a warning to other Christians." The war has also displaced many Christians. As Christians flee the fighting and leave their houses behind, Muslims and members of the rebel groups take possession of them. In addition, one church was closed by the government in recent months, and other churches remain under threat of closure. Pray for peace and the protection of Syrian believers. Azerbaijan -- Police Question Children During Church Raid Source: Forum 18 News, VOM Contacts 2 Timothy 1:7-12 Police raided a church in Azerbaijan recently and questioned about 50 children who were attending. Police searched the church for foreigners and, after finding none present, began questioning about 50 children to make sure they had permission from both parents to be there. At least one church member was fined without being tried in court. Although police have denied that the raid occurred, at least 20 police officers and the local head of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations reportedly participated in the church raid. Please pray that our Christian brothers and sisters in Azerbaijan will rely on the spirit of power through Christ and will be bold and loving despite government oppression. Sudan -- Officials Close Christian Offices in South Darfur Sources: Compass Direct News, VOM Contacts Revelation 2:10 Authorities in South Darfur have closed the offices of Sudan Aid and the Sudan Council of Churches (SCC), ordering staff off the property and arresting three employees of Sudan Aid. Agents from the Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) arrived at the organizations' offices in Nyala on the morning of April 22. They demanded that SCC staff hand over keys to the buildings and vehicles and ordered all staff members to leave. NISS agents also closed down a church clinic that was serving the needy in the area. The day after the offices were closed, staff members returned to find more than a dozen armed security personnel cordoning off the compound. The security agents told staff the offices were closed and they should go home. Two days after the closures, Sudan's federal Humanitarian Aid Commission froze the bank accounts of the SCC in Nyala. Please pray for the protection of believers in South Darfur. Central Asia VOM Project Pray for the secret printing of a new Bible translation in Central Asia. Pray for those involved in distribution, and pray that the new Bibles will replenish those confiscated by authorities. ************* • Printer-Friendly Format • Add the PrisonerAlert application on Facebook • Download the prayer application on the iTunes Store or the Android Marketplace • Download the photo issue application on the iTunes Store or the Android Marketplace • Digital versions of our books are available on the Amazon.com Kindle and Barnes & Noble NOOK bookstores: search for Living Sacrifice Book Company 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.

Secret Church

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Mark Your Calendar for Secret Church 13 Posted: 15 Jun 2012 02:30 AM PDT Believe it or not, we had our first official meeting about Secret Church 13 this week! We met with the staff at Brook Hills and prayed and brainstormed and planned for the next gathering. And now that we have a few more details, we wanted to share them with you. Secret Church 2013 The next Secret Church will be on Good Friday, March 29, 2013. The topic will be “Heaven, Hell, and the End of the World.” And we’re partnering again with LifeWay Christian Resources again to provide a simulcast option for churches and small groups around the world. Simulcast registration will begin in October of 2012 on the LifeWay simulcast website, and tickets for the “live” gathering at The Church at Brook Hills will become available in January of 2013 on the Secret Church website. We’ll keep you updated on the latest Secret Church news through Twitter, Facebook, and this blog, but you can also call or email if you have any questions. Multiply this November … We also want to make sure you know that we will not have Secret Church this November. Instead, we will have a gathering called Multiply led by David Platt and Francis Chan. The emphasis of this gathering is a call to disciple-making—to encourage and equip followers of Jesus to make followers of Jesus until every person on earth has been given the chance to follow Christ.  Multiply will take place the weekend of November 9-10, 2012. If you would like more information about Multiply, email us through our website and put “Multiply” in the subject line. We’ll send you more information as soon as we have it.

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Weekly Prayer Updates Update 06/15/2012

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 June 15, 2012 On Wed. Jun 13 2012 at 02:55 PM Moderator wrote: Nigeria -- Boko Haram Attacks Church During Worship Service Sources: Compass Direct News, Punch (Nigerian Newspaper) Romans 15:5-6 Suicide bombers attacked the Living Faith Church in Yelwa, Nigeria, on Sunday, June 3, killing at least 13. Eight more deaths were later attributed to soldiers who responded to the blast. The Muslim extremist group Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the bombing, which also damaged the nearby Harvest Field Church. More than 60 people were taken to hospitals for treatment, 38 in critical condition. The suicide bomber detonated his bomb after his vehicle was stopped at a security checkpoint in front of the church compound. In a statement sent to journalists last week, a Boko Haram spokesman promised more violence. The group is responsible for the deaths of at least 181 Christians since December. The pastor of the Living Faith Church, Gauis Biyal, urged Christians not to seek revenge. Pray for peace in Nigeria, and pray that Christians there will be motivated to follow Christ wholeheartedly, at any cost. Indonesia -- Two Evangelists Arrested and Beaten in Banda Aceh Sources: VOM Contacts 1 Peter 2:20-21 Two evangelists were arrested and beaten after meeting with a Muslim woman on Indonesia's Sumatra island. The evangelists, Roy and Ribur, were accused of coercing the woman, from a Muslim majority area, to be baptized. The pair had met with the woman previously and asked her to join their church. They were subsequently invited to her home on Wednesday, May 28, for further discussion. But when the evangelists mentioned Jesus Christ, the woman appeared confused and went outside to talk with her neighbor. She eventually went to the village head to report that there were Christians in the village. Roy and Ribur were then brought before the village head, who confiscated their bags containing gospel tracts, a list of new believers and a water bottle that was believed to be used for baptisms. News of the "forced" baptism quickly spread, and a mob that had gathered outside the village leader's office began to beat Roy and Ribur. Police intervened and arrested the two evangelists. Pray for Roy and Ribur, and pray that God will soften the hearts of the people in Banda Aceh. Laos -- Officials Seek Evangelists Responsible for Christian Conversions Sources: VOM Contacts Acts 4:29 Police in Laos are looking for the evangelists who led 55 Hmong people to Christ in two different provinces in May. In one province, 45 people converted to Christianity. "Police are searching for the one who spread the Good News," wrote a VOM contact. In Luang Prabang province, a Christian evangelist led 10 people to Christ. Provincial officials there know who introduced the families to Christ and have reported the information to authorities. This worker is now being watched. Pray for the protection of this worker as well as the protection of other Hmong evangelists in the region. North Korea VOM Project Pray for those involved in the production and broadcast of one-hour radio programs. The programs include hymns and readings from the Bible and VOM books. ************* • Printer-Friendly Format • Add the PrisonerAlert application on Facebook • Download the prayer application on the iTunes Store or the Android Marketplace • Download the photo issue application on the iTunes Store or the Android Marketplace • Digital versions of our books are available on the Amazon.com Kindle and Barnes & Noble NOOK bookstores: search for Living Sacrifice Book Company 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.