Stories of the Persecuted Church

From Asia to Africa, the Middle East, Turkey, and South America, believers in Jesus face persecution—sometimes unspeakable torment—for their faith. And yet, even in the face of incredible tribulation, they find the strength to give glory to God, while their stories of persecution and enduring, triumphant faith serve as a powerful witness to the living Savior.

SOUTH AMERICA

Because of Righteousness

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ~Matthew 5:10

Peru, South America’s third largest country, is besieged by political upheaval. Though touted to have the second most powerful armed forces in South America, the last several years have seen its army struggling to return to its right objectives, corrupted by the lure of easy money from drug traffickers.

David de Vinatea, selected as one of the ten best infantry Special Forces officers, was sent into the jungle to fight against guerrillas and drug dealers in 1994. The first thing he did on arrival at his command post was to put a sign on his office door that read “God rules this base.” When the brigade general later visited, he told David to take it down, saying, “In this army, I rule!”

Seven months into David’s tour of duty, forty drug dealers were arrested, six large illegal landing fields and several drug laboratories were destroyed, and more than $280,000 was confiscated and returned to the National Bank. But a high official was not happy. With fabricated charges, he was able to get the courts to sentence David to sixteen years in prison, ending November 19, 2011. (Later, David discovered that this official had some arrangements with the drug lords.)

An international coalition spearheaded by Open Doors International interceded on David’s behalf. It was to no avail. Many prayers were offered on David’s behalf. As difficult as his ordeal was, though, David found some good in his prison experience: “Prison is where I really searched for God, because He is the Master of my life, and it was there where I came to know Him in His true dimension. I learned to pray for real.”

Then, in 2000, President Fujimori fled from Peru. With the new government, David’s sentence was commuted, and he was finally released from prison on November 19, 2003.

Today, David serves with RBC Ministries in Peru. His desire is to reach others for Christ, especially those in the armed forces. And through David’s military friends, RBC Ministries has now been given an opportunity to place God’s Word, through Our Daily Bread, in the hands of all the soldiers in the Peruvian army.

***

Father, give us strength to make righteous choices, even when it would be easier and more profitable—in the world’s eyes—to do the wrong thing. Remind us that when we are persecuted for righteousness, we have Your kingdom to look forward to as a reward.

Source: RBC Ministries

NEPAL / ASIA

The Pleasure of My King

I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. ~2 Timothy 2: 9–10

Sometimes what humans intend for evil, God uses to accomplish good. Missionary pastor Manja Tamang is learning this lesson as he serves a twenty-year sentence in a Nepali prison for a crime he did not commit.

Manja served Christ wholeheartedly in a small mountain village in Nepal as a pastor and evangelist. One day when Manja was doing ministerial work, he made a discovery that would change his mission field. While he was walking along a path, he found a dead body, and Manja reported his finding to the police. An anti-Christian group in the community that opposed Manja’s work also found something that day: an opportunity to frame Manja for the crime.

A few days later, the police arrested Manja for what they determined was a murder. They gathered “evidence” from his home—clothing they claimed belonged to the victim. During Manja’s trial, false witnesses came forward to testify against him. The victim’s widow protested, saying that Manja was innocent, but the court found him guilty and sentenced him to twenty years in prison.

All of this happened seven years ago, in 2000. Manja’s supporters fought the conviction for two years, and eventually his case went before the Supreme Court. In spite of tremendous evidence proving Manja’s innocence, the court upheld the sentence. Manja remains in prison.

But “God’s word is not chained.” Those who falsely accused Manja, hoping to squelch his ministry, have not been successful. Rati, Manja’s wife, remains faithful to her husband, visiting him in prison, praying for him, and caring for their two children. She reaches out to her community with the gospel, teaching kindergarten, serving on an outreach team, and working with her church’s women’s ministry.

And Manja has found a new mission field. While his separation from his family is sad and the injustice he has experienced is discouraging, he continues his witness for Christ. He believes that God is sovereign and that he has been chosen, as God’s servant, to be put in prison. God has blessed Manja’s work. He holds Bible studies for fellow prisoners who want to learn about Jesus, and more than thirty-five have become Christians. Prison wardens have been impressed with Manja’s character and have appointed him as a prison medical assistant. He also has completed an education degree while in prison.

Although it would be easy for Manja to despair and become bitter, he has chosen to “endure everything” with trust, faithfulness, hope, and love. Manja serves at the pleasure of the King.

***

Our King, You are the sovereign One who can use evil to bring about good, and so we serve wherever You are pleased to place us. Help us to remember that Your truth is more powerful than human lies, Your freedom releases us from earthly chains, and Your love drives away our fears.

Source: Gospel for Asia

TURKEY / EUROPE

True Light

In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. ~John 1:4–5

Christians make up less than 1 percent of the population in Turkey, and those who are active in evangelism often endure harassment from those who have been misinformed by Turkey’s media, which calls Christians the “enemies of Turkey.” Islamic fervor also fuels the persecution of Christians. The darkness does not understand the light.

A beacon in the darkness, Zirve Publishing House in Malatya distributed Bibles and Christian literature. Under the leadership of Pastor Necati Aydin, a thirty-five-year-old convert from Islam, Zirve made ten thousand Bibles available to interested Turks in 2006.

On April 18, 2007, what seemed to be a typical workday, Pastor Necati; Ugur Yuksel, age thirty-two, also a convert from Islam; and Tilmann Geske, a forty-six-year-old German Christian translator left their homes for their offices at Zirve. The three planned to attend a Bible study that morning to be held at the Zirve offices. Among those attending would be several young men who had come to an evangelistic service that Pastor Necati had held on Resurrection Sunday. They had expressed a desire to learn more about Christianity and the Bible, and Necati and his co-workers were eager to share the gospel.

The Bible study would become the ultimate test for the three Christians’ faith. The young men who were attending (ages nineteen and twenty) would be offering up their ultimate act of faith as well, motivated by their love for Allah and their hatred for the Christian “infidels.”

The young men arrived with guns, bread knives, ropes, and towels. Shortly after the Bible study began, the attackers began their assault. They tied the hands and feet of the three men to chairs and brutally tortured them for three hours.

When another believer named Gokhan arrived at the offices and found the door locked from the inside, he kept calling until one of the victims finally answered his cell phone. Gokhan was puzzled by his cryptic responses, and he heard weeping and snarling in the background. He summoned the police, who arrived and found a terrible scene: the three Christians tied to their chairs, their throats cut, and their bodies covered by hundreds of stab wounds. Tilmann and Necati were dead, and Ugur was barely alive, but he died soon after at a nearby hospital.

The young murderers are now in custody and will be tried as terrorists. The martyrs’ families and the Turkish church have responded in a way that honors the name of Christ. Tilmann’s wife, Susanne Geske, told reporters, “Oh God, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Impressed by her testimony and disgusted by the violence of the young Muslims, many people are now saying that they want to read the New Testament and no longer want anything to do with Islam. The light shines in the darkness.

***

Father, Thank you for these martyrs who were willing to die to bring Your light into the darkness. Comfort their families and other Christians in Turkey with the knowledge that Your light is life, and the darkness will never overcome it. Give them the strength to persevere for Your name’s sake.