News are floating around that the Iranian government has already issued an order for the execution of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani. Pastor Youcef was convicted and sentenced to death for becoming a Christian.

“As of today, we cannot confirm that Pastor Youcef is alive,” said American Center for Law and Justice executive director Jordan Sekulow. “With Iran now dominating international headlines because of its military actions, it’s clear Iran may have decided to move forward by issuing an execution order, knowing that the world’s attention is focused elsewhere right now. We also know that Iran’s top officials can reject the execution order and release Pastor Youcef if they so desire. We will keep the international pressure on Iran to free Pastor Youcef.” (from cnsnews.com)

Because Pastor Youcef refuses to denounce his faith in Christ, the Iranian government has kept him in death row.  Thanks to international pressure, Pastor Youcef's execution has been stalled for several months now.

Nothing is clear about the chance for Pastor Youcef to appeal his execution order. It is the conduct in Iran for the head of Judiciary, currently Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, to approve publicly held executions. But only a few executions are held public.  Most  are done in secret.

Please continue praying for our dear brother, Pastor Youcef.

FoxNews.com reports that Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani is safe for now after the Iranian Supreme Court ordered a retrial for the pastor sentenced to death for refusing to renounce his Christian beliefs.

Iranian media reported that the high court sent the case back to lower court because of concerns about the initial investigation.

"If there is an appeal and the case is returned to the supreme court, the case will be reviewed," read a statement quoted by ISNA, the Iranian student's news agency, AFP reports.

Pressure is currently mounting against Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani's impending execution.  Several state heads have called for his release.  In the US, at least 39 members of Congress have now signed a letter demanding that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton push for the Iranian pastor’s freedom.

Before being arrested, Nadarkhani pastored a 400-strong Christian congregation. It was reported that he protested against authorities after his son was forced to read from the Quran in school. He was later arrested. In June 2010, his wife, Fatemeh Pasandideh, was also arrested in an apparent attempt to pressure him to renounce his faith. She was released in October 2010, according to Amnesty International.

Let's continue to pray for divine strength and comfort for Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani as he continues to make a stand for Christ and the Gospel.

Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani was detained in June 2010 along with wife Fatemeh Pasandideh in the city of Rasht in northwestern Iran because of their Christian activities.  Iranian Islam laws advocate execution for Arabs who are proven to have practiced Islam during their adult years but later on converted to another faith.

Iran though, denies that the crime they are accusing Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani is related to his Christian activities.  In an attempt to prove their claim, they have hurled several unfounded accusations against Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, including "security charges" and his supposed "running of a brothel".

The Present Truth Ministries (PTM) learned that the verdict to whether execute the Iranian pastor or not will be announced on Monday, October 10.  A recantation of his faith in Jesus Christ and a decision on his part to return to Islam appears to be his only way out of the execution.

Let's pray for spiritual strength for Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani.  Let's also asked the Lord to save his life, if possible.  May Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani's current situation move us to always pray for Christians serving in countries that are against the Gospel.

We will try our best to update you on the development of this story.

Here's another indigenous tribe you may want to reach for Christ.  God's salvation is also for them

The Akhas of Thailand is one of the six tribes forming what Thais call as the Hill Tribes.  They arrived in Thailand in 1905 with 80,000 now living in Thailand's northern provinces of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai at high altitudes.  Their villages are accessible via tour treks provided in Thailand.  They speak Akha, a language in the Loloish (Yi) branch of the Tibeto-Burman family.

Akhas are expert farmers. Their agriculture is focused on mountain rice, corn, and soybeans that are planted in seasonal shifts. The Akha are also very efficient hunters, although their prey sometimes includes endangered species. There were a few Akhas that once grew opium for income. Recently, they are benefiting from the revenues in tourisms in the lands they occupy.

Although many Akha, especially younger people, profess Christianity, Akha Zang (The Akha Way) still runs deep in their consciousness. One of the myths they believe is that guardian spirits dwell in ornately carved village gates made of wood.  They have en extensive recollection of ancestors going back 15 generations and exhibited in chants.  This particularly heavy emphasis on genealogy, proof of which is their strong focus on honoring ancestors and their parents seem to represent a form of ancestor worship, although they deny that this is what they are doing.

Currently, Akhas are experiencing controversies related to human rights and justice.  The root of these controversies are the lands they occupy which are rich with timber and very suitable for farming that lends them to the interest of profit-oriented institutions.  Another controversy they have is against the government because of their slash and burn agricultural practice.  This practice tends to destroy national forests containing native ecosystems.


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org

Do you have a heart for international missions and would like to go where God's love is really needed?  Meet the people of Nepal.  Below are some facts about this country (from Vision Beyond Borders--- their website) you may need in deciding to go there and be an ambassador of the Gospel:

    - a country locked between China and India
    - ranked among the poorest and least developed nations in the world (1/3 of the population lives below poverty line)
    - Population: 30,000,000
    - 48% literacy rate
    - 80% of its population practices Hinduism
    - Human trafficking is a serious problem in this country (10,000-15,000 girls are tricked or sold every year into servitude, either as domestic, factory or sex workers). "Dalals" (brokers) sell Nepali girls for around
$2,500 to the brothels of Mumbai.
    - an estimate of over 100,000 Nepali women work in Indian brothels, over half of which are HIV positive

We hope and pray that God would raise new laborers for the work of spreading the Gospel to the Nepali people, thereby giving them the assurance of a better life in Heaven someday.

The Karen people of Burma are the largest and oldest indigenous tribe in this country which is currently ruled by a ruthless military dictatorship.  The Karen and other ethnic tribes are being systematically exterminated with the intent on seizing their tribal lands, which are rich in valuable minerals and other natural resources.  About 50% of the ethnic minorities in Burma are Christians in a predominantly Buddhist society, and are oppressed and persecuted for their faith.

Michael Jones traveled to Southeast Asia with Patrick Klein of Vision Beyond Borders, a Christian relief ministry helping the Karen refugees who have escaped to Thailand. Watch this video which the team from Vision Beyond Borders (http://www.visionbeyondborders.org) made which documents the struggles, pain and strength of faith of the Christian Karens. The program features Kirk Cameron as host and narrator. Video Link.

May their story inspire us to go further in sharing the Gospel.

"Approximately 700 million Dalits, low-caste and tribal people live in Asia today. They face extreme segregation and prejudice on a daily basis. They are often denied access to safe drinking water, freedom of worship, their choice of occupation—and even a basic education. In some places, in fact, the illiteracy rate is as high as 90 percent." - Gospel for Asia

It's sad to think that these beautiful children are being treated as scum just because they were born in a certain caste. The good news is that ministries like Gospel for Asia are reaching these children, and for the first time, they're discovering that they are loved.

Read more about the Dalits, click here.

Open Doors works in the world's most oppressive countries, strengthening Christians to stand strong in the face of persecution and equipping them to shine Christ's light in these dark places.

North Korea is one of the most difficult countries in the world for Christians to live in.  April 24-30 is North Korea Freedom Week.  Open Doors call every Christian to pray for this country and for the Christians there who are faithfully standing for their faith despite the persecution they experience.  To know more about the program of prayer that Open Doors has organized for Freedom Week, click this link: North Korea Freedom Week.

After reading that, it'd be hard not to ask why God allowed that to happen. Why didn't God bless the early church the way He's blessing the church today?

The answer to that lies in the question.

In the church I used to go to, they would once in a while have someone share his/her testimony at the pulpit. This one time, it was somebody I've met from the Senior Men's Discipleship group (or small group, whatever your church might call them). Why was I in the Senior Men's group? Well, the Single's group was too... uhm... immature for my taste. Anyway, so he went up to the pulpit and shared his story. He's a wealthy gentleman who's life started going downhill soon after he became a Christian. I remember him saying, "Why am I experiencing this? My life should be better now that I'm a Christian." He did end his testimony with a realization that life is just like that sometimes. Typical Christian testimony. What got me interested was not his testimony but how the church goers reacted after hearing his story. A lot of them were saying, "That's it?" or, “Where’s the happy ending?” or, "Parang bitin (Feels incomplete)." I was thinking, "Incomplete?" I guess almost all the testimonies they present at the pulpit are about how lives were in shambles and everything worked out fine after they became a Christian. They're so used to hearing that Christianity will fix your life so when somebody shared how becoming a Christian and didn't make his life better, they ask why didn't God make his life better. In fact I often hear things like, "I've been a Christian for several years now and my marriage is still I ruins."

Maybe it's not that God is blessing some people and others not, maybe we're looking at it the wrong way. 

This reminds me of last Christmas’ (2010) Jollibee commercial. I tried looking for a copy of the commercial in YouTube but I can't find one (Even if I did, I might be breaking some copyright laws by posting it). So, I'll just describe it for you. The story revolves around a family and like any typical Filipino family they go to church at midnight for the Simbang Gabi (evening mass) during Christmas. It's traditionally known that if you complete the 9-day Simbang Gabi series, you can make a wish and it will come true. The first scene in the commercial is inside a church and we get to hear what the people are praying for. Actually, all you hear is "I wish..." and "I wish..." and "I wish..." and "I wish..." until they zoom in to the family where the older sister prays that her younger brother would be less annoying and the younger brother prays that her older sister would be more considerate. After church they go to Jollibee for breakfast (you HAVE to go to Jollibee after church. That's the law) and the younger brother does become less annoying and the older sister becomes more considerate. Then the commercial ends with a phrase saying that some wishes do come true.

That got me thinking. Is that really how we think of God? As an eternal genie? Just ask something and He'll give it to you free of charge? I think that commercial is a clear reflection of how most people in the Philippines think of God (even if they deny it) and not just the particular denomination the commercial depicts. Don't believe me? Ask anybody living in the Philippines if they were appalled by that commercial or if they even noticed how God was depicted there. You'd be hard pressed to find even one.

Another story that comes to mind is about a guy who, having seen a gorgeous young woman, prays to God that she would date him. He prayed hard, I bet, because she already has a boyfriend for several years. They did eventually date and ended up liking each other a lot (something the life of me can't fully understand). On one conversation of their conversations, they decided not to see each other anymore because it's wrong. Then he asked her, "Did you pray for me? Maybe God is just answering your prayer. Because I know I prayed for you." Her answer? "No!" Maybe he forgot that she had a boyfriend. Anyway, that story is from two people who are actively attending a christian church. Think about it, 1) he's coveting someone else wife, or future wife (10th Commandment) and 2) he's lusting over somebody (7th Commandment, Mt 5:27-28). How can one even think of adding, "In Jesus' name" to a request like that!? It's like praying, "God, my officemate is annoying. Could you kill him please? In Jesus' name. Amen."

God didn't promise that your life will be better if you become a Christian. In fact He promised the exact opposite. Here's what the Bible says:

Don't believe it? Think about it this way, if God will bless a group of people it would be His chosen people. Let's even narrow it down to the people who are close to Jesus, the apostles. Here's what happened to them:

• PHILIP: Stoned to death, Phrygia, A.D. 54
  
• PETER: Crucified, Rome, A.D. 69
  
• ANDREW: Crucified, Achaia, A.D. 70
  
• MATTHEW: Beheaded, Ethiopia, A.D. 70
  
• LUKE: Hanged, Greece, A.D. 93
  
• THOMAS: Speared to death, Calamino, A.D. 70
  
• MARK: Dragged to death, Alexandria, A.D. 64
  
• JAMES (THE LESS): Clubbed to death, Jerusalem, A.D. 63
  
• JOHN: Abandoned, Isle of Patmos, A.D. 63
  
• BARNABAS: Burned to death, Cyprus, A.D. 64
  
• PAUL: Beheaded, Rome, A.D. 69
  

Wait, didn't God promise an abundant life? “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

If God promised that Christians will have an abundant life, then why did the apostles live and die the way they did? It means God lied. And if He's a liar, we shouldn't be trusting His promise of eternity in heaven. In fact how can we even trust Him that there is a heaven?

So God lied?

Definitely not! You see abundant means plenty, or overflowing. Did the apostles live an abundant life? They did! It was overflowing of persecution and the pain was more than plenty.

Why then are not getting persecution today?

Maybe you should ask yourself that. Because God said that “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:12) and Christians around the globe are getting persecuted.

See for yourself.

Update: Looks like YouTube decided to pull the plug on this video for its graphic nature. Here's a link to the same video from another source. http://www.blip.tv/file/4984261

Update: I guess the video's too graphic because the link above was also taken down. I've replaced the video with a less graphic one.


This has been rather long but I hope I've at least opened your eyes to the reality of what other believers are facing. Please let us know what you think.