Tagged: persecuted church

I am a witness to the story I tell today. It is sure and true. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”  And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. Revelation 5:5,9 There is a movement happening this Christmas across sand-swept deserts and barren basins of land long scarred by tribal conflict. Village elders are embracing Jesus. Skeptic women are surrendering to His… Read More

For those from one of my favorite nations who allowed me to learn from them this week. You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Genesis 50:20 Why wouldn’t the majority of house church leaders throughout persecuted nations of the world be women? Nations that see the world through the lenses of honor and shame? Women are leading house churches by the thousands. God has raised them up and they are bringing HIm much glory. In honor-shame cultures, from an early age, women are responsible for teaching children how to avoid shame and cultivate honor. During adolescence, girls become women and take on their roles as honor burden bearers. Their… Read More

I’ve posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem. Day and night they keep at it, praying, calling out, reminding God to remember. They are to give him no peace until he does what he said, until he makes Jerusalem famous as the City of Praise. Isaiah 62:1,6-7, MSG She stared up at a straggling strip of plastic trapped in the barbed wire along the top of the gate. Faded birthday balloons once bright and colorful danced across it, mocking her. Today is his birthday, and he’s trapped behind this gate. I wonder if today the guard will keep his promise.  I will wait here until he does what he said. Since her husband was arrested for leading a small house church more than six months ago,… Read More

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. John 14:1-4 We are called to be a refuge for the persecuted. As I plumped the pillows and smoothed one more thick blanket over the bed, I thought of my persecuted brothers and sisters around the world fleeing from oppression. Racing through the night, seeking shelter, praying for passage. Holding little ones close, hoping they don’t feel the… Read More

After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10 To my newest sisters and brothers, If I could erase myself, so all you could see is Jesus, I would. The words He gave me for you when we were together are His own, from His heart. I am just His servant, a steward of His Light Words. Remember Him, not me. It is He who asked me to go beyond my small borders and travel to a land I had not known before. It was His immeasurable love for you that compelled me to obey. Remember how precious you are to… Read More

Prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway! Remove the stones. Raise a banner for the nations. The Lord has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: “Say to Daughter Zion, ’See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.’”  Isaiah 62:10-11 Roads transform nations. I have lived in countries with little more than sandy ruts between tiny villages, and others with elaborate highway systems connecting glittering cities. Roads change the world and how we live in it.  In many cases, the ones who built the roads we enjoy were hired laborers, people of small status yet great strength. We don’t think much about them as we speed along in our cars, enjoying the… Read More

And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God." Revelation 12:10 What’s happening in Afghanistan right now has everything to do with the church. [bctt tweet="As the second-fastest-growing church in the world, Afghan followers of Jesus are precisely in the cross-hairs not only of Taliban guns but, perhaps more gravely, the adversary of the church, the accuser, also called Satan. #persecution #afghanistan " username="audreycfrank"] Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those… Read More

Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. 2 Chronicles 20:12 Jesus sends us out to help people we feel helpless to help. I had this text exchange with a dear friend from Afghanistan a few days ago. How is your family in Kabul? We are praying for you and are very concerned. We are worrying a lot. Our families got a warning letter from the Taliban to surrender my husband to them otherwise they will face death. My friend’s husband is a hero. He was awarded a purple heart for saving American lives in the fight against the… Read More

I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. (Isaiah 41:9).Isaiah 41:9 …For I have chosen you and have not thrown you away.Isaiah 41:9b, NLT About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.Acts 16:25 The verse they inscribed in my book was Romans 1:16: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. They certainly lived this verse. In fact, they demonstrated its primacy in their hearts by risking their… Read More

It was under unique circumstances I learned one of my life's greatest lessons of gratitude. The voices of the congregation rose sweet and pure, purer than I’d ever heard in my life. Our tremulous faith, tender yet mighty, was transmitted in song like a desperate, beautiful sonnet brought to the Savior by love so fierce it seemed it might shatter the vessels which bore it.  I held my baby close to my heart as my husband and I gripped the hands of our toddler and young son. The children seemed to understand that today was a day for seriousness, and with angelic faces, they watched us intently. The walk to church along cobbled streets and broken roads had been quiet and brisk that morning. The… Read More