Important Takeaways:
- Syria: Muslims kidnapping, possibly torturing, Christians
- After forces from the al-Qaeda affiliated Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) terrorist group conquered Damascus and overthrew Syria’s Assad regime in December 2024, they urged the residents of the Valley of the Christians to surrender any weapons they kept for self-defense, telling them that civilians would not be harmed. Since the jihadists’ takeover of Syria, however, around 500,000 Christians in the country have been faced with increased persecution and abductions
- On February 16, more Christians… were abducted from another village in the area. Their kidnappers, according to sources on the ground, are torturing them.
- “HTS’s successive renamings and ‘rebrandings’ appear to echo al-Qaeda’s own strategy in Syria of establishing branches and presenting them as locally-grown organizations arising in response to Syrians’ needs…” — US Commission on International Religious Freedom, November 2022.
- Al-Sharaa recently started dressing in a suit and tie, and is now presenting himself to the West as a “moderate.” He has spoken of plans to form an inclusive transitional government representing diverse communities that will build institutions and run the country until it can hold free and fair elections. In schoolbooks, however, his government has been replacing the word “law” with “sharia,” and has been using Islamic teaching to recruit the country’s new army.
- “Under HTS-control in Idlib, Christian clergy are not allowed to walk outside in any clothing that makes them recognizable as priests or pastors. Crosses have been removed from church buildings.” — Open Doors, December 2024.
- “Islam does not tolerate other cultures.” — “Christina,” a Greek Christian in Syria, to Gatestone, January 2025.
- “The new Syria should not be established without parties that represent the minority groups in the country, such as Christians, Kurds, Druze, and Alawites. The official recognition and acceptance of the jihadists by Western governments is like placing swords on the necks of Christians in particular and everyone who disagrees with them in general.” – “Christina,” a Greek Christian in Syria, to Gatestone, January 2025.
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Important Takeaways:
- Amsterdam police on Friday said ten people were in custody after Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans were attacked by what Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema described as “anti-semitic hit-and-run squads”.
- “This is a very dark moment for the city, for which I am deeply ashamed,” Halsema said at a news conference.
- “Anti-semitic criminals attacked and assaulted visitors to our city, in hit-and-run actions,” Halsema said, adding perpetrators had managed to escape a large police presence.
- The Dutch Organization for Central Jewish Consultation issued an urgent call on Friday for immediate, tough measures following apparent antisemitic attacks after an Ajax-Maccabi Tel Aviv football match.
- “The terrible scenes we witnessed last night show that there is no time to wait before taking tough measures”, the CJO said in a statement.
- Authorities say that the situation has calmed down over the last hour, and Israelis have been instructed to shelter in place. A Dutch police spokeswoman said 57 have been arrested so far.
- Footage circulating on social media has shown fans being beaten, chased with knives, and narrowly avoiding being hit by vehicles. Dutch riot police were sent in to respond to the attackers.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been informed of the incident and has sent two rescue planes to assist Israeli citizens. The IDF is coordinating the rescue mission, and are sending cargo aircraft and two planes from the Hercules squadron with medical and rescue teams.
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Important Takeaways:
- Muslim Slaughter of, and Violence against, Christians
- Nigeria: Some May headlines from the ongoing Muslim genocide of Christians in the African nation:
- May 1: “Fulani Herdsmen Kill 12 Christians in Plateau State, Nigeria”
- May 6: “Herdsmen Kill 28 Christians in Benue State, Nigeria”
- May 7: “Six Christians Killed, Eight Wounded in Kaduna State, Nigeria”
- May 10: “Suspected Fulani Herdsmen Attack Catholic School in Nigeria”
- May 14: “Christians, Others Increasingly Targeted in Plateau State, Nigeria: Amnesty International reports 1,336 people killed in three months”
- A raging Muslim mob attacked and savagely beat a 74-year-old Christian man, on what turned out to be a false accusation of “blasphemy”. Nine days later, on June 3, Nazir Masih Gill died from his many injuries, including a smashed skull. — Morning Star News, June 3, 2024, Pakistan.
- The Muslim employer of Saima Bibi, a 24-year-old Christian woman, dragged her outside and shoved her toward an electric chaff cutter—which sliced off one of her ears, cut off most of her scalp, and injured an eye. Her husband, Shahzad, who worked on the same farm and was present, said that one of their employers, Muhammad Mustafa, was angry that they were taking a break and ordered them to cut fodder for the cattle. — Morning Star News, May 15, 2024, Pakistan.
- Shahid Masih, a 35-year-old Christian dairy worker, was falsely accused of theft and subjected to “merciless torture” at the hands of Muhammad Ijaz. It included forcing him to ingest acid, from which he died in the hospital 11 days later…. Last reported, authorities are refusing to prosecute Muhammad Ijaz and his murderous accomplices. — britishasianchristians.org, May 15, 2024, Pakistan.
- Many other attacks on churches in France persisted throughout the month of May, including arson attacks, general desecrations, desecrations of cemeteries, defecations in churches and urination in their baptismal fonts, and bomb threats. — France.
- “Imagine the uproar if it was Christians throwing rocks at a mosque? MPs and the media would be all over it screaming ‘Islamophobia!'” — Tommy Robinson, British activist, x.com, May 1, 2024, England.
- The Church of the Holy Trinity was vandalized with Islamic graffiti, which included “Allah Akbar,” “Remove this church from here,” “Only Muslims are here,” “We don’t want churches, we want mosques,” and “Islam is the only true religion!” — orthodoxtimes.com, May 15, 2024, Kosovo.
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1Peter 4:12-14 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
Important Takeaways:
- Open Doors World Watch List: 360 Million Christians Are Now Suffering Extreme Persecution
- More than 360 million Christians around the world suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith, according to Open Doors’ 2023 World Watch List
- “In 1993, Christians faced high to extreme levels of persecution in 40 countries,” the report says. “This number has nearly doubled to 76 countries in 2023. In the top 50 alone, 312 million Christians now face very high or extreme levels.”
- During 2022, according to the report, 5,621 Christians worldwide were killed for their faith, with 90% of these killings occurring in Nigeria.
- Between 2011 and 2021, the terrorist groups Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) murdered more than 40,000 Christians in Nigeria, in addition to thousands more killed by Muslim Fulani herdsmen
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Matthew 5:10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Important Takeaways:
- Prepare To Stand: The Unexpected Blessings From Persecution
- Four dangers that can knock us out if we’re not prepared for persecution: the danger of acting according to fear; the danger of the heart becoming offended toward God; the danger of pursuing pleasure as an escape; and the danger of being derailed by deception.
- I’ve also suggested six steps that prepare our hearts to stand.
- Step one is to talk about persecution so we’re not caught by surprise.
- Two, develop fear of God, in the right perspective.
- Three, pursue the heart of God.
- Four, build perseverance. This is how we persist under pressure.
- Five, build community.
- And six, guard the Word. These last two are safeguards for us, our families and our churches against sliding into deception.
- So what can we expect if we practice these steps and remain faithful under pressure? Blessings!
- Persecution can draw us closer to Jesus.
- Intimacy, one that comes from being tested. The testing and proving of our love brings us into a more confident intimacy with God
- The truth is that pressure can push us to run after God in a way that we don’t normally do.
- Experiencing the hardships that Jesus experienced draws us closer to His heart.
- What we do here really does matter for eternity. Jesus will honor those who prove their faithfulness in difficulty.
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Matthew 5:10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Important Takeaways:
- ‘Stop Killing Christians’: Biden Admin Hit with Massive Petition Over ‘Puzzling’ Handling of Persecution in Nigeria
- The Biden administration removed Nigeria last year from the U.S. State Department’s Countries of Particular Concern list, sparking rebuke and concern from persecution watchdogs.
- “In the same year, Islamic terrorists, militants, and other extremists killed 4,650 Christians in Nigeria! It is not right for America to leave these Christians behind. We must stop the killing.”
- This year more than 33,000 people have signed a petition imploring President Joe Biden to reinstate the African nation to an important persecution watchlist.
- “The entire north of the country of Nigeria operates under shariah law,” Curry said. “There are extremist groups [like Boko Haram]. The ideology is the same. They target Christians because of their faith … they’ll attack entire villages.”
- Open Doors USA’s 2022 World Watch List ranks Nigeria as the seventh most dangerous place in the world to live as a Christian.
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Matthew 5:10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Important Takeaways:
- ‘On the Very Edge of Extinction’: Iraqi Archbishop’s Dire Warning About Christian Persecution, Violence
- The Most Rev. Bashar Warda, the Archbishop of Erbil, told hundreds of religious leaders gathered for the G20 Religion Forum in Bali, Indonesia, he’s fearful for the state of believers in his nation.
- Christianity in his war-torn country is “on the very edge of extinction.”
- “The brutal logic of this is that there does eventually reach an end point where there are no minorities left to kill, and no minorities left to persecute,” Warda said. “Such is the bleak future of religious pluralism in Iraq today.”
- He continued, “I pray that you will find in our story a clear warning to you all.”
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Matthew 24:4, 9-10 ““See to it that no one deceives you. … They will deliver you over to be persecuted and killed, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray and hate one another, and many false prophets will arise and mislead many”
Important Takeaways:
- Prepare To Stand: Will Church Leaders Compromise To Avoid Persecution?
- How could deception creep into the church, and what could it look like?
- The messaging from our culture is that pleasure and self-fulfillment are the highest values: Follow your heart. Be authentic. Be true to yourself. In practice, this means that I do what makes me feel good. My feelings determine my own truth, and I live according to my truth.
- Many who identify as Christian deny the exclusivity of Jesus. They think there are multiple ways to God, and many don’t think Jesus’ demands for obedience apply to them.
- Many church leaders are now hesitant to teach on the wedge issues because it will cause division.
- Going forward, pastors will face tremendous external pressure to compromise, and those who do will be held up by society as examples of good and acceptable Christianity.
- Some leaders will compromise to avoid persecution. But there’s a more insidious reason because it comes from seemingly good motives—the desire to protect their ministry: If I avoid certain issues, then I’ll be able to continue my ministry, which is producing fruit and serving people. But in the end, those leaders will lose their purity and their witness.
- Jesus warned about this. He said, “Many will fall away and will betray and hate one another” (Matthew 24:10). Deceived believers will attack faithful believers. It is going to become very messy and confusing.
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Matthew 5:10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Important Takeaways:
- Brunson: When Persecution Comes — Take Seriously The Danger Of Becoming Offended At God
- During difficult times, a real danger for the Christian is to become offended at God. I struggled with this. In fact, I came close to losing my friendship with God. My imprisonment, the isolation, the loneliness, the fear that I would never be with my family again—all these were difficult, but I understood intellectually that this was persecution. I didn’t like it, but I understood it to some degree.
- Objectively, I can say God did not abandon me, but it felt and looked like He had. It was agony to my soul.
- I questioned God’s existence. Then I questioned His character.
- This is what Jesus warned about when He said that “the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). Many will turn away because they become offended at God
- I made a decision with my will—not with my emotions—and said:
- “God, whatever You do or don’t do, I will follow You. If You do not let me sense Your presence, I will still follow You. If You don’t speak to me, I will still follow You. If You don’t show me Your gentleness or kindness, I will still follow You. If You leave me in prison, I will still follow You.”
- And He started to rebuild me.
- I had to make this decision again and again. Every time I was in a pit, at every setback, I chose to turn toward God rather than away from Him.
- The truth is, God tests His children. And one of the tests is overcoming offense.
- I think part of my testing was that I not have a sense of the presence of God, that I not have His voice. God wanted me to learn to stand in the dark, to lean into Him whatever my feelings, whatever my circumstances.
- Please, take seriously the danger of the offended heart. You must not allow offense to take root in your heart. Decide: “I will turn my eyes toward Jesus and not away.”
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Matthew 10:28 “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Important Takeaways:
- I understand fear. In prison I was separated from my loved ones by force.
- Jesus repeatedly warned His disciples that they would encounter persecution and hardship, and He repeatedly admonished them not to fear… I think Jesus’ emphasis is not so much “do not feel fear” but rather “do not act out of fear.” The danger is that the person who surrenders to fear may compromise his faith, fall away and even deny Jesus.
- First, we need to nurture a straight-up fear of God as judge.
- We rightly emphasize the love of God, but we don’t like to talk about hell and judgment. Yet Jesus talked about it quite a bit, and He did this because there are terrible consequences to denying Him, to compromising our faith. Jesus said it very clearly and bluntly: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).
- Second, we need to nurture a right perspective-—to develop eternal eyes… For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)
- Third, we need to nurture a desire for Heaven… “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:11-12).
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