Persecution

Could you imagine going to church and being fearful of your life just because of your beliefs?   The height of worry for most of us, as we attend church on a Sunday morning, are thoughts that typically repeat every Sunday.   What will be for lunch? Will church get out on time?   Who will win the game?   Maybe our thoughts are filled with worry for something going in with family, job, or finances.   It is safe to say that, here in America, you probably not worried about being killed or beaten as you go to church.

Persecution is real around the world.   Our Christian brothers and sisters do not enjoy the same privilege of religious freedoms and Christian influence as us. Though we know very little about the meaning of PERSECUTION in the U.S., it is commonplace among Christians in much of the world. In fact, the Christian church is experiencing martyrdom at a tragically faster pace then any recent generation.

According to the group, Open Doors

Attacks on Christians in India were reported on an almost daily basis in 2015, according to a Christian advocacy group. The country saw 355 incidents of violence, including 200 major incidents, during the last year. According to a report from the World Watch Monitor, released on Jan. 18, concluded that it is not safe to be a Christian in India.

The group reports that seven pastors were killed, several nuns were raped and hundreds of Christians were arrested under India’s anti-conversions laws. The report was released as 12 people, including a blind couple and their three-year-old son, were arrested in the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, under the state’s anti-conversion law, which forbids conversions through “allurement” or “force”. Seven of those arrested, including the blind couple, were released from custody on January 17, according to local pastor Suresh Mandlo.

We see the images on our news about how ISIS is committed to the eradication of Christianity wherever they find believers. But, even in India, where most of our R.H.E.M.A. graduates serve, persecution is increasing. The Hindu government in India has declared to eliminate Christianity by 2021.

The pastors we train go where we can’t go, and quite frankly, where many of us would be unwilling to go. Our goal is to train strong church planters, pastors, evangelists and other Church leadership.

With more than 5,000 of our graduates throughout the world, our task goes far beyond their training. We must support them financially and emotionally especially in times of persecution. They must be encouraged to stand firmly and lovingly for Truth in the face of severe opposition.

Today it is important for you to pray specifically for the persecuted church throughout the world.

The pictures here are hard to see, but they are real and have been reported to us by our own pastors who we have trained and supported.

Be thankful for our freedoms, and prayerful for those who don’t have them.

RON HERROD
R.H.E.M.A. International
P.O. Box 6447. Sevierville TN 37864
www.rhemainstitute.com
865-774-3222   865-599-8797

Today many Christian believers risk their lives just to publicly worship their Lord.

 

 In Uttar Pradesh a Christian pastor is being given a donkey ride after shaving his head in half. This inhuman act was done by the activists of a youth organization, Hindu Yuvavahini Bajrag Dal founded by Yogi Adityanath.