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VOM-USA Prayer Update for December 3, 2010
On Tue. Nov 30 2010 at 09:10 AM Moderator wrote:
IRAN -- Imprisoned Pastor Officially Charged with Apostasy -- VOM Contacts
The
Assize Court of the province of Gilan, Iran, has officially charged
Pastor Youcef Nardarkhani with denying that Mohammed was a prophet. The
court stated that this resulted in apostasy because Nardarkhani believes
in Jesus and has shared his faith with others, according to The Voice
of the Martyrs contacts. The indictment, which was issued by a public
prosecutor in the presence of a jury, stated, "He has frequently denied
... the great prophet of Islam and the rule of the sacred religion of
Islam. ... He has proven his apostasy by organizing
evangelistic meetings and inviting others to Christianity, establishing
a house church, baptizing people, expressing his faith to others and
denying Islamic values." According to court documents, when Pastor
Youcef was asked about his faith, he told authorities, "Since I was born
in a Muslim family, I was Muslim until I converted to Christianity at
the age of 19." He openly acknowledged accepting Jesus Christ. The court
also stated that the apostasy charge was determined a crime according
to Islamic theologians. Pastor Youcef's defense attorneys have entered a
not guilty plea to the charges, arguing that "since there is no
punishment specified in the Islamic judicial system of Iran and other
penal laws [on apostasy] ... their client has not committed a crime to
deserve a punishment." The indictment, however, stated that as an
apostate, Pastor Youcef will be executed. His lawyers have 20 days to
appeal the indictment. The Voice of the Martyrs encourages
you to continue praying for Pastor Youcef and his family. Pray that his
appeal will be successful and that he will be released.
Psalm 62:5-8
CHINA -- Church Building Demolished in Jiangsu Province -- China Aid Association
On
Nov. 19, the Chengnan Church, which belongs to the
government-sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Movement, was destroyed by
the local government in Jiangsu province, China, according to China Aid
Association. The demolition came as a surprise, especially since
registered churches in China do not typically face the same intensity of
persecution from the government as non-registered churches. Pray for
the members of this church, who are now without a building in which to
worship. Pray that despite the loss of their building, they will be
reassured of their lasting and more precious inheritance. Pray
that God's Word will continue to be declared with boldness, love and
power by all believers in China.
Hebrews 10:36-37
IRAQ -- Three Christians Killed in Mosul -- Assyrian International News Agency / Cable News Network
On
Nov. 22, three more believers were killed in Mosul, Iraq, according to
the Assyrian International News Agency and Cable News Network. In this
latest attack on the country's Christian community, assailants entered a
shop owned by two Christian brothers, Saad Hanna and Waad Hanna, and
shot them. Waad died at the scene, and Saad died from his injuries a few
hours later. In a separate incident later in the day, police found an
elderly Christian woman strangled in her Mosul home. Pray that God will
comfort those mourning the loss of these believers. Also pray that God
will strengthen the faith of
Iraq's beleaguered Christians and enable them to persevere in the face
of great danger. Pray for peace in Iraq.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
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