June 12, 2025 • 44 mins
Our focus this hour is on the Persecuted Church. The nation of Iran is making headlines almost every day. But the real story never shows up in the evening news. Why are so many coming to faith in Christ while living in both a repressive regime and a theocracy? Then, we will update you on several stories where believers are paying a price for following Jesus. Get out those prayer lists because today, they will get longer!
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Episode Transcript
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S1 (00:00):
Hi friend, thank you so much for downloading this podcast
and I truly hope you hear something that edifies encourage, equips, enlightens,
and then gets you out there in the marketplace of ideas.
But before you go, I want to tell you about
this month's truth tool. It's called Have You Ever Wondered?
And I absolutely love this topic because if you're like me,
going out into the night sky and looking up and
seeing a million stars, don't you just stop and think
(00:22):
about God? And are you not in a moment of
awe and wonder or looking out over the vast expanse
of an ocean and you start thinking, what is man,
that thou art mindful of him? And it makes you
wonder about the magnificence of God? I think that sense
of wonder was put there on purpose, and this wonderful
book includes a composite of multiple authors who have written
(00:42):
from their perspective as a scientist, or a historian, or
a mathematician or an artist, on why they all have
this sense of awe through the work that they do.
In other words, the heavens declare the glory. And as
it tells us in Romans, we are really without excuse
because his handiwork is everywhere. And this book invites you
to walk through the chapters written by people who all
(01:03):
have a sense of awe and wonder when it comes
to God through their various disciplines in life. It's an
amazing book and it's yours. For a gift of any amount,
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(01:24):
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(01:46):
becoming a partial partner or asking for this month's truth tool.
Have you ever wondered? And now please enjoy the broadcast.
S2 (01:53):
Here are some of the news headlines we're watching.
S3 (01:55):
This time the conference was over. The president won a pledge.
S4 (01:58):
Americans worshiping government over God.
S3 (02:00):
Extremely rare safety move by a major.
S5 (02:03):
17 years. The Palestinians and the Israelis negotiated.
S3 (02:06):
This is not the way.
S1 (02:22):
Hi, friends. Welcome to In the Market with Janet Parshall.
Before I say another word, can I just remind you
and me that God has called us for such a
time as this? I don't know about you, but right
now I'm getting the sense that all of creation is groaning, right?
Are you not sensing that so much is happening right now?
First and foremost, on Saturday Flag Day, it is the
(02:44):
anniversary of the birth of the United States Army. We're
going to have a massive parade here in Washington, DC.
And in the midst of all of that, up to
2000 protests and rallies are expected to take place all
across the country on Saturday. In LA alone, they're expecting
a quarter of a million people to attend, far more
than the 70,000 that were anticipated. And the heiress of Walmart.
(03:08):
Buyer beware. Just so you know, where your consumer dollars
are going is very much behind this supporting it, helping
to fund it. Now, supposedly the people who were protesting
and to use the words of Doctor Michael, it's an
Omni protest. It's a mulligan stew throwing whatever you want.
Mix it together. And they're all people who, at its core,
really don't like America, and they celebrate lawlessness. So you
(03:28):
have Antifa, BLM, you have Marxists, socialists, teachers unions, free,
free Palestine people. All of this just fomenting. We saw
what happened in LA over the last several days. And
now this is supposed to happen on Saturday and they're
calling it No King's Day. Yeah, but they didn't finish
the statement. Can I put that in a historical context?
It was something that they said when the founders started
(03:49):
this country, they said, no kings, comma, but King Jesus,
didn't quite work its way into the ad yet, but, uh.
That's right. We don't have a king in this country.
That's why we fought a revolution that's very much on
the horizontal plane. On the vertical plane, there's only one king. And, folks,
he's not up for reelection. He is the same yesterday, today,
and forever. And he has the entire world in his hand.
(04:10):
And he's watching what's going on, and probably weeps at
our lack of understanding why the law was given to
us because we couldn't practice self control. That's why the
government is on his shoulders. Government was instituted after the family,
before the church, so that the citizens of a nation
could be protected. And when you did not work within
the parameters of the law, which was for the greater
(04:31):
good of the people of that nation, there were consequences.
And so what we're seeing now is this abject rebellion,
an absolute throwing away of consequences. Don't follow the law.
Somehow you're mad. So you have the right to go
in and bust up a jewelry store in LA. I
can't quite follow the logic on that. So I'm encouraging us,
as men and women who have been given permission to
(04:52):
boldly approach the throne of Grace to be banging on
the gates of heaven for this weekend, that no one
is hurt, whether they're law officers or protesters. No one
is hurt that I am great. And you know this
you wouldn't be listening to this program. I'm such a
great believer in the marketplace of ideas. I subscribe to
an all comers policy, and I want you to be
able to, in a public square, share your opinions. But
(05:14):
throwing a molotov cocktail is not free speech. It's mayhem.
It's revolution, it's darkness. And so we need to be
praying about what's going to happen on Saturday. So that's
one thing. The second thing is what in the world
is going on in the Middle East? Oh, I am
so thankful that I have access to wonderful friends like
Doctor Michael Redlick my last hour, we spent the entire
(05:34):
hour talking about Israel. Just go to wherever your favorite
podcast can be found in the market with Janet Parshall. Load.
Load in today's date first hour and you're going to
hear some wonderful conversation. The UN's got planned an assembly
chaired by Saudi Arabia and France. There's your first problem
out of the gate. And they're going to move toward
trying to have a two state solution. And originally they
(05:54):
were going to try to declare Palestine as a state.
Little problem. You don't have the legal authority to do that.
Boundaries haven't been defined. And according to the Oslo Accord,
you can't do that, by the way, until there are
clear parameters defined. Well, that doesn't make any difference. This
is a political act. It's not one that's based on facts.
The U.S., of course, will veto any of this, which
(06:15):
means it's dead upon arrival. But it doesn't mean it's
not going to foment more anti-Semitism. In the meanwhile, talking
about fomenting what in the world is going on in Iran.
Turn your eyes now to this report from Chris Mitchell
of CBN news and pay attention.
S6 (06:28):
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation released a statement saying Hamas targeted
their workers on Wednesday night. Hamas brutally attacked a bus
carrying more than two dozen members of the Gaza Humanitarian
Foundation's team. What we know is devastating at least eight fatalities,
multiple injuries and fears that some of our team members
(06:49):
may have been taken hostage. GPS says the workers were
Palestinians working to deliver critical aid to needy Gazans. Since
its operation began, the organization has delivered nearly 19 million meals.
It's calling on the international community to condemn the attack,
which they call a crime against humanity. Senator James Lankford,
(07:13):
posted on X, called it the ultimate sign of Hamas's
oppression against their own people. Tensions are high in the
region overall. The U.S. State Department has ordered the departure
of all nonessential personnel from U.S. embassies in Baghdad, Bahrain
and Kuwait due to unrest. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized
(07:36):
the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations across the region.
Speaking at the Kennedy Center in Washington, President Trump said
they are being moved out because it could be a
dangerous place and we'll see what happens. Iran's defense minister
said he hopes nuclear talks will yield results. But if not,
(07:58):
he warned the U.S. that all its bases are within
our reach. We will have access to them and we
will target all of them in the host countries without hesitation.
While the sixth round of talks are being scheduled for
this Sunday in Oman, Trump is expressing skepticism about whether
a deal can be reached on the podcast Pod Force One,
(08:20):
Trump stated.
S7 (08:21):
I'm getting more and more less confident about it. They
seem to be delaying and I think that's a shame.
But they I'm less confident now than I would have
been a couple of months ago. Something happened to them.
S6 (08:35):
Jonathan Conricus of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies
believes the time for diplomacy passed long ago.
S8 (08:43):
After 15 years of diplomatic efforts and with unequivocal evidence
that the Iranians are lying and they are trying to
build a nuclear bomb. Action needs to be taken.
S6 (08:54):
Israel reports it's recovered the bodies of two more hostages
in Gaza, including Yair Yaakov, who was killed in Hamas's
brutal October 7th invasion of Israel. Meanwhile, Israel's Knesset voted
down a bill that would collapse the government. Chris Mitchell
CBN news, Jerusalem.
S1 (09:14):
When we return, Doctor Macharia is going to join us
because there's a lot of conversation that something might be
percolating between Israel and Iran. So again, people of the
word that you and me we're going to trust in
the Lord. And we're also going to find out exactly
what our friends in Iran are saying about what's happening there.
So stay tuned. We've got a lot to talk about
(09:34):
at the bottom of the hour. Todd Nettleton will join
us and get out those prayer lists, okay. Because we're
going to lengthen them. We're going to talk about brothers
and sisters who are persevering in their following of Jesus
Christ and the price that they paid. This is in
the market with Janet Parshall just getting started a whole
lot more after this. Have you ever wondered why music
(09:55):
moves us so deeply, or why beauty takes our breath away?
My Truth Tool this month is a thought provoking book
that explores those moments of wonder we all encounter. It's
called Have You ever Wondered? Consider how ordinary aspects of
life point to the extraordinary biblical truths. Ask for your
copy of. Have you ever wondered when you give a
gift of any amount in the market, call 877 Janet 58.
That's 877 Janet 58 or go to in the market
(10:18):
with Janet Parshall.
S9 (10:24):
This is a clear indication that the United States believes
that an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities is likely
to happen soon. The State Department has ordered the withdrawal
of all non-essential U.S. diplomats out of Iraq, while the
Pentagon has authorized the departure of military family members from
the Middle East as the region braces for the possibility
(10:44):
of another of another war. This comes as the Iranian
defense minister was warning yesterday that if the Israel attacks
his country, quote, the enemy's losses will undoubtedly be greater
than ours. America will have to leave the region because
all of its bases are within our reach, and we
have access to all of them, and without hesitation we
(11:05):
will target them.
S1 (11:07):
And of course, as a result of that, now we're
pulling people out of our buildings and that part of
the world. President Trump was asked about if there's an
impending attack from Israel to Iran. Here's what he said.
S10 (11:19):
How imminent is an Israeli strike on Iran?
S7 (11:22):
Well, I don't want to say imminent, but it looks
like it's something that could very well happen.
S11 (11:27):
How confident are you, sir, that conflict with Iran can
be avoided?
S7 (11:32):
Well, I'd love to avoid the conflict. Uh, Iran's going
to have to negotiate a little bit tougher. Meaning they're
going to have to give us some things that they're
not willing to give us right now.
S12 (11:43):
What the Israelis told you that made you start to
evacuate the dependents of servicemen and women who were stationed
in the Middle.
S7 (11:50):
East, tell me anything. But I said, look, there's a
chance of massive conflict. We have a lot of American
people in this area. And I said, we got to
tell them to get out because something could happen soon.
And I don't want to be the one that didn't
give any warning. And missiles are flying into their buildings.
It's possible. So I had to do it. Um, you know,
(12:12):
I had the choice. Do I do it or not?
Doing it has its downside, but it also has its upside.
Like you're going to save a lot of lives if
it should happen. Hopefully that doesn't happen.
S1 (12:22):
Hopefully we're going to pray to that end. White House
envoy Steve Witkoff privately warned several top senators that last
week that Iran could unleash a mass casualty response if
Israel bombs their nuclear facilities, according to U.S. official and
a source with direct knowledge. With Israel preparing to strike
Iran quickly if Woodcock's diplomacy fails. This weekend, President Trump's
(12:43):
envoy sounded the alarm about what would come next. Iran's
retaliation could overwhelm Israel's defenses and cause heavy damage, he said.
Iran has also vowed to strike U.S. targets in the region,
hence leading the president to call our personnel home. I
think that was the right and wise decision in the
event of an attack on its nuclear site. So the U.S.
is now, as we speak, in the process of withdrawing
(13:05):
diplomats and military families who could be in harm's way. Yesterday,
the president told reporters that he doesn't want to say
an Israeli strike is imminent, but that it might very
well happen. He stressed he wants to avoid conflict, as
you just heard, but said it will require concessions that
Iran has been unwilling to make. That's the headlines, that's
the story. But there's always a story behind the story,
(13:25):
and nobody knows that better than our precious friend Doctor Shahriyar.
He is the founder of Iran Alive Ministries. He was
born into a muslim family in Iran, came to the U.S.
after the Islamic Revolution in 79. He came to faith
in Christ while getting his PhD in computer engineering. As
a grad student at USC, I love to point out
that he could have kept going and been a gazillionaire
(13:45):
today because he was pursuing AI before everybody and their
brother was talking about AI, but instead, God moves him
to plant a church in San Jose, California. Hundreds of
Muslim comfort converts show up and it becomes, to this day,
one of the largest churches of its kind in the U.S.
but in 2001, he starts Iran Alive Ministries, which uses
satellite TV. And you talk about missiles permeating. Are they?
(14:08):
It's nothing compared to the gospel permeating the airwaves in Iran,
24 seven. And that's exactly what Iran Alive Ministries is
all about. It's why I'm so passionate about this ministry,
because you hear all that stuff and I'll grant you,
it sounds really scary. Except newsflash, Christ is still on
the throne. He's in charge. Okay. He didn't give us
a spirit of fear. The Bible says, but power, love
(14:30):
and of a sound mind. You can pray for those
in authority, as Scripture said, because they need a lot
of wisdom right now. But in the meantime, the stories
that are being made are the Iranian people who are
coming to faith in Jesus Christ. And I love that
hormones can not only talk about those headlines, the ones
being made in heaven, but he also has boots on
the ground. So he gives us a sense of what's
happening atmospherically to our friends who live in Iran. So Hormuz,
(14:52):
the the joy of having you with us. And little
did I know when I asked you that this would
be making news and it could go from bad to
worse in a blink of an eye. Tell me what
you are hearing from your sources in Iran. Because if
there's rocket fire, we always rebut innocent people being hurt.
What's going to happen, do you think?
S13 (15:10):
Well, thank you for allowing me to share. It's a
very critical time in Iran, both politically and economy and
especially spiritually. And they don't match. I mean, economy is bad.
Iranians are in danger of being attacked. And it could
be really bad. And but at the same time, it's
(15:31):
really good spiritually. And I can share all of that. But,
with this nuclear negotiation, of course, the government of Iran's
goal is just to survive, survive Trump at any cost.
And they they will try to get the best deal
from Trump. So a lot of these talks is just
on both sides. I see them as both sides wanting
(15:51):
to get a good deal. I believe the Iranian government will, um,
will accept something, of course, not in public because they
want to save face. But if there is, if there
is a war, if there's an attack, I think it's
going to be very limited.
S1 (16:09):
My question to you is this. And we've talked about
this so many times and I so appreciate your keen insight.
You talk about the two sided face of the leadership
in Iran to the world. It's braggadocio. It's beating their chest.
It's we're going to get you the little Satan and
the Big Satan. But behind closed doors, they're suffering economically.
And the Iranian people are not in support, by and large,
(16:31):
the theocracy. Right? The leaders, I get it, but the
average Iranian wants peace. They're not interested in getting involved
in any kind of a global war. Why now? What
is the trigger mechanism from what you're hearing and your
perception on this hormoz? Why the trigger mechanism? Now, to
say that this is when Israel may in fact strike Iran.
This is a conversation that goes back to Netanyahu holding
up the cartoon of a bomb, saying this is where
(16:52):
they are in terms of their nuclear capabilities. We will
never let them get here. We will stop them. Everybody
remembers that graphic, and that was some time ago. So
why now? And you can hear the music. Forgive me
for asking the question right to the break, but let
me come back for your answer right after this. In
the meantime, Iran. Alive. Iran. Alive. This ministry has always
(17:12):
been important, but now it's more important than ever. Because
as you heard rumors, this is a great time. Spiritually,
it might be. The geopolitics might be upside down, very unstable,
insecure times. Spiritually, there's a hunger and there's an opportunity
now for people to know peace, not like the world gives,
but his peace more with him. Always right after this.
(17:48):
What a reminder that this is not as good as
it gets in the best is yet to come. So
things are percolating in the Middle East again, on high alert,
that Israel may be moving against Iran's nuclear facilities any
time now, which is why the president has now called
military personnel out of that area for their safety. What
a perfect time to be talking to Herman Cheruiyot, who
is the founder of Iran Alive Ministries 24 over seven
(18:12):
from the base of his ministry here in the United States,
the gospel is beamed into Iran, and it's so significant.
We're going to get to the spiritual headlines in a minute.
But I just ask because you're such a brilliant man. Hormuz.
Why now? Why would Israel say this is the moment
to strike again? The facilities is there and I, you know,
you gotta give credit where credit is due. The IDF
is brilliant. to their Intel. Sources say that there's something
that is not known writ large by people that makes
(18:34):
this moment very prescient for striking against Iran, or is
this just an ongoing threat that they finally decided needs
to be eradicated?
S13 (18:43):
Yes. There is a little disagreement between Netanyahu and Trump,
and very understandable. Netanyahu is thinking long term. Trump is
thinking short term. Just during his own course of presidency,
he wants some victories to be done. But what Israel
is thinking, Netanyahu, let's take care of it now. We
never had this chance to take care of the Iranian
(19:05):
nuclear sites. Let's do it now. Because if we delay
and that's what the Iranian government wants, and they will
do it, the sanctions will go away. They get money,
they will build new sites on the ground so that
their capability will not go away. And that's what Israel
is afraid. So this is the best time in history
for us to destroy the nuclear facilities of Iran if
(19:28):
we don't, four years later, maybe Trump will not be
here 2 or 3 years later. Maybe he would. He
would lose the, you know, the Congress. So Iranians are
trying to buy time. But Netanyahu is very smart in
terms of long term planning. He says this is the
time to destroy Iran. Trump says no, let's have a
(19:49):
let's have a deal. Let's go for for now. So
I look good. I stop them and I don't care
much what happens long term. That actually that's the difference
between US policies, because the government changes every four years
and other nations that in the US the president has
to think just short term. And that's the problem for
(20:12):
long term threats like Iran.
S1 (20:15):
Boy, I think that's an insightful observation on your part.
That's absolutely brilliant. If there were to be a strike,
are there any nations that you would identify that would
come to the aid and assistance of Iran?
S13 (20:26):
I don't think so. The closest would be, uh, Russia.
But Russia is not ready to do that. It's very
busy with, uh, you know, Ukraine war. And even then,
they're using Iran as a piece in their negotiation with
the US. They don't love Iran. They don't care about
Iran that much to get involved directly. Never.
S1 (20:48):
Yeah. Yeah. So they've got their own distractions, so they
might have to go it alone, which is very, very interesting.
So we pray for those in authority. We pray that
God will get real wisdom to this particular situation because
it's so desperately needed. But I don't want to miss
the best part of the story, because you talk about
how this is so significant spiritually in Iran right now.
Explain to our friends why.
S13 (21:09):
Well, this is the move of God in history. Iran
has the fastest growing evangelical population in the world right now.
Iran is the only nation, Islamic nation that's already rejected.
Islam and Islam has experienced its It's a greatest defeat
in its history in Iran today. And the openness. Let
me share with you this. I you know, I have
(21:31):
a live broadcast on Thursday. Just yesterday, you know, a
couple hours ago, I was on the air and I
had this young politician, political activist. She's 22, she's a
Gen Z. And I was so amazed by her. She
was so intelligent, so brave. And I told her, well,
how come your generation is so brave? And she told
(21:52):
me this, I wrote it down. Can I read it, please?
She she said, we Gen Z is in Iran. These
are young under 2025. And so we we don't have
fear because we say fear does not stop us from dying.
(22:12):
It stops us from living. So there is a courage
among them. And there is a there is a zeal
to bring change in Iran. And that's why, uh, let
me share some good news with you. The last six months, Janet,
we have seen a surge in the number of salvation
(22:33):
among the young people. Under 25. Under 20. Amazing move
of God. They are very hard to reach because they
have rejected Islam. And now they're coming to Christ. Now,
I talked to them. How come you're interested in Christianity?
I thought you hated all religions. And many of them
say this. I said yes, we rejected Islam. We lived
(22:54):
a godless life for several years. Open sex, drugs, everything.
We tried and we found it very empty. Just like
Solomon said. Vanity of vanities. So after experiencing Islam and
experiencing godlessness, now they are coming to Christ, ready to
receive Christ, and live and even die for him. This
(23:16):
is a move of God among the young people in Iran.
I'm so happy. I'm so excited because I thought they
were very hard to reach. No, they are not.
S1 (23:25):
It's harvest time in Iran. So tell us, as people
in the West who want to pray for what's going
on in Iran, how do we pray specifically right now
at this time?
S13 (23:38):
Pray against war. War is ugly. It brings destruction of resources,
the lives and everything. Just no war. And but at
the same time, pray for the persecuted church in Iran.
The numbers are growing. Iran has millions of Muslim background believers.
But there's no church. There's no way they can grow.
(24:01):
That's why we are putting our emphasis on helping the
church in Iran spiritually. We have online school. Did you
know we have over 4700 students on our online school?
And they're shouting, hey, teach me, equip me! I want
to serve the Lord. So there is a hunger in Iran.
Pray for that hunger and come and join us. Join
(24:21):
you on our live. Let's work together to disciple the nation. Don't.
Don't worry about discipleship. They're coming to Christ like crazy.
They're just coming. Let's disciple them. And Iran will impact
Middle East and the whole world.
S1 (24:35):
Amen. Iran alive. Pray for this ministry. Support this ministry financially.
Get involved. That's the story behind the headline. God bless you.
Thank you so much. Back after this. There are dozens
of talk shows that address politics, culture and technology, but
(24:57):
in the market is committed to bringing biblical truths to
every facet of life. When you financially support in the
market as a partial partner, you're helping people to better
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a partial partner today and receive exclusive benefits prepared just
for you. Call 877. 58 or go online to in
the market with Janet Parshall. G. Got your pearly out
(25:22):
because we're going to lengthen it. Todd Nettleton is with
us vice president of messenger for the voice of the
martyrs US and the host of the voice of the
Martyrs Radio. Fabulous. I hope you listen to that on
a regular basis. When he's not traveling the world, he's writing.
One of his great books recently is when Faith Is
Forbidden 40 days in the Front Lines with persecuted Christians.
It's like riding along in the car with Todd and
(25:43):
listening to our brothers and sisters who have said, yes, Lord,
and in so doing have often reaped a whirlwind because
it's not necessarily easy in all parts of the world
to follow Jesus. I'm so grateful for the work of Vhom.
I love them, pray for them, by the way. Support
their ministry. I just think they're tremendous. And I'm glad
that Todd comes and visits with us on a regular basis.
So I want to lengthen your prayer list, but I
(26:04):
also want to get this on your calendar. Do you
know what June 29th is? Well, you don't need to
use a lifeline or call a friend. I'm going to
tell you it is the day of the Christian martyr.
I'm so glad that Vom underscores this. You know, Todd,
I love to see all of the Vom posts. I
didn't know what to call it an X, the posts
that go out, and I love to be able to
read about brothers and sisters, or to look back in
(26:26):
history on the day in which one of my brothers
and sisters from the past has stepped into eternity because
they said, yes, Lord. So tell me about the day
of the martyr.
S14 (26:35):
Well, day of the Christian martyr, as you mentioned, it's
a day we look backwards and honor the example of
brothers and sisters throughout history who have given their lives
for the cause of Christ. And this year's interesting. So
each year we do a short video. This year it's
it's three minutes long, perfect for, uh, Sunday morning church service, which,
by the way, June 29th this year is a Sunday,
(26:57):
perfect for a Sunday school class, a Bible study group.
The interesting thing about this year's video is we have
two martyrs martyred in the same country 2000 years apart.
So one of them, we all know the Apostle Thomas.
We call him Doubting Thomas. Uh, but by the end
of his life, he was missionary Thomas. He had taken
the gospel from Jerusalem all the way to southern India,
(27:21):
and this was before the days of 747. That was
a very long journey. And so he was speared to
death by priests, Hindu priests in southern India. We also
have a second martyr that most of us maybe have
not heard of. His name was Kond Muddu. He was
killed in 2020. Just five years ago, he became a
(27:41):
Christian out of a Hindu background. He began to evangelize.
In fact, his first converts were his own brothers. He
began to face threats. The people realized that they weren't
going to turn him away from Jesus, and they weren't
going to stop him from telling other people. And so
he was stabbed to death, leaving behind a wife and
two young children. So this video shows us that that
(28:03):
following Christ has always meant people being willing to lay
down their lives from the days of the apostles, right
up to today. That's what it looks like for many
of our brothers and sisters to follow Jesus.
S1 (28:15):
With a mere 2000 years in between. What does that
tell you? Wow. Absolutely amazing. One of the things I
love about Vom Tod is the resources. So I want
to get our friends to persecution. They got a bunch
of links, but this is the general one. You want
this one because that's where you go to get the
free monthly newsletter persecution. Com you hear me talk about
this all the time. It is wonderful for your personal
(28:36):
devotions to be able to look at the face of
brothers and sisters who have paid a price to be
able to share that with your family and your family.
Quiet time together. Youth leader, Sunday school pastor from the
front of the pulpit. Great resource, but for the resources
that go to the day of the Christian martyr, it's persecution.
Some of the things are besides the video. Todd what
else do you have for churches?
S14 (28:57):
Well, all of these are digital, so you can download
them right from the website and all of them are free.
There's no charge for any of this. So there is
the video that we mentioned, three minute video. There are
questions for reflection. So hey, you want to turn this
into your study, your Sunday school lesson that week. There
are questions to help you do that. There are church
bulletin inserts so you can put a story in every
(29:18):
bulletin for every member of your church. If you're a pastor,
there's a sermon outline there. Maybe you want to give
this whole Sunday, June 29th, which, by the way, is
the anniversary of the execution of the Apostle Paul outside
the city of Rome. That's the significance of June 29th.
There is also a guide for those who are talking
to children, maybe as a Sunday school class teacher or
(29:40):
maybe as a parent. How do I, you know, how
do I talk to my fourth grader about martyrdom and
persecuted Christians in a way that doesn't freak him out,
but also shares the fact, the reality that following Christ
often means sacrifice? There's a guide to help you do
that in an age appropriate way.
S1 (30:00):
Again, one of the many things I love about Vom
are the resources. So persecution. You need that to get
the monthly free newsletter persecution Martyr. And all of the
resources that Todd just talked about are right there for
your downloading. June 29th, the day of the Christian Martyr,
which I think is very significant when you look at
all of those three people combined on June 29th, what
(30:23):
we're talking about this year, that's fabulous. But fast forward,
this is not a past tense conversation. This is an
ongoing conversation that there are people today who are still
losing their lives because they said, yes, Lord. And I
have to tell you, Todd, I don't know when the
last time, as we talked about Ethiopia, because I don't
generally think of that as being a country where there's
marked hostility against people who profess a relationship with Jesus Christ,
(30:47):
but it costs someone recently their life. Tell me about that.
S14 (30:50):
Yeah. It did. There are areas. And I realized as
I was looking through the stories, we're talking about this.
This is a heavy day. This half hour is heavy
for us because there has been so much suffering. And
there are areas in Ethiopia that are almost 100% Muslim.
And so you go into one of those areas And
this young man, his name was Ibrahim Muhammad. And I
(31:13):
mentioned in my book there's an evangelist I met named Muhammad.
I love Christians with the name Muhammad because, you know,
they they weren't born in a Christian family and given
the name Muhammad, uh, they converted at some point they
met Jesus for Ibrahim Muhammad. That happened in 2021. Within
a year, he had led 80 other people to Christ.
(31:34):
So so this is not somebody who got saved and
then was real quiet about it. Within a year, he
had led 80 people to Christ. He had planted a
little church. Here's what seems to be what crossed the line.
He had been threatened many times, but in May, early May,
he had donated some of his own land to build
a church building. So they were not just going to
(31:55):
meet together as Christians. Now. They were going to have
a church building in that community. That may have been
what what was sort of the last straw for the
Muslims who had threatened him. They were watching what he
was doing, and now he's saying, hey, here's some property.
We're going to build a church on May the 15th.
A man dressed in Muslim clothing came up to Ibrahim Muhammad.
(32:17):
He said, this is your last day witnessing and then
shot him. Three days later in the hospital, Ibrahim died.
A man who laid down his life for the cause
of Christ.
S1 (32:28):
Wow. Amazing. And so it's still. It depends on what
part of the country you're in. You know, we think
about Ethiopian Jews. We think about some of the oldest
churches in the world being there. But there are sections
that are Islamic dominated. And that's a result of this. Well,
our heart breaks for that. I'm so sad. Um, talk
to me about some conversations you had recently with two
of your Vom leaders who are overseeing your work in Africa.
S14 (32:50):
Yeah. Just in the last the last month, we have
had two Vom radio episodes. And people can find that
wherever they listen to podcasts. But we've had conversations with
two of our leaders overseeing our work in Africa, and
one of the things that came through in these conversations
is just the level of violence that is happening against
our brothers and sisters on the African continent. It is,
(33:13):
you know, we think of them as sort of free countries.
And one of the leaders had actually transitioned from leading
our work in Southern Asia, where, you know, the governments
are against persecution, especially India. The government is against the Christians.
He moved over to Africa, where the governments, they say
all the right things. Oh, of course we have Christian citizens. Yes.
(33:33):
That's great. But then you have jihadist groups that are
coming into villages and opening fire. You have incidences where
70 or 80 people are killed. You have thousands of
people being displaced in in one attack. And he just
said that the level of violence is so great, it's
almost mind boggling what our brothers and sisters are suffering.
S1 (33:56):
Wow. Unbelievable. So tell our friends, first of all, I
would be remiss how they can listen to Vom radio
because if it's not carried on a station, we can
listen to it online, can we not?
S14 (34:07):
Absolutely. VOA radio Dot net is the radio website. Vom
radio dot net. You can search for a broadcast station
right on the site, so you can see if there's
something close to you that's broadcasting it. You can listen
online or it links you to the different podcast apps.
So whatever, wherever you listen to podcasts, you can find
Vom radio as well.
S1 (34:27):
Wow. Excellent. You know, and when we talk about Benin,
we actually talked about this before in The Voodoo influence
because I remember asking you, you don't hear about voodoo.
Usually it's Islam, right? But voodoo is this real dark
pagan practice works its way in. And so you talk
about spiritual warfare. How do we pray specifically for someone
like that when they live in an area of Africa
(34:48):
where voodoo practices take precedent?
S14 (34:51):
You know, you know, it is fascinating because when we
talk about persecution in Africa, almost always we're talking about
radical Islam. Yes, yes. In Benin it is it is voodoo.
It is spirit worship. and I'm encouraged by this in
one aspect, because what happens is the vodouists, the spirit worshipers,
they see that their chance and their charms and their
(35:13):
things don't work when there is a follower of Jesus
Christ in their midst, when there is a church that
is built in their community. Suddenly all their spells and
all their things, they don't have power anymore. That's what
makes them so angry. It's like, wait a minute. When
the Christians came in, now we can't do what we
were doing before. I'm encouraged by that because it shows
(35:34):
us the power of God, but it doesn't make it
any easier for our brothers and sisters. And what happened
just last month is a lady, a Christian lady. She's
been a Christian for 15 years, but she was beaten
almost to death. In fact, she's in the hospital. Our
contacts there are concerned whether she will survive or not.
And this was by her own family, because she wouldn't
(35:57):
lead them in the voodoo rituals. That is sort of
her job as the matriarch of the family. They wanted
to kill her because of that.
S1 (36:06):
Wow. Unbelievable. Well, and, you know, it's one thing for
us to talk about spiritual warfare. It's another to hear
a story just like this coming out of Benin. By
the way, when you read the verse and you just
hang on to the power of that scripture that says,
greater is he that is in us than he that
is in the world, those voodoo worshipers get to see
that up close and personal. We've got more stories coming
(36:26):
out of Africa, and also we're going to focus on
Afghanistan as well. Todd Nettleton, not Todd Nettleton, is with
us from voice of the martyrs. Persecution. Com forward slash martyr.
I want to give you that again. So you'll get
your resources for the day of the Christian Martyr, June 29th.
More with Todd right after this. Persecution for the day
(36:56):
of the Christian Martyr is coming June 29th. I give
you that website because it's a wonderful way for you
to get the resources, and because that day falls on
a Sunday and you can participate as a form of
remembrance in your church, in your home and your small group.
Tons of resources. Very typical of voice of the Martyrs
Persecution complex. We're going to linger in Africa a bit more.
(37:17):
Burkina Faso, you talk about some pastors and some Christians
there and you talk about being heavy. This is recent history.
We're barely halfway into June. This happened at the end
of May. That's how fresh this is. Todd, tell me
the story.
S14 (37:31):
Yeah. Unfortunately, this is very fresh. So our brother we
mentioned in Ethiopia was shot on May the 15th. May 23rd,
eight days later in Burkina Faso. Across the continent of Africa,
a large group of jihadists came into a village in
Burkina Faso, and they began to attack. And it's interesting
to me because the first home they went to was
(37:53):
the home of the pastor in that village, the pastor
and five other Christians were actually sitting in the courtyard
of the home. They heard the jihadist coming and they fled. Uh,
just just like we would do, they literally ran for
their lives. Well, unfortunately, they were all captured and shot.
So the pastor, five Christians martyred that day by the jihadist,
(38:14):
they then started going house to house and burning down homes.
And so by the time they were done, more than
a thousand Christians, most of them are women and children.
More than a thousand Christians were displaced by that attack.
They had to flee. Some of the people in the
next village heard about the threat. They also fled from
their homes. This is unfortunately another day in Burkina Faso.
(38:36):
Like these kind of attacks are not out of the ordinary.
They've become far too common. But I think going back
to the what, what is really interesting to me, the
first place they went was the home of the pastor.
This wasn't just people who were angry or people who
wanted to shoot somebody. They were looking for the leader
of the Christians in this village. That's the first house
(38:57):
that they went to.
S1 (38:59):
Now this is and I want to underscore this based
on what you were telling us before about Benin. In
this case, the salt comes from jihadists, right? Tied back
to Islam.
S14 (39:08):
Yeah. This is coming from jihadists. Burkina Faso shares a
border with Mali, which is pretty uncontrolled. And so they're
jihadists coming back and forth across that border. They are
able to come across, attack a village like this, and
then go back across into Mali. And really, the Burkina
Faso government and the soldiers there haven't been able to
(39:28):
provide security. They haven't been able to sort of keep
these attacks from happening.
S1 (39:33):
This is a terrible question to ask, but are they
unable to provide or are they unwilling to provide that?
S14 (39:42):
It is a terrible question, and it's a hard question
to answer. I think it's a little bit of both.
I'm not sure how committed they are to protecting the church,
to protecting the Christians, but also they they simply can't.
The border is so long. There's so much territory to
try to cover. It is a very difficult place to
provide security. Even if you are highly motivated.
S1 (40:03):
Wow. I'm going to pull over to the side of
the road. We are going to get to Afghanistan in
a minute. But I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you,
with all your knowledge and all your travels. God, if
I were to ask you what is the hottest spot
on planet Earth right now from your vantage point, to
be a follower of Jesus, where would you point?
S14 (40:21):
Ooh, that's a hard question to answer. I honestly, Burkina
Faso is one of them and it's really under the radar.
The church isn't talking about it, the news media isn't
talking about it. But as I mentioned, these kind of
attacks are happening like almost every week. And I, I
think of one particular denomination that we are working alongside
(40:42):
in Burkina Faso. In a matter of a three month span,
they had six pastors killed. Um, and again, it's under
the radar. It's not something that we're talking about, but
it's reality for them every single week. Another attack, another attack,
another village that had to flee. And so many displaced
Christians and the church there is overwhelmed by the need of,
(41:03):
you know, these Christians flee from the village and they
come into the city, and then they show up at
the church and say, hey, you know, we had to
flee for our lives. Can you help us? And the
church is like, man, we would love to help you,
but we don't have the resources. That's actually part of
what voice of the martyrs is doing, is equipping the
church in Burkina Faso to be able to help some
of these that are displaced from their homes and their villages.
S1 (41:25):
Wow. I'm glad I asked, because I just had this
sense based on what you were saying about Burkina Faso,
that maybe that was a particular problematic area. Let me
linger if I can, just a little bit longer in Africa. Todd,
what in the world is happening in Nigeria.
S14 (41:38):
That that was the other one. I was like, ah,
should I mention Nigeria or Burkina Faso, northern Nigeria also,
we see these kind of attacks and um, it's so
frustrating because they happen. And then the government says, oh,
we're going to put a stop to this. We're going
to establish security. And then they don't. Um, and it's like, okay,
another attack. Another attack. And we have seen, even in
(42:01):
the last month, several really large scale attacks where a
lot of people were affected. And so it is northern
Nigeria also very, very difficult place to be a follower
of Christ.
S1 (42:13):
Yeah, exactly. And again, let me ask you, because religious liberty,
the geopolitics intersect, like it or not. So in Nigeria,
because this is an ongoing people group specific assault, I mean,
I was looking at some horrific pictures last weekend where
their people are butchered. There's no other way to say it.
I'll just say that and move on because it's so
grotesque to contemplate. But what is the government doing to
(42:35):
mitigate this in action?
S14 (42:38):
Foments right. Not not enough is the answer. And right now,
what they're doing, and frankly, for years what they've been
doing is talking. Uh oh. Yeah. We need to get
a handle on that. Oh, yeah. If if this happens,
then we'll be able to stop those attacks and. Yeah,
but they're not they're not stopping them. And in that
case and you talked about this in Burkina Faso as well.
(42:59):
It's like you start to question the will in in
some cases. You know, we have heard stories where armed
military people stepped aside and let an attack happen. Um,
and so it's like if that animosity between Christian and
Muslim that sometimes supersedes your job, it supersedes your uniform.
(43:19):
It's like, well, wait a minute. If you're attacking the
people I consider my enemies, why would I get in
your way of doing that? And so it is frustrating
how often the Nigerian government talks about religious freedom, how
often they talk about protecting their citizens who are religious minorities,
and then comparing that to what actually happens. And it's
(43:39):
so difficult and so frustrating.
S1 (43:42):
Thank you for touching on that because it is a
tremendously awful story. Afghanistan. You've heard some reports, boy, talk
to me about the Taliban now.
S14 (43:50):
Yeah. Speaking. Speaking of broken promises, let's talk about the
Taliban in Afghanistan. We have heard reports just in the
last few weeks that they are more actively pursuing Christians,
especially Christian leaders. House church meetings. There are several leaders
who have been detained. And right now we don't know
their whereabouts. We don't know what's happening to them. That's
(44:11):
another thing for our prayer lists. Um.
S1 (44:13):
Todd, it is heavy. But then again, this is a
battle of good and evil. These are the spiritual wars
we can't see with our eyes. These are. These are
people who are saying yes and paying a cost. And
that's why we have these conversations with Todd on a
regular basis to lengthen your prayer list. So you can
be a part of a global movement that prays for
our brothers and sisters. So support Vom. Check out the
resources for the day of the Christian Martyr. Todd. Blessings
(44:36):
and thank you. Thank you friends. We'll see you next
time on In the Market with Janet Parshall.
S15 (44:41):
Back.
Hi friend, thank you so much for downloading this podcast
and I truly hope you hear something that edifies encourage, equips, enlightens,
and then gets you out there in the marketplace of ideas.
But before you go, I want to tell you about
this month's truth tool. It's called Have You Ever Wondered?
And I absolutely love this topic because if you're like me,
going out into the night sky and looking up and
seeing a million stars, don't you just stop and think
(00:22):
about God? And are you not in a moment of
awe and wonder or looking out over the vast expanse
of an ocean and you start thinking, what is man,
that thou art mindful of him? And it makes you
wonder about the magnificence of God? I think that sense
of wonder was put there on purpose, and this wonderful
book includes a composite of multiple authors who have written
(00:42):
from their perspective as a scientist, or a historian, or
a mathematician or an artist, on why they all have
this sense of awe through the work that they do.
In other words, the heavens declare the glory. And as
it tells us in Romans, we are really without excuse
because his handiwork is everywhere. And this book invites you
to walk through the chapters written by people who all
(01:03):
have a sense of awe and wonder when it comes
to God through their various disciplines in life. It's an
amazing book and it's yours. For a gift of any amount,
just call 877 Janet 58. That's 877 Janet 58. Ask
for a copy of Have You Ever Wondered? And we'll
send it right off to you as my way of
saying thank you, because we are listener supported radio. Or
you can go online to in the market with Janet
(01:24):
Parshall and you're also on the website, consider becoming a
partial partner. Those are people who give every single month
at a level of their own choosing. You always get
the truth tool, but in addition to that, you get
a weekly newsletter that includes my writing and an audio
piece just for my partial partners. So 877 Janet 58
or the website in the market with Janet Parshall. Consider
(01:46):
becoming a partial partner or asking for this month's truth tool.
Have you ever wondered? And now please enjoy the broadcast.
S2 (01:53):
Here are some of the news headlines we're watching.
S3 (01:55):
This time the conference was over. The president won a pledge.
S4 (01:58):
Americans worshiping government over God.
S3 (02:00):
Extremely rare safety move by a major.
S5 (02:03):
17 years. The Palestinians and the Israelis negotiated.
S3 (02:06):
This is not the way.
S1 (02:22):
Hi, friends. Welcome to In the Market with Janet Parshall.
Before I say another word, can I just remind you
and me that God has called us for such a
time as this? I don't know about you, but right
now I'm getting the sense that all of creation is groaning, right?
Are you not sensing that so much is happening right now?
First and foremost, on Saturday Flag Day, it is the
(02:44):
anniversary of the birth of the United States Army. We're
going to have a massive parade here in Washington, DC.
And in the midst of all of that, up to
2000 protests and rallies are expected to take place all
across the country on Saturday. In LA alone, they're expecting
a quarter of a million people to attend, far more
than the 70,000 that were anticipated. And the heiress of Walmart.
(03:08):
Buyer beware. Just so you know, where your consumer dollars
are going is very much behind this supporting it, helping
to fund it. Now, supposedly the people who were protesting
and to use the words of Doctor Michael, it's an
Omni protest. It's a mulligan stew throwing whatever you want.
Mix it together. And they're all people who, at its core,
really don't like America, and they celebrate lawlessness. So you
(03:28):
have Antifa, BLM, you have Marxists, socialists, teachers unions, free,
free Palestine people. All of this just fomenting. We saw
what happened in LA over the last several days. And
now this is supposed to happen on Saturday and they're
calling it No King's Day. Yeah, but they didn't finish
the statement. Can I put that in a historical context?
It was something that they said when the founders started
(03:49):
this country, they said, no kings, comma, but King Jesus,
didn't quite work its way into the ad yet, but, uh.
That's right. We don't have a king in this country.
That's why we fought a revolution that's very much on
the horizontal plane. On the vertical plane, there's only one king. And, folks,
he's not up for reelection. He is the same yesterday, today,
and forever. And he has the entire world in his hand.
(04:10):
And he's watching what's going on, and probably weeps at
our lack of understanding why the law was given to
us because we couldn't practice self control. That's why the
government is on his shoulders. Government was instituted after the family,
before the church, so that the citizens of a nation
could be protected. And when you did not work within
the parameters of the law, which was for the greater
(04:31):
good of the people of that nation, there were consequences.
And so what we're seeing now is this abject rebellion,
an absolute throwing away of consequences. Don't follow the law.
Somehow you're mad. So you have the right to go
in and bust up a jewelry store in LA. I
can't quite follow the logic on that. So I'm encouraging us,
as men and women who have been given permission to
(04:52):
boldly approach the throne of Grace to be banging on
the gates of heaven for this weekend, that no one
is hurt, whether they're law officers or protesters. No one
is hurt that I am great. And you know this
you wouldn't be listening to this program. I'm such a
great believer in the marketplace of ideas. I subscribe to
an all comers policy, and I want you to be
able to, in a public square, share your opinions. But
(05:14):
throwing a molotov cocktail is not free speech. It's mayhem.
It's revolution, it's darkness. And so we need to be
praying about what's going to happen on Saturday. So that's
one thing. The second thing is what in the world
is going on in the Middle East? Oh, I am
so thankful that I have access to wonderful friends like
Doctor Michael Redlick my last hour, we spent the entire
(05:34):
hour talking about Israel. Just go to wherever your favorite
podcast can be found in the market with Janet Parshall. Load.
Load in today's date first hour and you're going to
hear some wonderful conversation. The UN's got planned an assembly
chaired by Saudi Arabia and France. There's your first problem
out of the gate. And they're going to move toward
trying to have a two state solution. And originally they
(05:54):
were going to try to declare Palestine as a state.
Little problem. You don't have the legal authority to do that.
Boundaries haven't been defined. And according to the Oslo Accord,
you can't do that, by the way, until there are
clear parameters defined. Well, that doesn't make any difference. This
is a political act. It's not one that's based on facts.
The U.S., of course, will veto any of this, which
(06:15):
means it's dead upon arrival. But it doesn't mean it's
not going to foment more anti-Semitism. In the meanwhile, talking
about fomenting what in the world is going on in Iran.
Turn your eyes now to this report from Chris Mitchell
of CBN news and pay attention.
S6 (06:28):
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation released a statement saying Hamas targeted
their workers on Wednesday night. Hamas brutally attacked a bus
carrying more than two dozen members of the Gaza Humanitarian
Foundation's team. What we know is devastating at least eight fatalities,
multiple injuries and fears that some of our team members
(06:49):
may have been taken hostage. GPS says the workers were
Palestinians working to deliver critical aid to needy Gazans. Since
its operation began, the organization has delivered nearly 19 million meals.
It's calling on the international community to condemn the attack,
which they call a crime against humanity. Senator James Lankford,
(07:13):
posted on X, called it the ultimate sign of Hamas's
oppression against their own people. Tensions are high in the
region overall. The U.S. State Department has ordered the departure
of all nonessential personnel from U.S. embassies in Baghdad, Bahrain
and Kuwait due to unrest. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized
(07:36):
the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations across the region.
Speaking at the Kennedy Center in Washington, President Trump said
they are being moved out because it could be a
dangerous place and we'll see what happens. Iran's defense minister
said he hopes nuclear talks will yield results. But if not,
(07:58):
he warned the U.S. that all its bases are within
our reach. We will have access to them and we
will target all of them in the host countries without hesitation.
While the sixth round of talks are being scheduled for
this Sunday in Oman, Trump is expressing skepticism about whether
a deal can be reached on the podcast Pod Force One,
(08:20):
Trump stated.
S7 (08:21):
I'm getting more and more less confident about it. They
seem to be delaying and I think that's a shame.
But they I'm less confident now than I would have
been a couple of months ago. Something happened to them.
S6 (08:35):
Jonathan Conricus of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies
believes the time for diplomacy passed long ago.
S8 (08:43):
After 15 years of diplomatic efforts and with unequivocal evidence
that the Iranians are lying and they are trying to
build a nuclear bomb. Action needs to be taken.
S6 (08:54):
Israel reports it's recovered the bodies of two more hostages
in Gaza, including Yair Yaakov, who was killed in Hamas's
brutal October 7th invasion of Israel. Meanwhile, Israel's Knesset voted
down a bill that would collapse the government. Chris Mitchell
CBN news, Jerusalem.
S1 (09:14):
When we return, Doctor Macharia is going to join us
because there's a lot of conversation that something might be
percolating between Israel and Iran. So again, people of the
word that you and me we're going to trust in
the Lord. And we're also going to find out exactly
what our friends in Iran are saying about what's happening there.
So stay tuned. We've got a lot to talk about
(09:34):
at the bottom of the hour. Todd Nettleton will join
us and get out those prayer lists, okay. Because we're
going to lengthen them. We're going to talk about brothers
and sisters who are persevering in their following of Jesus
Christ and the price that they paid. This is in
the market with Janet Parshall just getting started a whole
lot more after this. Have you ever wondered why music
(09:55):
moves us so deeply, or why beauty takes our breath away?
My Truth Tool this month is a thought provoking book
that explores those moments of wonder we all encounter. It's
called Have You ever Wondered? Consider how ordinary aspects of
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(10:18):
with Janet Parshall.
S9 (10:24):
This is a clear indication that the United States believes
that an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities is likely
to happen soon. The State Department has ordered the withdrawal
of all non-essential U.S. diplomats out of Iraq, while the
Pentagon has authorized the departure of military family members from
the Middle East as the region braces for the possibility
(10:44):
of another of another war. This comes as the Iranian
defense minister was warning yesterday that if the Israel attacks
his country, quote, the enemy's losses will undoubtedly be greater
than ours. America will have to leave the region because
all of its bases are within our reach, and we
have access to all of them, and without hesitation we
(11:05):
will target them.
S1 (11:07):
And of course, as a result of that, now we're
pulling people out of our buildings and that part of
the world. President Trump was asked about if there's an
impending attack from Israel to Iran. Here's what he said.
S10 (11:19):
How imminent is an Israeli strike on Iran?
S7 (11:22):
Well, I don't want to say imminent, but it looks
like it's something that could very well happen.
S11 (11:27):
How confident are you, sir, that conflict with Iran can
be avoided?
S7 (11:32):
Well, I'd love to avoid the conflict. Uh, Iran's going
to have to negotiate a little bit tougher. Meaning they're
going to have to give us some things that they're
not willing to give us right now.
S12 (11:43):
What the Israelis told you that made you start to
evacuate the dependents of servicemen and women who were stationed
in the Middle.
S7 (11:50):
East, tell me anything. But I said, look, there's a
chance of massive conflict. We have a lot of American
people in this area. And I said, we got to
tell them to get out because something could happen soon.
And I don't want to be the one that didn't
give any warning. And missiles are flying into their buildings.
It's possible. So I had to do it. Um, you know,
(12:12):
I had the choice. Do I do it or not?
Doing it has its downside, but it also has its upside.
Like you're going to save a lot of lives if
it should happen. Hopefully that doesn't happen.
S1 (12:22):
Hopefully we're going to pray to that end. White House
envoy Steve Witkoff privately warned several top senators that last
week that Iran could unleash a mass casualty response if
Israel bombs their nuclear facilities, according to U.S. official and
a source with direct knowledge. With Israel preparing to strike
Iran quickly if Woodcock's diplomacy fails. This weekend, President Trump's
(12:43):
envoy sounded the alarm about what would come next. Iran's
retaliation could overwhelm Israel's defenses and cause heavy damage, he said.
Iran has also vowed to strike U.S. targets in the region,
hence leading the president to call our personnel home. I
think that was the right and wise decision in the
event of an attack on its nuclear site. So the U.S.
is now, as we speak, in the process of withdrawing
(13:05):
diplomats and military families who could be in harm's way. Yesterday,
the president told reporters that he doesn't want to say
an Israeli strike is imminent, but that it might very
well happen. He stressed he wants to avoid conflict, as
you just heard, but said it will require concessions that
Iran has been unwilling to make. That's the headlines, that's
the story. But there's always a story behind the story,
(13:25):
and nobody knows that better than our precious friend Doctor Shahriyar.
He is the founder of Iran Alive Ministries. He was
born into a muslim family in Iran, came to the U.S.
after the Islamic Revolution in 79. He came to faith
in Christ while getting his PhD in computer engineering. As
a grad student at USC, I love to point out
that he could have kept going and been a gazillionaire
(13:45):
today because he was pursuing AI before everybody and their
brother was talking about AI, but instead, God moves him
to plant a church in San Jose, California. Hundreds of
Muslim comfort converts show up and it becomes, to this day,
one of the largest churches of its kind in the U.S.
but in 2001, he starts Iran Alive Ministries, which uses
satellite TV. And you talk about missiles permeating. Are they?
(14:08):
It's nothing compared to the gospel permeating the airwaves in Iran,
24 seven. And that's exactly what Iran Alive Ministries is
all about. It's why I'm so passionate about this ministry,
because you hear all that stuff and I'll grant you,
it sounds really scary. Except newsflash, Christ is still on
the throne. He's in charge. Okay. He didn't give us
a spirit of fear. The Bible says, but power, love
(14:30):
and of a sound mind. You can pray for those
in authority, as Scripture said, because they need a lot
of wisdom right now. But in the meantime, the stories
that are being made are the Iranian people who are
coming to faith in Jesus Christ. And I love that
hormones can not only talk about those headlines, the ones
being made in heaven, but he also has boots on
the ground. So he gives us a sense of what's
happening atmospherically to our friends who live in Iran. So Hormuz,
(14:52):
the the joy of having you with us. And little
did I know when I asked you that this would
be making news and it could go from bad to
worse in a blink of an eye. Tell me what
you are hearing from your sources in Iran. Because if
there's rocket fire, we always rebut innocent people being hurt.
What's going to happen, do you think?
S13 (15:10):
Well, thank you for allowing me to share. It's a
very critical time in Iran, both politically and economy and
especially spiritually. And they don't match. I mean, economy is bad.
Iranians are in danger of being attacked. And it could
be really bad. And but at the same time, it's
(15:31):
really good spiritually. And I can share all of that. But,
with this nuclear negotiation, of course, the government of Iran's
goal is just to survive, survive Trump at any cost.
And they they will try to get the best deal
from Trump. So a lot of these talks is just
on both sides. I see them as both sides wanting
(15:51):
to get a good deal. I believe the Iranian government will, um,
will accept something, of course, not in public because they
want to save face. But if there is, if there
is a war, if there's an attack, I think it's
going to be very limited.
S1 (16:09):
My question to you is this. And we've talked about
this so many times and I so appreciate your keen insight.
You talk about the two sided face of the leadership
in Iran to the world. It's braggadocio. It's beating their chest.
It's we're going to get you the little Satan and
the Big Satan. But behind closed doors, they're suffering economically.
And the Iranian people are not in support, by and large,
(16:31):
the theocracy. Right? The leaders, I get it, but the
average Iranian wants peace. They're not interested in getting involved
in any kind of a global war. Why now? What
is the trigger mechanism from what you're hearing and your
perception on this hormoz? Why the trigger mechanism? Now, to
say that this is when Israel may in fact strike Iran.
This is a conversation that goes back to Netanyahu holding
up the cartoon of a bomb, saying this is where
(16:52):
they are in terms of their nuclear capabilities. We will
never let them get here. We will stop them. Everybody
remembers that graphic, and that was some time ago. So
why now? And you can hear the music. Forgive me
for asking the question right to the break, but let
me come back for your answer right after this. In
the meantime, Iran. Alive. Iran. Alive. This ministry has always
(17:12):
been important, but now it's more important than ever. Because
as you heard rumors, this is a great time. Spiritually,
it might be. The geopolitics might be upside down, very unstable,
insecure times. Spiritually, there's a hunger and there's an opportunity
now for people to know peace, not like the world gives,
but his peace more with him. Always right after this.
(17:48):
What a reminder that this is not as good as
it gets in the best is yet to come. So
things are percolating in the Middle East again, on high alert,
that Israel may be moving against Iran's nuclear facilities any
time now, which is why the president has now called
military personnel out of that area for their safety. What
a perfect time to be talking to Herman Cheruiyot, who
is the founder of Iran Alive Ministries 24 over seven
(18:12):
from the base of his ministry here in the United States,
the gospel is beamed into Iran, and it's so significant.
We're going to get to the spiritual headlines in a minute.
But I just ask because you're such a brilliant man. Hormuz.
Why now? Why would Israel say this is the moment
to strike again? The facilities is there and I, you know,
you gotta give credit where credit is due. The IDF
is brilliant. to their Intel. Sources say that there's something
that is not known writ large by people that makes
(18:34):
this moment very prescient for striking against Iran, or is
this just an ongoing threat that they finally decided needs
to be eradicated?
S13 (18:43):
Yes. There is a little disagreement between Netanyahu and Trump,
and very understandable. Netanyahu is thinking long term. Trump is
thinking short term. Just during his own course of presidency,
he wants some victories to be done. But what Israel
is thinking, Netanyahu, let's take care of it now. We
never had this chance to take care of the Iranian
(19:05):
nuclear sites. Let's do it now. Because if we delay
and that's what the Iranian government wants, and they will
do it, the sanctions will go away. They get money,
they will build new sites on the ground so that
their capability will not go away. And that's what Israel
is afraid. So this is the best time in history
for us to destroy the nuclear facilities of Iran if
(19:28):
we don't, four years later, maybe Trump will not be
here 2 or 3 years later. Maybe he would. He
would lose the, you know, the Congress. So Iranians are
trying to buy time. But Netanyahu is very smart in
terms of long term planning. He says this is the
time to destroy Iran. Trump says no, let's have a
(19:49):
let's have a deal. Let's go for for now. So
I look good. I stop them and I don't care
much what happens long term. That actually that's the difference
between US policies, because the government changes every four years
and other nations that in the US the president has
to think just short term. And that's the problem for
(20:12):
long term threats like Iran.
S1 (20:15):
Boy, I think that's an insightful observation on your part.
That's absolutely brilliant. If there were to be a strike,
are there any nations that you would identify that would
come to the aid and assistance of Iran?
S13 (20:26):
I don't think so. The closest would be, uh, Russia.
But Russia is not ready to do that. It's very
busy with, uh, you know, Ukraine war. And even then,
they're using Iran as a piece in their negotiation with
the US. They don't love Iran. They don't care about
Iran that much to get involved directly. Never.
S1 (20:48):
Yeah. Yeah. So they've got their own distractions, so they
might have to go it alone, which is very, very interesting.
So we pray for those in authority. We pray that
God will get real wisdom to this particular situation because
it's so desperately needed. But I don't want to miss
the best part of the story, because you talk about
how this is so significant spiritually in Iran right now.
Explain to our friends why.
S13 (21:09):
Well, this is the move of God in history. Iran
has the fastest growing evangelical population in the world right now.
Iran is the only nation, Islamic nation that's already rejected.
Islam and Islam has experienced its It's a greatest defeat
in its history in Iran today. And the openness. Let
me share with you this. I you know, I have
(21:31):
a live broadcast on Thursday. Just yesterday, you know, a
couple hours ago, I was on the air and I
had this young politician, political activist. She's 22, she's a
Gen Z. And I was so amazed by her. She
was so intelligent, so brave. And I told her, well,
how come your generation is so brave? And she told
(21:52):
me this, I wrote it down. Can I read it, please?
She she said, we Gen Z is in Iran. These
are young under 2025. And so we we don't have
fear because we say fear does not stop us from dying.
(22:12):
It stops us from living. So there is a courage
among them. And there is a there is a zeal
to bring change in Iran. And that's why, uh, let
me share some good news with you. The last six months, Janet,
we have seen a surge in the number of salvation
(22:33):
among the young people. Under 25. Under 20. Amazing move
of God. They are very hard to reach because they
have rejected Islam. And now they're coming to Christ. Now,
I talked to them. How come you're interested in Christianity?
I thought you hated all religions. And many of them
say this. I said yes, we rejected Islam. We lived
(22:54):
a godless life for several years. Open sex, drugs, everything.
We tried and we found it very empty. Just like
Solomon said. Vanity of vanities. So after experiencing Islam and
experiencing godlessness, now they are coming to Christ, ready to
receive Christ, and live and even die for him. This
(23:16):
is a move of God among the young people in Iran.
I'm so happy. I'm so excited because I thought they
were very hard to reach. No, they are not.
S1 (23:25):
It's harvest time in Iran. So tell us, as people
in the West who want to pray for what's going
on in Iran, how do we pray specifically right now
at this time?
S13 (23:38):
Pray against war. War is ugly. It brings destruction of resources,
the lives and everything. Just no war. And but at
the same time, pray for the persecuted church in Iran.
The numbers are growing. Iran has millions of Muslim background believers.
But there's no church. There's no way they can grow.
(24:01):
That's why we are putting our emphasis on helping the
church in Iran spiritually. We have online school. Did you
know we have over 4700 students on our online school?
And they're shouting, hey, teach me, equip me! I want
to serve the Lord. So there is a hunger in Iran.
Pray for that hunger and come and join us. Join
(24:21):
you on our live. Let's work together to disciple the nation. Don't.
Don't worry about discipleship. They're coming to Christ like crazy.
They're just coming. Let's disciple them. And Iran will impact
Middle East and the whole world.
S1 (24:35):
Amen. Iran alive. Pray for this ministry. Support this ministry financially.
Get involved. That's the story behind the headline. God bless you.
Thank you so much. Back after this. There are dozens
of talk shows that address politics, culture and technology, but
(24:57):
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the market with Janet Parshall. G. Got your pearly out
(25:22):
because we're going to lengthen it. Todd Nettleton is with
us vice president of messenger for the voice of the
martyrs US and the host of the voice of the
Martyrs Radio. Fabulous. I hope you listen to that on
a regular basis. When he's not traveling the world, he's writing.
One of his great books recently is when Faith Is
Forbidden 40 days in the Front Lines with persecuted Christians.
It's like riding along in the car with Todd and
(25:43):
listening to our brothers and sisters who have said, yes, Lord,
and in so doing have often reaped a whirlwind because
it's not necessarily easy in all parts of the world
to follow Jesus. I'm so grateful for the work of Vhom.
I love them, pray for them, by the way. Support
their ministry. I just think they're tremendous. And I'm glad
that Todd comes and visits with us on a regular basis.
So I want to lengthen your prayer list, but I
(26:04):
also want to get this on your calendar. Do you
know what June 29th is? Well, you don't need to
use a lifeline or call a friend. I'm going to
tell you it is the day of the Christian martyr.
I'm so glad that Vom underscores this. You know, Todd,
I love to see all of the Vom posts. I
didn't know what to call it an X, the posts
that go out, and I love to be able to
read about brothers and sisters, or to look back in
(26:26):
history on the day in which one of my brothers
and sisters from the past has stepped into eternity because
they said, yes, Lord. So tell me about the day
of the martyr.
S14 (26:35):
Well, day of the Christian martyr, as you mentioned, it's
a day we look backwards and honor the example of
brothers and sisters throughout history who have given their lives
for the cause of Christ. And this year's interesting. So
each year we do a short video. This year it's
it's three minutes long, perfect for, uh, Sunday morning church service, which,
by the way, June 29th this year is a Sunday,
(26:57):
perfect for a Sunday school class, a Bible study group.
The interesting thing about this year's video is we have
two martyrs martyred in the same country 2000 years apart.
So one of them, we all know the Apostle Thomas.
We call him Doubting Thomas. Uh, but by the end
of his life, he was missionary Thomas. He had taken
the gospel from Jerusalem all the way to southern India,
(27:21):
and this was before the days of 747. That was
a very long journey. And so he was speared to
death by priests, Hindu priests in southern India. We also
have a second martyr that most of us maybe have
not heard of. His name was Kond Muddu. He was
killed in 2020. Just five years ago, he became a
(27:41):
Christian out of a Hindu background. He began to evangelize.
In fact, his first converts were his own brothers. He
began to face threats. The people realized that they weren't
going to turn him away from Jesus, and they weren't
going to stop him from telling other people. And so
he was stabbed to death, leaving behind a wife and
two young children. So this video shows us that that
(28:03):
following Christ has always meant people being willing to lay
down their lives from the days of the apostles, right
up to today. That's what it looks like for many
of our brothers and sisters to follow Jesus.
S1 (28:15):
With a mere 2000 years in between. What does that
tell you? Wow. Absolutely amazing. One of the things I
love about Vom Tod is the resources. So I want
to get our friends to persecution. They got a bunch
of links, but this is the general one. You want
this one because that's where you go to get the
free monthly newsletter persecution. Com you hear me talk about
this all the time. It is wonderful for your personal
(28:36):
devotions to be able to look at the face of
brothers and sisters who have paid a price to be
able to share that with your family and your family.
Quiet time together. Youth leader, Sunday school pastor from the
front of the pulpit. Great resource, but for the resources
that go to the day of the Christian martyr, it's persecution.
Some of the things are besides the video. Todd what
else do you have for churches?
S14 (28:57):
Well, all of these are digital, so you can download
them right from the website and all of them are free.
There's no charge for any of this. So there is
the video that we mentioned, three minute video. There are
questions for reflection. So hey, you want to turn this
into your study, your Sunday school lesson that week. There
are questions to help you do that. There are church
bulletin inserts so you can put a story in every
(29:18):
bulletin for every member of your church. If you're a pastor,
there's a sermon outline there. Maybe you want to give
this whole Sunday, June 29th, which, by the way, is
the anniversary of the execution of the Apostle Paul outside
the city of Rome. That's the significance of June 29th.
There is also a guide for those who are talking
to children, maybe as a Sunday school class teacher or
(29:40):
maybe as a parent. How do I, you know, how
do I talk to my fourth grader about martyrdom and
persecuted Christians in a way that doesn't freak him out,
but also shares the fact, the reality that following Christ
often means sacrifice? There's a guide to help you do
that in an age appropriate way.
S1 (30:00):
Again, one of the many things I love about Vom
are the resources. So persecution. You need that to get
the monthly free newsletter persecution Martyr. And all of the
resources that Todd just talked about are right there for
your downloading. June 29th, the day of the Christian Martyr,
which I think is very significant when you look at
all of those three people combined on June 29th, what
(30:23):
we're talking about this year, that's fabulous. But fast forward,
this is not a past tense conversation. This is an
ongoing conversation that there are people today who are still
losing their lives because they said, yes, Lord. And I
have to tell you, Todd, I don't know when the
last time, as we talked about Ethiopia, because I don't
generally think of that as being a country where there's
marked hostility against people who profess a relationship with Jesus Christ,
(30:47):
but it costs someone recently their life. Tell me about that.
S14 (30:50):
Yeah. It did. There are areas. And I realized as
I was looking through the stories, we're talking about this.
This is a heavy day. This half hour is heavy
for us because there has been so much suffering. And
there are areas in Ethiopia that are almost 100% Muslim.
And so you go into one of those areas And
this young man, his name was Ibrahim Muhammad. And I
(31:13):
mentioned in my book there's an evangelist I met named Muhammad.
I love Christians with the name Muhammad because, you know,
they they weren't born in a Christian family and given
the name Muhammad, uh, they converted at some point they
met Jesus for Ibrahim Muhammad. That happened in 2021. Within
a year, he had led 80 other people to Christ.
(31:34):
So so this is not somebody who got saved and
then was real quiet about it. Within a year, he
had led 80 people to Christ. He had planted a
little church. Here's what seems to be what crossed the line.
He had been threatened many times, but in May, early May,
he had donated some of his own land to build
a church building. So they were not just going to
(31:55):
meet together as Christians. Now. They were going to have
a church building in that community. That may have been
what what was sort of the last straw for the
Muslims who had threatened him. They were watching what he
was doing, and now he's saying, hey, here's some property.
We're going to build a church on May the 15th.
A man dressed in Muslim clothing came up to Ibrahim Muhammad.
(32:17):
He said, this is your last day witnessing and then
shot him. Three days later in the hospital, Ibrahim died.
A man who laid down his life for the cause
of Christ.
S1 (32:28):
Wow. Amazing. And so it's still. It depends on what
part of the country you're in. You know, we think
about Ethiopian Jews. We think about some of the oldest
churches in the world being there. But there are sections
that are Islamic dominated. And that's a result of this. Well,
our heart breaks for that. I'm so sad. Um, talk
to me about some conversations you had recently with two
of your Vom leaders who are overseeing your work in Africa.
S14 (32:50):
Yeah. Just in the last the last month, we have
had two Vom radio episodes. And people can find that
wherever they listen to podcasts. But we've had conversations with
two of our leaders overseeing our work in Africa, and
one of the things that came through in these conversations
is just the level of violence that is happening against
our brothers and sisters on the African continent. It is,
(33:13):
you know, we think of them as sort of free countries.
And one of the leaders had actually transitioned from leading
our work in Southern Asia, where, you know, the governments
are against persecution, especially India. The government is against the Christians.
He moved over to Africa, where the governments, they say
all the right things. Oh, of course we have Christian citizens. Yes.
(33:33):
That's great. But then you have jihadist groups that are
coming into villages and opening fire. You have incidences where
70 or 80 people are killed. You have thousands of
people being displaced in in one attack. And he just
said that the level of violence is so great, it's
almost mind boggling what our brothers and sisters are suffering.
S1 (33:56):
Wow. Unbelievable. So tell our friends, first of all, I
would be remiss how they can listen to Vom radio
because if it's not carried on a station, we can
listen to it online, can we not?
S14 (34:07):
Absolutely. VOA radio Dot net is the radio website. Vom
radio dot net. You can search for a broadcast station
right on the site, so you can see if there's
something close to you that's broadcasting it. You can listen
online or it links you to the different podcast apps.
So whatever, wherever you listen to podcasts, you can find
Vom radio as well.
S1 (34:27):
Wow. Excellent. You know, and when we talk about Benin,
we actually talked about this before in The Voodoo influence
because I remember asking you, you don't hear about voodoo.
Usually it's Islam, right? But voodoo is this real dark
pagan practice works its way in. And so you talk
about spiritual warfare. How do we pray specifically for someone
like that when they live in an area of Africa
(34:48):
where voodoo practices take precedent?
S14 (34:51):
You know, you know, it is fascinating because when we
talk about persecution in Africa, almost always we're talking about
radical Islam. Yes, yes. In Benin it is it is voodoo.
It is spirit worship. and I'm encouraged by this in
one aspect, because what happens is the vodouists, the spirit worshipers,
they see that their chance and their charms and their
(35:13):
things don't work when there is a follower of Jesus
Christ in their midst, when there is a church that
is built in their community. Suddenly all their spells and
all their things, they don't have power anymore. That's what
makes them so angry. It's like, wait a minute. When
the Christians came in, now we can't do what we
were doing before. I'm encouraged by that because it shows
(35:34):
us the power of God, but it doesn't make it
any easier for our brothers and sisters. And what happened
just last month is a lady, a Christian lady. She's
been a Christian for 15 years, but she was beaten
almost to death. In fact, she's in the hospital. Our
contacts there are concerned whether she will survive or not.
And this was by her own family, because she wouldn't
(35:57):
lead them in the voodoo rituals. That is sort of
her job as the matriarch of the family. They wanted
to kill her because of that.
S1 (36:06):
Wow. Unbelievable. Well, and, you know, it's one thing for
us to talk about spiritual warfare. It's another to hear
a story just like this coming out of Benin. By
the way, when you read the verse and you just
hang on to the power of that scripture that says,
greater is he that is in us than he that
is in the world, those voodoo worshipers get to see
that up close and personal. We've got more stories coming
(36:26):
out of Africa, and also we're going to focus on
Afghanistan as well. Todd Nettleton, not Todd Nettleton, is with
us from voice of the martyrs. Persecution. Com forward slash martyr.
I want to give you that again. So you'll get
your resources for the day of the Christian Martyr, June 29th.
More with Todd right after this. Persecution for the day
(36:56):
of the Christian Martyr is coming June 29th. I give
you that website because it's a wonderful way for you
to get the resources, and because that day falls on
a Sunday and you can participate as a form of
remembrance in your church, in your home and your small group.
Tons of resources. Very typical of voice of the Martyrs
Persecution complex. We're going to linger in Africa a bit more.
(37:17):
Burkina Faso, you talk about some pastors and some Christians
there and you talk about being heavy. This is recent history.
We're barely halfway into June. This happened at the end
of May. That's how fresh this is. Todd, tell me
the story.
S14 (37:31):
Yeah. Unfortunately, this is very fresh. So our brother we
mentioned in Ethiopia was shot on May the 15th. May 23rd,
eight days later in Burkina Faso. Across the continent of Africa,
a large group of jihadists came into a village in
Burkina Faso, and they began to attack. And it's interesting
to me because the first home they went to was
(37:53):
the home of the pastor in that village, the pastor
and five other Christians were actually sitting in the courtyard
of the home. They heard the jihadist coming and they fled. Uh,
just just like we would do, they literally ran for
their lives. Well, unfortunately, they were all captured and shot.
So the pastor, five Christians martyred that day by the jihadist,
(38:14):
they then started going house to house and burning down homes.
And so by the time they were done, more than
a thousand Christians, most of them are women and children.
More than a thousand Christians were displaced by that attack.
They had to flee. Some of the people in the
next village heard about the threat. They also fled from
their homes. This is unfortunately another day in Burkina Faso.
(38:36):
Like these kind of attacks are not out of the ordinary.
They've become far too common. But I think going back
to the what, what is really interesting to me, the
first place they went was the home of the pastor.
This wasn't just people who were angry or people who
wanted to shoot somebody. They were looking for the leader
of the Christians in this village. That's the first house
(38:57):
that they went to.
S1 (38:59):
Now this is and I want to underscore this based
on what you were telling us before about Benin. In
this case, the salt comes from jihadists, right? Tied back
to Islam.
S14 (39:08):
Yeah. This is coming from jihadists. Burkina Faso shares a
border with Mali, which is pretty uncontrolled. And so they're
jihadists coming back and forth across that border. They are
able to come across, attack a village like this, and
then go back across into Mali. And really, the Burkina
Faso government and the soldiers there haven't been able to
(39:28):
provide security. They haven't been able to sort of keep
these attacks from happening.
S1 (39:33):
This is a terrible question to ask, but are they
unable to provide or are they unwilling to provide that?
S14 (39:42):
It is a terrible question, and it's a hard question
to answer. I think it's a little bit of both.
I'm not sure how committed they are to protecting the church,
to protecting the Christians, but also they they simply can't.
The border is so long. There's so much territory to
try to cover. It is a very difficult place to
provide security. Even if you are highly motivated.
S1 (40:03):
Wow. I'm going to pull over to the side of
the road. We are going to get to Afghanistan in
a minute. But I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you,
with all your knowledge and all your travels. God, if
I were to ask you what is the hottest spot
on planet Earth right now from your vantage point, to
be a follower of Jesus, where would you point?
S14 (40:21):
Ooh, that's a hard question to answer. I honestly, Burkina
Faso is one of them and it's really under the radar.
The church isn't talking about it, the news media isn't
talking about it. But as I mentioned, these kind of
attacks are happening like almost every week. And I, I
think of one particular denomination that we are working alongside
(40:42):
in Burkina Faso. In a matter of a three month span,
they had six pastors killed. Um, and again, it's under
the radar. It's not something that we're talking about, but
it's reality for them every single week. Another attack, another attack,
another village that had to flee. And so many displaced
Christians and the church there is overwhelmed by the need of,
(41:03):
you know, these Christians flee from the village and they
come into the city, and then they show up at
the church and say, hey, you know, we had to
flee for our lives. Can you help us? And the
church is like, man, we would love to help you,
but we don't have the resources. That's actually part of
what voice of the martyrs is doing, is equipping the
church in Burkina Faso to be able to help some
of these that are displaced from their homes and their villages.
S1 (41:25):
Wow. I'm glad I asked, because I just had this
sense based on what you were saying about Burkina Faso,
that maybe that was a particular problematic area. Let me
linger if I can, just a little bit longer in Africa. Todd,
what in the world is happening in Nigeria.
S14 (41:38):
That that was the other one. I was like, ah,
should I mention Nigeria or Burkina Faso, northern Nigeria also,
we see these kind of attacks and um, it's so
frustrating because they happen. And then the government says, oh,
we're going to put a stop to this. We're going
to establish security. And then they don't. Um, and it's like, okay,
another attack. Another attack. And we have seen, even in
(42:01):
the last month, several really large scale attacks where a
lot of people were affected. And so it is northern
Nigeria also very, very difficult place to be a follower
of Christ.
S1 (42:13):
Yeah, exactly. And again, let me ask you, because religious liberty,
the geopolitics intersect, like it or not. So in Nigeria,
because this is an ongoing people group specific assault, I mean,
I was looking at some horrific pictures last weekend where
their people are butchered. There's no other way to say it.
I'll just say that and move on because it's so
grotesque to contemplate. But what is the government doing to
(42:35):
mitigate this in action?
S14 (42:38):
Foments right. Not not enough is the answer. And right now,
what they're doing, and frankly, for years what they've been
doing is talking. Uh oh. Yeah. We need to get
a handle on that. Oh, yeah. If if this happens,
then we'll be able to stop those attacks and. Yeah,
but they're not they're not stopping them. And in that
case and you talked about this in Burkina Faso as well.
(42:59):
It's like you start to question the will in in
some cases. You know, we have heard stories where armed
military people stepped aside and let an attack happen. Um,
and so it's like if that animosity between Christian and
Muslim that sometimes supersedes your job, it supersedes your uniform.
(43:19):
It's like, well, wait a minute. If you're attacking the
people I consider my enemies, why would I get in
your way of doing that? And so it is frustrating
how often the Nigerian government talks about religious freedom, how
often they talk about protecting their citizens who are religious minorities,
and then comparing that to what actually happens. And it's
(43:39):
so difficult and so frustrating.
S1 (43:42):
Thank you for touching on that because it is a
tremendously awful story. Afghanistan. You've heard some reports, boy, talk
to me about the Taliban now.
S14 (43:50):
Yeah. Speaking. Speaking of broken promises, let's talk about the
Taliban in Afghanistan. We have heard reports just in the
last few weeks that they are more actively pursuing Christians,
especially Christian leaders. House church meetings. There are several leaders
who have been detained. And right now we don't know
their whereabouts. We don't know what's happening to them. That's
(44:11):
another thing for our prayer lists. Um.
S1 (44:13):
Todd, it is heavy. But then again, this is a
battle of good and evil. These are the spiritual wars
we can't see with our eyes. These are. These are
people who are saying yes and paying a cost. And
that's why we have these conversations with Todd on a
regular basis to lengthen your prayer list. So you can
be a part of a global movement that prays for
our brothers and sisters. So support Vom. Check out the
resources for the day of the Christian Martyr. Todd. Blessings
(44:36):
and thank you. Thank you friends. We'll see you next
time on In the Market with Janet Parshall.
S15 (44:41):
Back.
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