Supply The Word

Dear VOM Friends:

It was just a rumor. But among the radical Muslims in Pakistan's Gojra village, a rumor was enough of an excuse to kill.

When the rumor was broadcast from the loudspeakers on the minarets of local mosques, it became fact. As part of a wedding ceremony, the loudspeaker shouted, Christians tore pages from a Quran. Then they compounded the disrespect by walking on the shredded pages.

"Defend Islam!" The loudspeaker called. Muslims answered, rampaging through a Christian section of Gojra on Aug. 1. Eight Christians were killed, including women and children. More than 100 Christian homes were burned by a mob. The mob, which was estimated to be more than 20,000 people, also burned a church.

Five Hours Without Help

Emergency personnel did not reach Gojra for more than five hours. Christians were forced to use vegetable carts to move their dead and wounded to the hospital.

Responding to an international outcry, Pakistani government officials have now said no Quran was desecrated. The government promised to help rebuild the burned homes of Christian families.

Even before the government acted, contacts of The Voice of the Martyrs were in Gojra, offering comfort to the wounded and praying with the families of the dead. They continue to aid the village, including helping with some medical expenses, offering encouragement and pressing for a forceful government response.

Pray Blasphemy Laws Are Overturned

Christians in Pakistan hope these attacks can be a turning point. They are praying to God and pressing their government to overturn unjust blasphemy laws that are often a pretext to attack Christians.

They are also asking us to pray with them. Pray for Christians in Pakistan to be bold witnesses for Christ, despite threats. Pray for those wounded and left homeless by the brutal Gojra attacks. Pray for Muslims to come to know Jesus Christ in a personal way.

Send Help to Pakistan's Christians

For just $7 you can send an Action Pack to a Christian in Pakistan. If you would like to request and fill an Action Pack bag for Pakistan, you can do so by CLICKING HERE. We will deliver Action Packs to Gojra village in the coming months to help Christians rebuild their lives.

Please pray today for our Christian brothers and sisters in Pakistan. For the latest news on persecution of Christians in Pakistan and other restricted nations, visit VOM's online newsroom.

Matthew Chapter 24

Look especially at verses 8-10

1: And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

2: And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

3: And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

4: And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

5: For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

6: And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7: For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

8: All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9: Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

10: And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

11: And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

12: And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

13: But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

14: And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

15: When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

16: Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

17: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

18: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

19: And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

20: But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

21: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

22: And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

23: Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24: For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

25: Behold, I have told you before.

26: Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

27: For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

28: For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

29: Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

30: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

31: And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

32: Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

33: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

34: Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

35: Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

36: But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

37: But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

38: For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

39: And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

40: Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

41: Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

42: Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

43: But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

44: Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

45: Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

46: Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

47: Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

48: But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;

49: And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

50: The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

51: And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

New Petition for Iraqi Christians


Since 2003, half of the estimated one million Iraqi Christians have left their homes because of the relentless attacks they have been facing from Islamic extremists. Many Christians have been killed in Iraq, including Christian leaders such as Chaldean Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho. The body of the archbishop was found in the city of Mosul after his abduction in February 2008.

Most recently, over 2,000 Christian families fled from the city of Mosul and more than a dozen were killed between September and November 2008. Christian homes and properties were destroyed. This latest wave of attacks took place following a demonstration that Christians staged opposing the removal of Article 50 from the Iraqi constitution. Article 50 provided a quota that allowed the Iraqi Christians to be represented in the country's parliament. Less than a third of these families had returned to their homes by November 20.

The perpetrators of the attacks warned the Christians to convert to Islam or pay the jizya tax which allows non-Muslims to live in Muslim countries, or leave the city or face death. This shows the Islamists' clear intention to either kill or expel Christians from the city of Mosul.

Despite such widespread and systematic attacks against Iraqi Christians, their plight has largely gone unnoticed by the international community.

Here's How You Can Help

#1 Pray: The first thing you can do to help is stop right now and ask the Lord to intervene.

#2 Next, review our petition. Iraqi officials are concerned about their relationship with the United States and other Western countries, so when the people shout, they will listen. We have also found that evil prefers to stay hidden and when we shine the light on it, it flees.

#3 Electronically sign the petition by clicking here.

#4 Print out the petition and take it to your church and have everyone you know sign it. Send it back to us so we can present it to Secretary Rice. Feel free to print out extra signature pages for large numbers of sign ups. When you have collected all your signatures, please mail the signature pages to :

ICC
PO Box 10277
Silver Spring, MD 20914-0277

or fax them to us (301-989-1709).

Please get them back to us by January 10.

#5 Forward this email to all your email contacts and ask them to do the same.

Sincerely in Christ,

Jeff King
President, ICC

International Christian Concern
P.O. Box 10277
Silver Spring, MD 20914-0277
Phone: (800) ICC-5441
Fax: (301) 989-1709

Thanks and praise to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

The official position of Secretary Condoleezza Rice is that there is no religious persecution of Christians in Iraq.

That may be her "official" position, whatever that means. But the truth of the matter is totally the opposite. As you can see below there is a lot of Christian persecution going on.

The stories below are only a few of many and that does not include the stories that are not told to us.

Keep Iraq in your prayers, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ.
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10,000 Iraqi Christians Flee Mosul As Killings Continue
Added: Oct 20th, 2008 4:46 AM

By BosNewsLife Senior Correspondents Stefan J. Bos and Eric Leijenaar

MOSUL, IRAQ (BosNewsLife) -- Aid workers rushed Friday, October 17, to assist at least 10,000 Christians who so far fled Mosul amid fresh reports that Islamic extremists are trying to eradicate the Christian population in this northern Iraqi town.

Netherlands-based Open Doors, an organization assisting Christians persecuted for their faith, told BosNewsLife it is distributing food, cooking equipment and blankets among some 200 displaced families from Mosul, where up to 40 Christians were killed by militants in recent days.
For full story go HERE.


Four Christians Killed In Iraq
Added: Sep 25th, 2008 3:10 AM


By BosNewsLife News Center

MOSUL, IRAQ (BosNewsLife) -- Authorities were under pressure Wednesday, September 24, to investigate the death of at least four Christians in the Iraqi town of Mosul, amid signs of a fresh wave of anti-Christian violence in Iraq.

In one of the latest incidents, a Syrian Catholic man, Rayan Nafei Jamooa, was shot and killed September 10 by suspected Muslim militants, Iraqi Christians confirmed. The murder came just two weeks after his father, Nassar Jamooa, was reportedly kidnapped and killed.
Full story HERE.


MEDIA ADVISORY, Dec. 8 /Christian Newswire/ -- On Mike Huckabee's new Fox News program, former Governor David Beasley, who has worked on numerous humanitarian projects in the Middle East since leaving politics, claimed the United Stateshad failed in its responsibility to the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Christians who have been forced to flee religious persecution in Iraq.
Full story HERE.


WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CALIFORNIA (ANS) — Religious persecution continues in Iraq as nine Christian houses of worship were bombed this week. [1/11/2008]
Full story HERE.


Revelation 7:9-17
9: After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
10: And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
11: And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
12: Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
13: And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
14: And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15: Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
16: They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
17: For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

Thanks and praise to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

I have received news of Christians leaving Gaza. It stated that "70% OF CHRISTIANS IN GAZA WILL LEAVE". This is due to the persecution that Christians are having to go through in Gaza. The rest of the story comes from an email from Vision For Israel.

Recent Islamist violence took place in Gaza in which the Christian community was shocked by the kidnapping and murder of Rami Iyad , a 26 year old Christian Gaza resident. Iyad , an accountant in a Christian organization , was approached by a group of people who asked him to convert to Islam , which he refused to do. He was subsequently kidnapped , tortured and shot dead , his body dumped in a field outside Gaza City . Increasing incidents of violence and oppression against Christians in Gaza have resulted in over 70% of Christian community saying they want to leave the area. They see no future for themselves since the Hamas terror group took over. Many say they are afraid. ( INN ) "Jesus wept." John 11:35
To receive emails from VFI go HERE

Ephesians 1:1-23
1: Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2: Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6: To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7: In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8: Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9: Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10: That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
12: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
13: In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14: Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
15: Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
16: Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
17: That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
18: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19: And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
20: Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21: Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23: Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.

Thanks and praise to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Villagers and foreigners haul newly baptized Christians to mosque and threaten them.

by Aenon Shalom

Evangelist and pastor Sanjoy Roy said the Muslims have forced 27 recently baptized Christians to return to Islam. Another 14 recently converts are still facing incessant pressure to return to Islam from villagers and from Muslim missionaries called Tabligh Jamat.

Abul Hossen, 38, a fruit seller, told Compass that Muslims in the mosque threatened to hang him in a tree upside down and lacerate his body with a blade.

“Then he will understand what are the consequences of being a Christian,” the Muslims told him, Hossen said, adding that they always use “filthy language whenever they see the Christians.”


This is from DHAKA, Bangladesh, August 21 (Compass Direct News)

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Psalms 143
1: Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.
2: And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.
3: For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.
4: Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.
5: I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.
6: I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.
7: Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.
8: Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.
9: Deliver me, O LORD, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me.
10: Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
11: Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name's sake: for thy righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble.
12: And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.

1 Corinthians 15:19-22
19: If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
20: But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21: For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22: For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive

Thanks and praise to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

"Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."(2 Timothy 3:12-15)

Thanks and praise to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Christians in Islamic Countries Targeted
This was the title of an article from NewsMax.com Wires on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2001. I think that it is still relevant today.
Part of the article states: A prominent U.S. imam Monday assailed as un-Islamic the persecution of Christians in Muslim countries ranging from Indonesia to Nigeria. "The Koran enjoins Muslims to treat everybody with dignity and compassion," said Muzzamil Siddiqi, director of the Islamic Society of Orange County, Calif., when asked about the murder threats, violence, forced conversions, incarceration and discrimination some Christians are being subjected to. Read the full story HERE


Now, January 25, 2007, I read a headline that states
Bethlehem Christians fear neighbors.
Bethlehem, of course, is the place where Jesus was born and use to be predominately Christian but now it has changed. The following facts are from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The percentage of Christians in the population of Bethlehem has been steadily falling, above all due to continuous emigration, as well as owing to the lower birth rate among the local Christians compared to the Muslims. In 1947, Christians accounted for 75 percent of the population of Bethlehem, but by 1998, their share had dropped to 33 percent.[2] Bethlehem's former mayor, Hanna Nasser, says an estimated 2,000 Christians in Bethlehem have emigrated during the period of 2000 - 2003.

Dhimmi Christians break their silence. By Khaled Abu Toameh in the Jerusalem Post, with thanks to all who sent this in:
{A dhimmi is a person of the dhimma, a term which refers in Islamic law to a pact contracted between non-Muslims and authorities from their Muslim government.}
A number of Christian families have finally decided to break their silence and talk openly about what they describe as Muslim persecution of the Christian minority in this city.

The move comes as a result of increased attacks on Christians by Muslims over the past few months. The families said they wrote letters to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, the Vatican, Church leaders and European governments complaining about the attacks, but their appeals have fallen on deaf ears.
To read full story go HERE


Lamentations 1:1-22
1: How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people how is she become as a widow she that was was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary
2: She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.
3: Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude: she dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest: all her persecutors overtook her between the straits.
4: The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness.
5: Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper; for the LORD hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are gone into captivity before the enemy.
6: And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed: her princes are become like harts that find no pasture, and they are gone without strength before the pursuer.
7: Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her: the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her sabbaths.
8: Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward.
9: Her filthiness is in her skirts; she remembereth not her last end; therefore she came down wonderfully: she had no comforter. O LORD, behold my affliction: for the enemy hath magnified himself.
10: The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things: for she hath seen that the heathen entered into her sanctuary, whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thy congregation.
11: All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul: see, O LORD, and consider; for I am become vile.
12: Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.
13: From above hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them: he hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back: he hath made me desolate and faint all the day.
14: The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand: they are wreathed, and come up upon my neck: he hath made my strength to fall, the Lord hath delivered me into their hands, from whom I am not able to rise up.
15: The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty men in the midst of me: he hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men: the Lord hath trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, as in a winepress.
16: For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me: my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed.
17: Zion spreadeth forth her hands, and there is none to comfort her: the LORD hath commanded concerning Jacob, that his adversaries should be round about him: Jerusalem is as a menstruous woman among them.
18: The LORD is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment: hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow: my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity.
19: I called for my lovers, but they deceived me: my priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, while they sought their meat to relieve their souls.
20: Behold, O LORD; for I am in distress: my bowels are troubled; mine heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death.
21: They have heard that I sigh: there is none to comfort me: all mine enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that thou hast done it: thou wilt bring the day that thou hast called, and they shall be like unto me.
22: Let all their wickedness come before thee; and do unto them, as thou hast done unto me for all my transgressions: for my sighs are many, and my heart is faint.

Thanks and praise to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
You hear about Sunni and Shia Muslims fighting it out in Iraq but there is another group of people, about one million Christians, that are in Iraq and are having a very difficult time. They are prisoners in their own country. There is no freedom for them only persecution by Sunni and Shia militias. I do not see this on main stream media television stations here in America. Just as we do not hear of any of the other Christians being persecuted in any of the other countries. But that is another story. Christians in Iraq need our prayers. There is no one else that can help them but Christ. Below are a couple of articles about Iraqi Christians and some of their problems.

Some Iraqi Christians celebrated Christmas at a church in the Karradah neighborhood in Baghdad. But their numbers were fewer this year due to deterioration of the overall security situation in Iraq, and persecution of Christians by Sunni and Shia militias. This from www.voanews.com


Mosul (AsiaNews) – A crusade is under way to impose Islamic law in Mosul in northern Iraq, a city where threats and violence against Christians have reached the level of real persecution for ideological and political ends. As Christmas draws near, Christians are confined to their homes that have become like “prison” which they dare not leave for fear of kidnappings and killings. It is difficult for them to emigrate because Arab and European countries have decided to close their doors.
This is from www.asianews.it

They also say:
Violence against Christians in Mosul escalated after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Many churches and convents were immediately attacked or bombed. Bishops and priests started to be kidnapped. The most horrible event of all was the killing of the Syro-Orthodox priest Paulos Eskandar, whose beheaded body was found on 11 October in the eastern area of Mosul after two days of captivity.

Christian persecution is in full force in Iraq. Just because we don't see it does not mean it is not happening. It is not only the Sunni and Shia. The Christians are being killed also.

Christ says below in John 14:14 "If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." Let us all put this to our Lord and Saviour and pray that He would protect His children in Iraq and other places and to use them for His will to be done. May God give them strength through their faith in Christ that they will stand in the light and not in darkness and that the Sunni and Shia will see that light and follow it.

Paul wrote to the church in Corinth concerning a thorn in his side. That he had put it before the Lord three times and then the Lord answered him saying " And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me". 2 Corinthians 12:9

May the power of Christ rest upon those who are dealing with the messengers of Satan. If it is not of God then it is of Satan. Jesus Christ has already beaten Satan so His children have nothing to worry about. For some this is hard to grasp. But with God all things are possible. Matthew 19:26 "But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible".

Hebrews 2-13-15
13: And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
14: Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15: And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

John 14:1-31
1: Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2: In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3: And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4: And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
5: Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
6: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
7: If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
8: Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
9: Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
10: Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
11: Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.
12: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
13: And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14: If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
15: If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16: And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17: Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
18: I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
19: Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
20: At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
21: He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
22: Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
23: Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
24: He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.
25: These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.
26: But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. 27: Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
28: Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.
29: And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.
30: Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
31: But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.