Tag: christians in iraq

02 Nov, International Day of Prayer: The Persecuted Church (Voice of the Martyrs)

The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church / 2014

Please visit Voice of the Martyrs / International Day of Prayer website for more resources – click here.

idop_banner

PLEASE PRAY: The most common request of persecuted Christians is “PRAY FOR US.” One of the ways we answer their request is through participation in the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP), which we observe on the first Sunday of each November. Our goal is simple: We want EVERY CHURCH to “Remember them that are in bonds …” on IDOP Sunday (Heb. 13:3).

Watch VOM’s IDOP videos – click here … share with your friends … and pray for the persecuted.

Liena and her family turned down offers of asylum in Western countries after civil war broke out in Syria. They knew the cost that might be required, but they chose to remain as witnesses to their Muslim neighbors and as an encouragement to other Christians.
Liena was a dedicated Christian, faithful wife and mother of two. In her prayers, she asked God to use her to reach more people. And then God asked her to make one more commitment.

Watch the dramatic testimony of Liena’s Prayer, as she struggles with the difficult decision of how much she can offer God.
You may never pray the same again.

IRAQ: PRAYER FOR IRAQ

VOM received these prayer points from a church in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, with whom VOM is partnering to help Christians in Iraq. Please join with your brothers and sisters in the Middle East to pray for the region. For security reasons, we have removed the name of the church.

  • That we would reach the community and meet its spiritual as well as physical needs.
  • That the Church would experience an unprecedented presence of the Holy Spirit throughout this crisis to change the region, country and Middle East.
  • That individuals and the Church would experience our Almighty God’s unity and power, open heavens, and rivers flowing from the Holy Spirit to give us one shared Vision.
  • That God would grant us favor in the government’s eyes, to acquire permission for establishing a school.
  • That God would send workers for his Kingdom, as many of our services and relief deliveries have been delayed due to a shortage of workers.
  • That God would grant us wisdom in handling the Internally Displaced People (IDP) projects, and strength to those who work with them directly.
  • That God would send confusion and disagreement to those in the IS group, to stop them from inflicting more violence to the region, and that their hidden cells would be uncovered by local authorities.
  • That God would save misled young people from IS and judge the leaders who are aware and yet still misleading youth with their evil desires and ideologies.
  • That all ISIS’ financial resources would be cut off.
  • That God would comfort and encourage the Yezidi people amidst their heartbreaking genocide; that the Lord would reveal Himself to them with dreams and visions; that he would burden missionaries to serve among the remaining Yezidis.
  • That God would encourage the believers who fled from Mosul, that they’d be strong in Him, be bold to witness and never lose hope in Him.
  • That God would raise up faithful leaders in the Central Government who fear God rather than men of power and use their authority for justice.
  • That God would give wisdom to the Kurdistan Regional Government, to manage the crisis, to defend the region faithfully, and that they would realize that God raised them up to serve Him at this time – that He would reveal Himself to them.
  • That the church would pray with one heart: “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, in Heaven as well as in Kurdistan.”
  • That God would send visitations to the Shi’a in central and south Iraq, to heal their hearts and release them from idolatry.

Thank you for reading this far… and for praying for persecuted Christians around the world. May God bless you.

Please Pray for Christians in Iraq – World Watch List #4

Peanut Gallery: Christian Persecution – Iraq – #4 (worldwatchlist.us)

Christians in Iraq are on the verge of extinction. Large numbers have fled abroad or to the (until recently) safer Kurdish region, where they face unemployment and inadequate schooling, medical care and housing. The church faces many challenges – members being killed or abducted, and a lack of capable leaders. In central and southern Iraq, traditional Christians suffer as much as Muslim-background believers, as a result of their visibility. In May 2012, 20 Christian families in Mosul received threats, and the house of another Christian was set on fire.

Prayer Request:

  • For the many Christians displaced from their homes by threats of murder or abduction
  • Ask God to raise up godly, wise leaders to shepherd the church
  • For Open Doors trauma counsellors working with children and families affected by persecution.

Sargon’s Story: Sargon* and his wife Leja* once lived in Baghdad, where Sargon worked as a mechanic. Now, they live in northern Iraq in a small, sparsely furnished apartment.

Iraqi Christians Flee North
Iraqi Christians Flee North
While still in Baghdad, the fallout from a bomb claimed three of the lives of Sargon’s fellow mechanics. To this day, though he survived, Sargon carries shrapnel in his shoulder that cannot be removed and continues to cause him pain.

The effects of that day have also resulted in emotional shrapnel in Sargon’s heart, aggravated by increased terrorist attacks in the couple’s neighborhood in Baghdad.

One day Leja found a letter in their mailbox, “You had better get away quickly, or you may die.”

As other Christian in Baghdad had to do, the traumatized couple had to take the letter very seriously. They gathered as much of their possessions together as possible and took off that same night in their old car, heading for northern Iraq.

Sargon found work at a small local garage in their new city. He earned little; hardly enough to pay their rent. So after a while he and his wife began making serious plans to return to Baghdad, despite the dangers.

When Open Doors learned of their situation we provided the couple with a micro loan, which enabled Sargon to start up his own garage.

Although the small micro-loan helped Sargon and Leja make a new start, they still wrestle with serious issues: Tenants moved into their Baghdad home, with the help of the government, and the couple will not be able to get it back without costly legal assistance.

There is no “happy ending” to Sargon and Leja’s story yet, and unfortunately their story is also the story of many Christian refugees in northern Iraq.

*Sargon & Leja – not their real names.

Country Video: