Year: 2023

FROM THE VOICE OF THE MARTYRS PRESIDENT:COLE RICHARDS We are blessed to live in circumstances in which we are protected in many ways against those who might harm us. We have access to security measures, which include police forces at various levels of government, security guards, protective fences, secure doors and locks, and even the availability of weapons for personal defense. In order to fellowship with our Christian brothers and sisters in northern Nigeria, however, we must understand that they live under constant threat of abduction and murder at the hands of Islamist militants and enjoy none of the security measures we often take for granted. Our Christian family members in northern Nigeria are completely outnumbered and outgunned. Their government lacks both the power and the will to defend them. If this were not the case, a discussion about their courage would include their fight to defend their homes, families, and churches. But what does courage look like when there is no means of defending family and property? “Because of their special courage and inexplicable (supernatural) victory over fear, they are a powerful example of faith for us.” COLE RICHARDS – VOM PRESIDENT Living in an extremely dangerous and violent

From the Voice of the Martyrs President:Cole Richards Like the Old Testament prophet Elijah, today’s persecuted Christians often face powerful persecutors alone. Elijah denounced Israel’s wicked King Ahab, after the king and his wife, Jezebel, led the Israelites to worship the false god Baal. In a dramatic confrontation on Mount Carmel, Elijah stood alone against hundreds of Baal’s prophets. “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord,” Elijah pronounced, “but Baal’s prophets are 450 men” (1 Kings 18:22). Not one Israelite came to Elijah’s aid. Persecution is and always has been a regular occurrence for many in the body of Christ. But if it is normal in church history, why is responding to persecution exceptional? The issue is not whether faithful witnesses for Christ in places like Burkina Faso will face severe opposition but whether they will become discouraged by having to do so alone. Christians living in the world’s most difficult and dangerous places for our faith are, with us, members of one body — the body of our Lord. The suffering of any member of Christ’s body must always be our concern. Leaving them without help discourages them and dishonors Christ. Scripture teaches that there

FROM THE VOICE OF THE MARTYRS PRESIDENT:COLE RICHARDS The histories of the Near East and Middle East are replete with violence and instability. A dark heart of vengeance is at the root of these problems.  At the local and personal levels, we see this clearly in the tribal blood feuds of the Old Testament era and in the so-called honor killings within Muslim families today. At the regional and geopolitical levels, we see it in the 1,400-year history of violence within the Muslims’ Sunni-Shiite conflict and in today’s state-sponsored Islamist terrorism against Jews and Christians. Blinded by ideologies that feature a fallen definition of honor, the people of these regions have long valued revenge, considering it essential to their dignity.  Countering this flawed understanding, the Apostle Paul in Romans 12:19 provides instruction on trusting God’s righteous judgment: “Never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God.” He then supports this statement by referencing Deuteronomy 32:35, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” As Americans, we may read this as a powerful indictment against the values of non-Christian Middle Eastern ideologies — and rightly so. But we must also be careful to examine ourselves according to God’s Word.