“Pastors are only asking for prayer for the ministry to continue, and prayer for conversion of [their] persecutors,” Brother Vijay says, “No one is asking that the persecution would stop.” Brother Vijay, a gospel worker in India, is back to share what it means to follow Christ in India today, and how pastors and believers there take persecution in stride. The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi sees any Christian gathering as a crusade—an attempt to convert people. Authorities even send spies to monitor Christian gatherings. But spies in church still hear the message; listen for the story of a former spy who is now an ambassador for Jesus Christ. As more of India’s states enact “anti-conversion” laws that outlaw gospel preaching, Vijay says in some states it has become virtually impossible for church congregations to gather for Sunday worship. Dozens of pastors are currently in prison in India. Yet, God is still at work, building His Kingdom. “The most interesting thing is I see the kingdom of God prospering in a situation like this.” Vijay says, “The more pressure, the more victories.” You’ll also hear how Vijay and other gospel workers train up pastors (and “Timothys”) to lead the church, how he prepares for persecution, and more stories of persecuted Christians in India. Brother Vijay knows he could face persecution at any time; he willingly risks his safety to serve the Lord. “I want to continue to be faithful. I know that I, too, have been called to pay the price. And I’m willing to pay the price anytime.” Revisit Brother Vijay’s first conversation on VOM Radio, and listen to a Christian human rights lawyer in India who is also prepared to face any trial, knowing it is from the Lord. Pray for our Christian brothers and sisters in India as they follow Christ, no matter the cost. The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians throughout the year, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.
Read MoreIn November 2025, a Nigerien pastor was abducted by Islamists in the middle of the night, driven across the nearby border into Nigeria and taken to a remote area. His captors told him they had brought him to a place where they regularly executed Christians and said they were going to kill him as well. They tied him to a tree and then went to sleep. As they slept, the pastor untied himself and escaped.
Read MoreA front-line worker requests prayer for “divine connections” in sharing the gospel with Muslims. The current spiritual climate in the Middle East is causing many Muslims to seek truth in the Christian faith, but sharing the gospel with them can be risky. “In most countries in the Middle East, it is forbidden to evangelize or pass out tracts in public, with significant risks if caught,” the worker said.
Read MoreIn the crackdown against Chengdu Early Rain Covenant Church that began on Jan. 6, 2026, the children of the affected families have been left especially vulnerable. Elder Li Yingqiang and his wife, Zhang Xinyue, were apprehended by police in an early morning raid on their home and have remained in detention. Li Yingqiang has since been charged with “inciting subversion of state power”; charges against Zhang Xinyue have not been disclosed yet. Their two children, ages 11 and 14, were also taken into police custody in the raid and spent the night alone and frightened before they were released into their grandmother’s care.
Read MoreBrother Wybo served persecuted Christians for decades as part of Open Doors with Brother Andrew. Andrew, the author of God’s Smuggler, had a passion for Bible distribution and didn’t shy from taking necessary risks to get God’s Word into hostile areas and restricted nations. While serving with Open Doors, Wybo created the World Watch List which tracks countries where Christians face the most restrictions and persecution. Now he’s led in the creation of a new list which tracks how difficult it is for Christians around the world to access Bibles. The Bible Access List tracks nations where governments attempt to stop Bible distribution, like Afghanistan, and also countries like India where Bibles may be legal but many Christians don’t have access because of economic realities, supply issues or other reasons. Wybo hopes that creating a list that includes nations facing both Bible restrictions and Bible shortages will motivate Christians to pray and get involved in helping meet the need. He will share what surprised him most during his research and what formats of Bibles Christians around the world are asking for. He also shares how partnerships are key to meeting the need. Brother Wybo also shares what he’s learned from persecuted believers over decades of serving them, and how a trip to distribute Bibles in Ethiopia, one of the top five countries with a Bible shortage, encouraged him as he had the privilege of giving believers their own copy of God’s Word. February is Bible Month at VOM, and you can help deliver Bibles to persecuted Christians. The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily in 2026 for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, Nigeria, Iran, and Bangladesh, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content, and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.
Read MoreVillagers in Chhattisgarh state reacted violently against local Christians who buried a non-Christian man on their property. The burial of Chamru Ram Salam on Dec. 16, 2025, was conducted according to the rites of a traditional tribal religion. However, because half of Salam’s family, including three of his five sons, are Christian, the mob called the burial an insult to their deities. More than 500 villagers with wooden sticks and slingshots attacked mourners at the grave. Several people were injured, and the family and other Christians fled the village for weeks.
Read MoreChristian workers in South Korea have developed specific strategies to aid and show Christ’s love to newly arrived North Korean defectors. Pray for Mrs. R., one of these new arrivals, who was so moved by the care shown to her that she is already taking steps to visit and minister to other new North Korean defectors. Pray also for Mrs. G., a North Korean defector with serious health difficulties who has experienced God through the kindness of Christians and is now taking steps to read the Bible.
Read MoreAt least 64 Algerian Christians are awaiting trial for activities related to their faith. “Pray for justice and mercy for all 64 cases,” said a front-line worker. He also asked that people pray for the Christians and their families to sense God’s peace, to be strengthened and to not lose heart.
Read MoreAfter months in prison for sharing the gospel with Hindus, Pastor Paul’s health was failing. He offered a desperate prayer: he asked God to allow another pastor to be arrested who could come to the prison and encourage Paul. “Lord, arrest one pastor and bring him to be in prison so we can have fellowship.” God answered Paul’s prayer, and four days later, he read in the newspaper that a pastor had been arrested. Two weeks later, that pastor was with Paul in the prison, and he brought him great encouragement: “My church has been praying for you!” After his fellow pastor arrived to the prison, Paul says his tired faith became, “like concrete.” They began to pray together in prison. Soon, other prisoners were asking for prayer. The two pastors would often raise their hands in prayer, claiming spiritual victory. When prison guards asked what they were doing, the two pastors said, “We are praying for you!” The two pastors had the opportunity to pray with 70 other prisoners who came to them asking for prayer and to know more about Jesus. One of those was an American prisoner named Daniel. He went to India on a quest for spiritual enlightenment; inside that Indian prison, Daniel found what he sought—in Christ. You’ll also hear how the Lord moved pastor Paul’s wife to bring his bail application to the Supreme Court, and how God answered their prayers that a specific judge would hear his case. Hear how you can pray specifically for Pastor Paul, including that all charges against him will be dropped, and go to www.PrisonerAlert.com to learn how you can pray for other persecuted Christians still imprisoned for their faith. The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily in 2026 for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, Nigeria, Iran and Bangladesh, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content, and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.
Read MoreThe survivor of a 2013 church bombing has been hospitalized after medical complications. On Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013, two suicide bombers entered the All Saints Church in Peshawar, Pakistan, and detonated their devices, killing 127 people and injuring more than 250. One survivor was a 3-year-old girl known as Sister M. Her father was killed in the explosions, and she suffered serious burns. After the bombing, the global body of Christ helped her family with housing and other needs, including multiple surgeries and skin grafts for Sister M.
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