Christians Attacked and Killed

Source: Voice of the Martyrs Magazine

Forgive them father for they do not know what they do.

This article is somewhat dated but it is still very relevant because the persecution has not stopped.

On August 23, three Christians in Chiapas, Mexico, were brutally killed by their neighbor after he blamed them for his daughter’s stomach ailment. Antonio Gomez blamed his Christian neighbor, Pedro Gomez Diaz and his family, for his 11-year-old daughter's stomach ailment and accused the Christian family of practicing witchcraft, Compass Direct News reported.

Gomez and seven of his friends entered the Christian family’s home and attacked them with machetes. Pedro, his wife, Marcela, and their oldest son, Rene, were hacked to death. Six of the other Diaz children were seriously wounded. At last report, the eight men involved in the attack were being held in a jail, Compass Direct News added.

The Voice of the Martyrs actively supports persecuted Christians in Chiapas, Mexico, with literature and other resources following incidents of persecution. VOM encourages you to pray for their protection and courage during challenging times. Pray for the surviving Diaz family as they mourn their parents and oldest sibling. Ask God to give them comfort in knowing that Christ is victorious over death.

Like Sheep to the Slaughter

In my last post I mentioned that most mainstream institutionalized churches are very controlling of their flock. I feel that instead of creating genuine followers of Christ or God, they are creating mindless zombie slaves. I also stated that for the most part, I did not believe in any major denominational church--yet I still consider myself a Christian because I do believe in the Bible and it's message.

Are you truly free? Are you?

So I have received several private inquiries. What exactly did I mean by my statement? Many people did not understand my statement. Some even felt offended by it. Well, with out naming names this is what I meant. There are many mainstream religious institutions that control their flock by forbidding them to eat certain foods, some forbid marriages, others forbid them to get blood transfusions, others expect their followers to bow down to a human leader, some pray several times a day, some pray to idols, some demand strict purification rites, some demand that their followers never miss the Sabbath or go to church on Sundays, some demand that their subjects wear special clothes, or hang talismans in their bodies, or homes. If these mainstream denominations did not place so many obstacles in the way of people, so many more people would believe in Jesus Christ. These issues were the main reason why I took so long in accepting Christianity. It is very discouraging for people who are starting fresh. As a matter of fact, I am steadfast. I was not the problem. The problems were these misguided views. I am no longer discouraged by their beliefs. I let them be, as long as they let me live. Knowing this gave me greater encouragement!

God is interested in the internal. He is not interested in external matters. We as humans are far more interested in our external image. All of these requirements are meaningless to God. The fact is that if you live your life fulfilling these demands, none of them will get you saved. None of them.

And some institutions even practice dangerous dogma. The more outlandish the claim it seems that the more people gravitate to them. Jim Jones and David Koresh made claims that they were prophets of God. Look at what happened to them and their followers. The Hale Bob comet group, believed that a comet was going to rescue them from the destruction of the earth. Countless major religious groups made predictions that have never come true. So I asked myself does God make mistakes? NO. He does not. And unfortunately, some people do not react when a brick falls on their heads. By the time the entire wall falls on top them, it is too late.

I am not that stupid. Am I???

Why I believe in Christ

The Protest by Boris Vallejo 1967

I won't be able to explain everything about why I believe in Christ. For starters, I am a complete and pragmatic person. These characteristics have a lot to do with my faith. It took me well over 15 years to realize that Jesus is--- The Man! It all began when I was a teenager all the way into my 30's. The road was hard and very painful. But it was the only way for me to realize the truth. These years laid my foundation of faith. If anyone attacks me now, figuratively speaking of course, I deflect their missiles with a brush of my hand. The Bible calls the ability do this the Armor of God. Even at a tender age, I did not believe everything people told me. But since I live in a nation of pluralists, deciding what faith I would believe in was very daunting. And on top of that Christianity is characterized by countless denominations. It made things worse for me, because each denomination made claims that they were the true Church of God. Who do you believe? My answer was: NONE OF THEM.

What made me choose Christ, or who do I believe? THE BIBLE. If I was being taught a certain doctrine or system of belief by a church or specific group and it did not corrolate with the Bible, I pressed the eject button. God gave me a brain, a spirit and heart to discern the truth. If the brain was there, but not the heart or spirit---EJECT! Furthermore the Bible gave me absolute freedom, all these other denominations and eastern faiths felt very controlling, and are spiritual slavemakers, which create slaves for the sole purpose for their institutions to survive.

And to all the HATERS and NAYSAYERS who say the Bible was changed or made corruptible by the hands of man, whether you like it or not, I tell you boldly, it was never changed, it's message is PERFECT, and Jesus Christ, saves us through GRACE! Whether you like it or not. AMEN.

This is Christmas

While we will be celebrating Christmas with our family, in a warm and toasty environment, let us not forget our brothers and sisters who have nothing to sustain themselves but only the Word of God. There are numerous countries were Christian lives are being threatened on a daily basis. Personally speaking I will be calling them right now at (800) 747-0085 to order a book and donate a care packet. I invite you to please visit the Voice of the Martyrs and donate a gift. Thank you and God bless you. Promised kept. *Special Note: Today, at about 3 pm I called VOM, bought a book and donated a care packet totaling $47.00. I did my part.

K.B. Needs Your Voice of Salvation

Please note: This is not K.B.

When making this blog, I did not think I would be veering off topic. But the need is so great I have no choice. You see a little girl I met, who I will name K.B., (to preserve her confidentiality) was first diagnose with leukemia when she was 7 years old but is now fighting for her life again. Her mom is distraught. It has been an on again, off again battle over the past 4 years. She is so smart and brave. I came to late to the prayer chain at work, because I was not aware why some Christian co-workers were praying in a circle. When I approached them I found out. I felt so powerless when I heard that she was in the hospital again. But I know that God listens to prayer. So if you have read my blog or if you are a new reader please pray for K.B. and her mother. No human deserves to suffer like this. And on top of that they have no insurance and are very poor. No mother should have to see their child suffer like this. I know that when this child is completely healed, her mother and K.B. will give their lives to the Lord. All I ask is for us to come together across the world and to pray for K.B. and all the other children and sick people that are suffering. That is one of the best thing we could do. I will find out again in the next couple of days how her condition is, I pray it is not too late.

God bless you and thank you for reading and praying for little K.B.

JFS

Who am I ?

I consider myself a born-again non-denominational Christian. I created this blog to bring attention to the persecution of Christians across the world. Most Christians who live in Western countries don't know that this is still happening. But it is. As a matter of fact, no Christian is safe. The first time I felt the sting of discrimination for my faith was when I was 14 years old. I however did not know anything about my professed faith compare to what I know now. Yet, that moment of displeasure is nothing compare to what thousands of Christians are suffering today. As recently as a few months ago, I did not know Christian persection was so wide spread. If I, being a Christian thought this way, then thousands, if not millions of others Christians may not be aware of it either.

Those that are currently killing Christians do so because they believe Christians will destroy their traditional way of life. But that is not true. They justfiy their violence because they believe that Christians missionaries are paid spies for western powers. Yeah right!! No western government has the resources to employ thousands upon thousands of people to fuel conspiracies. What triggers the thirst for blood and violence of these Christian persecutors is massive paranoia. Especially with this current economic crisis. The so-called Satanic Bible commands their believers to "live in peace with their neighbors", but if they feel threatened by their neigbors, it commands them to "destroy them and take away their lives first." This quote sounds very similar to teachings coming from other holy books. However, the Bible, specifically the New Testament, totally contradicts the killing of people. Jesus said "love your enemies such as yourselves."

So as Christians we must do what we have to do. We cannot allow our Christian brothers and sisters to be killed by our other misguided brothers and sisters because in spite of their persecutions we need to have love for them. You, as a Christian can do something about it. This holiday season donate to a Christian charity like the Voice of the Martrys. Although we are not affiliated, we urge you to contact them using the links found in this blog. And if that is asking for too much then donate your visits to us, by supporting this blog, the cause will continue through your thoughts and prayers. Amen.

Christian Violence in India

From The Voice of the Martyrs

It was just before dawn on Sept. 30, 2008. An angry mob of Hindu radicals had been gathering steam for weeks. Carrying sticks and machetes and chanting death threats to Christians, this hatred-induced tsunami swept into Rudangia, a tiny village in Orissa state, India. The mob attacked, burning homes, beating villagers and ripping Christian materials apart. Our VOM contacts say the mob settled upon Lalji Nayak. Hindu radicals grabbed Lalji and dragged him out of his home. One man stuck a knife to his throat.

They yelled at him to renouce Christ. They demanded he "reconvert" and become Hindu. Lalji refused. They drove the knife deeper into his neck. Blood began to gush. Witnesses say Lalji continued to "cling to Christ." The radicals pulled out an axe and began beating him. They tortured him and when he refused to convert to Hinudism they left him for dead. Lalji died the next day at a nearby hospital.

"Even though he was bleeding, he refused to abandoned his faith," a witness told our VOM contacts...."It's like a never-ending nightmare," says Sister Rani, a Christian worker who was attacked by a mob while she prayed inside a destroyed prayer hall. "We're living in constant fear of more attacks."

VOS Editor's note. This is a clear example that the notion that Hindus are not violent and that they are peace loving is not true. There lies a radical group of Hindus that are killing people across India. Gandhi is tossing and turning inside his grave right about now. Below are more staggering numbers from VOM regarding their violence against Christians:

Hindu violence against Christians has left 70,000 homeless.

4,000 homes have been destroyed.

3,000 people are missing and 77 people were burned or hacked to death.

450 churches have been destroyed brick by brick or burned down.

Christians Unite. Let's bring the love of Christ in peace and love, not violence. Best way to do it is to support the efforts of VOM (who we are not affiliate with, but we do support their cause).