Rising Persecution
“And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God…now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.” Acts 7:59 & 8:1
Unlike Stephen, as stones were picked up and aimed at Brother Hisham (name changed for his protection) he was able to escape to safety. The religious leaders in his community not only consented to his death, but they ordered it. Hisham’s devout Islamic parents had incurred the shame of their son leaving the only religion they had ever known. Following Jesus is a crime punishable by death and a degree of persecution viewed as the most honorable act to be carried out in this culture.
The Joshua Fund was alerted to the fact that Hisham’s life was in immediate danger when a request came through another ministry partner for assistance with funding to help move Hisham and his family to a place of refuge. Because of the faithful giving of our supporters, The Joshua Fund shared in the privilege of helping Hisham and his family flee from a possible death sentence, and they now live in safety away from their homeland.
THE NEIGHBORS
Just as the book of Acts states, “At that time a great persecution arose against the church . . . ,” today Christians in neighboring nations surrounding Israel, such as Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, are still persecuted for their faith in Christ. However, through your prayers and financial gifts, The Joshua Fund is able to reach out to suffering saints throughout the Middle East.
Just recently a Joshua Fund team returned from the region and had this first-hand report:
“The brother was led to tears sharing his testimony. He had placed the Bible and the Koran side by side and intensely studied them both. He came to know that the Bible was the Truth, and Jesus appeared to him a couple of times in visions to confirm this revelation. The brother sought to be baptized, but there were absolutely no churches or Christians in his home town. He traveled to the larger city we were visiting and the team was so blessed to be able to assist the local pastor in baptizing this new brother. They actually set up a small kiddie pool in the hallway of the church just for the baptism, but it had to be kept semi-private, because it is very dangerous to baptize converts in this region of the world!”
Three of the five neighboring nations that The Joshua Fund focuses on in this region have been ranked among the top 25 on the World Persecution Watch List for 2016. Yet, even amidst the persecution and the scattering of the church, the Lord is expanding His kingdom.
We are grateful for your faithful partnership. Together with you, The Joshua Fund is able to bless both Israel and her neighbors throughout the Middle East by ministering to the oppressed and scattered among our brothers and sisters.
