WASHINGTON — Evangelical missionary Andrew Brunson said Thursday that the authoritarian crackdown and struggling economy in Turkey are causing more Muslim Turks to show interest in the Bible at a time in which the “storm clouds” of Christian persecution seem to be forming.

Brunson, a North Carolina native who spent two decades planting churches in Turkey before spending two years in prison on trumped-up terrorism charges, expressed deep concern about the future of Turkey’s small Protestant population during a hearing hosted by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom on Capitol Hill.

“There is still a high degree of freedom for Christians relative to other Muslim countries in the region, but I am concerned that all the signs point to this changing soon,” said Brunson, who was released from prison last October after months of pressure from the U.S. government.

In the midst of a massive government crackdown in the wake of the 2016 failed coup attempt against the Erdogan government, Brunson explained that the regime has accelerated the expulsion and deportation of foreign Christian leaders.

According to Brunson, as many as 50 foreign Christian families have recently been deported from Turkey. 

The 51-year-old read off a list of Protestant Christians in Turkey who have been deported after being accused of being a “threat to national security.” Most of them were leaders within their respective churches, he said.

He added that the Turkish church relies on foreign leadership because the Turkish government does not allow Christians to set up training programs in order to develop leaders in the country.

In the city in which he served for many years, Izmir, Bruson said that nearly half of all churches there have lost their senior leaders.

Citing a 2018 report from the Turkish Association of Protestant Churches, Brunson said there has also been “a significant increase in public hate speech designed to incite public hatred of Protestants.”

He said even more concerning was the “coupling together of churches and terror organizations in news reports without any evidence of substantiation.”

He blamed the Erdogan government for sewing a deep hatred of Christians in the hearts of Muslim Turks by spreading lies about him and Christians. He said government-fed propaganda has created a tense atmosphere for Christians in Turkey.

Even after his release, Brunson said that lies are still being spread about him in Turkey. He was accused of being a spy and even working on behalf of the CIA in an effort to overthrow the Turkish government.

“The foreign minister still refers to me in public as a spy and calls me ‘Agent Brunson,’” he said. “After the State Department report on religious freedom was published recently, the spokesman insisted that ‘Pastor Brunson was convicted because of his affiliation with terrorism not because of his faith.’ This is simply not true. I know that the Turkish government, especially at the highest levels, knew all along that I was innocent.”

He added that there were accusations in Turkish media that he was the one who gave orders for the New Zealand mosque shootings in March that took the lives of 50 people. Brunson said he was disgusted with such an accusation.

“The government is using the after-coup, the conditions to crackdown on a lot of people. So far, it hasn’t included Christians that much,” Brunson said in response to a question from USCIRF Vice Chair Gayle Manchin. “Like I said, there is a high degree of freedom compared to other places in the Middle East. However, the signs are negative and the storm clouds are gathering.”

“I think there are a number of people in the Turkish church, who as they see a lot of the foreign Christians being expelled from the country, [who] are very concerned about what is going to happen to them,” he added.

Brunson said that his indictment provides an example of how the Erdogan government views Christians.

“My crime was ‘Christianization,’” he stressed. “Acting as, I quote, ‘as an agent of unconventional and psychological warfare under the guise of an evangelical church pastor.’ All of our work was intended to fragment Turkey, they said.”

“Basically, the indictment was associating Christianization with terrorism and presented Christianity as a danger to Turkey’s unit,” he continued. “The senior judge said I was not on trial for missionary activity. But much of the supposed evidence against me as proof of supporting terrorism was our ministry activities.”

Brunson added that Erdogan once said while speaking in the context of his case that “To be a Turk is to be a Muslim.”

“This is the way that they see things often,” he said. “Obviously, Christians are not a threat to the Turkish government in any way. We expect Christians to be good citizens, to pay their taxes, to obey the law. They tend to be very generous and loving people.  But if someone has that mentality that to be a Turk is to be a Muslim, then if one leaves Islam and becomes a Christian, then they will be seen as traitors. This has been one of the problems.”

Despite the increasing social tensions and deportation of foreign pastors, Brunson said he has heard from leaders inside Turkey that curious Muslims in Turkey are coming to Christian churches in search of spiritual answers at a greater rate than before.

Brunson said that there are about 6,000 Protestant converts from Islam in the nation of 83 million people.

“But we do see many more people,” he said. “This is interesting to me as someone who was starting churches in Turkey. Because of the crackdown and the difficult conditions in Turkey right now, more and more people are showing an interest in the Bible and in visiting a church and asking questions about Christianity.”

Brunson told The Christian Post after the hearing that he believes there is a “great spiritual harvest” coming to Turkey in which many people will turn to Jesus. 

“I think that the conditions for people to turn will be difficult conditions,” he said. “We have expected there to be a great move of God but we have expected that it will happen in difficult circumstances. So I think that this government is actually creating a lot of circumstances for many people. Since they are doing this in the name of Islam that many Muslims are saying, ‘Is this is what we want?”

Those “difficult conditions” come in the form of the struggling Turkish economy and the decline in the exchange value of the Turkish lira.

“Many young people, especially, are starting to question. One of the things I taught in Turkey and they used against me in the trial was I said that ‘Turkey will be shaken,’” Brunson explained to CP. “I also think the same thing could happen in the States. God will shake the foundations of the things that we trust in order to get our attention.”

I think that is what is happening now. There are a lot of people who before wouldn’t have spiritual questions,” he continued. “But because of the difficulties they are experiencing and the things they have taken for granted or trusted and given security have been kind of removed, now they are beginning to think about things they wouldn’t have before.”

Many of those who are coming to churches to “seek,” he said, are wanting either a copy of the New Testament or just want to meet a Christian and learn about Jesus.

“We see people dropping in at churches,” he said. “There are many more people coming and asking for information than in the past.”

Reporting by Samuel Smith for The Christian Post

PRAY that God would continue to use Andrew Brunson to share the needs for the prayers and partnerships for Turkey and what God is doing in the Middle East

PRAY that the current Turkey government would not suppress the freedom for all religions as stated in its constitution, especially that of Christians and the churches

PRAY that the nation-wide spiritual awakening would come in Turkey and among its people that they would open their hearts Jesus Christ and His gospel

More at: https://www.christianpost.com/news/muslims-turkey-showing-interest-jesus-erdogans-authoritarian-crackdown-andrew-brunson.html

'Have been harassed in more countries than any other religious group'

There are some 197 countries around the world.

And in 144 of them, Christians are persecuted, according to a report commissioned by the British government.

There is widespread evidence showing that “today, Christians constitute by far the most widely persecuted religion,” the report said.

It found that “Christians have been harassed in more countries than any other religious group and have suffered harassment in many of the heavily Muslim countries of the Middle East and North Africa.”

There are some 245 million Christians living in the top 50 countries for persecution and they suffer “high levels” or worse. Previously, only one country, North Korea, was classified as having “extreme” persecution. Now there are 11 countries.

Turkish journalist Uzay Bulut, a senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute, noted “persecution against Christians and other non-Muslims is not about the ethnicity, race or skin color of either the perpetrators or the victims; it is about their religion.”

In Africa, he said, “various Islamist groups and individuals are attacking and attempting to annihilate Christians for being Christian. If these crimes are not stopped, it is highly likely that the fate of the African Continent will be like that of the Middle East: Once it was a majority-Christian region; now, Christians are a tiny, dying, defenseless minority.”

The British report is the “Bishop of Truro’s Independent Review for the Foreign Secretary of FCO Support for Persecuted Christians.”

The FCO is the nation’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The bishop, the Rt. Rev. Philip Mounstephen, explained: “The Independent Review was announced at Christmas and this Interim Report is published in the Easter season. Both of these great festivals remind us that weakness and vulnerability are at the heart of the Christian faith. Jesus Christ was born into poverty and laid in a feeding-trough. He died as a victim of persecution himself. Given that, it is hardly surprising that many of his followers today count among the weakest and most vulnerable people on the planet. It is to them, to their needs and to their support, that this Interim Report is dedicated.”

He wrote that in addition to Christians being the most targeted, “the evidence suggests that acts of violence and other intimidation against Christians are becoming more widespread.”

The report said that “in some regions, the level and nature of persecution is arguable coming close to meeting the international definition of genocide.”

It said the “eradication of Christians and other minorities on pain of ‘the sword’ or other violent means was revealed to be the specific and stated objective of extremist groups in Syria, Iraq, Egypt, northeast Nigeria and the Philippines.”

“An intent to erase all evidence of the Christian presence was made plain by the removal of crosses, the destruction of church buildings and church symbols,” the report said.

“The killing and abduction of clergy represented a direct attack on the church’s structure and leadership. Where these and other incidents meet the tests of genocide, governments will be required to bring perpetrators to justice, aid victims and take preventative measures for the future.”

Christianity, in fact, “now faces the possibility of being wiped out in parts of the Middle East where its roots go back further. In Palestine, Christian numbers are below 1.5 percent, in Syria the Christian population has declined from 1.7 million in 2011 to below 450,000 and in Iraq, Christian numbers have slumped from 1.5 million before 2003 to below 120,000 today.”

In some parts of the world, “extrajudicial killings and the enforced and involuntary disappearance of Christians are also widespread,” the report said.

Bulut cited the destruction of a Christian school by Muslims in Uganda, a church in Niger burned by Muslims and terror attacks in Burkina Faso that left 29 Christians dead.

In one incident, the assailants “asked the Christians to convert to Islam but the pastor and the others refused.”

“They ordered them to gather under a tree and took their Bibles and mobile phones. Then they called them, one after the other, behind the church building where they shot them dead.”

He said that terrorist groups are not the only sources of persecution in Africa as many Muslim governments and individuals also target Christians.

We must pray for our Indian brethren, asking God to preserve the faith in a subcontinent where it is every bit as native as that which seeks to drive it out.

Article by WND

More at:https://www.wnd.com/2019/07/report-christians-persecuted-in-3-of-4-nations-globally/

Pray for something so big and dramatic to happen in Pakistan that can only be explained by it being the work of God.

Missionary Visas

Missionaries are still being thrown out of the country, even some that have visas are losing them.  Pray this situation will be resolved.   Muslim leaders from Pakistan have no trouble getting permission to come to the USA.

Tribal Praise Report

Two visiting Korean doctors were on a medical outreach to a tribal area.  As the doctors were overwhelmed, the people began coming to the church workers saying, "We know your God heals. Will you pray for us?"  It became a tremendous time of ministry as they were able to tell them that it is the power of Jesus working when they are healed.  Many openly said, " We are so worried about our physical health and our spiritual needs. Now we know that Jesus can take care of both, we can come to Him."

Meeting between Pakistan and the USA

Imran Khan, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, is to visit the USA July 16 - 18.  He will meet with President Trump on the 17th.  Pray for good meetings with President Trump who has made some pretty strong statements against Pakistan since he came into office.  Some were justified particularly with the former Government, and covert, tactical support of some terrorist groups, but this all has taken a terrible toll on the people of Pakistan.

On 9/11 almost 3000 persons were killed. About 6000 US troops have been killed in Afghanistan.

Pakistan has lost 35,000 military between 2001 and 2011, and 40,000 are missing in action.  Civilian casualties started at 30,000 and is climbing rapidly to three or four times that.  The war on terrorism in Pakistan still continues.  The fallout on the economy in Pakistan has been drastic.  For example, a huge number of Pakistani refugees are being moved from one place to another and there is the care of over 400,000 Afghan refugees living in Pakistan that the government has had to care for, with the assistance of International Aid groups.

There are some who have gained from this war, but Pakistan has paid a terrible price.

God is the author of peace.  This will come as we intercessors PRAY.

Pray4Pakistan

More at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k4lurlki5dfQV7Aju1vbqvWiD4CaHva-/view?usp=sharing

Pray: Russian and China and now the US are beginning to understand that peace in Afghanistan cannot come without the help of Pakistan.

Pray: May the right decisions be made.  It is not wrong, from the Taliban perspective, for the Taliban to lie to gain an upper hand.  May Pres. Trump have good advisors.

Pray: PM Imran Khan is working hard to bring peace within his own country.

Pray: Pres. Trump also wants to see a lasting peace in this part of the world.

Pray: Pray for Christians who are suffering the most from this.

"The Trump administration honored a Nigerian Muslim Imam last week among its first-ever International Religious Freedom Award winners for his efforts that saved hundreds of Christians during a 2018 terrorist attack," reports LifeSiteNews.

"Imam Abubakar Abdullahi of Nigeria selflessly risked his own life to save members of another religious community, who would have likely been killed without his intervention," the proclamation from the U.S. Department of State said.

Abdullahi had hidden 262 Christians in his home and mosque during a terrorist attack, when, "On June 23, 2018, ethnic Fulani herdsmen, who are predominantly Muslim, launched coordinated attacks on 10 villages in Barkin Ladi, killing hundreds of ethnic Berom farmers, who are predominantly Christian."

The 83-year-old cleric was one of five people honored at a July 17 ceremony with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and International Religious Freedom Ambassador Sam Brownback.

The State Department proclamation additionally states:

As Imam Abdullahi was finishing midday prayers, he and his congregation "heard gunshots and went outside to see members of the town’s Christian community fleeing," the State Department added. "Instinctively, the Imam ushered 262 Christians into the mosque and his home next to the mosque. The Imam then went outside to confront the gunmen and he refused to allow them to enter, pleading with them to spare the Christians inside, even offering to sacrifice his life for theirs. Although the gunmen killed 84 people in Nghar village that day, Imam Abdullahi’s actions saved the lives of hundreds more.

"Instinctively, the imam gave refuge to his Christian neighbors, sheltering 262 Christians in his mosque and his home," Brownback told those attending the award ceremony. "Imam Abdullahi stood outside the doors confronting the Muslim attackers, pleading with them to spare the lives of the Christians inside, even offering to exchange his own life for theirs."

"His actions bear witness to true courage, true selflessness, and true brotherly love," stated Brownback.

[Dr. Chaps' comment:  Love is a universal religion, and I respect this man who rejected the false prophet's teaching to slay the infidels (Christians) and instead protected them.  Now let's stop funding radical Islamists who kill Christians.

TODAY AT OUR WEDNESDAY PRAYER MEETING IN COLORADO SPRINGS, WE DECLARED THAT WE STAND AROUND TOP LEADERS OF OUR NATION PRESIDENT, VICE PRESIDENT POMPEO, Sam Brownback, RAISE OUR SHIELDS OF FAITH TO PROTECT THESE GODLY MEN. IF AN OLD IMAM COULD SAVE 262 LIVES, GOD WILL PROTECT OUR LEADERS AS WE STAND FOR THEM IN PRAYER.

WE KNOW THERE ARE SO MANY ENEMIES SURROUND OUR LEADERS.

TC Kim - Facilitator

Transform USA

More at:http://www.transformusa.org

The latest atrocity is believed to be in retaliation to an incident when villagers fought off a Boko Haram attack two weeks ago.

The attack on civilians is the deadliest in the region so far this year.

Eleven other people were wounded during the midday attack in Budu near Maiduguri on Saturday, according to Muhammad Bulama, council chairman of the Nganzai local government area.

Bunu Bukar, secretary of self-defence group Borno Hunters Association, said the extremists were on motorbikes and opened fire on villagers.

He added that his colleagues had recovered nearly two dozen bodies.

Mr Bulama said the atrocity was in retaliation to an incident when villagers fought off a Boko Haram attack in the area two weeks ago.

Last week Nigerians marked the 10th anniversary of the Boko Haram insurgency which has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced millions and created one of the world's biggest humanitarian crises.

The extremists have carried out mass abductions of schoolgirls and deployed young women and men in suicide vests to attack markets, mosques and other highly populated areas.

Their aim is to impose strict Islamic rule in the region.

Boko Haram have broadened their attacks and carried out atrocities in neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

Reporting by Sky News

More at: https://news.sky.com/story/more-than-60-dead-as-boko-haram-extremists-target-funeral-in-nigeria-11772643

Pray: For the military and intelligence services to root out and bring these militants to justice.

Pray: For the victims and their families – for healing and comfort in their grief.

Pray: For an end to this ongoing campaign by Boko Haram.

Numerous prophesies over the past decades have identified the nation of Canada’s end-time destiny to be one of healing to the nations.

The past 4 years have seen a government which has advanced a secular global agenda in political, economic and socio/sexual arenas.

As we approach an October election, many intercessors, churches and ministries have recognized the need for the global church to join us in coming together in unity for Canada’s future.

We recognize that we are at a critical crossroads needing to return to being a sheep nation for the Honour and Glory of God and our Christ.

Pray: That as Kingdom people we would unite and come up higher in Christ so we can worship and war from a heavenly/Kingdom position.

Pray: For one heart and mind as many ministries and believers come together from across the nation and the globe Aug 7th - 10th in Ottawa, the capital, to seek God for our nation.

Pray: For the everyday Christian in Canada not to get caught up in partisan politics but to wake up and arise and see our responsibility to pray for and vote in a righteous government so of the next generation will not lose any more of their Godly inheritance.

Pray: For wickedness to be fully exposed and truth to prevail among party agendas and alliances especially in the areas of parental rights, promoting of gender fluidity and LGBTQ agendas, the persecution of Christian values and immigration policies that court the Islamic vote and embrace the “progressive left

Pray: For the people of Canada not to be blinded or deceived by personalities but to desire and elect people who have the leadership giftings of moral integrity, economic understanding, administration and a foreign policy that supports Israel.

Pray: That this Election will serve God’s Purposes for Canada

Pray: That the Holy Spirit will guide Campaign Strategy

Pray: That Candidates will be filled with Integrity, Courage, Humility, and Grace

Pray: That the Holy Spirit will guide and guard the Thoughts and Speech of Candidates

Pray: That Candidates and Campaign Material will present Positions and Platforms Clearly, Openly and Fully

Pray: That Candidates and their Families will be granted Wisdom, Endurance and Protection

Pray: That the Holy Spirit will guide Electors in Examining Issues and Candidates, and in Voting

Pray: That Every Elector Will Cherish The Right to Vote

Pray: That elected candidates will be:

• Individuals of Integrity, Discernment, Grace, Courage and Conviction
• People of Vision, Perseverance & Character
• Willing Servants

Carol Hay - North America Prayer Summit

More at: www.nationatprayer.ca, https://www.transformationcanada.ca/prayer-for-election/, and http://www.canadainprayer.com/prayer-for-canada

Iran (MNN) — Tensions rise between the United States and Iran amid sanctions, threats, and fights over missiles, nuclear deals, oil stores, and shipping routes.

Last week, Iran tested ballistic missiles as the U.S. worked with allies to safeguard ships in the Strait of Hormuz. According to Middle East Monitor, Russia predicts “full-scale armed conflict” in the region.

Unfortunately, these sky-high political tensions have led to a crackdown within Iran, explains Heart 4 Iran’s Mike Ansari. “In the last few weeks, [the] Iranian government has announced the arrest of multiple Iranian citizens who were allegedly CIA spies,” he says.

“In light of the recent sanctions, Iranian authorities are increasing the pressure on Western governments to loosen up the restrictions imposed on Iran.”

Authorities often target believers for accusation and arrest.

Life for believers inside Iran

Earlier this year, Open Doors USA placed Iran at #9 on its World Watch List – a ranking of 50 nations where following Christ is most difficult. By law, Christians cannot share their faith with non-Christians. Believers from a Muslim background face the most oppression because Islamic law governs Iran; society views converts as apostates.

“In Iran, conversion from Islam to Christianity – known as apostasy – is strictly forbidden. In fact, Iranian religious rulers have publicly advocated for the death penalty as a punishment for apostasy,” Ansari explains.

“When a Muslim converts to Christianity, they are warned, persecuted, [sometimes] arrested, and their belongings are confiscated.”

For converts who leave Iran, return could mean imprisonment and severe persecution. “Case in point – Mrs. Fatemeh Azad, a 58-year-old Iranian convert to Christianity who fled Iran, sought refuge in Germany, but was denied asylum and deported back to Iran,” Ansari describes.

“Upon her return, she was arrested and released on bail.”

As reported here by International Christian Concern:

When Fatemeh made her asylum appeal, her lawyers argued that apostasy (conversion away from Islam) is punishable by the death penalty in Iran. This penalty has not been issued in Iran for several years, in large part thanks to international pressure. However, Iran regularly imprisons converts for years. Christians are commonly charged with “acting against national security” and can face a prison sentence of up to 15 years with this charge.

“The Iranian Christian community in diaspora is concerned with the safety and well-being of Mrs. Azad while she resides in Iran,” Ansari says.

How to help

Mrs. Azad’s case represents a larger challenge, he adds. That’s an urgent matter for which you can pray.

“The real concern for Mrs. Azad is that Iranian authorities may use her as a pawn to not only instil fear in the heart of their own people but challenge the international community on human rights and religious freedom in Iran.”

Ask the Lord to comfort and encourage Fatemeh Azad during her imprisonment. Pray for her safety, Ansari requests, and “pray for the multitude of Iranian refugees who have legitimately fled Iran and can’t go back.”

Heart4Iran partners with over 100 groups to bring the love and hope of Jesus Christ to the people of Iran.

Reporting by Katey Hearth for Mission Network News

More at: https://www.mnnonline.org/news/believers-targeted-amid-us-iran-tensions/

Pray: For the safety and freedom of Mrs. Fatemeh Azad and many others in a similar situation to practice their faith.
Pray: That she will not be used as a pawn within Iran or internationally.
Pray: For those working to represent Mrs Azad and other Christians who face persecution in their home countries.

ORDERS FOR BOOKLETS

Many pre-orders for this year’s booklets have already been received. They can be ordered here:

https://www.worldchristian.com/product/hindu-world-prayer-guide-2019

Celebrating 25 years of Mobilizing Prayer for our World’s Neighbors.

Hindu World: Oct 20-Nov 3, 2019 (available this Summer)

Buddhist World: Any 15 Days in 2019 (available now)

Muslim World: May 6-June 4, 2019 (booklets still available)

Paul Filidis

PO Box 9208

Colorado Springs, CO 80932

More at:https://www.worldchristian.com/

Be encouraged as you listen to John D Robb, Chairman of International Prayer Connect being interviewed by Daniel Lim, CEO of iHOP about how the Lord has led him in his service to the Prayer Movement around the world in recent decades.  John shares some of the breakthroughs.

More at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k4lurlki5dfQV7Aju1vbqvWiD4CaHva-/view?usp=sharing

WHAT'S UP IN EUROPE? - God is doing extraordinary things through ordinary people like us. We can see that during events and camps or through everyday friendships, the Body of Christ in Europe is alive! UnitedHive is an app where you can find testimonies of what God is doing in Europe and in your region. Check it out HERE, it’s a fun way to share and read about lives being changed.