S1: Hi friend, thank you so much for downloading this podcast
S1: and I truly hope you hear something that edifies encourage, equips, enlightens,
S1: and then gets you out there in the marketplace of ideas.
S1: But before you go, I want to tell you about
S1: this month's truth tool. It's called Have You Ever Wondered?
S1: And I absolutely love this topic because if you're like me,
S1: going out into the night sky and looking up and
S1: seeing a million stars, don't you just stop and think
S1: about God? And are you not in a moment of
S1: awe and wonder or looking out over the vast expanse
S1: of an ocean and you start thinking, what is man,
S1: that thou art mindful of him? And it makes you
S1: wonder about the magnificence of God? I think that sense
S1: of wonder was put there on purpose, and this wonderful
S1: book includes a composite of multiple authors who have written
S1: from their perspective as a scientist, or a historian, or
S1: a mathematician or an artist, on why they all have
S1: this sense of awe through the work that they do.
S1: In other words, the heavens declare the glory. And as
S1: it tells us in Romans, we are really without excuse
S1: because his handiwork is everywhere. And this book invites you
S1: to walk through the chapters written by people who all
S1: have a sense of awe and wonder when it comes
S1: to God through their various disciplines in life. It's an
S1: amazing book and it's yours. For a gift of any amount,
S1: just call 877 Janet 58. That's 877 Janet 58. Ask
S1: for a copy of Have You Ever Wondered? And we'll
S1: send it right off to you as my way of
S1: saying thank you, because we are listener supported radio. Or
S1: you can go online to in the market with Janet
S1: Parshall and you're also on the website, consider becoming a
S1: partial partner. Those are people who give every single month
S1: at a level of their own choosing. You always get
S1: the truth tool, but in addition to that, you get
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S1: piece just for my partial partners. So 877 Janet 58
S1: or the website in the market with Janet Parshall. Consider
S1: becoming a partial partner or asking for this month's truth tool.
S1: Have you ever wondered? And now please enjoy the broadcast.
S2: Here are some of the news headlines we're watching.
S3: This time the conference was over. The president won a pledge.
S4: Americans worshiping government over God.
S3: Extremely rare safety move by a major.
S5: 17 years. The Palestinians and the Israelis negotiated.
S3: This is not the way.
S1: Hi, friends. Welcome to In the Market with Janet Parshall.
S1: Before I say another word, can I just remind you
S1: and me that God has called us for such a
S1: time as this? I don't know about you, but right
S1: now I'm getting the sense that all of creation is groaning, right?
S1: Are you not sensing that so much is happening right now?
S1: First and foremost, on Saturday Flag Day, it is the
S1: anniversary of the birth of the United States Army. We're
S1: going to have a massive parade here in Washington, DC.
S1: And in the midst of all of that, up to
S1: 2000 protests and rallies are expected to take place all
S1: across the country on Saturday. In LA alone, they're expecting
S1: a quarter of a million people to attend, far more
S1: than the 70,000 that were anticipated. And the heiress of Walmart.
S1: Buyer beware. Just so you know, where your consumer dollars
S1: are going is very much behind this supporting it, helping
S1: to fund it. Now, supposedly the people who were protesting
S1: and to use the words of Doctor Michael, it's an
S1: Omni protest. It's a mulligan stew throwing whatever you want.
S1: Mix it together. And they're all people who, at its core,
S1: really don't like America, and they celebrate lawlessness. So you
S1: have Antifa, BLM, you have Marxists, socialists, teachers unions, free,
S1: free Palestine people. All of this just fomenting. We saw
S1: what happened in LA over the last several days. And
S1: now this is supposed to happen on Saturday and they're
S1: calling it No King's Day. Yeah, but they didn't finish
S1: the statement. Can I put that in a historical context?
S1: It was something that they said when the founders started
S1: this country, they said, no kings, comma, but King Jesus,
S1: didn't quite work its way into the ad yet, but, uh.
S1: That's right. We don't have a king in this country.
S1: That's why we fought a revolution that's very much on
S1: the horizontal plane. On the vertical plane, there's only one king. And, folks,
S1: he's not up for reelection. He is the same yesterday, today,
S1: and forever. And he has the entire world in his hand.
S1: And he's watching what's going on, and probably weeps at
S1: our lack of understanding why the law was given to
S1: us because we couldn't practice self control. That's why the
S1: government is on his shoulders. Government was instituted after the family,
S1: before the church, so that the citizens of a nation
S1: could be protected. And when you did not work within
S1: the parameters of the law, which was for the greater
S1: good of the people of that nation, there were consequences.
S1: And so what we're seeing now is this abject rebellion,
S1: an absolute throwing away of consequences. Don't follow the law.
S1: Somehow you're mad. So you have the right to go
S1: in and bust up a jewelry store in LA. I
S1: can't quite follow the logic on that. So I'm encouraging us,
S1: as men and women who have been given permission to
S1: boldly approach the throne of Grace to be banging on
S1: the gates of heaven for this weekend, that no one
S1: is hurt, whether they're law officers or protesters. No one
S1: is hurt that I am great. And you know this
S1: you wouldn't be listening to this program. I'm such a
S1: great believer in the marketplace of ideas. I subscribe to
S1: an all comers policy, and I want you to be
S1: able to, in a public square, share your opinions. But
S1: throwing a molotov cocktail is not free speech. It's mayhem.
S1: It's revolution, it's darkness. And so we need to be
S1: praying about what's going to happen on Saturday. So that's
S1: one thing. The second thing is what in the world
S1: is going on in the Middle East? Oh, I am
S1: so thankful that I have access to wonderful friends like
S1: Doctor Michael Redlick my last hour, we spent the entire
S1: hour talking about Israel. Just go to wherever your favorite
S1: podcast can be found in the market with Janet Parshall. Load.
S1: Load in today's date first hour and you're going to
S1: hear some wonderful conversation. The UN's got planned an assembly
S1: chaired by Saudi Arabia and France. There's your first problem
S1: out of the gate. And they're going to move toward
S1: trying to have a two state solution. And originally they
S1: were going to try to declare Palestine as a state.
S1: Little problem. You don't have the legal authority to do that.
S1: Boundaries haven't been defined. And according to the Oslo Accord,
S1: you can't do that, by the way, until there are
S1: clear parameters defined. Well, that doesn't make any difference. This
S1: is a political act. It's not one that's based on facts.
S1: The U.S., of course, will veto any of this, which
S1: means it's dead upon arrival. But it doesn't mean it's
S1: not going to foment more anti-Semitism. In the meanwhile, talking
S1: about fomenting what in the world is going on in Iran.
S1: Turn your eyes now to this report from Chris Mitchell
S1: of CBN news and pay attention.
S6: The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation released a statement saying Hamas targeted
S6: their workers on Wednesday night. Hamas brutally attacked a bus
S6: carrying more than two dozen members of the Gaza Humanitarian
S6: Foundation's team. What we know is devastating at least eight fatalities,
S6: multiple injuries and fears that some of our team members
S6: may have been taken hostage. GPS says the workers were
S6: Palestinians working to deliver critical aid to needy Gazans. Since
S6: its operation began, the organization has delivered nearly 19 million meals.
S6: It's calling on the international community to condemn the attack,
S6: which they call a crime against humanity. Senator James Lankford,
S6: posted on X, called it the ultimate sign of Hamas's
S6: oppression against their own people. Tensions are high in the
S6: region overall. The U.S. State Department has ordered the departure
S6: of all nonessential personnel from U.S. embassies in Baghdad, Bahrain
S6: and Kuwait due to unrest. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized
S6: the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations across the region.
S6: Speaking at the Kennedy Center in Washington, President Trump said
S6: they are being moved out because it could be a
S6: dangerous place and we'll see what happens. Iran's defense minister
S6: said he hopes nuclear talks will yield results. But if not,
S6: he warned the U.S. that all its bases are within
S6: our reach. We will have access to them and we
S6: will target all of them in the host countries without hesitation.
S6: While the sixth round of talks are being scheduled for
S6: this Sunday in Oman, Trump is expressing skepticism about whether
S6: a deal can be reached on the podcast Pod Force One,
S6: Trump stated.
S7: I'm getting more and more less confident about it. They
S7: seem to be delaying and I think that's a shame.
S7: But they I'm less confident now than I would have
S7: been a couple of months ago. Something happened to them.
S6: Jonathan Conricus of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies
S6: believes the time for diplomacy passed long ago.
S8: After 15 years of diplomatic efforts and with unequivocal evidence
S8: that the Iranians are lying and they are trying to
S8: build a nuclear bomb. Action needs to be taken.
S6: Israel reports it's recovered the bodies of two more hostages
S6: in Gaza, including Yair Yaakov, who was killed in Hamas's
S6: brutal October 7th invasion of Israel. Meanwhile, Israel's Knesset voted
S6: down a bill that would collapse the government. Chris Mitchell
S6: CBN news, Jerusalem.
S1: When we return, Doctor Macharia is going to join us
S1: because there's a lot of conversation that something might be
S1: percolating between Israel and Iran. So again, people of the
S1: word that you and me we're going to trust in
S1: the Lord. And we're also going to find out exactly
S1: what our friends in Iran are saying about what's happening there.
S1: So stay tuned. We've got a lot to talk about
S1: at the bottom of the hour. Todd Nettleton will join
S1: us and get out those prayer lists, okay. Because we're
S1: going to lengthen them. We're going to talk about brothers
S1: and sisters who are persevering in their following of Jesus
S1: Christ and the price that they paid. This is in
S1: the market with Janet Parshall just getting started a whole
S1: lot more after this. Have you ever wondered why music
S1: moves us so deeply, or why beauty takes our breath away?
S1: My Truth Tool this month is a thought provoking book
S1: that explores those moments of wonder we all encounter. It's
S1: called Have You ever Wondered? Consider how ordinary aspects of
S1: life point to the extraordinary biblical truths. Ask for your
S1: copy of. Have you ever wondered when you give a
S1: gift of any amount in the market, call 877 Janet 58.
S1: That's 877 Janet 58 or go to in the market
S1: with Janet Parshall.
S9: This is a clear indication that the United States believes
S9: that an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities is likely
S9: to happen soon. The State Department has ordered the withdrawal
S9: of all non-essential U.S. diplomats out of Iraq, while the
S9: Pentagon has authorized the departure of military family members from
S9: the Middle East as the region braces for the possibility
S9: of another of another war. This comes as the Iranian
S9: defense minister was warning yesterday that if the Israel attacks
S9: his country, quote, the enemy's losses will undoubtedly be greater
S9: than ours. America will have to leave the region because
S9: all of its bases are within our reach, and we
S9: have access to all of them, and without hesitation we
S9: will target them.
S1: And of course, as a result of that, now we're
S1: pulling people out of our buildings and that part of
S1: the world. President Trump was asked about if there's an
S1: impending attack from Israel to Iran. Here's what he said.
S10: How imminent is an Israeli strike on Iran?
S7: Well, I don't want to say imminent, but it looks
S7: like it's something that could very well happen.
S11: How confident are you, sir, that conflict with Iran can
S11: be avoided?
S7: Well, I'd love to avoid the conflict. Uh, Iran's going
S7: to have to negotiate a little bit tougher. Meaning they're
S7: going to have to give us some things that they're
S7: not willing to give us right now.
S12: What the Israelis told you that made you start to
S12: evacuate the dependents of servicemen and women who were stationed
S12: in the Middle.
S7: East, tell me anything. But I said, look, there's a
S7: chance of massive conflict. We have a lot of American
S7: people in this area. And I said, we got to
S7: tell them to get out because something could happen soon.
S7: And I don't want to be the one that didn't
S7: give any warning. And missiles are flying into their buildings.
S7: It's possible. So I had to do it. Um, you know,
S7: I had the choice. Do I do it or not?
S7: Doing it has its downside, but it also has its upside.
S7: Like you're going to save a lot of lives if
S7: it should happen. Hopefully that doesn't happen.
S1: Hopefully we're going to pray to that end. White House
S1: envoy Steve Witkoff privately warned several top senators that last
S1: week that Iran could unleash a mass casualty response if
S1: Israel bombs their nuclear facilities, according to U.S. official and
S1: a source with direct knowledge. With Israel preparing to strike
S1: Iran quickly if Woodcock's diplomacy fails. This weekend, President Trump's
S1: envoy sounded the alarm about what would come next. Iran's
S1: retaliation could overwhelm Israel's defenses and cause heavy damage, he said.
S1: Iran has also vowed to strike U.S. targets in the region,
S1: hence leading the president to call our personnel home. I
S1: think that was the right and wise decision in the
S1: event of an attack on its nuclear site. So the U.S.
S1: is now, as we speak, in the process of withdrawing
S1: diplomats and military families who could be in harm's way. Yesterday,
S1: the president told reporters that he doesn't want to say
S1: an Israeli strike is imminent, but that it might very
S1: well happen. He stressed he wants to avoid conflict, as
S1: you just heard, but said it will require concessions that
S1: Iran has been unwilling to make. That's the headlines, that's
S1: the story. But there's always a story behind the story,
S1: and nobody knows that better than our precious friend Doctor Shahriyar.
S1: He is the founder of Iran Alive Ministries. He was
S1: born into a muslim family in Iran, came to the U.S.
S1: after the Islamic Revolution in 79. He came to faith
S1: in Christ while getting his PhD in computer engineering. As
S1: a grad student at USC, I love to point out
S1: that he could have kept going and been a gazillionaire
S1: today because he was pursuing AI before everybody and their
S1: brother was talking about AI, but instead, God moves him
S1: to plant a church in San Jose, California. Hundreds of
S1: Muslim comfort converts show up and it becomes, to this day,
S1: one of the largest churches of its kind in the U.S.
S1: but in 2001, he starts Iran Alive Ministries, which uses
S1: satellite TV. And you talk about missiles permeating. Are they?
S1: It's nothing compared to the gospel permeating the airwaves in Iran,
S1: 24 seven. And that's exactly what Iran Alive Ministries is
S1: all about. It's why I'm so passionate about this ministry,
S1: because you hear all that stuff and I'll grant you,
S1: it sounds really scary. Except newsflash, Christ is still on
S1: the throne. He's in charge. Okay. He didn't give us
S1: a spirit of fear. The Bible says, but power, love
S1: and of a sound mind. You can pray for those
S1: in authority, as Scripture said, because they need a lot
S1: of wisdom right now. But in the meantime, the stories
S1: that are being made are the Iranian people who are
S1: coming to faith in Jesus Christ. And I love that
S1: hormones can not only talk about those headlines, the ones
S1: being made in heaven, but he also has boots on
S1: the ground. So he gives us a sense of what's
S1: happening atmospherically to our friends who live in Iran. So Hormuz,
S1: the the joy of having you with us. And little
S1: did I know when I asked you that this would
S1: be making news and it could go from bad to
S1: worse in a blink of an eye. Tell me what
S1: you are hearing from your sources in Iran. Because if
S1: there's rocket fire, we always rebut innocent people being hurt.
S1: What's going to happen, do you think?
S13: Well, thank you for allowing me to share. It's a
S13: very critical time in Iran, both politically and economy and
S13: especially spiritually. And they don't match. I mean, economy is bad.
S13: Iranians are in danger of being attacked. And it could
S13: be really bad. And but at the same time, it's
S13: really good spiritually. And I can share all of that. But,
S13: with this nuclear negotiation, of course, the government of Iran's
S13: goal is just to survive, survive Trump at any cost.
S13: And they they will try to get the best deal
S13: from Trump. So a lot of these talks is just
S13: on both sides. I see them as both sides wanting
S13: to get a good deal. I believe the Iranian government will, um,
S13: will accept something, of course, not in public because they
S13: want to save face. But if there is, if there
S13: is a war, if there's an attack, I think it's
S13: going to be very limited.
S1: My question to you is this. And we've talked about
S1: this so many times and I so appreciate your keen insight.
S1: You talk about the two sided face of the leadership
S1: in Iran to the world. It's braggadocio. It's beating their chest.
S1: It's we're going to get you the little Satan and
S1: the Big Satan. But behind closed doors, they're suffering economically.
S1: And the Iranian people are not in support, by and large,
S1: the theocracy. Right? The leaders, I get it, but the
S1: average Iranian wants peace. They're not interested in getting involved
S1: in any kind of a global war. Why now? What
S1: is the trigger mechanism from what you're hearing and your
S1: perception on this hormoz? Why the trigger mechanism? Now, to
S1: say that this is when Israel may in fact strike Iran.
S1: This is a conversation that goes back to Netanyahu holding
S1: up the cartoon of a bomb, saying this is where
S1: they are in terms of their nuclear capabilities. We will
S1: never let them get here. We will stop them. Everybody
S1: remembers that graphic, and that was some time ago. So
S1: why now? And you can hear the music. Forgive me
S1: for asking the question right to the break, but let
S1: me come back for your answer right after this. In
S1: the meantime, Iran. Alive. Iran. Alive. This ministry has always
S1: been important, but now it's more important than ever. Because
S1: as you heard rumors, this is a great time. Spiritually,
S1: it might be. The geopolitics might be upside down, very unstable,
S1: insecure times. Spiritually, there's a hunger and there's an opportunity
S1: now for people to know peace, not like the world gives,
S1: but his peace more with him. Always right after this.
S1: What a reminder that this is not as good as
S1: it gets in the best is yet to come. So
S1: things are percolating in the Middle East again, on high alert,
S1: that Israel may be moving against Iran's nuclear facilities any
S1: time now, which is why the president has now called
S1: military personnel out of that area for their safety. What
S1: a perfect time to be talking to Herman Cheruiyot, who
S1: is the founder of Iran Alive Ministries 24 over seven
S1: from the base of his ministry here in the United States,
S1: the gospel is beamed into Iran, and it's so significant.
S1: We're going to get to the spiritual headlines in a minute.
S1: But I just ask because you're such a brilliant man. Hormuz.
S1: Why now? Why would Israel say this is the moment
S1: to strike again? The facilities is there and I, you know,
S1: you gotta give credit where credit is due. The IDF
S1: is brilliant. to their Intel. Sources say that there's something
S1: that is not known writ large by people that makes
S1: this moment very prescient for striking against Iran, or is
S1: this just an ongoing threat that they finally decided needs
S1: to be eradicated?
S13: Yes. There is a little disagreement between Netanyahu and Trump,
S13: and very understandable. Netanyahu is thinking long term. Trump is
S13: thinking short term. Just during his own course of presidency,
S13: he wants some victories to be done. But what Israel
S13: is thinking, Netanyahu, let's take care of it now. We
S13: never had this chance to take care of the Iranian
S13: nuclear sites. Let's do it now. Because if we delay
S13: and that's what the Iranian government wants, and they will
S13: do it, the sanctions will go away. They get money,
S13: they will build new sites on the ground so that
S13: their capability will not go away. And that's what Israel
S13: is afraid. So this is the best time in history
S13: for us to destroy the nuclear facilities of Iran if
S13: we don't, four years later, maybe Trump will not be
S13: here 2 or 3 years later. Maybe he would. He
S13: would lose the, you know, the Congress. So Iranians are
S13: trying to buy time. But Netanyahu is very smart in
S13: terms of long term planning. He says this is the
S13: time to destroy Iran. Trump says no, let's have a
S13: let's have a deal. Let's go for for now. So
S13: I look good. I stop them and I don't care
S13: much what happens long term. That actually that's the difference
S13: between US policies, because the government changes every four years
S13: and other nations that in the US the president has
S13: to think just short term. And that's the problem for
S13: long term threats like Iran.
S1: Boy, I think that's an insightful observation on your part.
S1: That's absolutely brilliant. If there were to be a strike,
S1: are there any nations that you would identify that would
S1: come to the aid and assistance of Iran?
S13: I don't think so. The closest would be, uh, Russia.
S13: But Russia is not ready to do that. It's very
S13: busy with, uh, you know, Ukraine war. And even then,
S13: they're using Iran as a piece in their negotiation with
S13: the US. They don't love Iran. They don't care about
S13: Iran that much to get involved directly. Never.
S1: Yeah. Yeah. So they've got their own distractions, so they
S1: might have to go it alone, which is very, very interesting.
S1: So we pray for those in authority. We pray that
S1: God will get real wisdom to this particular situation because
S1: it's so desperately needed. But I don't want to miss
S1: the best part of the story, because you talk about
S1: how this is so significant spiritually in Iran right now.
S1: Explain to our friends why.
S13: Well, this is the move of God in history. Iran
S13: has the fastest growing evangelical population in the world right now.
S13: Iran is the only nation, Islamic nation that's already rejected.
S13: Islam and Islam has experienced its It's a greatest defeat
S13: in its history in Iran today. And the openness. Let
S13: me share with you this. I you know, I have
S13: a live broadcast on Thursday. Just yesterday, you know, a
S13: couple hours ago, I was on the air and I
S13: had this young politician, political activist. She's 22, she's a
S13: Gen Z. And I was so amazed by her. She
S13: was so intelligent, so brave. And I told her, well,
S13: how come your generation is so brave? And she told
S13: me this, I wrote it down. Can I read it, please?
S13: She she said, we Gen Z is in Iran. These
S13: are young under 2025. And so we we don't have
S13: fear because we say fear does not stop us from dying.
S13: It stops us from living. So there is a courage
S13: among them. And there is a there is a zeal
S13: to bring change in Iran. And that's why, uh, let
S13: me share some good news with you. The last six months, Janet,
S13: we have seen a surge in the number of salvation
S13: among the young people. Under 25. Under 20. Amazing move
S13: of God. They are very hard to reach because they
S13: have rejected Islam. And now they're coming to Christ. Now,
S13: I talked to them. How come you're interested in Christianity?
S13: I thought you hated all religions. And many of them
S13: say this. I said yes, we rejected Islam. We lived
S13: a godless life for several years. Open sex, drugs, everything.
S13: We tried and we found it very empty. Just like
S13: Solomon said. Vanity of vanities. So after experiencing Islam and
S13: experiencing godlessness, now they are coming to Christ, ready to
S13: receive Christ, and live and even die for him. This
S13: is a move of God among the young people in Iran.
S13: I'm so happy. I'm so excited because I thought they
S13: were very hard to reach. No, they are not.
S1: It's harvest time in Iran. So tell us, as people
S1: in the West who want to pray for what's going
S1: on in Iran, how do we pray specifically right now
S1: at this time?
S13: Pray against war. War is ugly. It brings destruction of resources,
S13: the lives and everything. Just no war. And but at
S13: the same time, pray for the persecuted church in Iran.
S13: The numbers are growing. Iran has millions of Muslim background believers.
S13: But there's no church. There's no way they can grow.
S13: That's why we are putting our emphasis on helping the
S13: church in Iran spiritually. We have online school. Did you
S13: know we have over 4700 students on our online school?
S13: And they're shouting, hey, teach me, equip me! I want
S13: to serve the Lord. So there is a hunger in Iran.
S13: Pray for that hunger and come and join us. Join
S13: you on our live. Let's work together to disciple the nation. Don't.
S13: Don't worry about discipleship. They're coming to Christ like crazy.
S13: They're just coming. Let's disciple them. And Iran will impact
S13: Middle East and the whole world.
S1: Amen. Iran alive. Pray for this ministry. Support this ministry financially.
S1: Get involved. That's the story behind the headline. God bless you.
S1: Thank you so much. Back after this. There are dozens
S1: of talk shows that address politics, culture and technology, but
S1: in the market is committed to bringing biblical truths to
S1: every facet of life. When you financially support in the
S1: market as a partial partner, you're helping people to better
S1: understand how their faith intersects with their daily lives. Become
S1: a partial partner today and receive exclusive benefits prepared just
S1: for you. Call 877. 58 or go online to in
S1: the market with Janet Parshall. G. Got your pearly out
S1: because we're going to lengthen it. Todd Nettleton is with
S1: us vice president of messenger for the voice of the
S1: martyrs US and the host of the voice of the
S1: Martyrs Radio. Fabulous. I hope you listen to that on
S1: a regular basis. When he's not traveling the world, he's writing.
S1: One of his great books recently is when Faith Is
S1: Forbidden 40 days in the Front Lines with persecuted Christians.
S1: It's like riding along in the car with Todd and
S1: listening to our brothers and sisters who have said, yes, Lord,
S1: and in so doing have often reaped a whirlwind because
S1: it's not necessarily easy in all parts of the world
S1: to follow Jesus. I'm so grateful for the work of Vhom.
S1: I love them, pray for them, by the way. Support
S1: their ministry. I just think they're tremendous. And I'm glad
S1: that Todd comes and visits with us on a regular basis.
S1: So I want to lengthen your prayer list, but I
S1: also want to get this on your calendar. Do you
S1: know what June 29th is? Well, you don't need to
S1: use a lifeline or call a friend. I'm going to
S1: tell you it is the day of the Christian martyr.
S1: I'm so glad that Vom underscores this. You know, Todd,
S1: I love to see all of the Vom posts. I
S1: didn't know what to call it an X, the posts
S1: that go out, and I love to be able to
S1: read about brothers and sisters, or to look back in
S1: history on the day in which one of my brothers
S1: and sisters from the past has stepped into eternity because
S1: they said, yes, Lord. So tell me about the day
S1: of the martyr.
S14: Well, day of the Christian martyr, as you mentioned, it's
S14: a day we look backwards and honor the example of
S14: brothers and sisters throughout history who have given their lives
S14: for the cause of Christ. And this year's interesting. So
S14: each year we do a short video. This year it's
S14: it's three minutes long, perfect for, uh, Sunday morning church service, which,
S14: by the way, June 29th this year is a Sunday,
S14: perfect for a Sunday school class, a Bible study group.
S14: The interesting thing about this year's video is we have
S14: two martyrs martyred in the same country 2000 years apart.
S14: So one of them, we all know the Apostle Thomas.
S14: We call him Doubting Thomas. Uh, but by the end
S14: of his life, he was missionary Thomas. He had taken
S14: the gospel from Jerusalem all the way to southern India,
S14: and this was before the days of 747. That was
S14: a very long journey. And so he was speared to
S14: death by priests, Hindu priests in southern India. We also
S14: have a second martyr that most of us maybe have
S14: not heard of. His name was Kond Muddu. He was
S14: killed in 2020. Just five years ago, he became a
S14: Christian out of a Hindu background. He began to evangelize.
S14: In fact, his first converts were his own brothers. He
S14: began to face threats. The people realized that they weren't
S14: going to turn him away from Jesus, and they weren't
S14: going to stop him from telling other people. And so
S14: he was stabbed to death, leaving behind a wife and
S14: two young children. So this video shows us that that
S14: following Christ has always meant people being willing to lay
S14: down their lives from the days of the apostles, right
S14: up to today. That's what it looks like for many
S14: of our brothers and sisters to follow Jesus.
S1: With a mere 2000 years in between. What does that
S1: tell you? Wow. Absolutely amazing. One of the things I
S1: love about Vom Tod is the resources. So I want
S1: to get our friends to persecution. They got a bunch
S1: of links, but this is the general one. You want
S1: this one because that's where you go to get the
S1: free monthly newsletter persecution. Com you hear me talk about
S1: this all the time. It is wonderful for your personal
S1: devotions to be able to look at the face of
S1: brothers and sisters who have paid a price to be
S1: able to share that with your family and your family.
S1: Quiet time together. Youth leader, Sunday school pastor from the
S1: front of the pulpit. Great resource, but for the resources
S1: that go to the day of the Christian martyr, it's persecution.
S1: Some of the things are besides the video. Todd what
S1: else do you have for churches?
S14: Well, all of these are digital, so you can download
S14: them right from the website and all of them are free.
S14: There's no charge for any of this. So there is
S14: the video that we mentioned, three minute video. There are
S14: questions for reflection. So hey, you want to turn this
S14: into your study, your Sunday school lesson that week. There
S14: are questions to help you do that. There are church
S14: bulletin inserts so you can put a story in every
S14: bulletin for every member of your church. If you're a pastor,
S14: there's a sermon outline there. Maybe you want to give
S14: this whole Sunday, June 29th, which, by the way, is
S14: the anniversary of the execution of the Apostle Paul outside
S14: the city of Rome. That's the significance of June 29th.
S14: There is also a guide for those who are talking
S14: to children, maybe as a Sunday school class teacher or
S14: maybe as a parent. How do I, you know, how
S14: do I talk to my fourth grader about martyrdom and
S14: persecuted Christians in a way that doesn't freak him out,
S14: but also shares the fact, the reality that following Christ
S14: often means sacrifice? There's a guide to help you do
S14: that in an age appropriate way.
S1: Again, one of the many things I love about Vom
S1: are the resources. So persecution. You need that to get
S1: the monthly free newsletter persecution Martyr. And all of the
S1: resources that Todd just talked about are right there for
S1: your downloading. June 29th, the day of the Christian Martyr,
S1: which I think is very significant when you look at
S1: all of those three people combined on June 29th, what
S1: we're talking about this year, that's fabulous. But fast forward,
S1: this is not a past tense conversation. This is an
S1: ongoing conversation that there are people today who are still
S1: losing their lives because they said, yes, Lord. And I
S1: have to tell you, Todd, I don't know when the
S1: last time, as we talked about Ethiopia, because I don't
S1: generally think of that as being a country where there's
S1: marked hostility against people who profess a relationship with Jesus Christ,
S1: but it costs someone recently their life. Tell me about that.
S14: Yeah. It did. There are areas. And I realized as
S14: I was looking through the stories, we're talking about this.
S14: This is a heavy day. This half hour is heavy
S14: for us because there has been so much suffering. And
S14: there are areas in Ethiopia that are almost 100% Muslim.
S14: And so you go into one of those areas And
S14: this young man, his name was Ibrahim Muhammad. And I
S14: mentioned in my book there's an evangelist I met named Muhammad.
S14: I love Christians with the name Muhammad because, you know,
S14: they they weren't born in a Christian family and given
S14: the name Muhammad, uh, they converted at some point they
S14: met Jesus for Ibrahim Muhammad. That happened in 2021. Within
S14: a year, he had led 80 other people to Christ.
S14: So so this is not somebody who got saved and
S14: then was real quiet about it. Within a year, he
S14: had led 80 people to Christ. He had planted a
S14: little church. Here's what seems to be what crossed the line.
S14: He had been threatened many times, but in May, early May,
S14: he had donated some of his own land to build
S14: a church building. So they were not just going to
S14: meet together as Christians. Now. They were going to have
S14: a church building in that community. That may have been
S14: what what was sort of the last straw for the
S14: Muslims who had threatened him. They were watching what he
S14: was doing, and now he's saying, hey, here's some property.
S14: We're going to build a church on May the 15th.
S14: A man dressed in Muslim clothing came up to Ibrahim Muhammad.
S14: He said, this is your last day witnessing and then
S14: shot him. Three days later in the hospital, Ibrahim died.
S14: A man who laid down his life for the cause
S14: of Christ.
S1: Wow. Amazing. And so it's still. It depends on what
S1: part of the country you're in. You know, we think
S1: about Ethiopian Jews. We think about some of the oldest
S1: churches in the world being there. But there are sections
S1: that are Islamic dominated. And that's a result of this. Well,
S1: our heart breaks for that. I'm so sad. Um, talk
S1: to me about some conversations you had recently with two
S1: of your Vom leaders who are overseeing your work in Africa.
S14: Yeah. Just in the last the last month, we have
S14: had two Vom radio episodes. And people can find that
S14: wherever they listen to podcasts. But we've had conversations with
S14: two of our leaders overseeing our work in Africa, and
S14: one of the things that came through in these conversations
S14: is just the level of violence that is happening against
S14: our brothers and sisters on the African continent. It is,
S14: you know, we think of them as sort of free countries.
S14: And one of the leaders had actually transitioned from leading
S14: our work in Southern Asia, where, you know, the governments
S14: are against persecution, especially India. The government is against the Christians.
S14: He moved over to Africa, where the governments, they say
S14: all the right things. Oh, of course we have Christian citizens. Yes.
S14: That's great. But then you have jihadist groups that are
S14: coming into villages and opening fire. You have incidences where
S14: 70 or 80 people are killed. You have thousands of
S14: people being displaced in in one attack. And he just
S14: said that the level of violence is so great, it's
S14: almost mind boggling what our brothers and sisters are suffering.
S1: Wow. Unbelievable. So tell our friends, first of all, I
S1: would be remiss how they can listen to Vom radio
S1: because if it's not carried on a station, we can
S1: listen to it online, can we not?
S14: Absolutely. VOA radio Dot net is the radio website. Vom
S14: radio dot net. You can search for a broadcast station
S14: right on the site, so you can see if there's
S14: something close to you that's broadcasting it. You can listen
S14: online or it links you to the different podcast apps.
S14: So whatever, wherever you listen to podcasts, you can find
S14: Vom radio as well.
S1: Wow. Excellent. You know, and when we talk about Benin,
S1: we actually talked about this before in The Voodoo influence
S1: because I remember asking you, you don't hear about voodoo.
S1: Usually it's Islam, right? But voodoo is this real dark
S1: pagan practice works its way in. And so you talk
S1: about spiritual warfare. How do we pray specifically for someone
S1: like that when they live in an area of Africa
S1: where voodoo practices take precedent?
S14: You know, you know, it is fascinating because when we
S14: talk about persecution in Africa, almost always we're talking about
S14: radical Islam. Yes, yes. In Benin it is it is voodoo.
S14: It is spirit worship. and I'm encouraged by this in
S14: one aspect, because what happens is the vodouists, the spirit worshipers,
S14: they see that their chance and their charms and their
S14: things don't work when there is a follower of Jesus
S14: Christ in their midst, when there is a church that
S14: is built in their community. Suddenly all their spells and
S14: all their things, they don't have power anymore. That's what
S14: makes them so angry. It's like, wait a minute. When
S14: the Christians came in, now we can't do what we
S14: were doing before. I'm encouraged by that because it shows
S14: us the power of God, but it doesn't make it
S14: any easier for our brothers and sisters. And what happened
S14: just last month is a lady, a Christian lady. She's
S14: been a Christian for 15 years, but she was beaten
S14: almost to death. In fact, she's in the hospital. Our
S14: contacts there are concerned whether she will survive or not.
S14: And this was by her own family, because she wouldn't
S14: lead them in the voodoo rituals. That is sort of
S14: her job as the matriarch of the family. They wanted
S14: to kill her because of that.
S1: Wow. Unbelievable. Well, and, you know, it's one thing for
S1: us to talk about spiritual warfare. It's another to hear
S1: a story just like this coming out of Benin. By
S1: the way, when you read the verse and you just
S1: hang on to the power of that scripture that says,
S1: greater is he that is in us than he that
S1: is in the world, those voodoo worshipers get to see
S1: that up close and personal. We've got more stories coming
S1: out of Africa, and also we're going to focus on
S1: Afghanistan as well. Todd Nettleton, not Todd Nettleton, is with
S1: us from voice of the martyrs. Persecution. Com forward slash martyr.
S1: I want to give you that again. So you'll get
S1: your resources for the day of the Christian Martyr, June 29th.
S1: More with Todd right after this. Persecution for the day
S1: of the Christian Martyr is coming June 29th. I give
S1: you that website because it's a wonderful way for you
S1: to get the resources, and because that day falls on
S1: a Sunday and you can participate as a form of
S1: remembrance in your church, in your home and your small group.
S1: Tons of resources. Very typical of voice of the Martyrs
S1: Persecution complex. We're going to linger in Africa a bit more.
S1: Burkina Faso, you talk about some pastors and some Christians
S1: there and you talk about being heavy. This is recent history.
S1: We're barely halfway into June. This happened at the end
S1: of May. That's how fresh this is. Todd, tell me
S1: the story.
S14: Yeah. Unfortunately, this is very fresh. So our brother we
S14: mentioned in Ethiopia was shot on May the 15th. May 23rd,
S14: eight days later in Burkina Faso. Across the continent of Africa,
S14: a large group of jihadists came into a village in
S14: Burkina Faso, and they began to attack. And it's interesting
S14: to me because the first home they went to was
S14: the home of the pastor in that village, the pastor
S14: and five other Christians were actually sitting in the courtyard
S14: of the home. They heard the jihadist coming and they fled. Uh,
S14: just just like we would do, they literally ran for
S14: their lives. Well, unfortunately, they were all captured and shot.
S14: So the pastor, five Christians martyred that day by the jihadist,
S14: they then started going house to house and burning down homes.
S14: And so by the time they were done, more than
S14: a thousand Christians, most of them are women and children.
S14: More than a thousand Christians were displaced by that attack.
S14: They had to flee. Some of the people in the
S14: next village heard about the threat. They also fled from
S14: their homes. This is unfortunately another day in Burkina Faso.
S14: Like these kind of attacks are not out of the ordinary.
S14: They've become far too common. But I think going back
S14: to the what, what is really interesting to me, the
S14: first place they went was the home of the pastor.
S14: This wasn't just people who were angry or people who
S14: wanted to shoot somebody. They were looking for the leader
S14: of the Christians in this village. That's the first house
S14: that they went to.
S1: Now this is and I want to underscore this based
S1: on what you were telling us before about Benin. In
S1: this case, the salt comes from jihadists, right? Tied back
S1: to Islam.
S14: Yeah. This is coming from jihadists. Burkina Faso shares a
S14: border with Mali, which is pretty uncontrolled. And so they're
S14: jihadists coming back and forth across that border. They are
S14: able to come across, attack a village like this, and
S14: then go back across into Mali. And really, the Burkina
S14: Faso government and the soldiers there haven't been able to
S14: provide security. They haven't been able to sort of keep
S14: these attacks from happening.
S1: This is a terrible question to ask, but are they
S1: unable to provide or are they unwilling to provide that?
S14: It is a terrible question, and it's a hard question
S14: to answer. I think it's a little bit of both.
S14: I'm not sure how committed they are to protecting the church,
S14: to protecting the Christians, but also they they simply can't.
S14: The border is so long. There's so much territory to
S14: try to cover. It is a very difficult place to
S14: provide security. Even if you are highly motivated.
S1: Wow. I'm going to pull over to the side of
S1: the road. We are going to get to Afghanistan in
S1: a minute. But I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you,
S1: with all your knowledge and all your travels. God, if
S1: I were to ask you what is the hottest spot
S1: on planet Earth right now from your vantage point, to
S1: be a follower of Jesus, where would you point?
S14: Ooh, that's a hard question to answer. I honestly, Burkina
S14: Faso is one of them and it's really under the radar.
S14: The church isn't talking about it, the news media isn't
S14: talking about it. But as I mentioned, these kind of
S14: attacks are happening like almost every week. And I, I
S14: think of one particular denomination that we are working alongside
S14: in Burkina Faso. In a matter of a three month span,
S14: they had six pastors killed. Um, and again, it's under
S14: the radar. It's not something that we're talking about, but
S14: it's reality for them every single week. Another attack, another attack,
S14: another village that had to flee. And so many displaced
S14: Christians and the church there is overwhelmed by the need of,
S14: you know, these Christians flee from the village and they
S14: come into the city, and then they show up at
S14: the church and say, hey, you know, we had to
S14: flee for our lives. Can you help us? And the
S14: church is like, man, we would love to help you,
S14: but we don't have the resources. That's actually part of
S14: what voice of the martyrs is doing, is equipping the
S14: church in Burkina Faso to be able to help some
S14: of these that are displaced from their homes and their villages.
S1: Wow. I'm glad I asked, because I just had this
S1: sense based on what you were saying about Burkina Faso,
S1: that maybe that was a particular problematic area. Let me
S1: linger if I can, just a little bit longer in Africa. Todd,
S1: what in the world is happening in Nigeria.
S14: That that was the other one. I was like, ah,
S14: should I mention Nigeria or Burkina Faso, northern Nigeria also,
S14: we see these kind of attacks and um, it's so
S14: frustrating because they happen. And then the government says, oh,
S14: we're going to put a stop to this. We're going
S14: to establish security. And then they don't. Um, and it's like, okay,
S14: another attack. Another attack. And we have seen, even in
S14: the last month, several really large scale attacks where a
S14: lot of people were affected. And so it is northern
S14: Nigeria also very, very difficult place to be a follower
S14: of Christ.
S1: Yeah, exactly. And again, let me ask you, because religious liberty,
S1: the geopolitics intersect, like it or not. So in Nigeria,
S1: because this is an ongoing people group specific assault, I mean,
S1: I was looking at some horrific pictures last weekend where
S1: their people are butchered. There's no other way to say it.
S1: I'll just say that and move on because it's so
S1: grotesque to contemplate. But what is the government doing to
S1: mitigate this in action?
S14: Foments right. Not not enough is the answer. And right now,
S14: what they're doing, and frankly, for years what they've been
S14: doing is talking. Uh oh. Yeah. We need to get
S14: a handle on that. Oh, yeah. If if this happens,
S14: then we'll be able to stop those attacks and. Yeah,
S14: but they're not they're not stopping them. And in that
S14: case and you talked about this in Burkina Faso as well.
S14: It's like you start to question the will in in
S14: some cases. You know, we have heard stories where armed
S14: military people stepped aside and let an attack happen. Um,
S14: and so it's like if that animosity between Christian and
S14: Muslim that sometimes supersedes your job, it supersedes your uniform.
S14: It's like, well, wait a minute. If you're attacking the
S14: people I consider my enemies, why would I get in
S14: your way of doing that? And so it is frustrating
S14: how often the Nigerian government talks about religious freedom, how
S14: often they talk about protecting their citizens who are religious minorities,
S14: and then comparing that to what actually happens. And it's
S14: so difficult and so frustrating.
S1: Thank you for touching on that because it is a
S1: tremendously awful story. Afghanistan. You've heard some reports, boy, talk
S1: to me about the Taliban now.
S14: Yeah. Speaking. Speaking of broken promises, let's talk about the
S14: Taliban in Afghanistan. We have heard reports just in the
S14: last few weeks that they are more actively pursuing Christians,
S14: especially Christian leaders. House church meetings. There are several leaders
S14: who have been detained. And right now we don't know
S14: their whereabouts. We don't know what's happening to them. That's
S14: another thing for our prayer lists. Um.
S1: Todd, it is heavy. But then again, this is a
S1: battle of good and evil. These are the spiritual wars
S1: we can't see with our eyes. These are. These are
S1: people who are saying yes and paying a cost. And
S1: that's why we have these conversations with Todd on a
S1: regular basis to lengthen your prayer list. So you can
S1: be a part of a global movement that prays for
S1: our brothers and sisters. So support Vom. Check out the
S1: resources for the day of the Christian Martyr. Todd. Blessings
S1: and thank you. Thank you friends. We'll see you next
S1: time on In the Market with Janet Parshall.
S15: Back.