VOM Radio

This week, Brother Matthew continues sharing stories of God's calling on his life to Afghanistan and how he came to know the beautiful, amazing people within that broken nation. As he saw God at work in Afghanistan, he says his faith and hope increased.

Afghanistan is a nation where many Christians have laid down their lives. With his long experience there, Matthew met, worked with and learned from these martyrs. Listen as he shares memories of several heroes of the faith that he knew as friends and colleagues in the gospel effort. One of those Brother Matthew will tell of is Werner Groenewald, who was martyred along with his son and daughter in Afghanistan in 2014. Hannelie, Werner's widow, shared her story on VOM Radio; you can hear it at www.vomradio.net/hannelie.

Matthew will also share how he met his wife and talk about raising children in Afghanistan. He says each time they left the country and came back, it was a sobering decision as they continued to trust God with their lives, and for the safety of their children.

Matthew will also talk about the church in other Central Asian nations, including Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Iran.

Finally, he shares advice and encouragement for Christians who may feel a sense of calling to global missions. He also speaks to churches in free nations: "I don't think the church has a lack of calling. We have a lack of response. We have to respond!"

Pray for the continued multiplication of the church and ask God for boldness for persecuted Christians in Central Asia—and Christians in your area.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, Nigeria, Iran, and India, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content, and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

Brother Matthew was a worldly teenager when his mother decided she and her son needed to go to church. By the end of that first service, both of them had committed their lives to following Christ.

As Matthew grew in faith, he was convicted and inspired by the Acts accounts of Paul's missionary travels. Studying Paul's efforts to take the gospel to the gentiles, Matthew began to ponder who were the gentiles in his generation, living far from the truth of Christ? As he began to ask that question in prayer, God laid on his heart the nation of Afghanistan. Matthew began taking steps towards service in that war-torn country, and repeatedly God confirmed His calling. Months later, Matthew was in Uzbekistan, serving with a church-planting effort and getting on-the-ground education in Central Asia ministry and culture.

Listen as Matthew tells the stories of the people he met who experienced supernatural visions and encounters with Jesus. He'll also talk about the risks of sharing the gospel among Muslims, and the miraculous story of how God helped him get approval for an Afghan visa from the Taliban consulate!

Matthew will recount what it looked like when he arrived in Kabul—just a few years after Soviet tanks withdrew—and how the Lord led him to serve in a village as God faithfully guided, one step at a time. Pray this week for our persecuted Christian brothers and sisters in Afghanistan and throughout Central Asia.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, Nigeria, Iran, and India, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content, and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

"God, where are You working in aviation that I can participate?"

Throughout his life, Steve Russell, CEO and President of Jungle Aviation and Relay Service (better known as JAARS) has asked the Lord what He had in store next. That pattern continued when he earned his pilot's license; he wondered how the Lord would use that new skill to open doors for Kingdom impact. Little did he know God would use it to move him toward leadership in a global missions effort!

Long before Russell arrived at JAARS, God was giving him experiences to prepare him for this season of service. Steve will share how the Lord led him from ministry as a youth pastor to the military, including leading a U.S. Army unit involved in the capture of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Later, God moved him into government service, including in the State of Oklahoma and the U.S. House of Representatives. Now, at JAARS, he leads a worldwide mission working to facilitate delivery of God's Word into the hardest-to-reach places in the world. 

Steve will also explain JAARS' history and its historic connection to Wycliffe Bible Translators. Hear how you can pray for JAARS' pilots, mechanics, and technicians, and other aspects of the ministry of JAARS. Also check out their podcast, Uncharted. 

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, Nigeria, Iran, and Bangladesh, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content, and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

"Pastors are only asking for prayer for the ministry to continue, and prayer for conversion of [their] persecutors," Brother Vijay says, "No one is asking that the persecution would stop."

Brother Vijay, a gospel worker in India, is back to share what it means to follow Christ in India today, and how pastors and believers there take persecution in stride. The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi sees any Christian gathering as a crusade—an attempt to convert people. Authorities even send spies to monitor Christian gatherings.  But spies in church still hear the message; listen for the story of a former spy who is now an ambassador for Jesus Christ.

As more of India's states enact "anti-conversion" laws that outlaw gospel preaching, Vijay says in some states it has become virtually impossible for church congregations to gather for Sunday worship. Dozens of pastors are currently in prison in India. Yet, God is still at work, building His Kingdom.

"The most interesting thing is I see the kingdom of God prospering in a situation like this." Vijay says, "The more pressure, the more victories."

You'll also hear how Vijay and other gospel workers train up pastors (and "Timothys") to lead the church, how he prepares for persecution, and more stories of persecuted Christians in India.

Brother Vijay knows he could face persecution at any time; he willingly risks his safety to serve the Lord. "I want to continue to be faithful. I know that I, too, have been called to pay the price. And I'm willing to pay the price anytime."

Revisit Brother Vijay's first conversation on VOM Radio, and listen to a Christian human rights lawyer in India who is also prepared to face any trial, knowing it is from the Lord.

Pray for our Christian brothers and sisters in India as they follow Christ, no matter the cost.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians throughout the year, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.