---CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION UPDATE ~~

--"Remember those in prison as if you were bound with them, and those who are mistreated
as if you were suffering with them." ~~ [Hebrews 13:3]--

~~~PERSECUTION ON THE RISE IN INDIA~~

--Attacks have increased in 2019 across the country of India, usually in the form of mob attacks interrupting Christian services, and many escalating to violence.
Over 218 attacks have been documented this year so far, and most remain unreported to local police, as the authorities are often unsympathetic to Christians. In fact, in Jharkhand state, local police are teaming up with Hindu extremists to come against Christians. One attack against Pastor Pandit and his home church with about 40 worshippers was livestreamed. The Hindu extremist was heard to say, "Our job is to make this area free of Christianity."

The Pastor was beaten and the meeting disbanded. Police arrived, and rather than arresting the attackers, they arrested the Pastor and his family. With the police watching, the Hindu extremists threatened the Pastor that he and his family would be hacked to death if they didn't stop their prayer services. More attacks continue in the area. ~~

--Abiding Word Ministries //Sources: morningstarnews.org and christianheadlines.com ~~
[Friends, please pray for these persecuted Christians. Prayers are powerful weapons ascending to our LORD JESUS. Thank you!]

---Christian Persecution Update ~~
---[The Vine and the Branches/ Winter 2020]

--IRAN HAS FASTEST GROWING CHURCH~~

--The fastest growing church in the world is the underground church in Iran, according to Frontier Alliance International (FAI), which recently came out with a new documentary film on the church in Iran called "Sheep Among Wolves."--

Publically Iran is known for radicalized Islam, but FAI indicates many of the Iranians are disillusioned with Islam. There is a mass exodus from it, and Iranians are turning toward Christianity instead.

In the film, an Iranian leader says, "What if I told you Islam is dead? What if I told you the mosques are empty inside Iran? What if I told you no one follows Islam inside of Iran? Would you believe me? This is exactly what is happening inside of Iran. God is moving powerfully inside of Iran."

They say that efforts by the Iranian government to destroy Christianity have actually served to refine and purify the church. Approximately 55% of this new underground church is made up of women. They have no buildings or money, and no central leadership. The movement is based on disciple making, not convert making, using the Scriptures to bring personal transformation. ~~

--Source/ godreports.com
["Remember those in prison as if you were bound with them, and those who are mistreated as if you were suffering with them." --(Hebrews 13:3) --Please pray for our fellow brothers and sisters-in-Christ.]

--CHRISTIAN AID WORKERS EXECUTED~~
--Abiding Word Ministries/ Winter 2020 ~

--In Nigeria, Islamic extremist group Boko Haram recently executed two Christian aid workers and released the video. The two were members of the Church of Christ and were in the city of Maiduguri to assist in building shelters for people displaced by extremist persecution. The recorded number of aid workers killed in Nigeria is over 40 ~~

[Please pray for our fellow brothers and sisters-in-Christ that are being persecuted and martyred for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you.]

--Source: morningstarnews.org
~~~~~~~

---NIGERIA~~

~~Report Reveals at Least
1,000 Christians Killed in 2019 ~

A new report from the Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust estimates that more than 1,000 Christians were killed in Nigeria last year.

HART, a U.K.-based nonprofit that tracks persecution around the world, is led by Baroness Caroline Cox, a cross-bench member of the British House of Lords. Cox says that Fulani herdsmen are the major perpetrators in the killing of Christians in Nigeria, although terrorist group Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for several attacks against Christians in Borno State.

"Islamist Fulani militia continue to engage in an aggressive and strategic land grabbing policy in Plateau, Benue, Taraba, Southern Kaduna and parts of Bauchi state," the report reads. "They attack rural villages, force villagers off their lands and settle in their place-a strategy that is epitomized by the phrase: 'your land or your blood.'"

Fulani herdsmen are a predominantly Muslim nomadic people group of about 20 million across West and Central Africa. ~~

--[Please pray for our brothers and sisters-in-Christ. Pray for their safety and their strength to overcome this tragic killing. Thank you,] ~~

--DECISION/ February 2020

--CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION UPDATE ~

--"Remember those in prison as if you were bound with them, and those who
are mistreated as if you were suffering with them." --[Hebrews 13:3]

--15 DIE DURING BAPTISM ~~

--According to International Christian Concern, in the small African nation of Burkina Faso, Jihadist are suspected of the murder of 15 Christians during a baptism.
In addition to this, more than 50 people were killed in the month of April. Premier Christian News reported, "Churches across the north of Burkina Faso are being left deserted as Christians flee escalating violence from armed Jihadist groups."

--Source:persecution.org
[Friends, please pray for these, our brothers and sisters in the faith. May God bless and help these people, in Jesus name.]

- --CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION UPDATE ~~

--PRAY FOR THOSE WHO SHARE OUR FAITH BUT NOT OUR FREEDOM. ~~

--PASTOR YANG HUA BEATEN ~~ [PRAY FOR THIS MAN, PLEASE]

~~Several years ago, Pastor Yang Hua of Guiyang Living Stone Church in Guizhou Province, China, had been arrested and found guilty of false charges of "deliberately divulging state secrets."
He was then sentenced to a 2.5-year prison sentence. He recently got out of prison, and this past May, Pastor Yang planned to visit some Christian friends, but the local police arrested him while he was on his way and transported him to their station. While in police custody he was severely beaten and had to be transported to the local hospital for treatment.

After suffering such beatings, the pastor was said to be strong in his resolve and encouraged others to hold fast to the faith. ~~

--Source: chinaaid. org
-[Friends, please pray for Pastor Yang Hua. Help him to keep the faith and continue sharing the Word of God with people in China. China is being heavily censored. Thank you for your prayers, in Jesus Name.]

----CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION UPDATE ~

---STRONGARMING THE AGENDA ~~

--While Christian colleges struggle amidst a post-Christian culture to instruct young believers in the tenants of the Christian faith as outlined in Scripture, the Biden administration is targeting Christian institutions to penalize Christian institutions to penalize and attack those who adhere to biblical principles of morality and sexuality.

A new directive by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) now makes it illegal for any entity that is covered by the Fair Housing Act to "discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity."
This directive includes and perhaps targets Christian colleges that have strict dorm rules for their student housing, based on their beliefs about marriage and biological sex.

The College of the Ozarks, in Springfield, MO, tried to sue the Biden administration over this directive. An Obama-appointed judge denied the injunction, stating it is "the policy of my Administration to prevent and combat discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation." Such a move by the judge shows how Biden's executive order could have a horrendous impact on Christian institutions. Christian colleges would be forced to open females' dorm rooms to males or vice versa. The HUD directive would require schools to let males identifying as females to not only be allowed to live in the girls' dorms but also be placed as roommates with girls and allowed to use communal showers previously designated for biological females.

Source:Christianheadlines.com
--[Please keep these Ministries and Countries in your prayers. Thank you. In God We Trust. "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD." [Psalm 33:12 ~

---Abiding Word Ministries // The Vine and the Branches/

--FREEDOM WATCH
CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION UPDATE ~~

--MASK-QUARADE ~~

--A little girl, Lydia Booth, who went to Simpson Central School in Mississippi, wanted to share her faith and so wore a mask that said, "Jesus Loves Me." She said she wore it because she believed others would "think it's a great mask, and that Jesus is God, and a great Savior."
-----
School administrators had a different ides, however. They told her the mask violated their policy that forbade the wearing of masks with political or religious messages.

Lydia's mother could find no such language in the school's dress code, and she also discovered that the school permitted others to wear masks with slogans such as "Black Lives Matter."
With the help of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), she decided to fight back for her daughter's rights
The girl's actions have had quite a positive reaction from her fellow students, with some of them requesting to obtain similar masks, and inspiring one girl to read her Bible. The case is still ongoing. ~~
-Jesus said, "Allow the little children to come unto Me, for such is the kingdom of God. ~~

--Source:cbn.com
--Abiding Word Ministries
~~~~~

---LONGING FOR THE GREAT AWAKENING ~~
--[The Vine and the Branches/ AWM] --

---Our nation is struggling to breathe right now. Her foundations are turning to dust beneath our feet. We are ripe for a move of God and in desperate need of one as well. The answer to the great deceptions and heresies plaguing our churches and in turn offering no hope of salvation to our world is a Third Great Awakening. What Luther's Reformation brought to the Dark Ages is needed in this era of darkness. Every generation needs God to send revival, but there are ages and eras that go down in history as the turning points of civilizations . We hope and pray that we are living on the cusp of one such era, one that has the potential to turn the tide and be known to our grandchildren and great-grandchildren as a New Reformation. We are not there yet, and for such a move of God, bold preachers like Martin Luther and Charles Wesley are required. Great Awakenings are preceded by the rise of Awakened Ones who preach the Gospel without fear and make great sacrifices for the sake of His name.

Great moves of God require Great Faith. Great Faith comes out of great obedience to His Word. The blueprints for such a revival are contained in the Holy Scriptures if we but search them out and believe them. The strategies to save our nation are already in the heart of the Father, who gives generously to those who ask. Do you believe He would save America? Or have you given up? Let us "press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" )Philippians 4:14, NASB). When the sounds of distant artillery comes so close to home that it keeps you awake at night and cause you to fear for the lives of your children, it is past time time to engage in the battle.

We are soldiers in this fight. Find your place and stand your ground. Take up your swords, spears, and bows. As Nehemiah said, "Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers and your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses" --[Nehemiah 4:13-14)

--"THE BATTLE IS THE LORDS" / [1 Samuel 17:47] /
~~~~~~~~~~

---FREEDOM WATCH ~~

--Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." --[Psalm 33:12] -

--DOCTORS FORCED TO DO SURGERY?

--The Biden administration reinstated a policy known as the The Transgender Mandate, which requires medical facilities to perform gender-transition procedures and abortions, even if it goes against their religious convictions.
Thankfully, a judge has blocked enforcement of the mandate, stating that it violated Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Attorney Luke Goodrich, who is representing a religious hospital and over 20,000 healthcare workers in this case, stated, "No doctor should be forced to perform controversial, medically unsupported procedures that are contrary to their conscience and could be deeply harmful to their patients."

--AWM/ The Vine and the Branches ~
--Source: cbn.com
~~~~~~~~~

--FREEDOM WATCH ~~

----"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." -[Psalm 33:12]

----JUDGE RULES AGAINST CHURCHES~~

---Alliance Defending Freedom filed a lawsuit representing two churches, three private schools, and a pregnancy center against the state of Virginia's new Virginia Values Act. The action claimed that the new law forces them to abandon their religious convictions or face fines, investigations, unlimited punitive damages, legal fees, etc. They are not even allowed to post their religious beliefs on the own websites. All of this could ruin them financially and/or make it impossible for them to continue on as organizations.
The Virginia Attorney General, Mark Herring, made the following statement: "Our landmark civil rights protection will remain in place, and Virginia will remain a place that is open and welcoming to all, no matter what you look like, where you come from, how you worship, or who you love."

--What will be the future for Christian churches and schools in the context of these laws?

---Source: christianpost.com
--Abiding Word Ministries / The Vine and The Branches
--[Please keep our (all) country and places of worship in your prayers. May God Bless America.~]

~~~~~~~~~~