In spite of the horrendous persecution, devastation and destruction occurring throughout the Levant, people in distress are calling out to God. And they are asking Christians to help them receive Bibles in their language.
According to reports, people in Islamic-controlled countries are coming to know who Jesus Christ is, and they yearn for more.
In nearly all Islamic countries it is illegal to be a Christian or to convert to Christianity. Bibles, churches and praying to Jesus are all illegal in Islamic countries, with a penalty of imprisonment or death. Iranian Christians were recently arrested and put in jail because they were praying inside their own homes, behind closed doors and windows, to Jesus Christ.
Every new Christian in this region is in need of a Bible. They are thirsting to know more about who the real Jesus is.
One organization, Open Doors USA, is hoping to send several thousand Bibles to Syria and its surrounding areas. Other organizations may also be distributing Bibles, but Open Doors has been specifically ministering to the persecuted church in over 60 countries for decades.
Open Doors defines Christian persecution as “any hostility experienced from the world as a result of one’s identification as a Christian. Beatings, physical torture, confinement, isolation, rape, severe punishment, imprisonment, slavery, discrimination in education and employment, and even death are just a few examples of the persecution they experience on a daily basis.”
The Department of State reports that Christians living in more than 60 countries are persecuted by their government and neighbors solely because they believe in Jesus Christ.
Open Doors USA’s ministry involves distributing Bibles and Bible studies, evangelism, teaching and training, supporting orphans, organizing women’s literacy training, job training, rebuilding churches and homes, and supporting the real needs of the actual refugees—who are being persecuted by Muslims—and not being taken in by the Obama administration.
Of the millions of “refugees” entering the country over the last year, less than half of one percent are Christian.
Obviously, this begs the question: Who is persecuting the millions of Muslims being imported into the U.S.? Christians aren’t persecuting Muslims. It’s the other way around. The persecutors are being let in.
This past May alone, nearly 500 Syrian “refugees” were admitted to the U.S. Not one was a Christian. Not one.
To help meet or surpass a $10,000 Challenge Grant offered towards sending Bibles, online gifts can be made to Open Doors. On average, it costs roughly $30 to deliver six Bibles; $60 to deliver 12 Bibles; $120 to deliver 24 Bibles; and $600 to deliver 120 Bibles.
According to Charity Navigator, Open Doors USA has a 97 percent score on accountability and transparency. It also recently received four stars out of a 4-star rating scale.
Please pray for these Christians. Receiving a Bible is a deadly enterprise. Owning one can easily cost someone their life and the lives of their family. But, perhaps without knowing the verse, they already understand quite well the apostle Paul’s conviction: “To live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
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