The following reflection is written by Cole Richards, President of The Voice of the Martyrs. In this insightful passage, he reflects on the dangers of Hinduism and how it affects our brothers and sisters in India

Hinduism is misunderstood in the United States. I am often asked how the same religion that is viewed as a source of positivity in our popular culture can produce such violent persecutors of Christians. The answer is that the seemingly peaceful and tolerant ideas that have been extracted from Hindu belief and popularized in the U.S. since the 1960s do not reflect the religion as practiced by approximately 1 billion people on the Indian subcontinent, the place of its origin and historic majority.

At Hinduism’s core is the caste system, which is easily among the most oppressive and restrictive social constructs ever devised. In the West, many admire the concept of karma as the belief that if one does good, one will receive good. And reincarnation is viewed as an attractive idea of unending life. But those concepts are foreign to Hinduism as practiced in India, where the caste system traps each individual at birth within a specific tier of society. Hindus are born as simultaneously oppressors of those in castes below them and as victims of those in castes above them — with no hope or means of changing their fate.

Many in the U.S. have the misperception that Hinduism is inclusive, but its tenets include the teaching that those not born into it are permanently excluded. And worse yet, many in India are considered to be born beneath the castes. These are the “Dalits” (from a Hindi word meaning downtrodden), who number around 200 million and are treated as so far beneath others that they are untouchable. It has given me great joy throughout the years to share many meals, handshakes and hugs with precious people whom Hinduism defines as “untouchables” but Jesus Christ our Lord defines as my brothers and sisters — eternally equal to me in every way.

I have found that Americans enamored with Hindu ideas do not understand the most significant aspect of the religion as practiced in South Asia — the continual striving and sacrifice to appease wrathful gods and goddesses. Within this belief system, purifying a village, state or nation of anything or anyone that is not Hindu is viewed as essential to eliminating suffering and ensuring prosperity. Those who have been governing India since 2014 fervently believe this and apply it to the rule of their nation. As a result, violence against Christians has increased year after year.

I have been accused of being a “culture wrecker” for proclaiming the gospel in India, and more recently, the criticism of Hinduism has even been labeled as “hate speech.” But we must obey God no matter what men may say, and it is an act of love to “wreck” false beliefs that hold people captive. I pray that we will love Hindus enough to join our persecuted Christian brothers and sisters in boldly and joyfully paying any price to bring them the gospel.

The following reflection is written by Cole Richards, President of The Voice of the Martyrs. In this insightful passage, he discusses the rise of violent Muslim extremism across Africa and how God is still working across the continent.

The rapid spread of Islamist ideology, oppression and violence in Africa has become one of the most important stories of our time. Millions of our Christian brothers and sisters in Africa have suffered greatly, including tens of thousands who have been driven from their homes while watching their possessions and livelihoods disappear amid the Islamist dream of a global caliphate. The Fulani, an African people group composed largely of migrant herdsmen, have come to be viewed as infamous villains within this larger story. Islamists among them have carried out an extended campaign of kidnapping and butchery across several nations with significant Christian populations.

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Armed extremists among the Fulani are indistinguishably mixed with other tribesmen who travel widely, freely and unpredictably across West and Central Africa. While Islamist regimes and more organized terrorist groups have identifiable features (leaders, armies, police, courts, councils, etc.) that help us watch, track and respond to persecution at some level, the threat of radicals among migrant herdsmen is invisible and unpredictable. A group of Fulani seen passing near a village today may simply be herdsmen, while a group seen tomorrow may include militants planning to conduct a house-to-house raid on the village with the intention of kidnapping Christian women and maiming Christian men.

All who follow current world events have now heard of the Fulani people, usually through news reports of atrocities committed by Islamic extremists among them. And if we are not careful, this kind of notoriety may lead to a great victory for the Islamists, who are intentionally trying to define the Fulani with a powerful lie: To be Fulani is to be Muslim. Falsely claiming a nation or people group as being a “Muslim nation” or “Muslim people” is the Islamists’ first step toward domination and control. It is a lie that quickly leads to violence because it includes the idea that all non-Muslims within the nation or people group must be eliminated or oppressed.

All Fulani are not Islamic extremists,  and all Fulani are not Muslims. I cannot tell you what joy it brings me to be able to honor God by bearing witness to the truth in this magazine: God is moving powerfully among the Fulani tribe, which now includes many Christians. While some among the Fulani have carried out unspeakable atrocities, others have faithfully proclaimed Christ and led other Fulani to become our brothers and sisters for eternity.

God is glorified when we share testimonies of other members of His family. So I take great pleasure in correcting the record when I hear that “the Fulani have carried out another attack.” I respond by saying, “Islamists among the Fulani carried out that attack, but let me tell you about our Christian brothers and sisters among the Fulani!” Our dear brother Mahmud (cover photo) and his family (p. 10), along with others in this magazine, are trophies of God’s grace. Our Lord is glorified through their stories and through ours as we serve them.

The following reflection is written by Cole Richards, President of The Voice of the Martyrs. In this insightful passage, he offers insight on raising up a new generation of believers in our nation.

Years ago, I was standing with the elders in a remote village near the border of Syria and Turkey as their Islamic festival began. My wife was across the square with other young mothers, and our two children, ages 3 and 2 at the time, were playing happily with a large group of toddlers. My wife, wearing the head-to-toes traditional clothing required for women, did not draw attention, but our children’s bright blond hair made them immediately noticeable to all. With the exception of us four, everyone in the village was devoutly Muslim. We knew that some were Islamists, people who sought to make their country entirely Muslim, by force if necessary.

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As a frontier missionary family, it had taken more than a year for us to gain enough respect to be invited to visit such an entirely unreached village. And they were still resistant to everything we shared about Christ. We were there to communicate eternal truth to people who were not inclined to trust anything we had to say. They had been taught to view Americans as enemies, and they had seen enough Western movies and other media over the years to thoroughly convince them of our culture’s immorality. Moreover, they would have to be willing to suffer severe persecution from their family, community and government to seek or follow Christ.

After recent conversations with college-aged students and young professionals in  the U.S., I have come to realize that the difficulties of gospel proclamation and disciple-making inherent in frontier missions work are also present here, in our culture. The challenges are less severe, but they are identical in type. Our Lord’s instruction in Matthew 28:19–20 — “Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” — requires both cross-cultural and cross-generational activities. Both include challenges that require long-term dedication and faithfulness.

Like the Muslims in my story above, the young people in our nation have seen so much selfishness and corruption among “Christian” leaders and institutions that they are initially inclined to distrust us. We will need to persevere in order to earn their respect. And there are parallels between the opposition converts currently face in restricted nations and the future opposition young Christians will experience within our culture for seeking or serving Christ. We will need to persevere with an understanding that they need more than a brief, one-time gospel presentation to make such a costly decision.

As we consider these challenges, we can be inspired by the stories of perseverance in VOM’s monthly magazine. Our persecuted Christian family members exemplify the deep commitment it will take to raise up the next generation of disciples for Christ in our nation and around the world. Persecuted believers show us how to remain steadfast in our calling as Christ’s ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20) within a culture that opposes and rejects us. May we, like them, remain clear and consistent in our representation of God’s truth, while communicating it through the humility and patience of God’s love.

The following reflection is written by Cole Richards, President of The Voice of the Martyrs. In this insightful passage, he offers insight on being united with our persecuted family members.

When I tell people about persecuted Christians, I often receive a problematic but understandable response: “The world is a big place! I care about poverty, war, natural disaster, human trafficking, lack of education, persecution and many other troubling issues. But I can engage with only a few of these many problems and needs!”

I heartily agree that we are not meant to be continually immersed in the world’s problems. However, there is a critical distinction to be made. Persecuted Christians are not a problem to be solved or a need to be met. They are our family, and together with us they are the body and bride of Christ.

The truth we encounter in God’s Word is the highest, most important truth.  For example, the reality of a believer’s death in this world is eclipsed by the greater truth of that believer’s eternal life in the presence of the Lord. Similarly, while it is true, as I write this, that I am far from my Christian brothers and sisters in the jungles of Colombia in many ways — distance, language, culture, etc. — there is a greater truth about our relationship: We are eternally united in Christ.

One way Scripture describes this unity is in terms of a family. Each of us is God’s child (1 John 3:1), which makes us brothers and sisters. Within God’s great family, we are meant to “weep with those who weep” and “rejoice with those who rejoice” (Rom. 12:15). When a Christian anywhere in the world suffers, we share in his or her sorrow because that familial relationship is greater and more enduring than relationships we may have with earthly family members who are not believers. We not only sorrow with our Christian family members but also rejoice with them as they experience victories advancing God’s eternal kingdom.

Scripture also describes us as one body. Our Lord gave His body for us — “This  is my body, which is for you” (1 Cor. 11:24). We receive His broken body and become for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by His blood. All members are meant to “have the same care for one another,” and “if one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together” (1 Cor. 12:25–26).

A third way Scripture describes our unity is through the church: All of us who trust in Christ are collectively referred to as His bride (Rev. 19:7–8). None of us alone is His bride; it is all of us together.

If we will commit ourselves to understanding and praying for our persecuted brothers and sisters, it will result in a wellspring of God’s love in our hearts toward them. We will be continually encouraged by these eternally significant relationships and inspired by the stories of our persecuted Christian family members as we serve alongside them.

The following reflection is written by Cole Richards, President of The Voice of the Martyrs. In this insightful passage, he offers insight on how the global body of Christ can respond to acts of violence against fellow believers.

There are often stories in our magazine that describe acts of cruelty. We present these true testimonies carefully and responsibly, yet readers will surely experience strong emotions as they enter into fellowship with our precious Christian family members who have suffered. The word “inhuman” is sometimes used to describe acts of cruelty and abuse, and that usage has merit in declaring the truth of evil spiritual powers that inspire the acts of wicked men. However, scripture informs us that abominable acts are inherently part of the fallen condition of lost and sinful people. We may be shocked by cruelty and wickedness, but we should not be surprised.

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The Apostle Paul describes the lost as being “dead in their trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2) and quotes the Psalmist in Romans 3:13–18 to explain the extreme depth of this lostness. Apart from God, he says, “all have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” They attack with words — “they use their tongues to deceive … their mouths are full of curses and bitterness.” They attack with acts of violence — “their feet are quick to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.” All of this stems from the foundational truth of their condition: “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (v. 18).

As we face the reality of extreme depravity and wickedness in the fallen world, we may sorrow but should never despair. Sorrow is an appropriate response to wickedness as it leads us to agree in prayer with God, standing with him in opposition to wickedness and evil. We join God in hating evil (Proverbs 8:13; Psalm 97:10; Romans 12:9), and we cry out to him on behalf of our afflicted Christian brothers and sisters. This results in his leading us to comfort, encourage and support them in their time of need.

In this way, godly sorrow leads us to action, whereas the enemy would like to see us inactive — bogged down in despair, which leaves us hopeless and purposeless. I recently read a secular publication in which the author argued that the word “hope” is empty and meaningless. I agree! The words “in Christ” must be added for it to have meaning and efficacy. Because of our hope in Christ, we rejoice in our sorrow and remain active and full of purpose.

We must join God in hating and opposing evil yet also join him in his mission to “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10). We may struggle with our Lord’s instruction to hate the wicked acts of the lost while joyfully paying any price to seek their salvation, but praise God that our persecuted Christian family members are showing us the way! In some of VOM’s magazine stories, you will see the depravity of wicked men, but you will also see the power of God, who is infinitely greater than any sin and suffering.

The following reflection is written by Cole Richards, President of The Voice of the Martyrs. In this insightful passage, he reflects on the impact of the Bible on the global body of Christ.

Most of us are like Timothy, who from childhood was “acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). We have had access to Scripture all our lives. But hundreds of millions around the world have not had a chance to hear of their Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord, and millions of those who have come to Christ in restricted nations are still waiting for their first Bible.

Our enemy is the father of lies  (John 8:44), and among his most powerful deceptions are the false hopes he designs to resemble God’s truth. Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution is one example of such a deception. The Iranian people, convinced of the virtue in rejecting secularism, embraced the false hope of an Islamic theocracy. Since then, the Iranian people have suffered the failures of a false religion for four decades. Islam, like other deistic or monotheistic beliefs that deny Christ, cannot save. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6), and Islam’s rejection of Christ has left its adherents lost without the Way, oppressed by falsehood without the Truth and in danger of eternal death without the Life. God’s Holy Word is Iran’s true hope.

It is a common practice for North Koreans to bow before 70-foot statues of their former leaders. They are not merely showing respect; North Koreans are taught that the Kim family patriarchs, beginning with Kim Il Sung, have become gods. The current regime, led by Kim Jong Un, the third Kim in this succession, goes to astonishing lengths to restrict access to outside information — especially the truth of God’s Word. We respond by using several innovative methods to smuggle Bibles and broadcast Scripture across their border.

We may easily fail to appreciate the plight of the lost in restricted nations. Their hearts cry out for their Creator and long for knowledge of their Savior just as ours do, but unlike us they do not have access to knowledge about Christ. The real problem in these nations is more profound than bad political leadership. Their people, thirsting for truth, are left to drink from broken cisterns (Jeremiah 2:13) such as Iran’s radical Islam and North Korea’s Juche, a cult of subservience and leader-worship.

We must never rest as long as lost people in restricted nations — like Hossein, above — remain hopeless, without access to the truth that we have in abundance. And we must persevere until every Christian in a restricted nation has a Bible.

The following reflection is written by Cole Richards, President of The Voice of the Martyrs. In this insightful passage, he dives into the call to martyrdom every Christian has received from Christ.

Persecution has been part of the experience of serving and following God from the beginning of human history. Abel, the second human born into God’s new creation, was killed for his faith and obedience by his brother Cain. In response, God told Cain that his brother’s blood was “crying to me from the ground” as a testimony against Cain’s sin (Genesis 4:10). Only a perfect blood sacrifice could redeem the sin of mankind, and the writer of Hebrews points out that the blood of Christ declares a better testimony than that of the blood of Abel (12:24). Abel’s blood cries out for justice and vengeance, whereas the blood of Christ cries out for forgiveness and redemption.

Our Lord’s death is the completed work of our salvation: “It is finished!” (John 19:30). He bled to save us from our sins, and we cannot add anything to what he has done to set us free. However, we are called to sacrificially serve Christ and glorify God by bringing this message to everyone, everywhere — at any cost. Any sacrifice we make, including shedding our blood, will not add to Christ’s work on the cross, but he has ordained that we must sometimes spill our blood to proclaim his message to a lost world.

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In his work Apologeticus (ca. A.D. 200), the early church leader and author Tertullian wrote, “The oftener we are mown down by you, the more in number we grow: the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” This paints a powerful picture of reaping during a harvest. Persecutors cut us down as a harvester takes a sickle to grain, but our blood is seeding the church’s future growth.

The word martyr has overwhelmingly taken on the meaning of its second biblical usage: those who have been killed for their faith and witness (note Revelation 6:9). But the word’s first use in Scripture simply means “witness.” Christ instructed his followers to be his witnesses (martyrs) “to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). We can synthesize the Scripture’s teaching to understand that we are all called to be Christ’s faithful witnesses and to pay any price necessary to do so.

As Christ’s disciples, we are not extremists who seek death. Rather, we seek to faithfully obey Christ Jesus our Lord. We do not seek to die for him, but rather to serve him at any cost. We do so with the assurance that if we must suffer or even die, our blood will cry out as a witness to the blood he shed for us and for our persecutors. The martyrs in this magazine are precious to the Lord; they are a treasure to us who are inspired by their examples; and they are crucial to drawing the lost to Christ. Their blood cries out.

The following reflection is written by Cole Richards, President of The Voice of the Martyrs. In this insightful passage, he dives into the power of the gospel to forgive even our worst enemies.

Beware of the prevalent “take-it-or- leave-it” mentality. While skepticism may seem understandable among members of our individualistic culture, we must never put ourselves in a place of criticism or judgment toward any of our Lord’s commands. As I minister to persecuted Christians in restricted nations, I am struck by their willingness to suffer in order to obey Christ’s commands — immediately and without qualification. Their example leads me to ask: Have I unwittingly fallen into a trap of obeying only those commands that I understand and with which I agree?

In the face of violent attacks by Islamic extremists, our persecuted Christian family members are showing us how to follow Christ. Our Lord has said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:44–45). Since loving our enemies is such a clear command — one that Jesus identifies as a distinctive trait of God’s children — we must not allow ourselves to avoid it. From VOM’s founding fifty-six years ago until today, reaching persecutors for Christ has been one of the organization’s foundational purposes. We “equip persecuted Christians to love and win to Christ those who are opposed to the gospel” (vom.org/about).

Since loving our enemies, even our persecutors, is one of the five purposes of the organization where I have served for nearly seventeen years and that I have led for five, I talk about this scriptural principle more frequently than most Christian leaders. I suppose the feedback I receive has even made me a sort of thermometer that measures people’s attitudes toward this command of Christ. I am sorry to report that our collective temperature runs low and is trending lower, as far too many avoid the topic altogether. People sense that if they engage with Christ’s words, their overarching attitudes and behaviors toward the lost will be forced to change. And they are right.

Since loving our enemies is such a clear command — one that Jesus identifies as a distinctive trait of God’s children — we must not allow ourselves to avoid it.

Cole richards, vom president

I trust that you are among those who seek to obey Christ on this point. We love him, so we obey his commands. As we move forward in obedience, the fog begins to clear and we can see how to love our enemies. Since they are lost and face eternal separation from their creator, the most loving act possible is to reach them with the gospel, the truth of Christ that the Holy Spirit can use to lead them to repentance and eternal life.

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Some have rejected Christ’s command to love our enemies because they have misinterpreted it to mean that we must “be nice” to people who intend to harm us. But being kind to lost people in any way that leaves them lost is the opposite of loving them. We ultimately obey Christ’s command to pray for those who persecute us by praying for their salvation, and then we ultimately obey his command to love our enemies by bringing them the only truth that can set them free. Our persecuted Christian family members are showing us the way. May we be encouraged to follow in their footsteps.

The following reflection is written by Cole Richards, President of The Voice of the Martyrs. In this insightful passage, he dives into the hope the power of the Gospel offers for the nation of Bangladesh.

Most people have at least some degree of national pride, but it seems less common in Bangladesh, which is considered one of the world’s most corrupt and dysfunctional nations. During one of my visits, a Muslim man went out of his way to tell me that he did not understand why any foreigner would visit his country. “What are you doing here?” he asked with a look of incredulity. “My country is corrupt, crowded, desperately poor and full of violent extremists!”

The fact that a nation can be characterized by both desperate circumstances and historic revival should be instructive for us. God’s eternal purposes will not be thwarted by the flaws or failings of any nation’s government or economy.

Cole Richards, President of VOM

While the population of Bangladesh is roughly half that of the U.S., this huge populace is crowded into a frequently flooded river delta that is less than 2% of the geographical size of the U.S. The nation is officially Muslim, and those who leave Islam to follow Christ pay a tremendous price. Converts are commonly persecuted by both their families and communities, and Christian leaders also experience persecution from government officials. Still, at least half a million Bangladeshi Muslims have come to faith in Christ in the past 50 years, as this deeply troubled nation has experienced one of the greatest revivals in history.

The fact that a nation can be characterized by both desperate circumstances and historic revival should be instructive for us. God’s eternal purposes will not be thwarted by the flaws or failings of any nation’s government or economy.

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Like our brother Omar, we are meant to follow God undeterred. Omar was rejected by his family and community, yet he continued to share the gospel. Confronted by Islamists, he continued to share the gospel. Falsely accused, arrested, beaten, tortured and imprisoned, he continued sharing the gospel. And he did all of this in a nation with severe and ungovernable problems. Omar had every excuse not to share the gospel, but he continued in obedience to Christ.

I am inspired and challenged by the determination of Omar and other Christian leaders in Bangladesh. I can call them to mind when my nation’s economic outlook tempts me to become distracted from sharing the gospel and making disciples. I can remember them when I am tempted to become so involved in working to improve my community or nation that I fail to proclaim the gospel message. The example of faithful believers in Bangladesh helps me avoid being a watcher instead of a worker. I need to ensure that I am not watching the weather instead of planting seeds; otherwise, I will not receive a harvest (Ecclesiastes 11:4). Our Christian brothers and sisters a world away, living in desperate circumstances, are showing us the way.

The following reflection is written by Cole Richards, President of The Voice of the Martyrs. In this insightful passage, he dives into the rise of Muslim extremism and how we are called to share the gospel with even the most violent extremists.

Coverage of the violent spread of Islam has varied widely in the news media, leading some to believe it has subsided. It has not. Constant, comprehensive reporting kept the rise and decline of the self-proclaimed “Islamic State” in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) at the forefront of international news in the years following the 2014 fall of Mosul in northern Iraq. But in sharp contrast, the violent spread of Islam across much of the African continent in the last five years — and continuing today — has received little attention.

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As Christians, we cannot count on the news media or other secular sources to inform us in ways that help us love and serve our persecuted Christian brothers and sisters. As fellow members of the body of Christ, we must share their stories and carry their message ourselves! Let us resolve to be the voice of our suffering Christian family members in Africa. May they never bear the full weight of their suffering alone.

Islamists in Africa today are simply continuing the story of Islam’s expansion through violent conquest that began with Muhammad 1,400 years ago. Nearly all of today’s Muslim-majority nations in North Africa, the Middle East, and Central and Southeast Asia became so not through the changing of hearts and minds but through conquest at the point of the sword. Today, people pursuing Islam’s historical agenda of establishing a global caliphate (Islamic theocracy) are using the same barbaric methods used by their founder and early leaders. They have made significant advancements in much of the African continent in recent years, displacing hundreds of thousands of Christian families while the rest of the world barely takes notice.

We must wholeheartedly and unreservedly love Muslims, and that is why we must tell them the truth. The core teachings of Islam — not just the parts that precipitate violence — are false. Islam’s founding prophet, Muhammad, and its primary sacred text, the Quran, are wrong about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is not merely a prophet. He is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). He is Immanuel, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). We must cry out to Muslims, including those who persecute us, “Come, taste and see that the Lord is good! Come and drink of the Living Water. He is the way, the truth and the life; no one may come to the Father except through him.” The contrast is clear: Muslim extremists in Africa are willing to kill Christians to advance their ideology, while our African Christian brothers and sisters are willing to die to bring them the love and truth of Christ. We must stand with them now, in their time of great need.