Todd Nettleton of The Voice of the Martyrs USA says the latest violence included the beheading of 14 Christians by Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP), the Islamic State affiliate active in the DRC. ISCAP claimed responsibility for killing six Christians on June 3 and another eight on June 24.

Nettleton says the group’s extreme violence is intentional.

“There is an element of wanting to inspire fear.”

He explains that this is why the attacks are so gruesome. Beyond killing believers, the militants seek to terrorize entire communities.

The group’s long-term goal is to establish an Islamic caliphate in areas under its control.

Motorcyclist rides through a busy street market in the Republic of the Congo (photo courtesy of Ck Visuals via Pexels)

“They would talk about setting up a caliphate, and once the Islamists control the territory, the Christians are given the choice to convert and become Muslims,” says Nettleton.

Those who refuse often face severe persecution or death.

Nettleton says one of the defining characteristics of persecution in the DRC is how suddenly it can strike. A local church leader told him about two men who were stopped and questioned about their faith.

“One of the men said, I’m a Christian. He was shot right there, instantaneously,” he recalls.

Nettleton says this is the reality many Christians in the DRC face: “They have to be ready at any given moment to stand strong in their faith, even in the face of death.”

Such attacks leave deep trauma and fear throughout Christian communities. Yet they also reveal the remarkable endurance of believers who continue to follow Christ despite the danger!

Please pray that the Lord will strengthen Congolese believers as they face ongoing persecution. Pray also that persecutors will turn to Christ through dreams, visions, and the bold witness of Christians.

Visit The Voice of the Martyrs USA to learn how you can walk alongside Congolese believers.

Header photo: Representative photo of a man praying (photo courtesy of Abayomi Daniel via Unsplash).

“The United States is unique in the history of the world as being the place that championed religious freedom, and [it] has now become a champion for that all over the world,” he says. 

Two and a half centuries out from our nation’s founding, religious freedom is ever relevant, as policy continues to shape the specifics of this freedom. Current bills focused on religious matters include Senate Bill 3056, which aims to curtail religious persecution in China, and H.R. 1744, which would fund the US Commission on International Religious Freedom through the end of 2028.

Bogosian emphasizes that it is no small blessing for a government to spearhead religious rights.

Courtesy of Lucas Y via Unsplash. Featured photo courtesy of Frank McKenna via Unsplash.

“And so encouraging our government to keep doing that is so important, and then praying for our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted,” he says, pointing out that much of the world has yet to experience religious freedom. 

“There are thousands of people groups in the world today that we classify as unreached, and most of those live in areas that we call ‘restricted access,’ meaning their governments deny them access to the Gospel.” 

In this way, unreached people groups often face a double-edged sword: restricted access to the Gospel and persecution when access is gained. But Hebrews 4:12 states: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

As God’s Word continues to go out among unreached peoples of the world, pray that it will not return void. Where it lands, especially when political landscapes are rocky or thorny, ask that spiritual soil would be fertile. Bogosian points out that in the midst of opposition, the Spirit of God equips us to love those who persecute us. 

“And that is the privilege that we have as Christians,” he says. “In fact it’s in spite of persecution – and maybe you could say because of persecution – that Christianity shines the brightest and grows the fastest.” 

While you celebrate America’s religious freedom, would you remember those who have yet to experience it?

“This is what we need to pray for: that governments around the world – that people around the world – would see the connection between freedom and the Christian faith,” Bogosian says. 

Pray too for our own people: that we would treasure and preserve our blessing of religious freedom. 

Typical Fourth of July shows last about 20 minutes, but this year’s celebration will go twice as long. Civic displays throughout the U.S. may also stretch longer, honoring America’s 250th year of independence.

Marty Johnson of Warriors Set Free says, for some veterans, “If there’s an event like what we’re talking about, that is going to be twice the amount of sound and twice the amount of everything, that could very well trigger somebody right back.”

Not all veterans struggle, but fireworks usually pose a challenge to combat vets.

“It’s the reminder of combat itself: the lights, the noise. It would cause somebody to react as if they were in combat, whether that be anger, physical violence, withdrawing; they just are not in control,” Johnson says.

“I didn’t have combat [in my military service], but there are some aspects of our flag and our ceremonies, and sometimes Fourth of July, that trigger me in a way – it’s an unsettling feeling.”

Finding freedom

Warriors Set Free helps veterans and first responders heal from the trauma incurred in the line of duty. Learn more here.

As a veteran, Johnson can recommend the ministry firsthand. “For the better part of 38 years after I got out of the Marine Corps, I spiraled out of control,” he says.

Are you a military, veteran, or first responder struggling with your faith, identity, or feelings of loss? When you’re ready to talk, we’re here to listen.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Warriors Set Free)

Johnson gave his rage and trauma to Jesus during a freedom appointment with Warriors Set Free. “I laid it all at His feet, and He has blessed me with the restoration of relationships with my wife, my children,” he says.

“People don’t recognize the old Marty because that guy is gone. They see Christ in me.”

Today, Johnson helps other veterans find the same freedom in Christ that he has experienced.

“It’s beautiful to watch Christ work when I can sit across from a guy and tell him, ‘There’s nothing you can say that is going to surprise me, or make me have judgment on you, because I’ve either been there, done it, or I’ve heard it,’” Johnson says.

Connect with Warriors Set Free here if you or someone you love needs the healing only Christ can offer.

Most importantly, pray for vulnerable veterans. Pray for “a hedge of protection around the mind, knowing that they’re not there [in combat] in that moment, and just a sense of peace,” Johnson requests.

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Roven Images/Unsplash.

The talks raise an important question: what do they signal about the potential legitimization of Taliban authorities?

Greg Kelley with Unknown Nations says, “I think every country, with maybe the exception of Russia, is tiptoeing around the Taliban. Russia is really the only one that I’m aware of that has legitimized the Taliban in any kind of a formal way. Everybody else is sort of acknowledging them. They might have interest. Some are reopening embassies and things of that nature.

Taliban fighters patrol Kabul, August 2021.
(Wikimedia Commons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Taliban_Humvee_in_Kabul,_August_2021_(cropped).png)

“But nobody is in favor of how the Taliban operates. I mean, you’re talking about incredible amounts of human rights violations.”

It’s a disturbing reality for Afghan Christians going back.

“Almost all Christians inside of Afghanistan are what we call MBB – Muslim background believers,” says Kelley. “So they’ve converted from Islam, which, from their perspective and their version of Islam, is total apostasy, which is a capital crime. So I mean, living inside of Afghanistan as a follower of Jesus is maybe the most difficult place in the world to do so.”

Despite the danger, Kelley says ministries are finding ways to equip believers for outreach.

“There’s tremendous opportunities to train Afghans who are in these other countries who are ultimately going to be going back. I mean, Pakistan has pushed [out] hundreds of thousands of Afghans, deported them back. At Unknown Nations, we saw that as a green light opportunity and began doubling down on our strategies of training Afghans.

“We’ve trained over 800 Afghans – Christian leaders who are now missionaries inside of Afghanistan.”

Afghanistan (Photo courtesy of Rahmat Alizada/Unsplash.)

Pray for the Gospel’s spread in Afghanistan. Kelley asks for prayer in the words of Jesus from Matthew 9:38, “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.”

Kelley says, “How crazy is this, that the Lord of the harvest would equip Afghans…to go back into Afghanistan? That’s what we’re doing at Unknown Nations – coming alongside these precious men and women, giving them as many solar-powered audio Bibles as we can in their language [so that] there will be revival in Afghanistan.

“There is such a hunger among the Afghan diaspora that is scattered all over the place, and they want to go back into their country and share the good news of Jesus Christ.”

Header photo: EU flags waving in front of the European Commission building in Brussels, Belgium. (Photo, caption courtesy of Marco/Pexels)

That’s the basic message that anti-immigrant groups in South Africa have sent to undocumented migrants in recent months. Some protest groups declared June 30 as a deadline for illegal immigrants to leave the country or face potential consequences. 

“It is not an official deadline. It’s imposed by these groups that have threatened these folk that if they don’t leave, they might have harm come to them,” says Anthony Barkhuizen with TWR.

South Africa’s democratically elected government rejected the June 30 deadline. Still, anti-migrant protesters participated in more than 100 marches across South Africa on June 30. According to South African police, 108 of the demonstrations were peaceful, while 12 required officers to take action due to unrest.

View over Cape Town, South Africa (Stock photo courtesy of E. Diop via Unsplash)

“There’s sporadic violence, as there will always be when large groups of people gather. But I don’t think the country’s on edge,” Barkhuizen says. 

Nevertheless, thousands of migrants (legal as well as illegal) took the threats from anti-immigrant groups seriously and have essentially fled the country. They had good reason to. Many have already experienced incidents of looting and intimidation. At least three people have been killed during recent protests. 

As we follow these headlines, it’s important to note that Barkhuizen says apartheid has nothing to do with the situation. “This is sectors within the African culture, where people have come from Africa and are being chased away by Africans,” he says. “It’s classic xenophobia 101.” 

Instead, Barkhuizen says the conflict goes back to supply and demand. South Africa’s unemployment rate has been above 30 percent for more than five years. Illegal immigrants are being blamed for part of that, even though migrants are only around 4 percent of the population, according to a 2022 census.

(See a 2019 report from Amnesty International that highlights the barriers and inequalities that immigrants face within South Africa.)

Barkhuizen says TWR uses its broadcasts to point listeners to the message of the gospel as the answer for all problems, “because once they start believing and living the Word of God, to love one another, love your neighbor as you love yourself, [then they will] treat each other with love, dignity, and respect.” 

Wise love isn’t easy. It requires discernment. Pray for Christians in South Africa as they navigate complex legal layers, the need for jobs and daily life resources, and the mission to share Christ with others. 

“Pray for peace for South Africa. Africa needs Jesus,” says Barkhuizen. “Pray for Jesus to reveal Himself to His people here in Africa. Then pray for the church to rise up and love all people, all of God’s creation equally.”

Header image is a stock photo courtesy of Karabo Mdluli via Unsplash

Missio Nexus is a collaborative network of mission organizations from the United States and Canada partnering in the Great Commission. They host a yearly leadership conference to bring together ministries attacking similar problems, such as cross-cultural evangelism and translating the Bible. 

Image courtesy of Missio Nexus

“We try to get those leaders that are solving similar problems in the room at the same time in order to see information sharing lead to breakthroughs, to learn what others are doing, and just to see generally how we can be more effective at fulfilling the Great Commission,” Esler says. 

Dwell: Shaping Global Disciples will convene September 23–25, 2026, in Orlando, Florida.

  “Each year we have a theme. This year, our theme is discipleship. We’re actually on a three-year theme run. Last year, we talked about evangelism. This year, it’s discipleship, and next year it’ll be about planting churches,” Esler says.

“Those three are the primary outworkings of the Great Commission on the mission field: evangelism, discipleship, and planting churches.”

Discipleship is a unique challenge in areas of the world where Christianity is persecuted and suppressed. An Iranian pastor is coming to speak on what living out your faith looks like under a regime hostile to Christianity. 

“The Iranian church is one that we often point to as an example where the Gospel is spreading,” Esler says. 

Also this year, the wife of an imprisoned Chinese pastor will share how discipleship happens under persecution from the Chinese government. 

Image courtesy of Missio Nexus

How you can get involved

You do not have to be at a Mission Nexus conference to be part of Gospel work. 

Esler says, “You might not feel like [the conference] applies to you directly, but you should be thinking about how you can participate in the global Great Commission, and one way to do that is to be praying for us as we meet.”

You can find materials on the Missio Nexus website designed to equip Christians to evangelize and make disciples. Esler encourages Christians to pray and consider giving. 

One of Esler’s encouraging reports is that local churches in North America are more involved in missions than ever. Pray that they would learn how to be more effective in the work they are doing. One way is for them to meet ministry leaders that can supercharge their efforts. Pray for good attendance at the conference and for leaders to have the resources they need to get there.

Header image courtesy of Missio Nexus.

By June 30, the death toll had reached at least 1,943 people. But estimates of what the final losses could be are much higher. The United Nations says it is ordering 10,000 body bags for Venezuela. 

More than 40,000 people are still reported missing after the quakes, according to a website promoted by Venezuela’s political opposition. 

Annabel Torrealba with TWR says that in hard-hit La Guaira state, “Almost every family in that area lost somebody. Everybody’s mourning, and others are hopeful that they can find their siblings alive. They don’t leave that area where the buildings are located, just waiting for news.” 

At least 24 nations have sent help to Venezuela, including rescue and support workers. Local men and women without training or tools have done what they can to help rescue others. But the response can’t match the magnitude of the destruction, and the mission is increasingly grim. 

“The odor in the area is really bad,” Torrealba says. “[Monday] in the afternoon, everybody started to wear masks because the smell is too hard to be there without masks. That means that there are many people dead.”

Looters have added another layer of chaos. But apart from those seeking their own profit, “most people are helping, and that’s amazing to see,” says Torrealba. “Please pray for peace, for calm, that God helps people to understand that this is a time to be together.”

A girl in Maracaibo, Venezuela (Stock photo courtesy of Alejandro J. Paredes Perez via Unsplash)

Pray for wisdom for pastors and Christians making decisions and ministering to survivors. Torrealba says at first, no one was organized. 

“Now there are places where people can bring food, can bring some of those important resources like water, medicines, to those places. And they are going to take those to different locations,” she says. 

TWR’s partner, RTM Venezuela, is preparing to send aid and gospel resources in collaboration with local churches. Pray that their devotional booklet and compassionate listening will point those they serve to Christ.

Despite damage to their Maracay office in the quakes, RTM Venezuela’s team is also producing special broadcast programs in response, “bringing [listeners] peace, hope, trying to connect with them, and also let others know what is happening in their area,” says Torrealba. Many of RTM Venezuela’s listeners were in La Guaira and the capital city, Caracas. 

Another danger point to be praying about is that kids rescued from the rubble will be reunited with their true families. Torrealba says some people try to take children who aren’t theirs.  

“Pray also for wisdom for the government, because in some areas the authorities — the police, the National Guard — they are not organized,” says Torrealba. 

Finally, ask God to sustain anyone trapped in collapsed buildings who is still alive. 

“We cannot lose our hope. I know God can do miracles — especially in those situations, He can perform miracles,” Torrealba says. 

(Photo courtesy of Kevin Keith via Unsplash)

Header image is a stock photo taken in Caracas, Venezuela, courtesy of Luisana Zerpa via Unsplash. 

As the world watches events unfold, Christians inside Iran remain at risk.

“Whenever there’s conflict like this, it strengthens the hands of extremists, and then they go after minority groups,” David Bogosian of the Alliance for the Unreached says.

“It’s already happening; more Christians are being arrested, more Christian leaders are being targeted.”

Yet a deep hunger for truth remains. Many Iranians are responding to the Gospel, even as the government cracks down.

“The extremist elements have taken over the government. Elements that were kept at bay by moderates are unleashed now, and there’s nothing to restrain them,” Bogosian says.

“The extremist elements within Iran don’t like the fact that Christianity is one of the fastest-growing parts of their society; they want to crack down on that and suppress it.”

Reason to hope

(Photo courtesy of Transform Iran)

Iran remains an essential territory in the Great Commission. Unreached people groups comprise over 90 percent of its population. “Iran is the epicenter of an area of the world that we call the Restricted Access Zone, where 3 billion people are denied access to the Gospel,” Bogosian says.

Despite persecution, the hope of Christ is spreading like wildfire in Iran. “The Word of God is being distributed in large numbers; there are people meeting in thousands of small groups all over the country,” Bogosian says.

“In spite of the fact that it’s illegal to become a Christian, it’s illegal to proclaim the Gospel, it’s happening in an epic way as we’ve never seen before,” he continues.

“It’s one of the most incredible things that’s happened in our lifetime for the Great Commission.”

Ask the Lord to strengthen Iranian Christians as they share the Good News with people who’ve never heard about Jesus.

“The first thing for the Church to pray for is that they (Iranian Christians) would not have fear,” Bogosian says.

“[Pray] that they would continue to have boldness in proclaiming the Gospel, and that they wouldn’t be silent, in spite of the fact that so many have been arrested.”

Header image depicts an Iranian protest in Canada. Photo courtesy of Sima Ghaffarzadeh/Pexels.

Set Free Ministries walks alongside people through Freedom Appointments, helping those held captive in different ways. Some struggle with domestic violence, addiction, bullying, or childhood trauma.

Steve Vander Molen says, “our volunteers are the heart of everything we do here.” Freedom Appointments are led by two volunteers: one serves as a prayer partner and the other as an encourager, reflecting the way Jesus sent His disciples out two by two.

“We go through a seven-step process to lead men and women to freedom, only found in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Vander Molen adds.

Three men talk (photo courtesy of Henri Mathieu-Saint-Laurent via Pexels)

The more volunteers get involved — the more people can be helped. “Many people will come in with the weight of the world on their shoulders and despair, and they’ll leave with the joy of the Lord in their heart,” adds Vander Molen.

Right now, the average wait time is 36 days for men. For women, the need is even greater.

“Right now, women signing up for a Freedom Appointment face an average wait time of 87 days. With additional volunteers, we can bring that down,” explains Vander Molen.

Volunteers need strong faith, sound theology, humility, and the ability to listen well. “Another area is to understand the power of prayer throughout the course of the day,” he says, adding that prayer warriors intercede throughout every Freedom Appointment.

“Through being the hands and feet of Jesus throughout the day, each of our volunteers gets a chance to see God work in mighty ways here,” says Vander Molen.

Set Free Ministries offers Freedom Appointments both in the U.S. and globally as requests continue to come in from around the world. Vander Molen says, “So far this year, we’ve received requests for freedom from people in 26 states, nine countries, and 59 requests outside the U.S. seeking Freedom Appointments.”

Pray that, as the need continues to grow, more workers will answer the call to walk alongside those Christ came to set free.

Visit Set Free Ministries to discover how Freedom Appointments help people find freedom in Christ.

Header photo: Support (photo courtesy of Thirdman via Pexels).

Venezuela (MNN) — The death toll from Venezuela’s twin June 24 earthquakes rose to more than 1,700 people on Monday. Although rescue stories continue, hope for finding more people alive is dwindling. 

Ethan Forhetz with Convoy of Hope says their team is moving food and water in for survivors and rescuers, with other resources on the way. 

“People are still scared to go back into buildings, because aftershocks are happening all the time. They don’t know just how weakened their building has become where they’re living, so a lot of people are living and sleeping in cars and out on streets. So we’re going to be working on tenting to help them,” he says. 

Since the two June 24 earthquakes, there have been more than 600 aftershocks. That includes a 4.6-magnitude aftershock in hard-hit La Guaira on Monday morning. 

No matter what photos or videos you’ve seen, “it’s worse than you probably think,” says Forhetz. Authorities say the initial quakes badly damaged or destroyed at least 855 buildings.

In this context, Convoy of Hope is working through its partnerships with local Venezuelan churches to distribute aid. 

“We evaluate through our people on the ground. They’re our eyes and ears there on the ground. They’re living it, they see it every day, they know what the needs are, and they can advise us how to best meet those needs,” says Forhetz. 

“When we get to empower the local church — people who are doing ministry — it really just empowers [Convoy of Hope] to be able to meet the needs of people, and opens the door to the gospel.”

Please stand with Convoy of Hope’s work as the hands and feet of Christ with your prayers. 

“[Pray for] favor for our team when it comes to logistics, and then favor with our team, for people to be able to ask the questions and be able to share the gospel, to tell people that God loves them,” says Forhetz.

Consider making a gift after you pray. Find Convoy of Hope’s crisis relief fund here. 

“You can support Convoy as we are working for the future, even as this disappears from the news,” says Forhetz. “We will still be working here.” 

Water distribution to search and rescue workers (Photo courtesy of Convoy of Hope)

Header photo: Water distribution to rescue workers (Photo courtesy of Convoy of Hope)