Violent protests broke out on Sunday in Pakistani cities after the Saturday assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei by the United States and Israel.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli strike on February 28, 2026 (Wikimedia Commons, CC by 4.0)

Nehemiah with FMI explains that after Iran, Pakistan has the world’s highest population of Shia Muslims.

“There is sadness, there is anger, and there is pain in the Shia population in Pakistan, because Khamenei was their Islamic spiritual leader,” he says. 

Thousands of demonstrators rallied across Pakistan on Sunday, with many attempting to attack US consulates or United Nations buildings. At least 22 people were killed, and more than 120 were injured in clashes with police. The unrest led the US to order the evacuation of non-emergency personnel from its consulates in Lahore and Karachi on Tuesday. 

Meanwhile, local Christians walk on the edge of a sword, says Nehemiah, and Muslim-background believers are the most vulnerable.

“There is a common understanding among Pakistani Muslims — Shias — that we need to understand: They think that every American is Christian, and they think that Pakistani Christians who are living in Pakistan have a soft corner for America and have divided loyalties,” Nehemiah explains.

“Local believers and ministry partners are navigating heightened tensions with public anger fueling large gatherings and anti-foreign sentiment.”

Fear is a natural response to such pressures, but the call to share Christ always remains. Please stand with FMI partners and all gospel workers in Pakistan by praying for their protection, for discernment in crisis, and for a sense of God’s peace. Ask God to open people’s hearts to Christ despite the anger in the nation today. An ongoing conflict with neighboring Afghanistan is also adding to the chaos. 

“If you would like to support our partners who are working in such a hostile situation, please step forward. Pray for them, support them. They would know that they have extended family who are living across the world,” says Nehemiah. 

Learn how you can support one of FMI’s frontline partners by visiting forgottenmissionaries.org. 

A pastor in Pakistan (Photo courtesy of FMI)

Header photo of Pakistan church group courtesy of FMI. 

It’s a stunning shift, and for many believers, it feels like a national unraveling.

Brad Hutchcraft of Hutchcraft Ministries says, “When we see reports like this that come out, we do see…that this looks like a crisis moment. And it is, in some ways…. The fact is, with the declining number of people who identify as religious, it’s actually more important than ever that individuals encounter a relationship with Jesus.”

(Photo courtesy of Jon Tyson/Unsplash)

Beneath the trends, he sees something deeper going on culturally as people crave more relationship and authenticity.

“People sometimes are turned off to religion because they view it as rules [and] regulations…. What they need first is to know what this relationship with Jesus is all about.”

Even though the national trend looks bleak, Hutchcraft says another dataset from Barna tells a surprising story. Young adults in America are leading a resurgence in church attendance.

“These young people are interested in, evidently, knowing more about Jesus. So we need to show up where they are showing up and be able to say, Hey, we are here to help walk you through knowing who Jesus is and what it means to be a follower of Christ.”

It’s a reminder for believers to always be mission-minded as we engage with neighbors, coworkers, and loved ones.

“Every place a follower of Christ goes, they should ask Jesus to help them see people the way He sees them.”

(Photo courtesy of Priscilla Du Preez/Unsplash)

Hutchcraft points out that “2 Corinthians 5:20 says, ‘We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.’ So as we look around us, it’s important that those who say, ‘Well, I’m not very religious,’ encounter someone who can show them what a relationship [with Jesus] really is like.”

This challenge may seem intimidating, but it starts with prayer. Hutchcraft offers a simple framework in praying for Gospel opportunities.

“We…refer to it as the ‘three open prayer’ in our ministry. It is simply, ‘Lord, open the door. Lord, open their heart. And Lord, open my mouth.'”

Pray that God would open doors for genuine Gospel conversations, especially with spiritually guarded friends and family. Pray for courage, gentleness, and a renewed burden for those who don’t yet know Jesus.

To explore tools for sharing your hope story, visit yourhopestory.com and learn more about Hutchcraft Ministries.

Header photo courtesy of Tucker Good/Unsplash.

According to Pete Noor of Set Free Ministries, spiritual bondage is stifling discipleship in churches across America. And unless something changes, sermons will keep hitting walls instead of hearts.

Noor says, “I wonder how many preachers are coming up with these wonderful sermons and wonderful teachings — [yet] what percentage of their congregation is able to even take in what they are preaching because they’re not free yet? They are bound by some lie or sin that they believe. Until they’re free, they can’t take things in.

“You can only disciple a captive as far as he or she can stretch the chains.”

(Photo courtesy of Terren Hurst/Unsplash)

Set Free Ministries helps individuals find spiritual freedom through Christ. Now, they’re turning their focus toward churches — partnering with pastors to equip congregations with a tool called the Freedom in Christ course.

“What would happen if more and more churches got more and more of their congregants set free first?” Noor asks. “Then their messages, I believe, that are being preached would be so much more clearly understood and applied.”

The Freedom in Christ course is an 11-session journey centered on discovering identity in Christ and breaking free from spiritual lies and sin. Part way through the course is the “Freedom Appointment.”

Noor explains that the Freedom Appointment in this context takes place in a small group setting. “They’ll have group prayers and group declarations together. But then individuals split off into private areas where they can quietly pray to God for Him to continue to reveal to me areas in my life where I’m out of line…so that I can confess, renounce, and repent…. Then they come back together as a group and finalize that step, then go to the next step.”

The idea isn’t new — Freedom in Christ Ministries developed the Freedom in Christ course for churches in Europe and “it’s been effective,” says Noor. “So we’re thinking that this should work very well in the United States as well.”

(Photo courtesy of Jon Tyson/Unsplash)

Set Free is already working with several congregations. Noor says, “We would be happy to talk to more churches. They can contact us for more information. At Set Free, we’d be happy to talk to them, share our experiences, and maybe put them in contact with the resource.”

Click here to contact Set Free about the Freedom in Christ course for churches!

“Pray that the Holy Spirit would continue opening up the eyes of churches so they can understand the freedom that’s available to them and the beauty of walking out of their identity in Christ… and that we can continue to help more and more people find freedom in Christ.”

Header photo courtesy of Vlad Shalaginov/Unsplash.

The Islamic Republic of Iran will always be against Israel and America, Christianity and Judaism, among other things. It’s embedded in the regime’s worldview. 

“I think that the regime, as it weakens — which there’s no denying that it’s weakening — that it will all the furthermore lunge out and attack anything that is in opposition to it,” says Kelley.

That puts Iranian Christians in the crosshairs. Unknown Nations partners in Iran requested immediate relocation for up to 500 leaders and their families. Kelley says it’s short-term protection in order to prepare for long-term gospel witness in Iran. 

These Christians “love the Iranian people with a passion,” says Kelley. “[They] aren’t interested in leaving the country of Iran, but they need to be relocated into places where it’s a little more stable, so that they can continue to grow and their ministry can continue.”

Azadi Square, Tehran, Iran (Stock photo courtesy of Erfan Ro via Unsplash)

Unknown Nations trains Christians like these with the future in mind.

“Iranians are looking at the religion of Islam through a new lens today, and there’s an openness because of that to the gospel. The Body of Christ needs to recognize that and lean in. For Unknown Nations, it looks like equipping leaders, the diaspora of the Iranian people — and that involves people groups like the Persian people, who live not only in Iran, but in neighboring countries.”

Kelley calls this leadership training a critical strategy, “all the more so now, because the day is coming [when] Iran will be open, and… that void of leadership is going to be a critical time — whether it lasts for a week, a month, a year, two years — for the Body of Christ to really lean in and pour into [gospel advance in Iran].”

Please pray

Kelly invites you to keep Iran regularly into your prayers. “And not just Iran as a country, but recognizing there [are] 94 nations or people groups inside the country of Iran. Jesus called us to pray for the nations, not a [geopolitical] country like Iran, but the nations.” 

Visit Joshua Project and start with the Persian people or with the Western Baloch. 

Then zoom in and pray for the strategic relocation process for the 500 believers and families Unknown Nations is working with. (Watch a special video directly from Greg Kelley to learn how you can be part of this mission.)

Please pray for the gospel ministry of Christians to increase in Iran. But don’t make “safety” the focus of your prayers. 

“They would ask rather that you pray that they would be bold. Pray they would be courageous,” says Kelley. “Pray that they would have discernment in the face of adversity.”

Header image: People on the Withe Bridge of Ahvaz. (Photo courtesy of Ashkan Forouzani via Unsplash)

“Initially, when the attacks took place from Israel bombing Iranian military sites, there was a lot of enthusiasm from among the general public,” says Mike Ansari, the CEO of Heart4Iran. 

“The bit of information that did find its way out to our call center and other friends outside of Iran indicated a general sense of anticipation for a new season to be brewed — potentially even a change of regime, as most Iranians were hoping to see.”

(Photo courtesy of Heart4Iran)

But political change isn’t simple. Ansari says that as Israel-Iran tensions escalated, Iranians realized that there is a leadership gap among the opposition. 

“Therefore, the question that was raised is, ‘Well, what happens if there’s a regime change? Who will take over? What would be the outcome?’” he says.

Outside of Iran, Iran’s exiled prince is calling for support for a new Iran. Within Iran, men and women desire peace — with both Israel and America. 

“In fact, when you go on the streets and you talk to most people, they’re saying that the war that [the] Iranian government has waged is not their war,” says Ansari. 

Yet, Iranians remain under a chokehold. Ansari says banks are shut down and surveillance is at an all-time high. “In the last 10 days, the number of arrests is on [the] rise. Over 20 people have been rounded up, and it appears two people have been executed under the guise of being agents of Israel.”

The next few weeks and months will be especially dangerous for Iran’s growing church. 

“Remember, historically, anytime that Iran has gone through a crisis, the demographic of the underground church leaders and members have seen a rise in house raids, arrests, and confiscation of their homes or their belongings,” says Ansari.

Meanwhile, the internet in Iran is down, but satellite feeds remain active. That’s how Heart4Iran continues broadcasting the gospel. 

“[There] are a lot of Iranians that are glued to their TV trying to figure out what’s going on, and most of them are hopeless. So we have a unique opportunity to bring the gospel, the message of hope of Christ, to these masses that are hopeless,” says Ansari.

Heart4Iran provides satellite TV to connect Christians to the teaching and fellowship of other believers. (Photo courtesy of Heart4Iran on Facebook)

Pray for both Iran and Israel, that people will recognize the true freedom and life found only in Jesus.

“As we are dealing with Iran and Iranians, and the threat of imminent danger of American targets across Europe and America, please understand that the average Iranians that are in our neighborhood, they are noble people. These are peaceful people. They’re loving people,” says Ansari. “Just because the Iranian government is in a hostile situation, it does not mean that average Iranians are.”

Header photo: An Iranian woman stands at an overlook with a panoramic view of Tehran, Iran. Tehran is the capital of Iran and its largest city, with the greater metro area hosting a population of 15 million. (Photo, caption courtesy of IMB, CC 4.0)

These uncertainties are disrupting ministry as well as family life. One gospel worker with FMI says, “I’m not able to make any solid or concrete plan with our overseas partners.”

He adds that it’s not only international travel in question. “I’m not even sure that I would be able to go and defend my PhD paper to [an]other state next month, because it’s unsure that I would be able to participate in my PhD graduation or not.”

Green card example (Photo courtesy of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) – Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

An upcoming FMI conference in Pakistan will likely be impossible for him to attend as originally planned. Meanwhile, his family carries copies of their documentation wherever they go. They are also preparing to give a power of attorney to a colleague in case the unexpected happens.

It’s caused serious conversations around their family dinner table. What country should they go to if they were to be deported? What should their kids do if they were to be stopped by an officer? 

“As a Christian, I have only two commands: you should love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your strength, and you should love the neighbor as yourself,” he says. “But the question is, as an immigrant in America, who is my neighbor? Because that’s going to be defined ideologically, territorially, nationally, and all these series of divisive elements.

“I think one of the problems we have right now [is] that we have to have an enemy to create a national policy. But as Christians, we do not have — or we cannot have — any enemy.”

For others who are caught in these same uncertainties today, he points to the hope found in Joshua 1:9: “The last part of this verse is ‘for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.’” 

Find your place in the story through prayer. Ask God to give FMI and this gospel worker discernment and protection to navigate complex circumstances. Pray with him that his kids will be strong Christian witnesses as they respond to comments and questions from classmates. 

For his ministry, he says, “Pray especially for clarity and favor as I plan ministry-related trips for FMI and to expand the Kingdom.”

Header photo is a stock photo courtesy of stokpic via Pixabay.

Whether you live in the US or not, Ron Hutchcraft with Hutchcraft Ministries says if you know Christ, you are like the shepherds in Luke chapter 2. These ordinary people were entrusted with a glorious message to tell others, against all human odds. 

“If we were alive at that time, we couldn’t think of a more unlikely choice for angels to entrust their message to [than] shepherds,” Hutchcraft says. Shepherds were lowly and sometimes of questionable character. The ones in the gospel accounts were working “third shift” jobs.

Yet God chose them to be the first witnesses to the birth of Jesus!

“Who are the primary messengers of the gospel [today]? It’s not the people that would be perceived as professional ‘God salesmen,’ like it’s their job. It’s the machinist and it’s the teacher, the mom, the cancer survivor, the golfer, the soccer player,” Hutchcraft points out. “It’s the everyday person who’s in the best position, just like the shepherds.”

The parallels go further. The message the shepherds heard of “good news of great joy for all people” is meant for every person in your life today too!

“The message of our faith is summed up by the angel making the birth announcement with these words: “For to you is born this day a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord,’ or ‘Christ the Lord,’” says Hutchcraft.

(Stock image courtesy of drabbitod via Pixabay)

“The reason it’s such good news [comes from] three things that our message says about Jesus: First, we have a Savior for our sin. Then … we have a Messiah for what’s broken in our life. [Third,] we have a Lord for the things that we are afraid of. Boy, that is good news!”

Hutchcraft says the shepherds’ story was their superpower. They ran to find baby Jesus and His family in the stable, and then they spread the news about what they had seen. “And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them,” Luke 2:18 says.

Your story with Jesus is meant to reach people too. So what might you do even today? 

“What a great thing to know that this message is supposed to be for all the people, [which] means that every person we know deserves a chance to hear this,” Hutchcraft says. 

“How life-changing it is for us to look in the mirror and say, ‘I am someone’s chance. Yes, I’m ordinary, imperfect, sometimes my life is messy’ — think about the shepherds! — ‘but I am the one who’s in their life.

“I have Jesus by one hand, and I have some lost people by the other hand, and God has put me in a position to be the one to bring them together.’ That’s great news this Christmas, because your life really, really matters.”

Header image is a stock image courtesy of Dan Kiefer via Unsplash.

“Worldwide, there’s about 70 million Deaf people. That’s about one out of every 200 people,” says Rob Myers with DOOR International. He says 90% of Deaf children are born to hearing parents. “Many Deaf people, when they get around the holidays, expect to spend a lot of time around hearing people.”

It’s not always easy. Communication and cultural barriers can leave a Deaf person isolated and unengaged in what’s supposed to be a welcoming family environment.

If that’s an experience you don’t want to repeat, here are six tips to love and engage with Deaf family and friends this holiday. The first one is simple.

If you haven’t already, start learning sign language. 

“Learning language is the beginning of really building a relationship with someone,” Myers says. He recommends an app called Lingvano to give you a jumpstart on American Sign Language. 

Make the best use of technology.

Ask questions ahead of time so you can plan for what tech might serve you best.

“It’s good to ask the Deaf person if reading is a preferred way that that they can take in information,” Myers says.

English is, after all, a second language to a Deaf person! If they are comfortable with reading, make sure that when the TV goes on, so do the captions. Then, during group conversations, consider setting up a device with a speech-to-text app and placing it in the middle of the room where it can easily be seen.  

Consider the room.

Watch out for Christmas candlelight ambiance! 

“Deaf people are really visual, and so it’s actually important for a room to be well lit,” Myers explains. “[A dim room] makes it really challenging for a Deaf person to even communicate, because it’s difficult to see sometimes.” 

When it’s time for a family game, choose visual games like charades.

Games based on sounds or words may be impossible for a Deaf person to really enjoy. Create that environment where everyone can engage in the fun.

Consider hiring an interpreter.

“If it’s a big family gathering and you have one, maybe several Deaf people there, you may want to think about hiring a sign language interpreter,” Myers says. 

“That interpreter will be a bridge and help facilitate communication — and that interpreter is not just for the Deaf people. [He or she is] for the hearing people too, because Deaf people have a lot of wisdom and a lot of great stories and things that they would love to communicate.”  

If any Scripture is going to be shared, find sign language Bible translation too.

“One of the things that is really valuable to us at DOOR is to see Scripture available for Deaf people,” Myers explains. “Download and have ready some sign language Scripture, so someone who uses [in this case] ASL can engage in that Scripture in the same way that people are listening to it in English.” 

Portions of Scripture are available at doorinternational.org. Myers says another place you can go for Scriptures is deafmissions.com.

Ask God which of these tips could help you love and serve your family best, as you seek to represent Him this Christmas.

“[These] are just some ways that you can really help engage Deaf people as part of family activities in general,” Myers says, “but really specifically ensuring that any opportunity that the family takes to talk about faith, their relationship with God, what it means to follow Jesus, that Deaf people have the same access to that.”

Connect with DOOR for more tips and resources!

Header photo is a representative stock photo courtesy of Annie Spratt via Unsplash.

A Russian attack was anticipated due to US President Joe Biden giving Ukraine the green light to use American long-range missiles to hit targets within Russia. On Tuesday, Ukraine launched these missiles in an attack on Russian territory. The US is also now providing landmines to Ukrainian forces.

Slavic Gospel Association’s (SGA) Eric Mock says, “It adds escalation, and most certainly, that’s going to continue. But we talk about this in the backdrop of already an existing escalation, because Russia has already been launching a higher number of rockets and drones into Ukraine.

(Photo courtesy of Irpin Bible Church via Eric Mock/SGA)

“We’re seeing massive destruction where we’re seeing residential buildings. There’s no end to the number of children who have lost their lives in this recent escalation. And local think tanks say that as much as anywhere from 1,500 to 1,900 Russian soldiers are dying every day — dying or gravely injured.

“So in the middle of saying, ‘Hey, we’ve added long-range weaponry, so it’s going to get worse.’ It was already getting worse.”

Just over 1,000 days into this war, it’s wearing on Christian leaders in Ukraine. Mock explains, “The reality is there are pastors that are helping to lead two and three churches. A lot of the men have been either serving on the front line or have been lost.”

SGA provides aid and spiritual encouragement to several churches in Ukraine. Since the war began, SGA has distributed over 25 million meals through these churches and reached 1.2 million Ukrainians with the Gospel.

“These are people that would have never, ever graced the door of a church,” says Mock. “Now, they’re walking to the church because it is the only place to get warm, it’s the only place to find hope, and they’re finding a relationship in Jesus Christ.”

Pray for peace in the region and for Ukrainian believers’ faith to endure.

Header photo of ATACMS rocket. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:ATACMS_missiles#/media/File:Atacms.jpg)

Today, we’re asking, “What does the future of the pro-life movement in the American Church look like?”

President of LIFE International Kurt Dillinger says, first and foremost, the calling for Christians hasn’t changed.

“As pro-life individuals, our primary calling is to be like Jesus to our culture. That’s the most pro-life thing that we could possibly do.”

(Photo courtesy of Alicia Petresc/Unsplash)

Looking at ballot results this past week, three US states rejected expanding abortion measures and seven states approved them.

These outcomes underscore the ongoing need to encourage a culture in America that values life – both for the pre-born and the people in our communities.

Dillinger emphasizes that the mission starts close to home. “We are to be people who value human life in our own homes, with our families, and with our own children first. That’s our primary mission field. Then from there, to those who live near us, our neighbors,” he says.

“How do we treat people? How do we care for people right next door to us? How do we interact with the people we work with, our co-workers, and our communities?”

As LIFE International seeks a culture that honors life, pray for America to repent and embrace God’s purpose for every human life.

Dillinger says, “The direction that we take in supporting the value of every human life — how we live that out, how we put policy in place, how we behave as God’s people in this country — as the Church has a huge impact on the rest of the world.”

Connect with LIFE International here.

Header photo courtesy of Edmond Dantes/Pexels.