Mojtaba is the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s former supreme leader, who was assassinated on February 28 by Israel and the United States. 

The new Khamenei has never run for office or been voted for publicly, yet he has been influential within the Iranian regime for years. What should the world expect from him? Lana Silk with Transform Iran says we can expect more of the same. 

Transform Iran has been praying for a righteous change of leadership within Iran. But Silk says frankly, “Mojtaba is not it. He wants the same things his father wanted. He is driven by the same ideological goals.”

The flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Photo courtesy of Engin Akyurt/Pexels)

Iran’s new supreme leader has close ties within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. This paramilitary group has been instrumental in crushing dissent in Iran.

“This [appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei] is not the answer to our prayers,” Silk continues. “But the path to the fall of this regime may be discord in the higher echelons, and if Mojtaba can’t unite the different factions within the leadership of Iran, then we will see a weaker government, which may well pave the way to real change.” 

If you don’t know how to pray through these uncertain times, pray for Iran and the Middle East in the ways Silk suggests:

“We continue to pray for the same things for Iran. We want God’s will, His mercy, covering all the many millions caught up in this conflict right across the Middle East, and a righteous transition of leadership.”

Pray for a powerful movement of God’s Spirit among Iran’s leaders and its people.

Header photo of Tehran, Iran, courtesy of Hamid Mohammad Hossein Zadeh Hashemi via Unsplash. 

Life’s struggles fade in the light of the Gospel. This is what Belarusian pastors believe as they persevere through obstacles in their ministry!

Eric Mock from Slavic Gospel Association says, “Through compassion ministry over the last eleven years, thousands of people have heard the Gospel, and hundreds have come to faith through this ministry.” Click here to learn more about the compassion ministry.

The obstacles are many — government restrictions, monitoring of sermons and social media, and even arrests of clergy who speak against limits on language or freedoms. Church leaders pray for wisdom as they carefully navigate registration and policy requirements, working hard to maintain peace with their government when possible.

Photo courtesy of Tima Miroshnichenko via Pexels

They persevere by remaining faithful to the Great Commission.

Mock says, “Look behind the curtain and see the faithful believers who, regardless of world events, continue to fulfill the task at hand and declare the Gospel to all people.”

Eric recalls meeting a few pastors from Belarus. He asked them how they respond to these challenges, and one pastor replied,

“That’s between them and God. As for us, we will continue the task before us of declaring the Gospel and making disciples of all people!”

These pastors are less concerned with government policies than with how to carry out the Great Commission in these times. And there are challenges, as many of them serve in two or three churches due to a lack of newly trained pastors.

Slavic Gospel Association supports Belarusian churches and leaders in their growth and humanitarian outreaches. Visit their website to learn more!

Mock adds, “We attempt to provide financial or supplemental support for these men who are out in the villages, because sometimes it’s almost impossible to take care of your family and continue doing ministry.”

Pray for a new generation of pastors to embrace the call and for wisdom as they navigate these sensitive days.

“Let us, in the middle of these chaotic times, preach Christ and Him crucified, so that people would know Christ and make Him known,” Mock encourages.

 

Header photo: Minsk, Belarus (courtesy of Egor Kunovsky via Unsplash)

“The Muslim Brotherhood, for a long, long time, [has] been a recognized [political] party in Jordan,” says Samuel* with Redemptive Stories.

Emblem of the Muslim Brotherhood
(Wikimedia Commons)

After Jordan’s 2024 elections, nearly one fourth of the nation’s parliamentary seats went to the Islamic Action Front, political party linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. Samuel believes this shift toward Islamic leadership comes from Jordanians’ frustration over the war in Gaza.

But things changed in April when security forces sniffed out a Muslim Brotherhood cell that had been building short-range rockets for unstated purposes. The group denied ties to the alleged plot, but the government still banned it and stripped all its assets. It is basically eliminated as a legitimate organization in Jordan, says Samuel.

“It’s been a long time coming that the king and others have wanted to get rid of the Muslim Brotherhood here in Jordan, and then this recent planning of the terrorist activity on its own soil has given them the impetus to be able to do that. They view them as an extremist organization, which they are.” 

Even though the Muslim Brotherhood is no longer a legitimate political entity, Samuel doesn’t expect there will be significant changes in what gospel ministry looks like in Jordan. “There’s one less player on the table to fight against the work of the gospel in the region, but many of those people that still had leanings that direction are still here,” he says. 

With that in mind, please pray for God’s mercy on those aligned with radical Islam. (Learn how to pray specifically for the Muslim Brotherhood here.)

“[Pray] that people will be put in their path to be able to share with them what the true picture of the Kingdom of God looks like, and ultimately that this would create more space for boldness, bold sharing, and bold testimony for the gospel in our region,” Samuel says. 

*Name changed for security

Header photo of boy walking on street in Jordan. (Photo courtesy of Craig Boudreaux/Unsplash)

The U.S. legislative process will take time. But the potential has already increased the value of Syrian currency and stirred attention from international investors. 

“We did not expect this coming in this way and so abruptly,” says Nuna* with Triumphant Mercy Lebanon. “With that change, I can only imagine a boost in every part of Syria. We heard [recently] of people celebrating when they heard the news. People were dancing on the streets.”

Nuna explains that rebuilding Syria has been impossible. “You are not allowed to do any work because there are so many sanctions. If the U.S. discovers that any money goes into Syria, then there is a ban on you.” (Read more about the 2019 Caesar Act here.)

For years, Triumphant Mercy has found small ways to legally be the hands and feet of Christ in Syria. But now if the Syrian families they work with in Lebanon eventually return home, there will be deeper ways to help rebuild.

Syrian refugee children at a half-built apartment block near Reyfoun in Lebanon, close to the border with Syria, give the peace sign, 2016 (Photo courtesy of Eoghan Rice via Flickr)

“So now [it] is a different game,” says Nuna. “It’s a huge ministry opportunity to just go in the land and work.”

Syria’s new government and its stance toward religious minorities is unpredictable. It’s much too soon to tell if these ministry hopes will come to pass. But God is up to something! Please pray for gospel light to spread in Syria. 

“Let’s pray that the motives will not be just economic or just so that the Abrahamic Accord will come to pass, but more so that the people of Syria will rise again, and that they will really see that God had mercy on them,” says Nuna. 

“Really, I think this is an act of mercy from God, and I want to see people recognizing it. Let’s pray for the Syrian people, who have been oppressed for so long, that they will recognize God’s appointed time for them, and they would come to know Him.”

Learn more about Triumphant Mercy Lebanon’s mission here. 

*Pseudonym

Header photo of child holding a Syrian flag courtesy of Ahmed Akacha/Pexels.

“Because of the killing that [are] going on, people were not allowed [to] … plant anything. That’s why there is no harvest,” explains Bishop Dr. Yassir Eric, a partner of Horizons International.

Child in Sudan (Photo courtesy of Abdulaziz Mohammed/Unsplash)

“The situation is very, very severe, because two rainy seasons pass by, and people are not able to do anything. And now in Darfur, the killing is also going on, and those who manage to plant anything, the rebels [come] and then put everything on fire.” 

The Darfur killings Bishop Eric refers to happened last week, when the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group assaulted one famine-struck refugee camp called Zamzam (among other locations in Sudan’s western Darfur region). The attacks displaced an estimated 400,000 people, according to the United Nations.

Although this latest episode was done by the RSF, its chief opponent, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), has committed horrific acts against civilians as well.

“Jesus is our God, and He’s the God of the suffering,” Bishop Eric says. “This is actually the difference between Allah in Islam and God in the Bible. In our suffering, we know He feels with us.”

Please pray for God’s mercy on Sudan’s crises and find your place in the story. 

“We need to see people that are helping there, and to back them up, give them the resources that they need, so that to engage, not only in helping people that famine will go away, but that they will come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ,” Bishop Eric says.

“I know and I believe that all things [work] for good — even this terrible situation, a beauty could come out of that, if we pray and if we give, and if we go.”

Click here to financially support Bishop Dr. Yassir Eric’s ministry in Sudan.

Header photo is a stock image courtesy of Lara Jameson via Pexels.

Organized by Bethlehem Bible College and led by Palestinian Christians, the biannual conference “Christ at the Checkpoint” has gathered believers from many contexts since 2010. 

But this year it has looked a bit different. Bethlehem Bible College’s president, Reverend Dr. Jack Sara, says, “When the war broke out, of course, we had no clue if we will be able to do it. Only recently, international flights started flying into Tel Aviv and surrounding airports.” 

The team soon realized that the Israel-Hamas war wasn’t going to end quickly.

People gathered to hear the Christ at the Checkpoint Conference at BBC in recent years. (Photo courtesy of the Bethlehem Bible College on Facebook)

“We said, ‘Let’s do it anyway — and maybe we can invite people that are not just participating in a conference, but come here in solidarity, in encouragement and to listen to our voices in such a time like this where is [most] needed,’” Sara says. 

The staff was surprised by how many people joined. 

“We said, ‘If we have 40 coming, we’ll do it. If we have 50 coming, we will do it.’ The number is quadruple that,” Sara says.

Would you come alongside this conference in prayer this week? Ask God to resolve any remaining travel issues for those attending. Pray for God’s guidance for these brothers and sisters in pursuing justice and loving mercy in all contexts (Micah 6:8). Pray for peace in the Middle East.

“It’s really amazing to see international leaders, pastors, leaders of huge organizations, participating. Some of them are speaking, but many of them are just coming to learn. That’s a humbling attitude, to be honest with you. God surprised us with such a response,” Sara says. 

Learn more about the mission and vision of Bethlehem Bible College here. 

Header photo of Bethlehem Bible College, courtesy of Bethlehem Bible College.

The US makes up about 5% of the global population, yet incarcerates roughly 25% of the world’s prisoners. Today, there are approximately 2 million men and women in the US prison system.

Doug Cupery with Crossroads Prison Ministries says these statistics have significant implications for American society. And they pose an invitation to the American Church.

“A really hard statistic is that one out of 28 children has an incarcerated parent right at this moment,” says Cupery. “One out of 28 grows exponentially when we think about the years. We think about how many through these decades that these children had an incarcerated parent. What does that mean as they grow up?

(Photo courtesy of Ashkan Forouzani via Unsplash)

“What does it mean for society where one out of 17 white men will likely be incarcerated at some point in their life, or one out of six Hispanic men, and one out of three African American men will be incarcerated at some point in their life?

“It’s really difficult when we think about how many of these men and women — not all, but many — have had a hard life. They’ve gotten lost in the system. They really come out of difficult upbringings. They got lost in the school systems. One of the main things is that they haven’t had an advocate speaking on their behalf.”

This is where the Body of Christ comes in. What men and women in prison need is a gracious and persistent Church to engage them with Jesus’s transformative love.

Cupery points to Matthew 25 where Jesus says to His followers, “I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me…. whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matt. 25:36, 40b)

What if we really believed visiting the prisoner meant visiting Jesus? How could that create a surge of interest in prison ministry among believers seeking to serve the Lord?

Crossroads’ mentorship program connects Christian mentors with Bible study students in prison. Mentors connect by writing letters with their mentees and taking them through a Crossroads Bible study.

“Through Crossroads, our mentors have an opportunity,” says Cupery. “I’ve heard the stories over and over again about what that has meant to them, what the mentors have experienced when they visit the prisoner. That intersection with Jesus [and] that Holy Spirit experience is life-changing.”

Engaging with and visiting prisoners also goes beyond the prison walls. It needs to extend to men and women released from prison as well. 

“When they are released, in many respects, they are still a prisoner,” says Cupery. “It just saddens my heart that when we release them, they will never ever fully be restored into our communities. They will have trouble finding apartments. They’ll have trouble finding employment. They’ll have trouble finding acceptance into our community.

(Photo courtesy of Ismael Paramo via Unsplash)

“That’s why I believe it is so important for the Church to step into this problem, to step into what God calls us — to reach and come alongside those that we oppress, those that we push down, those that we forget, those that we push aside. It’s our responsibility.”

Looking beyond someone’s sins and offering mercy, love, and friendship — this is what Christ did for all of us.

Cupery shares, “I’ve been working for this type of ministry for almost 20 years. What I’m speaking is what I was offered. That’s why I can sit next to you today. So many of the folks getting out of incarceration or who are incarcerated just don’t have anybody.

“What they really need is for you to be present. And not just one time to give them the Gospel message. They need you to sit down next to them and say, ‘You know what? I’m here for you. I care. I’m going to come back and I’m going to come back.’ That’s the beauty about Crossroads. We keep showing up.

“If we don’t speak into the problem, if we don’t come alongside them as the Church, somebody else will.”

(Image courtesy of Crossroads Prison Ministries)

You can learn more about becoming a mentor with Crossroads here!

Cupery also asks, “Pray for our ministry, that we will have the resources and the capacity to continue to grow. You can pray for our legislators who continue to make laws that become more and more difficult for people to navigate. You can pray for our prison systems, that they will be fair, that they will be just, [and] that there will be kindness.”

Header photo courtesy of Hasan Almasi via Unsplash.

George Houssney, founder and president of Horizons International, has had 50 years of ministry alongside Muslims. During that time, he has seen many Muslims convert to Christianity only to leave the faith between a year and three years later. It’s enough of a pattern that he felt the need to investigate.

After interviews, study, discussion, and reflection upon his own decades of experience, he came to a conclusion: “many Muslims become Christians religiously, but not spiritually.”

For many Muslim-to-Christian converts, Christianity isn’t as important as an alternative to Islam is. Many grow up in strict religious environments, partaking in regular rituals, worship, prayer, and study. Even if they become disillusioned with Islam itself, they may struggle to break free of their religious roots. Christianity allows them to continue being “religious”

Often, Houssney says, Christians are too excited to think twice. “They walk into a church, say ‘I want to become a Christian.’ The pastor comes and says, ‘Oh, that’s great. Let’s baptize you next week or next month.’ And those people have not understood the cross. They’ve not understood Christ and why he came to earth.”

Houssney once met a man who was going to be baptized the day after their meeting. After a lengthy conversation, he discovered that the man did not believe Jesus had died on the cross or been resurrected and still believed Mohammad was God’s prophet. When Houssney informed the man’s pastor, the pastor was shocked and postponed the baptism in favor of discipleship.

(Photo courtesy of Unsplash)

“We assume if they want to become Christians that they have understood what that means,” Houssney says. Instead, Christians need “to make sure they understand the cross, the redemptive work of Christ and what it does to them, giving up everything for Christ, surrendering their lives, not just adopting another religion.”

But why Christianity? Aren’t there other alternative religions Muslim converts could move to? That’s where the Gospel message comes in; Houssney says Christ’s mercy can be a double-edged sword if presented incorrectly.

“If they get exposed to an alternative, which is Christianity, which is not a religion of rules and laws and do’s and don’ts but a religion of grace, salvation by faith alone where there’s nothing you can do to earn your salvation, it gives them a lot of peace,” Houssney says. “But then there’s a job we have to do as explaining to them that grace does not mean license.”

Many people are attracted to grace because it frees them of strict religious responsibilities. Unfortunately, they often take that freedom too far. Sometimes, “they don’t do anything, including they no longer read the Bible or go to church or pray or anything.”

So what’s the answer? In a word, discipleship.

“If we make the Gospel too easy and too cheap, it won’t last long,” Houssney says. “Easy come, easy go. So, right from the start, they need to understand what they’re getting themselves into. You can’t trick them into the kingdom and then later on, ‘Hey, you know what, there’s a cost to this.’ They have to count the cost before they step into it.”

Converts need to understand that following Christ means taking on an eternal focus. It means saying “no” to worldliness and materialism. It means enduring persecution and pressure from the outside world.

(Photo courtesy of Unsplash)

“They need to understand its commitment to following Christ the rest of their lives, and you can only communicate that message by modeling it,” Houssney says. “When a Christian lives out the Christian faith, they demonstrate a prayer life. Trust in God in all circumstances, joy in the Lord, the fruits of the Spirit.”

Reaching Muslims should not be difficult, Houssney insists. Often, people think they need to have deep spiritual understanding of Islam and its relationship to Christianity, or that they need to know exactly which phrases and arguments will win someone over. In reality, it’s just about living like Christ and opening oneself to the Holy Spirit’s voice.

“That gives them an introduction to Christianity, then what they hear is what helps them get to the next step,” Houssney says.

“It’s easier than you think.”

Find the resources you need right here.

Header photo courtesy of Unsplash.

Losing Value

The economic and currency crisis in Lebanon means that compared to the dollar, the lira is coming in short. The exchange rate is close to 1500 lira for one dollar, but on the black market, the exchange rate is almost 2000 to one.

For Lebanese and Syrian workers alike, this poses problems. People don’t want the lira, and there aren’t enough dollars to go around.

Nuna with Triumphant Mercy says, “But the economical crisis is now taking a toll on all refugees because they can’t get jobs like before. Even Lebanese can’t get jobs now. The financial crisis is so bad, that Lebanese are being laid off work and cannot find ways to sustain their own families.”

Without enough money to buy necessities, for many refugees, returning to Syria is starting to sound like a good option.

Go Back or Stay?

The problem with going back is that many people came into Lebanon illegally the first time. For them, there is added fear if they cross the border legally.

Nuna says, “They’re afraid that at the border they will be caught, or they will be taken to prison because they are deserters. So they’re thinking about, ‘When is a good time for us to go back over the mountain and go back to their own villages?’ So there’s a lot of talk, much more than before [about returning].”

Yet even if a family or person makes it back into their home town undetected by the government, there is still the issue of physical and financial security.

(Image courtesy of upyernoz on Flickr https://bit.ly/2UprbIq)

“There are parts that are not so secure, but there are parts that are becoming more secure. Now the problem is also financial in Syria because of the dollar devaluation of the money, the Syrian pound. The same like Lebanon, the devaluation of the money is the same in Lebanon, and it’s also affecting Syria a lot.”

However, even with those drawbacks and the lack of public infrastructure like schools and hospitals, refugees are thinking of returning.

With the continued issues in Lebanon, their situation is not much better. In fact, in some places public opinion is turning against refugees, blaming them for the economic crisis. They fear crowds retaliating against them.

Whichever side they approach the issue from, refugees face similar issues.

Offering Hope

Triumphant Mercy tries to help refugees on either side of the dilemma talk and think through these concerns in a Biblical light. Often the situation feels hopeless, but Triumphant Mercy knows that is not the case.

“There is a hope that God has a plan.” Nuna states, “There is a hope that the plan is not just to stay in the position that you’re in, and in misery because this is not the gospel. Jesus came to give life.”

In addition to offering hope through Christ, Triumphant Mercy provides connections and contact information for other NGOs on the ground in Syria. This helps returning refugees find help when they return.

They also offer schooling and practical training for those going back. In addition to exam prep, they help students learn skills that will help them rebuild their cities, homes and lives in Syria.

Prayers for God to Reign

There are so many ways to pray for Syrian refugees and Triumphant Mercy but Nuna asks for prayers that God would be glorified and His name would be the only one that is proclaimed.

“That’s my prayer. And that’s what I encourage everyone to just pray, not against one country or against another or with a regime or … enough. It’s not that. It’s just God’s kingdom to come.”

Please pray that many Syrian refugees would praise God’s name and take the truth of the Gospel to their Syrian friends and neighbors.

Learn more about Triumphant Mercy here.

Image Courtesy of Anthony Gale on Flickr https://bit.ly/399vNGz

Protests in Lebanon

In October, a video of protestors singing “Baby Shark” to a frightened toddler humanized the people behind the chants. Weeks later, demonstrators continue to block roads, leaving the country at a standstill. Now, people are wondering what the protests are accomplishing.

(Photo courtesy of Triumphant Mercy-Lebanon)

Disruption from protests is adding challenges to daily ministry for organizations like Triumphant Mercy. Nuna of Triumphant Mercy says people are living with uncertainty.

No one knows what will happen on a day-to-day basis. Refugees are reminded of the Syrian revolution that forced them from their homes and into temporary makeshift tents in a foreign land.

“They were reminded of it and there was so much fear. They froze…they literally froze and not being able to think because of the fear,” Nuna explains.

“We have also a hard time at the ministry here to know what’s happening. Are we opening today? Are we not opening? Are we bringing kids? Are we not bringing kids? Will the parents send their kids? For the first few days, they did not want to send their kids with us because they were fearing that some people would be beaten on the streets…especially as Syrians.”

Syrian refugees are afraid the Lebanese might turn against them. Nuna says part of the financial problem in Lebanon is there are more people in the country than it can support. With 1.5 million Syrian refugees, Lebanon has the highest number of refugees per capita. The volume of refugees has made it harder for the Lebanese when searching for jobs.

Responding to Prolonged Protests

After weeks of peaceful protests, Nuna says the refugees’ fears have calmed some. Still, everyone is on edge. Roads continue to be blocked, and banks are closed. People are unable to make money transfers. Nuna is left wondering how to pay people working with Triumphant Mercy.

“It’s a question mark for all of us,” Nuna says.

What can Christians outside of Lebanon do? Pray.

“We’ve been intensifying prayer…prayer meetings every day. There’s a big fight going on just to see justice, to see corruption being broken,” Nuna says.

(Photo by Shahen Araboghlian, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)

Triumphant Mercy set up a tent in downtown Beirut to hold prayer meetings. In the middle of the chaos, the organization offers a calm place to stop and ask for God to bring change. It is also a place for people from different backgrounds to share their prayer requests.

“I believe this is a turning point for the whole region, not only for Lebanon,” Nuna says.

Pray for government corruption to end in Lebanon. Pray for justice and the people in Lebanon to have the ability to afford daily life. Pray for Triumphant Mercy’s work to continue during the protests.

“Thank you for everyone who prays, really. Every prayer is added to this bucket before the Lord. I just thank everyone who stands with us in prayer, who sends us a letter of encouragement, or who says, ‘I’m with you. I’m praying’,” Nuna says.

To send an encouraging note, click here.

Header photo credit: Shahen Books/CC4.0.