Every day brings new headlines of escalating conflict, political instability, displaced families, and deepening uncertainty. Nations are being shaken. Communities are living in fear. Millions are wondering what tomorrow will hold.

But beneath the headlines, something else is happening.

Across the Middle East, people are asking questions they were not asking before.

Questions about hope, purpose, peace, eternity, and about Jesus.

God moves amid chaos

Throughout history, God has often moved most powerfully during seasons of upheaval. We don’t believe the Church grows best when it’s safest. Throughout history, it has often grown most when it has been forced to depend completely on Jesus.

The early Church spread under persecution.

The underground Church in China expanded through decades of oppression.

Iran’s house church movement has grown despite imprisonment and execution.

Not because suffering is good.

But because suffering exposes the things we have built our lives upon. When those foundations collapse, hearts often become open to the only Kingdom that cannot be shaken.

The same war creating unprecedented suffering is also creating unprecedented openness to Jesus.

That is why this moment matters.

Persecuted Christians return

Right now, in one undisclosed nation where Global Catalytic Ministries serves, there are believed to be only around one hundred known believers remaining.

Churches have been dismantled.

Believers have been arrested.

Militias continue hunting Christians.

Entire house churches now gather in secret, knowing discovery could cost them everything.

(Photo credit: Imagens Cristãs via Flickr)

Yet in the middle of this darkness, we witnessed something that reminded us exactly how Jesus builds His Church.

Our lead coach and his wife had spent months recovering from severe persecution after faithfully serving in this country. During their time away, they invested in a new group of Arab disciple-makers from across the region, pouring into them everything they had learned through years of following Jesus under persecution.

When it came time for them to return, those disciples did something unexpected.

They gathered around Brother T and Sister L. They knelt. They washed their feet.

It was an act of honor.

An act of gratitude.

A quiet commissioning.

Just as Jesus washed the feet of His disciples before sending them into the world, these disciple-makers prayed over them and sent them back into one of the hardest places on earth.

No one knew what was about to happen

While they were waiting to board their flight, we received devastating news. Someone connected to the underground Church had abandoned the faith and begun cooperating with the police.

Believers were being identified.

House churches were being exposed.

Christians were being rounded up and held for ransom.

(Graphic courtesy Global Catalytic Ministries)

We immediately tried to reach them. By then, their passports had already been stamped.

They chose to continue forward.

Not because they believed they were invincible.

Not because they were chasing adventure.

Because they believed the people of that nation still needed to hear the Gospel.

More believers follow

Today, they remain in hiding as they continue serving the underground Church. But the story doesn’t end there. The disciple-makers who had washed their feet watched everything unfold last week.

They watched their mentors walk toward danger instead of away from it.

They learned about the arrests.

They heard about the churches being dismantled.

They understood exactly what following Jesus into that country could cost.

And then something extraordinary happened.

Three of these Arab disciples have now said yes to going into that same country.

They are not looking for applause.

They are not trying to prove their courage.

They are not seeking recognition.

They simply believe that every person deserves the opportunity to hear that Jesus can forgive sin, heal brokenness, bring peace in the middle of suffering, and that death is not final because Christ has conquered the grave.

They refuse to let fear determine where the Gospel can and cannot go.

Because this is how the Kingdom has always advanced.

(Photo courtesy Global Catalytic Ministries)

One disciple says yes.

Then another.

Then another.

The enemy may imprison believers.

He may scatter churches.

He may threaten lives.

But he cannot stop a Jesus movement. As long as ordinary men and women keep saying yes to Jesus, the Gospel will continue moving forward.

Will you help keep the Gospel moving forward?

War has not stopped the mission. If anything, it has made it more urgent.

Every month, faithful partners help equip, coach, strengthen, and send indigenous disciple-makers into places where few others can go.

If you have never become a monthly partner, would you prayerfully consider joining us today?

Your monthly generosity helps ensure that even in the darkest places, the hope of Jesus continues to advance. Become a monthly partner here.

Header image courtesy of Global Catalytic Ministries. 

“The believers are really feeling isolated,” Musselman says. “They don’t feel protected. You have the attacks, you have situations where they’re not given the basics of life, and then you have the family dynamic as well, where they are now rejected.”

An environment of fear

Image courtesy of Charu Chaturvedi on Unsplash

State propaganda and harsh anti-conversion laws create fear among believers, or those considering following Jesus. The believers in India that Musselman has talked to say they will not deny Jesus, but it has become very, very difficult to help their families. 

“We’re involved with the theology of persecution and discipleship, and teaching these pastors. They already understand persecution, but it gives them a greater understanding of the challenges that you’re going to face for following Jesus,” Musselman says.  

The discrimination is often the worst in small villages, where believing in Jesus can mean a complete ban from society, whether that is by exclusion from the communal water well, being forced to walk through different fields, or social rejection. 

“I’ve seen it, not only in India, but in Nigeria and other places, where people that are your neighbors and have been your friends turn on you, especially if you have left either the tribal religion or Hinduism to follow Jesus,” Musselman says.

“Now you’re ostracized, you’re marginalized, and unless your faith is rooted strong, it’s very tempting, and it does happen, where people do leave their relationship with Jesus.” 

Hope remains

Image courtesy of Tofin Creations on Unsplash

Yet he has seen God bring many lost people back to Himself, and despite everything, pastors are going door-to-door with the Good News and preaching against hating your enemies.

“When I talk to these believers, the reason they get into trouble and imprisoned and ostracized from family is because their desire is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Musselman says.

Pray that believers in India would receive godly wisdom and refuse to compromise against pressure. Despite how difficult it is, pray that they would not let hate enter their hearts at their persecutors but that they would continue to lovingly share the Gospel.

Header image courtesy of Akhila Katuri on Unsplash 

If enacted, it could make life even harder for the state’s small Christian community.

The Gateway Of India in Mumbai, Maharashtra. (Photo courtesy of Sarang Pande/Unsplash)

Raina Miller with Mission India says, “What is interesting about Maharashtra specifically is that it’s less than 1% Christian in this state. So it’s really devastating to see that they would have anti-conversion laws in place that would make it even more difficult to spread the Gospel when we’re already starting with such a small population of believers.”

The Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Bill 2026 includes the requirement that anyone seeking to change their religion must give 60 days’ notice and obtain government approval.

For Christians, it’s another tool that could be used to silence believers and pressure those interested in learning about Jesus.

Miller says, “When there’s anti-conversion laws in place, it means that there’s that much more fear and intimidation being put towards our programs.

“So there’s a greater risk in that the people leading the programs have a greater chance of getting in trouble. There might be more of a legal risk of, ‘If I spread the Gospel in an anti-conversion state, I could be fined or imprisoned.’”

Amid the challenges, Mission India continues to see God at work.

“Every time that persecution increases, somehow we see the spread of the Gospel speeding up too. It says in Genesis, ‘What was intended for evil, God used for good.’ We refer back to that often in terms of persecution.”

(Photo courtesy of Mission India)

Miller shares, “Our partners in India have told us that their prayer is not for persecution to stop, but for God to give them the strength to keep spreading the Gospel.”

Pray that believers in Maharashtra would remain faithful and courageous as they share the hope of Jesus Christ. Ask God to strengthen His Church and open doors for the Gospel, even if the new law takes effect.

You can support Mission India’s critical Gospel work in Maharashtra and throughout India at missionindia.org.

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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. 

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.

The opportunity began when Egby Medical Mission, a hospital in Nigeria, asked MAF to partner with their work in the country.

(Photo courtesy of MAF)

Andrew Sutton, MAF’s Nigeria Country Director, says, “There’s a lot in the news about Nigeria – the persecution that occurs there, some of the extreme terrorism that they’ve been dealing with for the last 20 years – and we’ve seen how MAF can come alongside groups that are working there in Nigeria to help overcome these obstacles, whether that’s challenges on the road or insecurity that they’re facing.

“The airplane is just a great tool to kind of help the ministry that’s already happening on the ground in Nigeria.”

The ministry plans to launch operations from Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city. Long-term, MAF hopes to connect remote communities through smaller airstrips closer to hospitals, schools, and ministry partners.

Andrew Sutton, left, MAF’s new Nigeria Country Director, and unidentified person from Egbe hospital, check out the airstrip being rebuilt for the hospital and MAF. (Photo courtesy of MAF)

Sutton explains those flights would meet a wide range of needs.

“Some of the requests that we’ve heard so far, it seems like the majority of those are transporting people around the country, and that could be people that need to just travel from one village to another. Sometimes those are medical flights…. also flying supplies, whether that’s for a school or a hospital.”

MAF has already cleared many administrative hurdles, but several key steps remain before flights can begin.

They hope to begin operating in Nigeria by early 2027, flying aid and ministry support in Jesus’ name. One major answer to prayer has already arrived: a donated 2025 Cessna Caravan valued at roughly $3.6 million.

“Even though some days it might feel like there’s a lot of steps left with all the regulatory process, seeing how the Lord has provided for the aircraft is a great encouragement.”

However, prayer is still needed as MAF works through the final approvals.

(Photo courtesy of MAF)

Sutton asks, “Pray through this process as we’re working through the civil aviation approval process to have visas for the country. The visas are probably the number one need at the moment, so that we can be there in the country and to help set up and to get ready for the aircraft coming over.

“Then ultimately [pray] for the airplane…. This is a big country, and it’s only one aircraft. But the Lord can work through this and to use this tool to reach inside the country.”

Find ways to support MAF’s critical Gospel aviation work here.

Header photo: Stock photo courtesy of MAF Guinea.

Samuel of Redemptive Stories says the regional situation is complicated, yet connected.

“It’s pretty much everyone against Israel, in one way, shape, or form. [Türkiye] is certainly part of that, and has always been anti-Israel, especially Erdogan,” he explains.

Neighboring Türkiye is now weighing in. President Tayyip Erdogan says regional instability could lead to more refugees and financial pressure.

“He’s basically trying to communicate that Lebanon is a sovereign nation, it should take care of itself,” Samuel says.

Erdogan’s comments also imply “that the effects of Israel’s continued attacks destabilize the region, including making it more difficult for Syria to stand on its own two legs,” he adds.

Yet hope remains. One Kurdish pastor recently told Samuel about the Gospel growth he sees among ethnic minorities.

“In the midst of all of this chaos in our region is an opportunity for the Gospel to go forth, and we’re seeing that, in the north part of Syria, among the Kurds, God is doing something special,” Samuel says.

“Many, many are coming to faith and following Jesus.”

Gospel growth

Samuel also describes Gospel movements among Syria’s Alawite and Druze communities following violence. ISIS, massacres, and attacks on minority communities have caused people to ask deeper questions and, in some cases, turn to Jesus.

(AI photo generated by ChatGPT)

Samuel says last spring, “There was a massacre of many people, some say thousands,” in Syria’s Alawite community.

“Now, in churches and homes across the coastal region of Syria, there are hundreds of new believers after all of that occurred.”

Later in 2025, Syria’s Druze community fell victim. “A brother was just there recently, and he told of over 65 people who have come to faith in Christ and been baptized,” Samuel says.

“It’s in that instability that God does something. His Spirit moves, and people are drawn to Him.”

Local believers are responding with boldness. Partners in places like Syria and Lebanon continue to care for neighbors and share the Gospel despite danger and instability. Will you pray for them?

“On all fronts, we just encourage them to be faithful in whatever task that is before them, the calling that God has put on their lives, and God will be faithful to bring about His good purposes,” Samuel says.

Header and story images are representative AI photos generated by ChatGPT. 

Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs USA says persecution remains a reality for many Christians, especially at the local level. They are a small minority in the country. According to the 2022 census, Christians represent approximately 0.30% of Bangladesh’s population.

“They face mob violence, they face attacks at the village level, they sometimes face attacks within their own families,” says Nettleton.

Bangladeshi man sitting next to water, Sadarghat, Dhaka, Bangladesh (photo courtesy of Refat Ul Islam via Unsplash)

The current Bangladeshi government, led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has made public statements supporting religious minorities:

“The controlling [BNP] party in the government has talked about being a rainbow country where people of different stripes — Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and Christians — all have a place, but carrying that forward, especially at the village level, can be very difficult,” says Nettleton.

Despite those commitments, many believers say daily life can be challenging. In some communities, Christians remain outsiders in the eyes of their neighbors and can become easy targets for discrimination and abuse.

Another concern is the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a Hindu nationalist party, in the neighboring Indian state of West Bengal, which borders Bangladesh. Movement between Bangladesh and India is common, with many people crossing the border legally and illegally for work, family, and other reasons.

Nettleton explains the ideology behind India’s ruling Hindu nationalist movement: “This is a Hindu nationalist party whose philosophy is that India is a Hindu country; only Hindus really belong there.”

Some Bangladeshi Christians worry that the spread of Hindu nationalist ideas could contribute to increased pressure on religious minorities and lead to the kind of persecution seen in other parts of India.

Pray for the Gospel to advance in Bangladesh. Pray also that God would protect believers in Bangladesh and neighboring India as they seek to follow Christ faithfully.

Visit Voice of the Martyrs USA to learn more about the persecuted Church and discover ways you can stand alongside believers facing persecution.

Header photo: Dhaka, Dhaka Division, Bangladesh (photo courtesy of Somogro Bangladesh via Pexels).

During a recent trip to Nigeria, Greg Musselman of Voice of the Martyrs Canada met with the local Christians.

“The idea is to really encourage believers in these nations with what the Bible teaches about persecution and to help them understand that what they’re going through is actually very rooted in Scripture,” says Musselman.

A church in Nigeria (photo courtesy of VOM Canada)

The teaching was both timely and much needed. One pastor told him, “We know that we’re going through these persecutions, but we didn’t realize the Bible taught so much.”

Understanding the biblical foundation for persecution is important. Musselman says, “It’s called the theology of persecution and discipleship, and it really spans from Genesis to Revelation in what the Bible teaches about suffering for righteousness.”

Nigerian believers were also encouraged to learn that Christians in many other countries face persecution for their faith. Knowing others share their struggles helped strengthen their resolve to persevere for the Gospel.

Diverse crowd enjoying a street festival, Nigeria (photo courtesy of via Kaybee Photography
Follow via Pexels)

Musselman says stories of persecution are often accompanied by powerful testimonies of God’s faithfulness and protection throughout believers’ hardships. Read about the time 360 hostages were freed from a Boko Haram stronghold in northeast Nigeria here.

“You hear about the attacks, but then you hear about some of the supernatural interventions of the Lord protecting people,” he says.

Pray that the Lord will give Nigerian believers strength amid their trials. Pray also that those carrying out the persecution would turn from their ways and come to know the Lord. Musselman says God continues to work in the region:

“I met so many former Muslims during my trips back and forth to Nigeria. God is really working in the Islamic world, and we’re so grateful for that.”

Visit Voice of the Martyrs Canada to learn more about how God is sustaining and growing His Church amid persecution.

Header photo: Reading Bible (courtesy of Tima Miroshnichenko via Pexels).