With games beginning June 11 and running until July 19, the World Cup attracts more viewers and attendees than any other tournament or event in the world.

“This provides a huge opportunity for evangelism,” John Pudaite with Bibles for the World says. “The U.S. will see an estimated 1.2 million visitors coming to attend the games. It’s reported that ticket requests came from 216 different nations and territories, and so, in essence, the U.S. is going to see the entire world visit during this month of World Cup matches.”

Churches have not missed the significance of the event.

Photo by My Profit Tutor on Unsplash

Believers are preparing to host watch parties on their church campuses as well as in their homes, welcoming their communities and out-of-towners through their church doors.

Additionally, some churches have banded together to do outreach outside stadiums in the hours leading up to the games.

At one of the World Cup locations this year, Seattle, Washington, churches have created a network for evangelism called Victory Seattle. The initiative aims to coordinate watch party events and street ministry, inviting people who are looking for victory to truly find it. One of these churches is led by Pastor Jesse Bradley, a former professional soccer player and goalkeeper.

Bibles for the World was contacted earlier this week to provide Bible materials for the outreach.

Pudaite says, “We’re just blessed to be able to provide Scriptures for them during the World Cup. We’ll be providing Gospels of John, Bibles, and New Testaments. Interestingly, we’re also going to provide key chains with QR codes that provide access to more than 2,000 languages available on the YouVersion app, so visitors from all of these countries will be able to access God’s Word.”

For some visitors from closed or restricted-access countries, the event presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share God’s Word with them.

If your city or church wants to get involved, Bibles for the World invites you to get in touch to receive Scriptures, especially the Gospel of John, in different languages and to order Gospels and key chains from the BFTW office.

“We certainly welcome that and look forward to partnering in the building of the Lord’s kingdom,” Pudaite says.

Please pray for the teams going out, that those witnessing will be strong in their faith, and that if they face people who are critical of or antagonistic toward the gospel, they will do what God has called them to do.

Pray that those hosting parties will have a solid opportunity to present the gospel and that people will be open to Christ.

“They may be coming, thinking they’re coming to watch the soccer matches,” Pudaite says, “but actually they may be coming and have a chance to meet Jesus face-to-face.”

Header Photo by Cristian Tarzi on Unsplash

Contrary to projections that it would end swiftly, the US-Israeli war on Iran is in its fourth month. John Cergnilia with SAT-7 remarks, “To be frank about it, I don’t hear Iranian colleagues talking about this being short-lived.” 

SAT-7 is a satellite TV ministry to the Middle East and North Africa. Its Persian channel (SAT-7 PARS) broadcasts into Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. 

Cerniglia says that the SAT-7 PARS team has heard stories of horrific injustice from Iranians on the ground. Yet Iranian believers also have a sober grasp of what it means to be a Christian. 

One colleague from Iran told Cerniglia simply this: “Following Christ means sacrifice. It means suffering.” 

Recently, the SAT-7 team has shared content especially for grieving or struggling parents. Children in Iran have been killed in US airstrikes and crackdowns by the Iranian regime. Many today are being recruited for military-like security activities. 

“Even when — this is hard for me to even say — even when a Christian in Iran loses a child, they expect it as a Jesus-follower,” Cerniglia says. “Sacrifice and suffering in that context.”

Some contact SAT-7 PARS Audience Relations Specialists at great personal risk to ask for prayer and share their stories. (Image courtesy SAT-7)

SAT-7 PARS content for parents includes a poignant video compilation of how parents have expressed both grief and resilience in the face of loss. SAT-7 has also broadcast a three-episode series called The Passage. One episode talks about how parents can walk their kids through the emotional pressures of war. 

Please stand with Iranians in prayer. 

“Pray for protection over civilians — not just Christians, but over all civilians, 80 million people living in the country of Iran. [Pray for] restraint and wisdom among leaders,” says Cerniglia. 

“And of course, [pray] that God would strengthen the churches and believers. The resilience that we hear about the Church, the spiritual maturity of the Church in Iran, is nothing short of stunning.”

Visit SAT-7’s website to receive a prayer list with further requests.

Header photo of home worship courtesy of SAT-7 PARS.

China Partner‘s Erik Burklin says: “I think God loves when his people come to talk to him or to pray, and that’s what we’re doing also on behalf of the body of Christ in China.”

On this year’s World Day of Prayer, Pope Leo XIV prayed that Chinese believers would be witnesses of hope and peace.

Burklin also reflects on conversations with church leaders in China, who say that despite restrictions, they believe God can open a window even when all the doors seem closed.

“It was his way of saying, ‘We’re not going to give up. We’re going to look for a way in and stay encouraged because Christ is the head of the Church. No matter what happens with the government restricting us, we will stay faithful,'” says Burklin.

Still, many believers in China long for greater religious freedom.

Man and woman standing in the flower field in Anfu, Ji’an, China (photo courtesy of Jaddy Liu via Unsplash)

“They call it winter time, and they’re praying for spring, they’re praying for summer, for a better time,” Burklin says.

Despite this season of “winter,” churches continue to grow and bring the hope of Christ to their communities.

“In the midst of what we would consider persecution, by far the majority of believers are still able to freely worship Christ and go to church,” he adds.

Please pray for the Church in China to remain faithful and continue shining the light of Christ throughout the nation. Pray also for greater religious freedom and for a season of spring after this long winter.

“Overall, just make it a habit to, when you pray, also remember China and the Christians in China,” Burklin says.

Visit China Partner to learn more about the challenges facing the Chinese Church and how leaders faithfully minister despite ongoing restrictions.

Header photo: Lijiang, Yunnan, China; Naxi woman carrying the typical baskets of the region; scene from a public perfomance in Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Open Air Theatre (Photo courtesy of CEphoto, Uwe Aranas via Wikimedia Commons).

Elections this week in four of India’s states and one territory have returned the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to dominance. 

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP leads a coalition of parties called the National Democratic Alliance. With the BJP’s landslide victory in West Bengal State this week, it now leads 18 of India’s 28 states. That’s nearly 80 percent of India’s population, according to a poll analysis by the TV network India Today.

Add to that the fact that the NDA coalition (including the BJP) governs 21 of India’s 28 states, and you have a major political force. 

A man we’ll call Paul serves as a pastoral coach in support of work in India. According to Paul as well as other reports, the BJP’s campaigning in West Bengal was less than honorable. It involved the presence of many soldiers.

“My friend who lives there [said], ‘It looks like there’s a war taking place in West Bengal,’” says Paul. “They went ‘all out’ and did every unethical, immoral way to defeat [the incumbent chief minister]. And they won — a massive victory, 200-plus seats.”

Irregularities included a voter list overhaul that removed some 2.7 million voters. A disproportionate number of those voters were Muslims. That’s according to an analysis from independent research organization SABAR Institute, based in Kolkata.

What’s next for India? 

Several concerning realities may come from the BJP’s expanded reach.

Sonajhuri Haat Bolpur, West Bengal, India (Photo courtesy of Ratul Pal via Unsplash)

The first thing to expect comes from the party’s record, says Paul. “Every state they [the BJP] captured, they immediately brought in this anti-conversion law,” he says. 

Anti-conversion laws can be framed as protections for religious freedom. But in practice, they are anything but. Such laws are currently present in at least 12 of India’s states. 

Then, on a national level, Paul believes the BJP will push to change India from a secular republic to a Hindu republic.

“They were short one state, and now they won West Bengal. So we can expect that a constitutional amendment will be happening very soon,” he says.

If these predictions come true, Christians and Muslims in India have testing times ahead.

“Especially in terms of missions,” says Paul. “We’ll have to relook at how we do missions completely — probably have to go underground. It’s already happening. Many churches are shut down in the states where these [leaders] have passed this anti-conversion law. Many churches have closed down.”

These changes and challenges are no surprise to God. Please pray!

“Pray that the Church will stay strong, united,” says Paul. Pray for wisdom for churches about complying with government regulations. 

“Pray for us [that] as a church and leadership will come together and come up with some more concrete plans and strategies to live out our faith in the midst of this context,” says Paul. 

Header photo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing at the joint SCO-CSTO Outreach Summit on Afghanistan, through video conferencing, in New Delhi on September 17, 2021. (Wikimedia Commons)

The only thing changing is who does the boots-on-the-ground Bible distribution. 

“It’s more difficult than it used to be in terms of the details and getting that all set up, the funds in, and the Bibles purchased and delivered, but it’s still effective, and the product and resources are still there, and the opportunity still exists,” he said.  

 Not only are people getting scripture, but lives are being changed. 

For example, Rovenstine recently attended a Bible forum where different organizations shared stories about the efficacy of spreading the Word. 

One of these organizations shared the story about one of their current gospel workers in the Muslim world.

About 40 years ago, this man’s father had been a seafarer and received a Bible at a port in New Orleans. 

This Muslim seafarer was grateful for the gift, but tucked it away and took it home and neglected it, Rovenstine said.

(Image courtesy of Bibles for China)

Years later, his son found the Bible, and it became the pathway to faith in Jesus for him. 

Over time, this man came to faith and was able to connect with Christians, creating content online. 

“It was an encouragement to know that the Word of God, at the right place, at the right time, can make a difference,” Rovenstine said. 

One of Bibles for China’s ministries is to provide Bibles to chaplains who reach out to the Seafarer community. 

And they have a New Testament that is specifically designed in English and Mandarin to give to Chinese seafarers that chaplains distribute at ports all over the world. 

 Rovenstine says, “We are approaching another printing of that particular piece, and we’d love to have help in that process.” 

“The process is still moving forward.”  Rovenstine says, “We’re placing Bibles through networks that we’ve created and partnerships that we’ve created in China. Bibles are printed in China under the press. The oversight there is impeccable, and the scriptures have integrity. They’re not altered. They’re not changed. We help to purchase those Bibles and get them to locations where people may not have the opportunity to have a Bible (otherwise).”

The work of chaplains at these seaports is difficult, Rovenstine says. Often, it feels like the work does not make a difference, but now and then a conversation or a Bible placed in someone’s hands really does. 

Please pray that Bible distributors will be encouraged and that chaplains reaching out to seafarers will have appropriate responses for those with difficult lives. 

Pray for those who receive the Word that they’re drawn to it, that they read it and respond to the truth, that they find God and engage with Him. 

Header image courtesy of Bibles for China

“It’s the women, it’s the children, it’s the men, it’s across the nation because the men are the ones going to war – there’s just devastation,” he says. 

Wesley and his team recently visited partners in South Sudan to encourage, teach, and provide trauma counseling. He says touching down in the capital city of Juba didn’t raise immediate societal alarms. But when he spoke with people: 

“All they would talk to you about was the fact that civil war is looming and that they don’t want it to come,” he says. 

Since gaining independence in 2011, South Sudan has struggled to establish national unity, with skirmishes involving both ethnic and religious groups within the country and neighboring countries outside it. Furthermore, Wesley says corruption complicates a worsening situation. 

“Here’s the heartbreaking thing: aid is trying to come into the country, and it’s being robbed.”

He says International Aid Agencies are working to help where they can. 

“Now they’re considering air dropping things to the needy people – to the camps – but it costs 17 times more to do it that way. And yet, if you don’t, what is that going to look like?” Wesley asks. 

Yet against this heartbreaking reality stands another one: hope found in the doors of unassuming church

South Sudan flag. Courtesy of Aboodi Vesakaran via Unsplash. Header image courtesy of Speak Media Uganda via Pexels.

buildings and the hearts of humble Jesus-followers. In his experience of congregational worship, Wesley says the people’s joy and exuberance were unmatched. 

“I was overwhelmed. They have tapped into the reality that God is their strength in the midst of this hardship,” he says. 

And the substance of their supplication is clear. 

“The number one prayer is peace,” Wesley says. 

Without peace, war will continue to impede almost every kind of progress: economic, societal, educational. Please pray that spiritual progress would be the exception, and that God’s Word would go out with more force and power than any earthly weapon being wielded. 

“If there’s any believer out there who’s listening to my voice, and you’re hearing this story about South Sudan, join with us in praying for South Sudan,” Wesley requests. “All of the prognostications are that it’s going to go into civil war, and it’s going to go downhill. But God.” 

Let us pray for the Holy Spirit’s convicting work to transform leadership and the economic landscape in South Sudan. Pray for peace in hearts and peace in this nation, and ask the Lord to do a mighty work in this most difficult place. 

“There was such a gracious anointing there as they were responding to the Word,” he says. “So they weren’t just hearing it. They weren’t just writing it. They were now living it.”

Even before the conference had ended, stories were surfacing of its impact. 

“We heard testimonies from the people who were there who were holding onto unforgiveness because of people who had killed their family members. Yet in hearing the training, they forgave,” Wesley says. 

The impact of a faithful church, even (or perhaps especially) in dire economic circumstances, cannot be understated. One attendee, for example, a young church leader who Wesley likens to the Biblical church leader Timothy, is being sought out by local government officials needing leadership advice. 

“When the church is doing the church right, even the world will recognize it and want to hear from you and want to have participation with you because they recognize that you can bring a difference and a positive result,” Wesley says. 

Yet this reality does not negate another: persecution. Two weeks after the conference, another attendee’s husband was murdered by gunmen targeting him for his faith. 

“I come away from that, and I’m thinking, ‘How gracious, in one sense, that this was available to her before the fact, and now after the fact we can do something to help and support them,’” Wesley reflects. 

His hope is that regardless of circumstances, the true church of Jesus will showcase the glory of God: 

“By loving, by serving, by forgiving, by caring,” he says. 

For more information on VOM Canada’s training and resources on suffering, listen to Greg Musselman’s complete interview with Stephen Wesley. 

Dinka tribe, South Sudan. Courtesy of Randy Faith via Unsplash. Header photo courtesy of Speak Media Uganda via Pexels.

“In ten minutes, we had like 100 strikes,” says Nuna with Triumphant Mercy Lebanon, referring to a report from the Israeli military. “[The strikes] are so violent and strong.”

Nuna says the increased Israeli military response came because Israel can now focus on a single military front. 

“But also they have intelligence on where the people who are involved in any military activity against Israel are located,” she adds. “All these military people are trying to find refuge in places that have nothing to do with the conflict” — places such as civilian apartment buildings.

(Stock photo courtesy of Etienne Boulanger via Unsplash)

The fact that Hezbollah members are positioning themselves among civilians adds a challenging layer to Lebanon’s strife: It is dangerous for others to help the displaced. Many of the more than 1 million people displaced since Hezbollah fired on Israel on March 2 are Shia Muslims, the same branch of Islam that Hezbollah springs from. This causes others to fear that the family or individual at their door could be affiliated with Hezbollah and might put them at risk of collateral damage if Israel conducts a strike.

The Iran ceasefire has also started an exodus homeward. 

“Because of the ceasefire in Iran, we had so many trying to go back to the south, or to areas in the south,” says Nuna, describing traffic jams in Beirut on Wednesday. “Now with the strikes, it’s a very difficult time, because people are thinking of leaving. Some of them are on the road. Some of them have somebody in one of the regions that were targeted on the way back.”

Communication lines have also been disrupted. Yesterday, someone at a Triumphant Mercy Lebanon center said they could not reach their son and daughter by phone. 

“The emotional trauma is very high, especially when you’re not able to communicate,” says Nuna. 

What will it take for peace?

Any ceasefire for Lebanon must address the root issue of the conflict with Israel: the disarmament of Hezbollah. Otherwise, Nuna says,  “It will just lead to another round of hostilities in a few months, in a few years.”

“Let’s finish completely. Let’s remove the weapons of Hezbollah,” she says. “I don’t want people to die, but I want this dealt with so that Lebanon will be with one government, one police, one military, one just one entity, and not have all these militias inside that are another government within our own government.”

Please pray for Triumphant Mercy staff as they continue sharing the hope of Jesus while under heavy strain themselves.

(Photo courtesy of Triumphant Mercy Lebanon)

“Everybody’s on high alert. It’s like, ‘Do you want to close the center early? Do you want to let everybody go early?’ And at the same time, it’s not safe to let them go early because we don’t know, so [we should] keep them inside,” says Nuna. 

The hope of Jesus is the foundation of the work Triumphant Mercy Lebanon does. (More on that here.)

“How can we even give an encouraging word, or a word of hope of a future, if we didn’t have the gospel? Without the gospel, I can tell you, we are nothing,” says Nuna. 

Ask God to mercifully allow change to come to Lebanon quickly rather than through prolonged conflict. Nuna asks for this based on Jesus’ words in Matthew 24 and Mark 13. In those passages, Jesus teaches about the signs of the end of the world and the calamities that will occur in those times. 

“Pray that the time would be shortened, because otherwise nobody can sustain it,” she says. “This is what I’m praying, that what God wants to do in this country — the way God wants to cleanse the country, or revive the country — will be done quickly. The time and the extension of time is so tiring and draining and emotionally hard.”

Header photo of Beirut, Lebanon courtesy of Michael Starkie via Unsplash.

“But then on the other side: you’re seeing, really, brother against brother, ethnicity against ethnicity, tribe against tribe – both of whom are calling themselves Christians but are not living it. And so this has to get worked out,” he says. 

Wesley recently returned from Juba, South Sudan, where his team and ministry partners held a theological training on persecution and discipleship. 

“I heard some of the leaders from South Sudan speaking at our conference and basically calling out the South to say, ‘If you name the name of Christ, then you cannot kill your brother,’” he says. 

Wesley notes there were several testimonies of people impacted by the teaching, including a high ranking army official:

“[He] heard the teaching and wants to take [it] to the government and show them that what they’re doing is the opposite of what they should be doing.”

Wesley says a transformative idea for warring believers is an understanding that our identity should be in Christ. 

“And where the world’s culture has infiltrated the church, it needs to go out,” Wesley exhorts. 

Instead, we need to usher in Christ’s kingdom, one that works together in unity. 

As lessons from this training continue to take root, please pray that people will continue to respond to the messages they heard, and pray for an end to the growing violence. 

“My confidence is that there is a number of key leaders that God is raising up in that land right now, in the midst of it, that are going to be influential to benefit both the church and society no matter what’s happening in the culture or the country,” Wesley says. 

Sudanese combatant with G3 rifle, courtesy of Steve Evans via Wikimedia Commons. Header image courtesy of Ahmed Abubakar via Pexels.

Qatar (Photo courtesy of Ayush Pappini via Unsplash)

On Wednesday, Israel struck Iran’s South Pars gas field. Iran responded on Thursday with strikes across the Gulf region, which included a gas facility at Qatar’s Ras Laffan plant. These events have made crude oil prices even more volatile. 

As the economic impacts of the war spread across the world, so do the psychological and human costs. Fadi Sharaiha from the MENA Leadership Center recognizes people growing numb to living under sirens, missiles, and drone strikes. 

“This is what we call the mechanism of defense for people. If you are going through a trauma, what happens is you justify the trauma, or you normalize it,” he says. “This is really a dangerous I would say ‘mental health’ concern that I have for people.”

Iranian boy in a jacket (picture courtesy of Hiva Sharifi via Unsplash)

The numbers surrounding this war keep rising, yet Sharaiha notes, “The first casualty in a war is truth. So nobody knows really the numbers, or what is really happening on the ground.” 

Even with the mass of data in Middle East news reports, the fact remains that every person who has been killed was made in God’s image, as well as every person displaced or suffering any kind of loss. 

“For me, those are not numbers. Those are faces. Those are people who are created in God’s image. They have aspiration, goals, feelings, emotions. They want to live their lives,” says Sharaiha. 

Find your place in the story

As Christians watch the news and pray, Sharaiha urges us to think personally, “to have a face to the number.”

“Please pray for the peace in the Middle East,” he says. “Pray for those people who are being displaced — like 1 million people in Lebanon.”

Lebanon (Stock photo courtesy of Nathan McBride via Unsplash)

Pray for endurance for Christians in the Gulf region. This is so important, because Sharaiha says, “It’s very easy to lose focus and faith whenever you’re going through a trauma, war, or conflict.” 

Also, pray a big-picture prayer! Ask God to use His people around the world to speak the true hope of Christ in significant ways during the Middle East conflict. This is tied to what Sharaiha calls “the prophetic voice” of the Church. 

“That [prophetic voice] is not politics. We need to go back to peace-building, reaching the unreached, loving people, and making sure that we are available for people to help and support,” he says. 

In early March, the MENA Leadership Center’s most recent online training was attended by students whose countries were being bombed in the newly-begun US-Israel-Iran war. Sharaiha says future courses will include an introduction to refugee ministry and a course on conflict resolution. 

“We are trying to respond to whatever is happening today, on the ground of people going through war, going through trauma, going through bad times,” he says. 

Learn more about the ministry and mission at menaleadershipcenter.com. 

Header photo courtesy of a user named Pavellllllll on Pixabay.