Podcasts about killing christians

In this heartfelt episode of the Revelations Podcast, Reagan Kramer welcomes Tom and JoAnn Doyle, leaders of Uncharted Ministries, to share their incredible journey of faith, ministry, and miracles. From life-changing dreams and visions of Jesus in the Muslim community to the untapped power of women in advancing the gospel, this episode is packed with stories that uplift and inspire. This episode shines a light on the supernatural ways God is reaching people in some of the darkest corners of the world, offering hope where there seems to be none. And the pathway through which the river of God's love flows may be you.God is omnipresent, all-powerful, and all-knowing. He will come to us in the most unlikely places. He might appear in the form of a stranger offering a kind hand and word. Alternatively, God may show Himself to you as a vision, whether a waking dream or one that appears to you in your sleep. But sometimes, it is not to you that God appears, but people find God through you.By tuning in to this episode, you'll gain a renewed perspective on the power of prayer, the depth of God's love, and how ordinary people can play extraordinary roles in God's plan. If you've been wondering what part you have to play in the divine work, let this episode challenge and encourage you to see opportunities to be God's light.Here are three reasons why you should listen to this episode:Understand how dreams and visions can be God's way of meeting us no matter where we are, showing how he relentlessly pursues the salvation of every soul.Find out about how we are all called to spread the Gospel and help everyone find God, especially those different from us.Learn how to navigate spiritual battles and wrap yourself in the spiritual armor of God to persevere through any darkness.Become Part of Our Mission! Support The Revelations Podcast:Your support fuels our mission to share transformative messages of hope and faith. Click here to learn how you can contribute and be part of this growing community!ResourcesMore from the Revelations Podcast hosted by Reagan Kramer: Website | Instagram | Apple Podcast | YoutubeUncharted MinistriesDreams and Visions by Tom DoyleWomen Who Risk by JoAnn DoyleBlurry CreaturesI Found the Truth MinistryBible VersesEphesians 1:17Ephesians 6John 14:6Acts 2Matthew 28:19-20This Episode is brought to you by Advanced Medicine AlternativesGet back to the active life you love through natural & regenerative musculoskeletal healing: https://www.georgekramermd.com/Episode Highlights[0:09] Meeting Tom and JoAnnReagan introduces Tom and JoAnn Doyle, the hosts of Uncharted Ministries. Tom recently recovered from stage four cancer — a true miracle from God.Of the two, Tom is the primary storyteller. JoAnn provides feminine commentary.Reagan found Tom's book to be a powerful personal experience, challenging her faith and making her review how she lived.[04:02] Uncharted MinistriesJoAnn explains their ministry's history, starting with Bible trips in Israel and Jordan and transitioning to working in the Middle East post-9/11.Tom and JoAnn emphasize their commitment to working with both Jews and Muslims, highlighting God's big heart for both groups.Tom and JoAnn discuss the challenges and opportunities in the Middle East, including the spiritual warfare and the openness of Muslims to the Gospel.They share stories of Muslims having dreams and visions about Jesus, which have become more common post-9/11.Tom and JoAnn emphasize the importance of God's love disarming people and their approach of winning people over with love rather than defensiveness.[15:12] Impact of Dreams and VisionsTom explains why Jesus comes to Muslims in dreams, referencing the Islamic tradition of dreams and visions.He describes the Night of Power during Ramadan as a significant time when many Muslims have dreams about Jesus.JoAnn adds that many Muslims are searching for answers and are open to the Gospel, often feeling unfulfilled by their current faith.Reagan shares a personal story of meeting a Muslim woman in a coffee shop and how it led to a spiritual conversation that helped them both find God.[23:58] The Role of Women in MinistryTom and JoAnn discuss the significant role of women in their ministry, particularly as spiritual gatekeepers in Muslim families.They share stories of women coming to faith in Christ and the impact it has on their families and communities.JoAnn emphasizes the importance of women in the New Testament and their role in supporting and providing for Jesus and the disciples.Reagan and JoAnn discuss the importance of women in America recognizing their value and purpose in God's plan.[27:52] Approaching Spiritual Warfare Through PrayerTom and JoAnn describe the intense spiritual warfare in the Muslim world and the importance of prayer and the armor of God.They share personal experiences of feeling the oppressive spiritual darkness in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem.Tom recounts a story of praying for a man in a refugee camp in Gaza, who later requested prayers for his family.JoAnn emphasizes the importance of putting on the armor of God and praying for protection and strength in spiritual battles.[33:32] Christians and Muslims: Together in FaithTom and JoAnn share stories of encounters with Muslims, including a woman in Egypt who had a dream about them and a man in Jordan who had a dream about his son.They describe how these encounters lead to opportunities to share the Gospel and bring people to find God and faith in Christ.JoAnn shares a story of meeting a woman in a niqab at MD Anderson and how it led to a meaningful conversation and prayer.They emphasize the importance of being open to opportunities and not being afraid to engage with Muslims.[42:40] How People Find God in DreamsTom and JoAnn discuss the varied nature of dreams Muslims have about Jesus, including specific messages and encounters.They share a story of a woman who had a dream about Jesus after praying "Who are you?" and how it led her to faith.Tom recounts a story of a man in Egypt who had a dream about Rami and later came to faith after Rami visited him.These dreams were powerful, personal, and intimate. The deepness of their connection is how they lead people to seek Jesus.[54:06] You Can Expect MiraclesTom shares about his current health crisis and the power of prayer and support from believers around the world.JoAnn emphasizes the importance of not giving up hope and continuing to pray no matter the darkness. Never stop praying for your loved ones.Reagan herself had a personal experience of praying for a supernatural encounter with God for a friend — and it led to spiritual awakening.As Christians, we are challenged to be light and share the love of Jesus wherever we are, even in difficult circumstances.[1:05:49] Encounter with Maria at the Gas StationTom shares a story about a conversation with a woman named Maria at a gas station in Dallas. Maria says she had been having dreams about Jesus for over 30 years.Meeting Maria was a moment where Tom received an assignment from God. He gave Maria a book about dreams and visions, which resonated deeply with her.Maria had been praying to find God and Jesus. Meeting Tom was unexpected, but it was through him that God reached out to Maria.Reagan and JoAnn discuss the timing and coincidence of the gas station meeting. There are people waiting to hear about Jesus everywhere, not just in specific locations.[1:09:55] The Role of Influential Believers in Sports and MediaNFL football stars who believe and share their faith can have a powerful impact on their viewership and followers.Social media is a powerful force in the modern era; JoAnn mentions multiple Christian podcasts, such as Blurry Creatures, that let people stumble upon Jesus and find God.Believers in sports and media have been invaluable when it comes to spreading the gospel. Their reach is wide, and can touch anyone regardless of age or origin.These people may be a hope for securing the faith in the U.S. and shows the importance of sharing the Gospel through various platforms.[1:13:07] Prayer for Believers Worldwide to Find GodTom and Reagan encourage listeners to reach out to Muslims and share the Gospel.They then lead a prayer for listeners, asking for God's guidance and encouragement, and perseverance in the face of difficulty.Tom and JoAnn pray for Muslims to consider the gospel and read the Bible, and express their love for Jesus. May all people know Him more deeply.Reagan blesses JoAnn and Tom, praying for their healing and continued ministry, while praising God for the miracles and the Holy Spirit's boldness in their lives.About Tom DoyleTom Doyle is the President and Founder of Uncharted Ministries, an organization dedicated to reaching the unreached and standing with the persecuted, particularly among Jews and Muslims in the Middle East and other uncharted territories. His journey into Middle Eastern ministry began in 1995 when he became an official tour guide for Israel, fostering a deep passion for the region and its people.In 2001, following a divine calling, Tom and his wife, JoAnn, transitioned into full-time ministry focused on the Middle East, Central Asia, and North Africa. Tom is also a prolific author, known for books such as Dreams and Visions, Killing Christians, and Standing in the Fire, which highlight God's miraculous work among Muslim communities. His most recent work, Women Who Risk — Secret Agents for Jesus in the Muslim World, co-authored with JoAnn, shares compelling stories of Muslim women transformed by Jesus.Beyond his literary contributions, Tom is a sought-after international speaker, sharing firsthand accounts of faith and perseverance from some of the world's most challenging regions.About JoAnn DoyleJoAnn Doyle is the President and Founder of Not Forgotten, the women's ministry division of Uncharted Ministries, focusing on reaching and empowering women in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia, with a particular emphasis on Muslim women. Married to Tom for over 38 years, JoAnn was a pastor's wife for two decades before embracing a full-time calling to the Middle East in 2001.Her ministry journey led her to establish Not Forgotten, through which she leads expeditions, conducts training, and speaks in churches across North America, inspiring women to engage Muslim women with the love and message of Christ. JoAnn is also a co-author of Women Who Risk — Secret Agents for Jesus in the Muslim World, alongside her husband, Tom, sharing riveting stories of transformation among Muslim women.Her dedication to worship, prayer, and family underscores her commitment to living out her faith in both personal and ministry contexts.Connect with JoAnn and Tom on their website, Uncharted Ministries.Enjoyed this Episode?If you did, subscribe and share it with your friends!Post a review and share it! If you found our deep dive into the spiritual influences on mental health insightful, we'd love to hear your thoughts. Leave a review and share this episode with friends and family. Encourage others to find God in all things — whether in a dream, a chance encounter, or in themselves.Have any questions? You can connect with me on Instagram.Thank you for tuning in! For more updates, tune in on Apple Podcasts

Dr Anthony Chornes Dr. of Naturopathy shares heavy truths that should warn and encourage Christians towards healthier lifestyles. Must watch!!!

In this episode Matt chats with special guest Tom Doyle, author of several excellent books: Dreams & Visions, Standing in the Fire and Killing Christians, to name a few.He and his wife, Joann, served in many Middle Eastern countries and have written about the stories of those they have met along the way, particularly Muslims who have had dreams and visions of Jesus or have suffered for their faith.Tom is now the President of Uncharted Ministries, who produce the excellent video series of Muslim Background Believer testimonies, called I Found the Truth.In this episode you'll hear stories of a martyrdom in Saudi Arabia, a miraculous deliverance from a firing squad, incredible bravery in Gaza and various dreams of Jesus. Send us a textNeighbours & Nations Conference: Saturday 23rd November 2024High Wycombe, UKTo sign up for free tickets: http://geni.us/frontiers2024_________________________________________________________________________________Do get in touch if you have any questions for Matt or for any of his guests.matt@frontiers.org.ukYou can find out more about us by visiting www.frontiers.org.ukOr, if you're outside the UK, visit www.frontiers.org (then select from one of our national offices). For social media in the UK:Instagram: frontiers_ukFacebook: @frontiersukfriendsAnd do check out the free and outstanding 6 week video course for churches and small groups, called MomentumYes:www.momentumyes.com (USA)www.momentumyes.org.uk (UK) _________________________________________________________________________________

Saint Maurice, Feast Day, September 22. Followed by a homily given by Fr. Emmanuel Charles McCarthy on August 9, 2024, at the end of the Annual 40-Day Time of Prayer and Fasting for Gospel Nonviolence. JOIN THE 2024 PRE-ADVENT ONLINE RETREAT with Fr. McCarthy and myself!Click here:https://bit.ly/3SqtUP8FIND THE HOMILY ONLY (NO INTRO BY ELLEN) HERE on Fr. McCarthy's channel: https://youtu.be/zEFk7kEvlu8?si=yXIDJXB_jqXHa5nSFind CAM here:  https://catholicsagainstmilitarism.comRSS feed: http://www.buzzsprout.com/296171​Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/CAMpodcastFind Fr. McCarthy here: https://www.youtube.com/@emmanuelcharlesmccarthy3292https://www.emmanuelcharlesmccarthy.orgFind CAM here: https://catholicsagainstmilitarism.comRSS feed: http://www.buzzsprout.com/296171​Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/CAMpodcast

Watch Randy Robison from LIFE Today Live To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.lightsource.com/donate/872/29

Watch Randy Robison from LIFE Today Live To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.lightsource.com/donate/872/29

0:00 Intro 1:35 Interview with Dr. Francis Boyle 56:20 Right Side of History? - Will you be able to live with yourself if you are supporting war crimes and #genocide? - We support Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) - Dr. Francis Boyle: "Israel is committing Nazi war crimes" - full interview - Israel's war crimes bombing runs are KILLING CHRISTIANS, not merely Muslims - Why #Israel may not survive the course of events it is foolishly setting into motion - Alarming intel from #Lebanon about the intentions of #Hezbollah - Why Israel's fate is tied to the US #dollar - and the dollar is headed to ZERO - Why America's military might cannot protect Israel from the "sea of Arabs" that surround it - Victims of South Africa's #apartheid speak out against Israel's ethnic cleansing of Palestinians - Greek orthodox church in #Gaza BOMBED by Israel as Christians are wounded and killed - Israel threatens to bomb 20+ more hospitals - a WAR CRIME under UN conventions - Why "Zionist Neocon Warmongers" are determined to bring the world into a state of TOTAL WAR - If you care about Israel's existence, you must call for PEACE, not war - Those cheerleading for WAR are the real anti-Semites because their actions will result in the annihilation of #Israel For more updates, visit: http://www.brighteon.com/channel/hrreport NaturalNews videos would not be possible without you, as always we remain passionately dedicated to our mission of educating people all over the world on the subject of natural healing remedies and personal liberty (food freedom, medical freedom, the freedom of speech, etc.). Together, we're helping create a better world, with more honest food labeling, reduced chemical contamination, the avoidance of toxic heavy metals and vastly increased scientific transparency. ▶️ Every dollar you spend at the Health Ranger Store goes toward helping us achieve important science and content goals for humanity: https://www.healthrangerstore.com/ ▶️ Sign Up For Our Newsletter: https://www.naturalnews.com/Readerregistration.html ▶️ Brighteon: https://www.brighteon.com/channels/hrreport ▶️ Join Our Social Network: https://brighteon.social/@HealthRanger ▶️ Check In Stock Products at: https://PrepWithMike.com

Join Pastor Douglas Walker as he responds to a letter asking why Christians kill Christians.

Website: https://www.tfhoakland.orgLinktree: https://linktr.ee/TFHOAKExperience God. Find Family. Make a Difference.TFH Oakland ChurchOakland, CA

The headline is shocking for a reason, because the 2 top stories this week were horrific. The Rubicon has been crossed. The bogus criminal indictment of a former President and a sick, twisted, trannie (girl trying to become a boy, fired up on puberty blockers and SSRI's) who shot up a Nashville private Christian elementary school where she/he used to go. Rant and Rave give their take on how this is the Marxists 2023 version of 2020 BLM.....extremism that will be encouraged/tolerated, and between now and 2024 Election Day, all their violence will be tolerated, just like it was after fentanyl Floyd and BLM. It is a business. 

Well some trans have killed some good christian americans. #Nashvillestrong ugh i hate that. Also some other thoughts on the sinners. #Pride

  Bamboozled By Jesus: How God Tricked Me into the life of my dreams Author: Yvonne Orji  Ep 55: All Bark, No Bite    What'd Up Crew? What's good?    Who Gon' Check Me Boo?! God is!  In Between the Fights Sermon by Bishop Td Jakes https://youtu.be/BsqlbIpPFQQ Acts 9:15-16   (15) But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles, their kings, and the people of Israel. (16) I will show him how much he must suffer for my name. You don't get to choose whom God chooses  Acts 9:21 "All those who heard him were astonished and asked, "Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the priests?" Even back then people will bring up your pass  Envision what this man Saul was doing before God knocked him off his beast. Killing Christians; slaying them. And God came for him to now preach the gospel.  You can't tell me God can't bring you out of what you are going through. I would rather come out for God on my own will than be knocked off my beast and blind.    CREW LOVE:  Leave a written review, give the podcast 5 stars, share the episode, and follow us on social media. And visit our website some videos are exclusively accessible on the websiteTheCrewBookClub.com   Chapter 23: Here We Grow Again 4 traits, in particular, keep a lotta people from living their best selves The stagnation of validation-  The asinine of the co-sign The blatancy of complacency   The possessing of the blessing    Chapter 24: Beyond The Bamboozlement   She has 31 mantras in the back of the book.  Here are my top 3 that hit more than the others currently I believe that no one else can be me, so I will stop discounting my greatness.  I believe I'm an asset to my community, and anyone who comes in contact with me is instantly blessed.  I believe that nothing and no one can stop the plans of God for my life, including me.      Challenge of the week Pg. 240  #GiveOneGetOneChallenge    What Would Crew Do?!  (ask for advice)   I'm annoyed!  I am annoyed with everything and everyone. Everything little thing is getting on my nerves lately. You seem so upbeat and always positive. Are you always that way?      Quote of the week: Pg. 232 Wayne Dyer “Our lives are a total of the choices we've made. What's your life adding up to?   Hey CREW!  DON'T FORGET   Crew, I've partnered up with BetterHelp sponsor of this episode; a special offer to The Crew Book Club Podcast listeners, you can get 10% off your first month of professional therapy:   https://www.betterhelp.com/crewlove   You can listen to this book on audible. Click link to get your free 30 day premium plus experience with audible  https://www.audibletrial.com/Crewlove  Thanks for hanging with “The Crew!”   Order Book: https://amzn.to/3DWK6RQ   Check Out & Follow  YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/ytoeIB8FPis FANBASE: https://www.fanbase.app/thecrewbookclubINSTAGRAM: TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@thecrewbookclubpodcast FacebookGroup: https://www.facebook.com/groups/383757116178503/?ref=share&mibextid=S66gvF   www.thecrewbookclub.com   Thanks for hanging with “The Crew!” Subscribe, Share, and tell a friend 

Muslims praise dead Terrorist who held Texas Jewish Synagogue. Afghanistan is Now Worse Than North Korea for Killing Christians. Even in the United States Christian Flag Banned by Boston: Supremes Heard Religious Liberty Case. Get free alerts at http://PrayInJesusName.org (c) 2021, Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt, PhD. Airs on NRB TV, Direct TV Ch.378, Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, GoogleTV, Smart TV, iTunes and www.PrayInJesusName.org

Muslims praise dead Terrorist who held Texas Jewish Synagogue. Afghanistan is Now Worse Than North Korea for Killing Christians. Even in the United States Christian Flag Banned by Boston: Supremes Heard Religious Liberty Case. Get free alerts at http://PrayInJesusName.org (c) 2021, Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt, PhD. Airs on NRB TV, Direct TV Ch.378, Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, GoogleTV, Smart TV, iTunes and www.PrayInJesusName.org

All around the world, the fruit of the U.S. government’s so-called “foreign policy” is becoming clear to see: the slaughter and persecution of Christian communities. In this episode of Behind The Deep State, host Alex Newman, senior editor of The New American, explains how this pattern can be seen in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, the ... The post Deep State “Foreign Policy” is Killing Christians Worldwide appeared first on The New American.

Tom & JoAnn are founders of the Ministry Unchartered. This beautiful couple will have you sitting on the edge of your seat, needing to hear more good news from the Middle East where there is no access to the gospel. This couple has some crazy stories of the miracles of God making himself known to his people group. So, buckle-up, and get ready to hear how the Lord is on the move in the Middle East.  For further resources check out Tom and JoAnn's books: Killing Christians, Dreams and Visions, Standing in the Fire, and Women Who Risk. Tom & JoAnn's podcast: Goodnews from the Middle East YouTube: I Found the Truth Website:https://unchartedministries.com/about-us/

As the world watched the last plane leave Afghanistan, Christians were among those left behind – to almost certain death. Killing Christians is nothing new, but where do they get the courage to stand? Join Kim and Todd Nettleton from Voice of the Martyrs for stories that will shape your faith and challenge you to remember the persecuted. Todd is also the author of When Faith is Forbidden. Kim Wier is a speaker, radio talk show host, Bible teacher, and author of the book, The Art of Friendship and other titles.   The Art of Friendship Podcast is part of Hope On Demand!

God is speaking to Muslims all over the Middle East and he's doing it through dreams of Jesus! You may have heard the stories. In a vision, Jesus appears in a robe of blazing white. The dreamer is filled with a deep sense of love and is drawn to follow him. Missiologists tell us that between 1 in 2 and 1 in 3 Muslims have become Christians because of a dream. The Spirit is at work drawing people to himself and it's all happening while they are sleeping! In today's podcast, we have two special guests all the way from Texas, USA. Tom and JoAnn Doyle have been reaching out to the people of the Middle East for 20 years. Their ministry inspires the church to share the good news with Jews and Muslims in Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Syria and the Palestinian territories of Israel. On the show, you will hear some of the incredible stories coming of the Middle East. Many of them are hard to believe! Tom and JoAnn tell of how a dream of Jesus often marks the beginning of a journey for Muslims to discover more about the man they call Issa. For Muslims, Jesus is an important prophet, but not the Son of God. They also believe the Bible has been corrupted. But when they experience the love of Jesus for themselves, these arguments are instantly dashed and they become motivated to find out more. One woman had been having dreams of Jesus for 30 years and was waiting for someone to tell her what they mean. She finally received answers when she met Tom at a petrol station and prayed a prayer of submission to Jesus. Another woman said “I have never felt so safe with a man in my life as I have in dreams of Jesus. He loved me like a father.” This episode will not only inspire you to worship the God who is constantly reaching out to people, but to become like him in connecting with Muslims in your own neighbourhood. A great way to start the conversation is, “Have you ever had a dream of Jesus?"! Subscribe to God Conversations with Tania Harris and never miss an episode! About Tom and JoAnn Doyle Tom Doyle fell in love with the Middle East on his first Bible tour of the Holy Land.  In 1995 he became an official tour guide for the state of Israel and developed a passion for ministering to the Israeli people, Arabs and Jews alike. He and his wife, JoAnn, felt a call from God to full-time ministry there in 2001. In 2017, the Doyles launched Uncharted Ministries, which seeks to inspire the church to reach Jews and Muslims in the Middle East and uncharted territories around the world.  They serve in Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Palestinian territories of Israel and often lead groups to the Middle East through their Lands of the Bible tours. Tom is a master storyteller with several books highlighting God's miraculous work among the Muslim people. His best-known books are Dreams and Visions, Killing Christians and Standing in the Fire. Learn more about their ministry at https://unchartedministries.com    Photo by Mohamed Nohassi on Unsplash

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UWACU Public Meeting (22 April 2021)

UWACU Public Meeting (20 April 2021)

Tom Doyle fell in love with the Middle East on his first Bible tour of the Holy Land. In 1995 he became an official tour guide for the state of Israel and developed a passion for ministering to the Israeli people, Arabs and Jews alike. Tom and his wife, JoAnn, felt a call from God to full-time ministry there in 2001. In 2017 the Doyles launched Uncharted Ministries, which seeks to Inspire the Body of Christ to rise up join the new great awakening among Jews and Muslims in the Middle East and in uncharted territories around the world. Tom and JoAnn began working in the heart of the Islamic world shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11. Tom and JoAnn serve in places like Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Palestinian territories of Israel. The Doyles lead groups to the Middle East through their Lands of the Bible tours. Tom is a master storyteller with several books highlighting God's miraculous work among the Muslim people. His best-known books include Dreams and Visions, Killing Christians, and Standing in the Fire, which was a Finalist for the 2018 Book of the Year by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Helpful links: Women Who Risk: Secret Agents for Jesus in the Muslim World Dreams and Visions Uncharted Ministries I Found the Truth --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-monday-christian/support

March 30, 2021 - Daily News and ComedySupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/theoneminutenews)

Today we are finishing up our Spiritual Fitness series. And we have the extreme privilege of hearing from Tom and JoAnn Doyle, of Uncharted Ministries. They chat about their work in the Middle East, their new book, "Women Who Risk", and how they personally stay spiritually fit. You will gain tips for your own fitness journey as well, as huge inspiration to keep 'fighting the good fight of faith'. Tom and JoAnn make this spiritual workout journey fun! Hope you enjoy! About the Book: Women Who Risk - Explore the incredible work of God in the lives of women in the Muslim world. (thomasnelson.com) About Tom: Tom Doyle fell in love with the Middle East on his first Bible tour of the Holy Land. In 1995 he became an official tour guide for the state of Israel and developed a passion for ministering to the Israeli people, Arabs and Jews alike. Tom and his wife, JoAnn, felt a call from God to full-time ministry there in 2001. In 2017 the Doyles launched Uncharted Ministries, which seeks to Inspire the Body of Christ to rise up join the new great awakening among Jews and Muslims in the Middle East and in uncharted territories around the world. Tom and JoAnn began working in the heart of the Islamic world shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11. Tom and JoAnn serve in places like Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Palestinian territories of Israel. The Doyles lead groups to the Middle East through their Lands of the Bible tours. Tom is a master storyteller with several books highlighting God's miraculous work among the Muslim people. His best-known books include Dreams and Visions, Killing Christians, and Standing in the Fire, which was a Finalist for the 2018 Book of the Year by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. About JoAnn: JoAnn Doyle and her husband, Tom, have been married for 38 years and have six children and seven grandchildren. JoAnn was a pastor's wife for 20 years before God called the Doyle's into full-time work in the Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa in 2001. What surprised JoAnn most of all is that soon after she began her work in the region, God birthed in her a heart for the women of the Middle East, especially Muslim women. “I was not in the least attracted to them and their needs, but soon God broke my heart for them. I was truly able to see them through our Father's eyes.” This led JoAnn to launch a ministry for Women in the Middle East named Not Forgotten. The team has ministered in Israel, Egypt, Gaza, The West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, Afghanistan, India, Korea, and right here in the United States. The ministry reaches out to all women of the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia but, specifically, is called to reach Muslim women with the love of Christ. JoAnn and the Not Forgotten team are highly sought after to train women in North America and around the world to engage Muslim women around them with the love and Good News of Jesus. JoAnn leads expeditions for women overseas and speaks in many churches throughout North America. Her goal is to inspire women to have a heart for Muslim women and to be Jesus to them. In 2017, God called JoAnn and Tom to launch Uncharted Ministries which calls believers to join God's great harvest field among Jews and Muslims. JoAnn is also a regular guest on various national radio programs such as the Moody Radio Network with Chris Fabry, and Charles Dyer. She also co-wrote Breakthrough – The Return of Hope to the Middle East with Tom. Worship and prayer is the heart of JoAnn's life, along with a deep love for her family. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/angel-h-davis/message

Listen on https://www.compasshb.com/sermons/when-they-start-killing-christians/

Militants anti-religion, Nigerian attacks, Liberal tech attacks, No pro-life, No Christian gospel, Situation critical, Nigerian radio, Christian refugees, Killing Christians, Pakistan Acquits, Chinas virus story from Warn Radio | Warn-Usa.com  Global Gospel Turmoil covers the Turkish ISIS of Erdogan in Syria. Plus we cover the tragedy of the Rohingya Christians. We also over the propensity of radical hindus or islamists to persecute Christians. Then we find money and liberals using their opportunity to stop conservative views, block Gospel preaching, and take every opportunity to bring their policies into the public square. If we have time more on Pakistan aquiting Christians, Christian refugees, Nigerian gospel radio, and Chinas virus story all from the WIBR/WARN Radio. Go to our link https://linktr.ee/warnradio for the latest articles and show episodes plus more resources Global Gospel Turmoil rages from America to China and into the middle east and onward to the United Kingdom. As never before the turmoil has reached epic proportions. Groups are using tech to prevent other views from being seen on major networks or events. Radical hindu's or Islamists are persecuting Christians. In fact this turmoil is in your face. Yet, Christians will not lose, we have overcome.  To get the Books from the Watchman Dana G Smith go to his website http://www.DanaGlennSmith.com

Militants anti-religion, Nigerian attacks, Liberal tech attacks, No pro-life, No Christian gospel, Situation critical, Nigerian radio, Christian refugees, Killing Christians, Pakistan Acquits, Chinas virus story from Warn Radio | Warn-Usa.com  Global Gospel Turmoil covers the Turkish ISIS of Erdogan in Syria. Plus we cover the tragedy of the Rohingya Christians. We also over the propensity of radical hindus or islamists to persecute Christians. Then we find money and liberals using their opportunity to stop conservative views, block Gospel preaching, and take every opportunity to bring their policies into the public square. If we have time more on Pakistan aquiting Christians, Christian refugees, Nigerian gospel radio, and Chinas virus story all from the WIBR/WARN Radio. Go to our link https://linktr.ee/warnradio for the latest articles and show episodes plus more resources Global Gospel Turmoil rages from America to China and into the middle east and onward to the United Kingdom. As never before the turmoil has reached epic proportions. Groups are using tech to prevent other views from being seen on major networks or events. Radical hindu's or Islamists are persecuting Christians. In fact this turmoil is in your face. Yet, Christians will not lose, we have overcome.  To get the Books from the Watchman Dana G Smith go to his website http://www.DanaGlennSmith.com

“For behold, I create a new heavens and a new earth… Be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create” (Isaiah 65).   “When I left college and set out to be a poet I thought of nothing but writing a poem that would live forever. That’s just how I phrased it: live forever. It seemed to me the only noble ambition… It was, I suppose, a transparent attempt to replace soul with the self.”[1] Christian Wiman writes this to explain how poetry abandoned him, about how becoming a Christian required him to give up the fantasy that his words could last forever. What fantasy do you need to leave behind for the sake of faith? It is hard to believe that it has been less than a month since the devastating fires here because so much happens every day. On Friday for instance, another school shooting took place here in California (Santa Clarita). The president pardoned a list of American men convicted of war crimes. On the same morning former ambassador to Ukraine Marie L. Yovanovitch testified before a Congressional impeachment hearing. As she spoke the president derided her on Twitter. She talked about election interference and its effect on foreign policy. She wondered, “How could our system fail like this? How is it that foreign corrupt interests could manipulate our government?”[2] It feels a little like W.B. Yeats’ (1865-1939) poem “The Second Coming.” “Turning and turning in the widening gyre / The falcon cannot hear the falconer; / Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; / Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, / The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere / the ceremony of innocence is drowned / The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity. / Surely some revelation is at hand; / surely the Second Coming is at hand.”[3] Indeed make no mistake the Second Coming is at hand. Our Gospel this morning speaks of three moments, three realizations of this truth. In the 8th century BC the prophet Isaiah wrote to inspire a people who had been held captive in distant Babylon. He conveys God’s message to them, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered…” (Isa. 65). But “the former things” do “come to mind.” The gladness and rejoicing will come as reversals of the terrible tragedies that have afflicted them. Children dying, sinners never finding atonement, people who after laboring have their houses and fields taken from them – these things will no longer happen. Isaiah conveys God’s promise of a new day of peace when the “wolf and lamb will feed together.” By the time of Jesus the temple in Jerusalem has been both restored and corrupted. Every Sunday for the last six months we have been following Jesus’ travels in Luke only to arrive at this very point. This is Jesus’ last public sermon. Immediately before this Jesus warns the people to beware of religious leaders who love being honored, who draw attention to themselves through their long prayers. In contrast Jesus admires a poor widow who gave two cents because it was all she had. Jesus hears people admiring the way the temple is adorned. The Greek word for this is kekosmētai. It combines a sense of both beauty and order like our words cosmos or cosmetic.[4] So imagine someone complimenting the architecture of the United States Capitol and you have a sense for what is happening. Jesus explains that everything they see will be utterly destroyed. What the disciples and these people so desperately hope for is a warrior king who will overthrow the foreign Roman occupying army and the collaborators in charge of all social institutions. The disciples desperately resist what Jesus is teaching them. He gives them a completely upside down picture of servant leadership in which the greatest is “servant of all” (Mk. 9:35). God is not merely changing who is in charge but overthrowing that whole way of existing. In the realm of God, which is unfolding all around us, love matters more than power. That is why Jesus warns the people to beware of false leaders who still exalt power over love. He says people will come in his name saying “Eigo eimi” which we translate as “I am he,” but which really means simply “I am.” John’s gospel repeats this all the time. Jesus says, “I am the true vine” (Jn. 15:1), “I am the light of the world” (Jn. 8:12, 9:5). This is an echo of Moses’ encounter with God at the Burning Bush. Moses asks who God is and God says “Eigo eimi” “I am.” False leaders will say the time is at hand. They will say the chairos, the fulfilled time is near. Do not go after them. The telos, which is more than a simple end but a fulfillment,  a completion, “will not follow immediately” (Luke 21). Jesus’ last public sermon points to a second moment in history. When the region revolted against Roman rule the Emperor Vespasian sent troops to crush the people. After a four month siege in the year 70 AD the Romans (under the future emperor Titus) destroyed the temple and the city. Thousands of people were killed and it seemed like a great culture and religion had been utterly destroyed. Biblical scholars are not exactly sure when Luke composed this gospel but they believe it might have been some time around these events.[5] In the first and second centuries it was illegal to be a Christian. Because we inhabit a different age and culture we have difficulty imagining a world in which politics and religion were so thoroughly intermixed. Christians refused to make the required sacrifice to the Roman emperor and this was regarded as a grave political crime. When things went wrong in society like earthquakes, wars, plagues, famines and signs in the heavens it was common to persecute the Christians.[6] The same emperor Vespasian built a Roman coliseum that seated 50,000 people. Killing Christians in gruesome ways was entertainment in that society. They made no distinction between capital punishment and a sacrifice to the gods. We have a written account of the details around the execution of Perpetua, Felicitas and their companions in the year 203 AD. Perpetua was a twenty-two year old noblewoman and was nursing her infant in prison before being killed in the amphitheater by wild animals and the sword.[7] And to the people of this moment Jesus speaks frankly about the way they will be arrested (paradidomi) and persecuted, brought before kings and governors for his name’s sake (Lk. 21). Jesus says to them. This will be a time for you to bear testimony (marturion). To people in the most extreme circumstance Jesus has such a simple message. Don’t agonize over preparing what you will say, “for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.” You will be betrayed by those who are supposed to love you, “[b]ut not a hair of your head will perish.” The final moment the gospel speaks to is of course our own. In this time of political turmoil it is hard for us to see past the headlines. Everywhere so many prominent leaders violate accepted conventions concerning power and civility, and as the internet amplifies the most extreme voices, we cannot help but suffer from a kind of outrage fatigue. And meanwhile we face the most serious threat in recorded history. Modern society may make the planet uninhabitable for humans and countless other species. In the words of a recent commentator we have radically underestimated the effects of our actions. Twenty-five years ago it would have been inconceivable to us that within such a short time, “a single heat wave would measurably raise sea levels an estimated two one-hundredths of an inch, bake the Arctic, produce Sahara-like temperatures in Paris and Berlin.”[8] This is the most important news from summer. This is the story of our generation. I want to suggest two small things that you might do as servant leaders to help. First, in all our conversations we need to be honest about this reality. This week an acquaintance was talking about fires that were “just normal not from climate change or anything.” I just let this go instead of clarifying what she meant by this comment. At your Thanksgiving dinner tables I encourage you to let a lot go – but not this. Our generation has a unique responsibility in all human history. Second, when you work alone it is hard to be effective and easy to become discouraged. At Grace Cathedral everybody counts. Volunteer, make a pledge, join a group or form one. Become a teacher, an usher, an acolyte or a docent. Exercise leadership and worship here because this is part of how God is saving the world. We are so much stronger together than we are as individuals. And the very poorest and most ignored person here may make the offering that will save us. On this ingathering Sunday the world will see in us the opposite of Yeats’ poem. At Grace Cathedral the center does hold, things that fell apart are being repaired, innocence is not drowned but nurtured. The best have conviction and the worst find forgiveness for their sins. Although it may seem strange in this world of wars and rumors of wars, of persecutions and betrayals, the second coming is incredibly good news to us. God has written a poem that will live forever. It is not a political party, or a system of government, or even a religion. It is not even this world. The poem is you. And you will not perish. Leave your fantasies behind because we have reason for a far greater hope. God is creating a new heavens and a new earth. Be glad and rejoice forever.   [1] Christian Wiman, He Held Radical Light: The Art of Faith, The Faith of Art (NY: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2018) 6-7. [2] Sheryl Gay Stolberg, “Ex-Envoy to Ukraine ‘Devastated’ as Trump Vilified Her,” The New York Times, 15 November 2019. The next day (Saturday) we heard that the Chinese government could have sent as many as one million people into internment camps in just the last few years. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/11/16/world/asia/china-xinjiang-documents.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage [3] The rest of W.B. Yeats’ poem: “The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert A shape with lion body and the head of a man, A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun, Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds. The darkness drops again; but now I know That twenty centuries of stony sleep Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle, And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?” W.B. Yeats, “The Second Coming.” https://poets.org/poem/second-coming [4] keko/smhtai [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephus and, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Jerusalem_(70_CE) [6] In about the year 197 the North African Tertullian wrote, “If the Tiber reaches the walls, if the Nile does not rise to the fields, if the sky doesn’t move or the earth does, if there is a famine, if there is a plague, the cry is at once, ‘The Christians to the lion…” Margaret R. Miles, The Word Made Flesh: A History of Christian Thought (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2005) 19. [7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passion_of_Saint_Perpetua,_Saint_Felicitas,_and_their_Companions [8] Eugene Linden, “How Scientists Got Climate Change So Wrong,” The New York Times, 8 November 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/08/opinion/sunday/science-climate-change.html

Ok, folks, this is a terrible video.  Another video smuggled out of South Africa.  I am sharing this only on the CCS site and not in Google / YouTube or other social media sites.  I strongly recommend that you do not watch it. Then why publish Bard? One reason is that there are some that say this type of crime is not happening.  Another reason I post videos like this is to document evil.  Yet another reason is that the globalist social media companies try to prevent this type of raw, direct information from being seen. When WW2 was coming to a close, the US troops in Europe begin to find the German concentration camps. Brilliant generals forced the German people to go to the concentration camps and bury the dead Jews. Now 70 years later when some claim that the Holocaust [Bard Note; which killed a lot more than Jews there were Catholic Saints that died in German death camps] did not happen, many can say, yes it did, and I saw it. Well many of those people are dead now, but it is very hard for neo-NAZIs to say the Holocaust did not happen. I do the same thing when I see great evil that our “legacy, lying liberal” media seems not to show. They will not show the evil of socialism, communism, or racism when minorities practice it. Unless the minorities are conservative. Then the lying, legacy, liberal media will attack them non-stop. Many people, myself included question if these farm attacks are a straightforward crime as claimed by the government of South Africa.  I know "a little" about crime. See crime is normally about money. It usually used by people too stupid or lazy to earn money. So I take your money, your property. Then you buy some fancy clothes, shinny baubles, something to drink and find women with low morals. This is crime. Gang raping babies to death? Killing Christians women by … “violating” them with their crucifixes until they die? With little to nothing stolen? I know to some of you I am simple, but I would put my knowledge of street crime up against anyone reading this blog. This is not crime as we understand it. Anyway, here is the video, watch if you want, it is terrible, but in my opinion, the information should be out there.  Pray for the persecuted Christians.  Do not allow their suffering to go without bearing witness. https://charlescarrollsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/VID-20180806-WA0015.mp4

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Welcome to The Shaun Tabatt Show! In this episode I speak with Tom Doyle about his book Standing in the Fire: Courageous Christians Living in Frightening Times. Here are the questions Tom and I discuss in the interview: First off Tom, let's help the listeners get to know you a bit better. Tell us the elevator pitch version of the Tom Doyle origin story. (00:39 - 02:49) Next tell us how you and your wife JoAnn first got started working in the MIddle East. (02:50 - 04:44) One needs to simply turn on the television or access social media to find news of terrorism and the persecution of Christians taking place all across the globe. From your vantage point, is it as bad as the news suggests or is it far worse? (04:45 - 06:55) Tom, introduce us to some of the Christian's we're going to encounter in the pages of Standing in the Fire and share a few of their stories with us. (06:56 - 11:17) How do Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego serve as an example for what it looks like for followers of Christ to stand courageously for their faith rather than merely surviving in a climate of fear? (11:18 - 13:14) Is Christian persecution coming to the U.S.? (13:15 - 15:40) How should American Christians respond to the global persecution of Christians? (15:41 - 18:37) What do you think has been the greatest trial for you personally in spending so much time in the Middle East. (18:38 - 20:23) Tom, as you think of readers getting to the final page of Standing in the Fire, what do you most hope they take away from interacting with your book? (20:24 - 25:59) Tom, I know many of my listeners are going to want to find out more, so tell us where we can connect with you online and get our own copy of Standing in the Fire? (26:00 - 27:49) About the Book:  Followers of Christ need to relearn what it means to stand courageously for their faith rather than merely survive in a climate of fear. Instead of motivating believers to action, today's headlines appear to be paralyzing them. Standing in the Fire demonstrates the church triumphant through the lives of people who stood strong and didn't run away in the face of overwhelming danger. These Middle Eastern heroes of faith fear God more than terrorist groups like ISIS. Supported by Tom Doyle's commentary on events, the stories included show how these Christians are not living as victims, but victors in Christ. About the Author:  Tom Doyle, Vice President and Middle East-Central Asia Director for e3 Partners based in Dallas, Texas, and author of four books including Dreams & Visions and Killing Christians.  Connect with Tom: StandingInTheFireBook.com Tom Doyle on Facebook Twitter (@TomDoyle__) 8thirty8 on Facebook For additional show notes, visit ShaunTabatt.com/158.  

Are popular doctrines hiding the full counsel of God? Bible chopping https://youtu.be/nudtKU6mHkA ; Satan manipulates scripture; The sum of the Word is True; Precept upon precept Isaiah 28:10,11; Killing Jezebel's children; Romans 10:9,10 get outta hell free; Judgement seat and works 2 Cor 5:10; James 2 faith without works is dead; Saving Faith and demons; Wheat and tares Matthew 13:24-30 ; Parable of the virgins Matt 25:1-13 ; Parable of the talents Matt 25:14-30; Parable of the sheep and goats Matt 25:31-46; Matt 7:21-23 Doing the Will of the Father; Saul killed people using scripture; Killing Christians for God John 16:2; Matt 5-7 whole sermon on the mount; Matt 7:24-27 build house on the Rock; Rev 3:15 lukewarm church and works; Romans 8:14 Led by spirit are the sons of God; John 15 abiding in the vine;

Are popular doctrines hiding the full counsel of God? Bible chopping https://youtu.be/nudtKU6mHkA ; Satan manipulates scripture; The sum of the Word is True; Precept upon precept Isaiah 28:10,11; Killing Jezebel's children; Romans 10:9,10 get outta hell free; Judgement seat and works 2 Cor 5:10; James 2 faith without works is dead; Saving Faith and demons; Wheat and tares Matthew 13:24-30 ; Parable of the virgins Matt 25:1-13 ; Parable of the talents Matt 25:14-30; Parable of the sheep and goats Matt 25:31-46; Matt 7:21-23 Doing the Will of the Father; Saul killed people using scripture; Killing Christians for God John 16:2; Matt 5-7 whole sermon on the mount; Matt 7:24-27 build house on the Rock; Rev 3:15 lukewarm church and works; Romans 8:14 Led by spirit are the sons of God; John 15 abiding in the vine;

There’s no shortage of bad news coming out of the Middle East, but did you know that Iran is one of the fastest growing churches in the world?  God is at work in the Middle East in unprecedented ways. Best-selling author and Middle East expert and ministry leader Tom Doyle is our guest on the latest episode of the Reach Beyond Podcast.  Tom spends a lot of time in the Middle East, fellowshipping with and mentoring believers who are risking their lives simply by being Christians. Tom opens our eyes and shares things you won’t hear hardly anywhere else.  Be encouraged, in the midst of persecution, that the Lord Jesus is winning the hearts of thousands in that volatile region. Tom is the author of Killing Christians and Breakthrough—The Return of Hope to the Middle East.  You’ll have the opportunity to win a copy of Breakthrough at the end of the episode. Links and Resources

Tom Doyle, author of the books Killing Christians and Dreams and Visions, shares more this week about the true nature of Islam and how the God of the Bible is reaching and rescuing Muslims in the Middle East. Tom will also share how he deals with fear as he goes into dangerous places, and suggests ways that American Christians can reach out to Muslims living in our cities and neighborhoods, even if we don’t have a graduate degree in apologetics. We’ll also discuss specific ways to pray for people in the Middle East, both our Christian brothers and sisters and Muslims. Purchase Tom Doyle’s books at VOM Books. Dreams and Visions: https://secure.persecution.com/p-5330-dreams-and-visions.aspx?source=VOMRADIONT Killing Christians: https://secure.persecution.com/p-6134-killing-christians.aspx?source=VOMRADIONT

Muslims Killing Christians

8 AM - TMZ talked about Kaepernick; Shirtless guys; Pistorius texts; 911 call of a woman who called to ask for cigarettes; Muslim accused of killing 2 Christians in NJ.

In part 1 we took a look at some of the sociological reason for persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. Then last time we began a narrative-chronology of the waves of persecution and ended with Antonius Pious.A new approach in dealing with Christians was adopted by Marcus Aurelius who reigned form 161–180. Aurelius is known as a philosopher emperor. He authored a volume on Stoic philosophy titled Meditations. It was really more a series of notes to himself, but it became something of a classic of ancient literature. Aurelius bore not a shred of sympathy for the idea of life after death & detested as intellectually inferior anyone who carried a hope in immortality.Reversing the Trajan policy of not going after Christians, Aurelius crafted a system of spies to gather intelligence and evidence against them. Rather than check riots that frequently called for martyr's blood as the previous emperors had done, Aurelius encouraged them. It was during his reign Christians began to be blamed for natural catastrophes. The supposition was that the gods were upset Christians weren't being persecuted by good Romans. With this as their moral backing, and making up for lost time, persecution under Aurelius moved to a new level of brutality. Thousands lost their heads or were tossed to beasts. It was at this time Justin Martyr became one.But we have to note that as fierce as the Aurelian persecution was, no official edict calling for an Empire-wide extermination of Christians was issued. Nor did one come during the reigns of Septimius Severus from 193–211 or Maximinus from 235–238 when persecution of the followers of Christ was renewed. The Severian campaign sought to root out the church in Egypt and North Africa, while the Maximinian chapter aimed only at Christian leaders in specific locales.The mid-3rd C saw a dramatic change.As Rome celebrated its thousand-year anniversary, people cast longing eyes back to the Golden Age & Glory Days of a bygone era of power & prosperity. In comparison, Rome now seemed a tottering old-hag hobbling along on arthritic knees. She was no longer able to kick away the barbarian dogs snapping at her heels. The superstition of pagans, who of course were in the vast majority, believed the gods who favored their ancestors FOR their devotion, were now punishing them for allowing the Christians to reject them.That being the case, wasn't it morally right & for the public good to actively go after the followers of Jesus?Decius only ruled from 249-51, but he was convinced maintaining Rome's cultus was essential to political stability and a return to prosperity. As soon as he took the purple, he gave orders everyone in the empire had to swear by the Emperor's genius; that is, practice emperor worship, as we talked about last time. This flushed out Christians who refused. They were declared traitors; enemies of the emperor, state, and public good. Their very presence was deemed a dangerous blight since the wrath of the gods was on them.As harsh as all this sounds, the evidence indicates that at first, the goal wasn't to kill them so much as it was to get them to recant under the threat of pain. Getting a Christian to recant was far more effective than killing them because many people are inspired by martyrdom. And of course, the martyrs were held in ultra-high esteem by The Church. So much so, a bit later, we'll find Church Leaders telling church members to use common sense and to not run around making a big to-do about being a believer, just so they WOULD be arrested and executed!No – most officials didn't want to make martyrs; they preferred apostates. Think of it this way . . .In ancient warfare, men would psych and pump themselves up in anticipation of battle. Once battle began, you wanted to present yourself like a man; tough, courageous. When you see your buddies taking blows and giving as good as they get, you stay shoulder to shoulder – a band of brothers!But when one guy turns his back to the enemy and begins to run, it's a fast spreading contagion of fear. Soon the entire line collapses in a rout.Watching some Christian publicly executed for their faith often inspired as many as it freaked. But hearing of Christians recanting & returning to the paganism of their past made many wonder why THEY should remain true.Under Decius, the 1st to be seized as treasonous were Church leaders. The hope was that a leaderless church would fall apart. In some places it did; but in others it went on as if nothing had changed.In those places were the Church winked out, it was because by the mid 3rd C, Christianity had already produced a brand of Faith that was more image than substance. Shocking as it may seem to some, there's been shallow Christians since the very beginning. And now, under Decius, they were flushed out into the open where they were forced to recant or die. Recant they did because their Faith was more social than sincere. But a host of others suffered martyrdom.After a year it was clear the Decian persecution wouldn't succeed in its goal of ending the Faith. In July of 251, Decius was killed in battle. His edict was no longer enforced.In 253, Valerian became emperor. He was at first friendly to the Faith. But a series of calamities stirred his advisors to press him to renew the pogroms in appeasement of the gods. During this wave of persecution several great leaders of the church were killed.The 40-some yrs from 260 to 303 were a time of relative peace for Christians. But it was the calm before the storm which arrived with the ascension of Diocletian.While his origins are sketchy, it seems Diocletian was a slave's son who worked himself up to supreme power. An utterly brilliant administrator, Diocletian recognized what pervious rulers ought have–that Rome was too large to be led by a single ruler. I'll leave it to you to listen to Mike Duncan's The History of Rome podcast to learn the details of Diocletian's reign. Edward Gibbon calls Diocletian a 2nd Augustus because he believes he framed a new empire rather than just restore the old. And indeed, Diocletian distanced himself from his political ancestors & heritage. He very consciously adopted the ostentatiousness of an Eastern ruler, something previous Roman Emperors would have condemned as scandalous. It was he who divided the Empire into a formal E & W, each with its one major Augustus & subordinate Caesar.In his first 2 decades, Diocletian honored the Toleration Edict Gallienus passed in 259 that restored Christians churches and burial places. His wife & daughter, along with most of his court & officials were either Christians or were favorable to them because THEIR wives & friends were. The Emperor himself was a pagan of the more superstitious flavor. But as a pragmatic politician, he believed restoring the Empire demanded a return to the old religion. Although due to family & friends he postponed the religious question, ultimately he had to take it on. There could be no peaceful co-existence between Christianity & Paganism. It was High Noon in Diocletian's court.The chief instigator in all this was Diocletian's co-ruler, his son-in-law, Galerius. He prevailed on Diocletian to authorize the persecution for which his reign is so well-known.In 303, at Gallerius' urging, Diocletian issued a series of edicts calling for the total eradication of Christianity. Places of worship were to be torn down, sacred writings were to be burned, and clergy were to be slaughtered. The next year, all Christians had to engage in a very public display of emperor worship or face immediate execution. Although it wasn't exactly like this, it's close enough . . .A raised dais was built in the center of town with a little altar where people would drop a pinch of incense and say, “Caesar is Lord.” Then they'd take a few more steps and be handed the libelli; that little scroll affirming they were good, loyal subjects. Another path led form the altar to a chopping block where an executioner stood. Those who refused to drop incense & said “Jesus, not Caesar, is Lord,” took that route where they got a haircut at the neck. Thousands died.In the Eastern empire were Diocletian and Galerius ruled, the persecution was especially fierce. The Western Augustus Maximian, fastidiously carried out the edicts in Italy and Africa. But his subordinate, Constantius, who ruled Gaul, Britain, & Spain, refused to execute people for their faith. Persecution effectively ended in 305, when Diocletian abdicated and retired to grow cabbages at his estate.But it was Galerius who'd put Diocletian UP to it in the first place. And Galerius stepped into the role of Eastern Augustus – so why didn't the persecutions continue? The answer to that is because Galerius realized à It wasn't working! He admitted that the policy of eradicating Christianity had failed miserably. In fact, he reversed himself and wrote à"Wherefore, for this our indulgence, they ought to pray to their God for our safety, for that of the republic, and for their own, that the republic may continue uninjured on every side, and that they may be able to live securely in their homes."It's reported that at the end of his life, as he lay abed, ill, he asked his Christians subjects pray for him. To encourage their prayers he passed an Edict of Toleration in 311, officially ending persecution. It was followed a year later by Constantine's famous Edict of Milan saying much the same.Since we shared a little about the interplay of the Early Church in the Roman Empire & their enemies to the East, the Persian Sassanids, in Season 1, we won't go into that whole chapter now, except to say that when Christians were persona non-grata in the W, the Sassanids welcomed them with open arms. Many refugees fled there, turning the E into a Christian enclave that quickly developed into a HQs and center of scholarship. The Sassanids followed the old line that the enemy of my enemy is my friend & assumed the Christians would be allies in their on-going tussle with Rome. But when Constantine revoked persecution and claimed to be a Christian, the Sassanids began to fear Christians as a dangerous 5th column in their ranks and persecution began. More of the details to that are to be had in Season 1.Let's end this short series on the Persecution of the Church in the First Centuries by considering the impact in had on the Church. Most of the Emperors eventually realized, as did Galerius too late, persecution didn't really work. Killing Christians didn't end the Faith. On the contrary, many were won to Christ by observing the gracious & courageous way so many of the martyrs died. A quote from the early church father Tertullian is oft given: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” The sheer NUMBER of Christians may be less due to persecution. But one positive effect persecution yielded was that those who DID claim the name of Christ were real-deal followers of the Son of God. People didn't join a church just so they could pad their resume or enhance their social standing. Being a Christian was risky across the board. People stood in danger socially, economically & physically. Persecution also encouraged the spread of the faith to new regions as people fled hostility.Persecution helped to settle the challenge church leaders faced on what belonged in the canon of NT Scripture. The tests they applied to settling the canon had to be rigorous, because they knew people would not give their lives for spurious inkings.Persecution also sharpened the thinking of church leaders as they defended the faith in the face of often erudite attacks by pagan critics. What's interesting is that the vast majority of arguments against the Faith voice by critics & skeptics today were leveled by critics of the 1st thru 3rd Cs. These critics were learned men, skilled in philosophy and rhetoric. But each of their objections were amply answered by early Church Fathers known today as The Apologists. The answers modern day apologists use in defense of the Faith are largely built on the pioneering work of the originals. Even many of the objections raised by the New Atheists are rebutted by 2000 year old answers.Though it's questionable whether or not they ever read them, the Early Apologists wrote some of their defenses of Christianity to no one less than the Emperor, seeking to reason with him on why persecuting Christians was bad policy. These “Apologies” as they're called, weren't wild-eyed polemics threatening the Emperor with God's wrath if they didn't lighten up. They were most often attempts to use Roman law, Greek philosophy and the weight of tradition, which remember the Roman's put great store by, to persuade the Emperor that Christianity ought to be tolerated along with Rome's other faiths.All that is persecution's up-side. What about the down? Well, Believers ended up so busy protecting themselves there was scant opportunity for them to develop a deep theological heritage to enrich those who came after. Yes, there were a handful like the Apologists who managed to get out some material, but with the many thousands who DID in fact come to faith, we would expect a much larger body of literary work. Persecution both limited the opportunity to produce that, and what work that WAS produced, was frequently used to fuel the fires Christians were then burnt on.Another problem that rose, and we dealt with this in Season 1, was what to do with those believers who faltered during persecution and gave in to the pressure to recant. What was to be done with those Christians who burned a pinch of incense, said “Caesar is Lord,” took a libelli, then, once the threat of persecution was passed, repented of recanting and wanted to come back to church? These were called the lapsed, because their faith had lapsed in the heat of persecution. This became an especially trying issue after Constantine officially revoked persecution once & for all, for 2 reasons . . .1) Constantine took over right after the 10th & most virulent phase of persecution. It was also  empire wide, though it was enforced more firmly in the E. A major test used for weeding out believers was the requirement of swearing by the Emperor's genius, which as we've seen, the faithful could not do. But, a bunch of the lapsed, DID! And that leads to the 2nd reason à2) All those who'd lapsed realized that with the Edict of Milan official persecution was most likely over for good. So, instead of staying de-canted, so as to avoid upcoming persecutions, they figured it was safe to return to Church. Andà Here they came.The Church was split over whether to allow them back or not. Some favored restoration, others, not so much. Many fellowships split over the issue. Church leaders took sides in the debate and fired off sometimes heated missives at one another. For more on this, you can listen to the episode in Season 1 called The Lapsed Dance.Another negative effect of persecution was a warped result of a positive. The faith & courage of the martyrs not only challenged the shallowness of rank paganism, it inspired people to follow their example. But not just to live by faith in Jesus; they went further and longed to die like their heroes. The desire to suffer martyrdom became a problem church leaders had to address at a few points.Ha! Think of that. Instead of Pastor Alexius asking for volunteers for the nursery ministry, he had to plead with his people not to go to the marketplace crying out that they're Christians; “Please! Somebody arrest & torture me to death.” But that gives us a hint as to just how highly martyrs were regarded in the Early Church. When they were regarded that highly, it's not difficult to see why there were many in the Church who regarded lapsed believers as scum.What made for a major brouhaha was when it wasn't just everyday church members who'd lapsed, but when it as a pastor.