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CHRISTIAN WITNESS AND SUPPORT AMID TOTAL DEVASTATION

LOS ANGELES: The pastor of a Los Angeles church is showing the love of Christ to beleaguered California residents who have lost everything in deadly fires that ravaged a reported 10,000 structures and has killed at least 24. Steve Wilburn, senior pastor of Core Church LA, told how he spent the day driving through the Pacific Palisades — one of the areas hardest hit by the inferno. Wilburn, who is also a chaplain for the Los Angeles Police Department, was able to gain special access to impacted neighbourhoods — and what he saw was trauma, sadness, and “total devastation.”
The pastor said he and his son used bottles of water to break the ice as they approached strangers and then asked, “How can we serve you?” From prayers to hugs and simply listening to their stories, the duo made a big impact throughout the day. But it was the prayer that really stood out to Wilburn. Everyone aside from one individual took Wilburn up on his prayer offer — and he even read the Bible to some. These individuals were not Christians. “This is the most liberal part of L.A. that you’re going to get,” [but] there was no liberal action going on today. It was all people in need, and they were crying out to God.”
Chaplains from the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team are working alongside Samaritan’s Purse to address the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of those who have been affected. They have already begun ministering at local shelters, providing prayer and encouragement to those who have lost everything.” Christians are urged to pray for the people affected, and for the Churches and Christians in the area, as they share and live out the love of Christ. [Source: Premier Christian News]

IRAN – THREE CHRISTIAN CONVERTS RELEASED ON BAIL
The welcome news of the release on bail of three Iranian Christian converts from Islam, detained by agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), must be viewed in the light of the Iranian authorities’ ongoing crackdown on Christians. Javad Amini, 40, was arrested on 17 November and released on 27 November, the day after he was scheduled to appear in court. Two women, unnamed, were arrested and released on the same days as Javad. All three converts were required to pay 1 billion tomans (£12,500; $15,000; €13,750) for bail. They had previously been arrested alongside more than 20 others at Christmas 2023.
At least 12 Christians from Nowshahr, northern Iran, had been due on 27 November to answer charges of “propagating a religion contrary to Islam” and “collaborating with foreign governments”. The prosecutor in court described the 12 converts as “Shia Muslims” who had “identified themselves as Christians” and deduced that since the 12 had “set up groups to teach the Christian religion” they had committed a crime. Unlike the historic Armenian and Assyrian-speaking Christian communities, Farsi (Persian)-speaking Christians are invariably converts from Islam – that is, apostates – and therefore punishable according to Islamic law.
GIVE THANKS for the release on bail of Javad and the two women. Pray that justice will be administered for them and the other Christian converts. Ask the Lord to break through Iran’s rigid judicial system that punishes its citizens for choosing to follow Jesus. [Source: Barnabas Aid]

KYRGYZSTAN – STRINGENT RELIGION LAW PASSES FIRST READING
The prospect of the Church in Kyrgyzstan facing severe restrictions has moved a step closer with the approval of a repressive new religion law at its first reading in parliament on 12 December. Among numerous restrictions, the draft Religion Law maintains the ban on all unregistered exercise of freedom of religion or belief. All local religious organisations must provide evidence of at least 500 adult founder members resident in a single region to qualify for registered status. (The current law stipulates a minimum of 200.) Groups that violate such restrictions face sharply increased fines. “We have difficulty collecting signatures of 200 persons at the moment to register in one locality,” one church leader said, adding, “They want to limit our exercise of freedom of religion or belief as much as they can.” The Religion Law is a new version of an earlier bill drawn up in October 2023 and rejected by parliament in June 2024. If adopted by the Kyrgyz parliament in its current form and signed by the President, it is set to come into force on 1 February 2025. Pray that, even at this late stage, these repressive proposals will not be signed into law. [Source: Barnabas Aid]

PARTIES TO CELEBRATE INTENDED ASSISTED SUICIDES
There was a time when celebrating or otherwise honouring a suicide was unthinkable. Today, thanks to the assisted suicide movement, suicide parties and ceremonies are becoming common (and increasingly reported in the media). From a syndicated story that ran in the Rome (Georgia) News Tribune:
“In early August, a retired operating room nurse, met up with a close friend for a walk through the redwoods in Marin County, California.  It’s a common pastime for many people in the Bay Area, but this walk was different, Reasons to Be Cheerful**reports .  Werner and her friend went on the hike specifically to celebrate the life of a friend, an outdoor enthusiast and nursing colleague who had suffered immensely with the rare, fatal neurological disorder that causes the gradual loss of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord — and was physically unable to leave the house anymore.     Their friend had chosen to end her struggles that morning in an end-of-life ceremony held at the friend’s home, among a small group of loved ones and a professional  end-of-life person.     On the hike, both women shed tears, but there was not a big sense of doom. Werner was excited that everything had gone according to her friend’s death plan, and that her suffering had ended.”
The article goes onto warn Christians that in  attending a suicide party or ceremony, they in fact validate the decision and, in so doing, become complicit in that death. Even the most suicidal persons can, with proper prevention interventions, change their minds. By supporting the suicide choice, we may be robbing our loved one of a last chance at further life that he or she might have found satisfying and worth living.
“We see here again the urgent need for the church to proclaim the Gospel, so that people will know the true meaning of life, and know God’s love, strength and purpose in every situation of life.” [Source: LifeNews.com]

300 MILLION CHRISTIANS FACE PERSECUTION WORLDWIDE
A new report on global religious freedom estimates 300 million Christians face persecution for their faith. The 2025 Global Persecution Index, released by International Christian Concern (ICC), outlines threats ranging from harassment and violence to imprisonment and death. The 116-page report provides a country-by-country overview, identifying regimes and terror groups responsible for many of the attacks.
North Korea remains one of the most dangerous places for Christians. ICC President Jeff King described the nation as “a giant prison state” where Christianity is seen as an existential threat to the regime. He explained that Christians face unspeakable brutality: “If you’re a Christian, they’ll kill you slowly, take your children and parents, and you’re all going to die.” King estimates that around one million Christians have been killed under the North Korean regime.
Nigeria is also identified as a severe offender, with over 100,000 Christians murdered and 3.5 million Christian farmers displaced in the past 20 years, due to what King describes as a “stealth jihad” and “slow genocide” by radical Islamic groups. Other troubling findings include Russia’s destruction of hundreds of religious heritage sites in Ukraine and the spread of radical Islamists across Africa, where Christians face displacement, sexual violence, beheadings, and other brutal attacks and killings. In Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega’s regime has targeted Catholic communities and, more recently, imprisoned and attacked evangelical Christians.
Despite these grim realities, King noted that persecution often leads to church growth. In Iran, decades of repression have driven people away from Islam, with Christianity now growing rapidly. “It’s probably the fastest-growing church in the world,” King said, emphasising his belief that “God wins in the end.” [Source: Premier Christian News]

– compiled by Guido Kettniss