Date: June 29, 2026
Host: Jim Schneider
Guest: Todd Nettleton
MP3 | Order
Around the world, Christians are being persecuted for their faith. A report last Friday indicated 28 Christians were massacred in Nigeria as Islamic militants targeted a village overnight. A week ago today, the ACLJ reported in the Congo, the DRC, Islamic jihadists were conducting a village-by-village extermination of Christians. They report in the last three weeks, 76 Christians were hunted down and slaughtered/beheaded, executed in groups, and dragged from their homes. The ultimatum is: “Deny Christ or die.”
Earlier this month a story indicated that authorities with the Chinese Communist Party raided the Sunday service of an influential Protestant house church detaining pastors and dozens of members, including children. Also this month in India, it was reported that three Christian families had their homes burned down by a suspected Hindu mob.
The matter of persecution is very real and it’s happening every day. In the Gospel of John chapter 15:18-19, Jesus is speaking to his disciples where it says, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”
In Paul’s final epistle (II Timothy) he wrote to Pastor Timothy: “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.” According to church tradition, today marks the martyrdom of the Apostle Paul. This day is known as the Day of the Christian Martyr.
Todd Nettleton is Vice President for Message for the Voice of the Martyrs–USA and host of The Voice of the Martyrs Radio. He serves as a voice for persecuted Christians, inspiring Christians with the faithfulness of Christ’s followers in over 70 nations where they face persecution for wearing His name. During more than 25 years serving at VOM, Todd has traveled the world and conducted face-to-face interviews with hundreds of Christians who’ve endured persecution in more than 30 nations. He is the author of When Faith Is Forbidden: 40 Days on the Frontlines with Persecuted Christians.
On this day, Voice of the Martyrs is focusing on a woman who lived about 130 years after the Apostle Paul. Her name is Perpetua. She was a young, 22 year old mother martyred in a Roman arena in Carthage which was a city in modern-day Tunisia. Her example from history challenges parents because as you’ll hear, Perpetua’s father wanted to protect her but she wanted to remain faithful to the Lord to the end.
You’ll also hear about persecution in Kazakhstan, Sudan, China and Iran, as well as resources available from Voice of the Martyrs. Listeners were also given a chance to respond.
More Information:
1-800-747-0085 (For free Voice of the Martyrs magazine)
