Martyrdom

Martyrdom Not New to Nigerian Christians
Greg MusselmanVoice of the Martyrs
Last month, a Muslim mob stoned a Christian woman to death for openly sharing the gospel. But martyrdom is nothing new to Nigeria's Christians.
Jemima Samson Bukar lost her husband when militant Muslims started rioting in the market village of Yelwa in southern Plateau State on February, 24, 2004. The well-armed attackers started killing Christians and burning houses at around 7 a.m.
“We all went out for morning devotions in the church. The rioters had already planned the attack,” Bukar said. “They brought weapons around our house and around the church. When we were inside the church, we were singing praises and were worshipping God. The rioters came and surrounded the church.”
Bukar told her husband, who was the pastor of the church, to run. But he refused, saying that he was going to stay with his congregation
“In the midst of the killing my husband died, my son was also killed, he had just finished secondary school,” she said. “The killers made us go to our homes, and they said they were going to kill us. We told them we weren’t afraid of dying. We will die if God wants us to die. Our husbands were killed during the fighting.”
According to Human Rights Watch who investigated the incident, 48 Christians died in the church that day, another 30 also perished during the attack.
“When we came back to the village after the killings our church was burnt down, my husband was killed, my son was killed,” Bukar said. “We did not have anything left with us except for the Bible that we took when we were running away. That was the only thing we had with us. All other things were destroyed. Our house was also burnt by fire.”
But Bukar is not a bitter woman because she has an eternal perspective.
“Now I have hope because I know that my husband has gone to be with the Lord,” she said. “I used to be very angry because of the death of my husband, but the most important thing for me now is my prayer for the killers of my husband that God will forgive them.”

I Harvest Crusade Addresses End of the World Fears
Between the war in the Middle East and the terrorist plot in England, many are asking the question, “Is the end of the world near?”
Evangelist Greg Laurie addressed the question at his 17th Annual Harvest Crusade in Anaheim, Calif. this week.
More than 100,000 people came to the three-day festival of gospel music and preaching. Laurie told the crowd that the events taking place today are 'signs of the times' that Jesus is returning soon.
And he urged them to put their faith in Christ. Harvest reports that more than 9,000 people prayed to receive salvation at the event.