Please pray for the Rev Chander Mani Khanna

A few months ago, the Rev Chander Mani Khanna of the All Saints Church, Kashmir India,baptized 7 converts from Islam. Since then, there have been fireworks of persecution against him.

He was arrested and put in jail in November. The Jammu and Kashmir Bar Association has called on its members not to provide Rev Khanna with legal counsel. Though the court has granted him bail, there is great fear that his life may be at risk even after his release.

A few days ago, the pastor’s wife, Kanta Khanna, spoke with her husband by phone. “I was concerned about his health,” she told AsiaNews. “He’s diabetic and his eyesight is deteriorating. Nevertheless, his thoughts are for our children and me. He continued to reassure us, saying that God is with us. He told me to find strength in the Scriptures, to read Chapter 10 in the Gospel of Matthew and the Act of the Apostles. He is frail in body but firm in his faith.”

Pray for the Underground Church. Christianity preaches Life that is irresistible to any hungry soul. It's not just a religion. Because their powerless message cannot match the Life Christ offers, they resort to violence and intimidation, and it's happening all over the world. But thank God for a lot of testimonies of what God is doing in Islamic world.

Please thank God for the Bishop of the Diocese of Amritsar, bishop P.K. Samantha Roy, and Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) for their support for the Rev. Khanna. Pray for courage for him stand firm till the end and that he may be released. Pray for his family that God may protect them and keep them. God bless!

Sister Meena (29) gand raped in India.

Indeed "Tough times require tough faith"
Just go through this prayer alert from The Persecuted Church and see what our fellow christians are going through in different parts of the world. I suggest you freely subscribe for these emails so you can be receiving them yourself. Make sure you pray.

Ten men charged with raping nun in India

Indian police charged ten men on January 29 for the rape of a Catholic nun that occurred during anti-Christian violence that erupted in Orissa in August (read the story). On August 25, a mob of Hindu militants attacked the prayer hall in the village of K. Nuagaon, Kandhamal district where Sister Meena (29) worked. She was grabbed by several men who tore off her clothes and held her down while one man raped her. Sister Meena was then paraded naked through the streets along with a priest. Although police were present, they did nothing to stop the assault. The ten have been charged with gang rape since assisting rape carries the same charge as actually committing the crime according to Indian law. At last report, the rapist had not yet been found.

Pray that authorities will bring to justice all who were involved in the attack. Pray that Sister Meena will look to God for strength as she recovers. Pray for a lasting peace in Orissa state.

Find out more about how Indian Christians suffer for Jesus' sake from www.persecution.net

Pray for our persecuted brethren in India.

India has been a relatively calm place until recently. All the anti-conversion laws being passed in India and other Islamic countries are giving the persecution of christian a legal covering. But why the jittery among these other religions? Why should men fight for their gods. Why are they afraid of Christianity? Is it that they don't have strong argument to withstand the reality that Christianity presents?
Brethren, let us continue to pray for our brethren.

http://www.persecution.net/images/countries/india/india1.jpg
Specific instances of personal attacks can be named all across India. In May 2005, the death sentence for the man convicted of murdering Australian missionary Graham Staines and his boys in 1999 was commuted from the death sentence to life imprisonment. Seeing this as leniency for those who kill Christians, a Hindu militant and at least two others entrapped and murdered two pastors on the outskirts of Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh.

Reports of village churches being destroyed and church leaders being threatened by local Hindus continue to be a daily reality in India. Other persecution faced by Christians is more subtle, as converts to Christianity are often cast out of their families and face poverty and ostracism.

Prayer Requests

* Pray that militant influences in the government will continue to decrease and that freedom of religion will be recognized throughout India.
* Pray for protection for pastors, evangelists and other Christian workers as they share the Good News of Jesus.
* Pray for that those who turn to Christ will find the means to have their needs met.
* Pray that those who seek to hinder the work of the Church in India will see the love and grace of Jesus in the lives of Indian Christians.

See more here