Reverend Ben Cooper's Podcast
Reverend Ben Coopers podcast, offers an inviting space for listeners to explore Christianity and spiritual growth with wisdom, humor, and a deep commitment to biblical truth. Through Rev. Ben's engaging conversations with guests, the podcast not only explores the timeless wisdom of the Bible but also tackles the pressing issues of life, faith, and hope in a way that is accessible, thought-provoking, and enriching. Whether you’re seeking spiritual nourishment, answers to life’s big questions, or simply a place to reflect on your faith, the Rev Ben podcast is a valuable resource on your journey.
In each episode, Rev. Ben guides listeners through profound theological reflections, personal stories, and practical insights drawn from the Bible and the broader Christian tradition.
Reverend Ben Cooper's Podcast
Unwavering Faith: Stories of Persecution and Hope (#804 - Elim) PC
Reverend Ben Cooper's podcast is a powerful platform for Christians seeking inspiration, wisdom, and encouragement in their faith journey, especially in times of trial. This episode delves deeply into the resilience of persecuted Christians, exploring their experiences in regions like Aleppo, Syria, where insurgency has uprooted communities, and in Bangladesh, where faith endures amidst ostracism and violence. With stories of unyielding hope, such as a young Christian girl who exemplifies forgiveness and strength despite relentless persecution, the podcast highlights how faith acts as a guiding light even in the darkest of circumstances.
What does it truly mean to maintain faith under pressure, and how can we support those who grapple with this every day? Sandra Robson and I embark on a heartfelt exploration of the lives of persecuted Christians, starting with the tension-filled streets of Aleppo, Syria, where insurgency has displaced children and shaken communities. As we reflect on how faith acts as a beacon of hope during these dark times, the Advent season serves as a poignant reminder of the joy and trials that coexist. We draw inspiration from organizations like Open Doors, encouraging our listeners to offer prayers of wisdom and safety for those caught in the crossfire, especially church leaders guiding their congregations through these storms.
In another compelling narrative, we recount the journey of a young Christian girl in Bangladesh whose resilience shines amid persecution. Despite being ostracized, bullied, and attacked, her faith remains unyielding, serving as a lesson in forgiveness and strength. Through her story and those of children like Romana and Moyam, we celebrate the power of unwavering belief and community support. As these children look forward to celebrating Christmas in safety, their stories challenge and inspire us to reevaluate our own expressions of faith, calling us to action—prayer, gratitude, and a commitment to supporting those who stand steadfast in the face of adversity.
This podcast episode is designed to resonate with global Christian audiences searching for themes of faith, resilience, and hope in the midst of persecution. By addressing trending topics like the persecuted church, Christian resilience, and the true meaning of Advent, Reverend Ben Cooper’s podcast aims to be a cornerstone of inspiration for believers worldwide. Key search engine optimization phrases include: "Christian faith podcasts," "persecuted church stories," "global Christian inspiration," "faith under pressure," "Christian resilience," "hope and persecution," "Advent reflections," "Open Doors advocacy," "faith and forgiveness," "Christian prayer for the persecuted," "stories of faith and hope," "Christianity in Aleppo," "resilient Christians in Bangladesh," "Christmas hope amidst trials," "prayers for persecuted Christians," "faith in action podcast," and "encouragement for global Christians." These optimized keywords ensure the podcast remains accessible to a global audience, fostering deeper connections and greater visibility in a competitive digital space.
https://www.pastorbencooper.co.uk/
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Speaker 2:God bless you wherever you are across the world. We thank you so much for joining us today for this podcast. Sit back, relax and enjoy. God bless you. God bless you wherever you are across the world. We thank you so much for joining us today for this podcast. It's sandra robson, it's myself and we are looking at the persecuted church and whatever your life is reflecting and whatever is going on in your world at this moment. You know we never give up, we're just pressing.
Speaker 2:The prayer is the key. Prayer is the way forward and whatever your nation is that you're living in, whatever your life is reflecting, whoever you are at this moment, we just want to pray for you at this moment. So we're just going to pray before we uh, hand over to sandra as we go into the persecuted church, the suffering church and everything that we discuss, and we just want to pray a blessing over your life, father. We just pray for our brothers and sisters around the world. Lord, whatever culture, dear god, whatever land they're living in, whatever nation, whatever city they're in, we just pray, lord, that you will bless them from the crown of their head to the sole of their feet, that they will feel the love of God and you will take the worry and the fear away from them. Lord and you, dear God, will open doors of opportunity. Bless them all. We ask this name in Jesus' precious name. Amen, sandra, it's that day again Amen.
Speaker 2:Sandra, it's that day again. It's that time. You know it's dark outside here in the UK just gone four o'clock. You know we're pressing up into the old Christmas time Time is flying by, you know.
Speaker 3:You know how are you, Sandra, I'm all right. Yes, it's Advent and schools are very busy.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 3:Practicing the nativity plays and you know, having about to have nativity plays in the school, that I'm at.
Speaker 2:It's good that they're even having it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, learning songs and yeah, so quite a happy time. You know there's some stressfulness amongst you know staff and things, because it's got assessments and stuff like that as well and people you know rushing about, aren't they to do things?
Speaker 2:Tearing around. You know the crazy thing, so, Sandra, it's so good to have you with us. And where are we going today? Are we in open doors or are we in release international? Is there a bit of a mixture? What is the theme of this podcast? And I'm going to hand it over to you and let you just get straight in with it.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 2:Because time is never on our side.
Speaker 3:Well, most of it is coming through Open Doors resources and we're particularly looking at giving children joy at Christmas, how that is being enabled and how we can enable that. But I was preparing all that and then I heard the news that there has been an insurgence into Aleppo in Syria. That suddenly happened not so long ago. Pretty recent. Yeah, the recent news was on the 4th of December.
Speaker 2:Are you referring to news? As we understand the secular channels? Some of it, some of it as well.
Speaker 3:Really, yeah, some through the Christian channels.
Speaker 3:So it's been on UCB and they get their news through Sky. So I don't know whether it's on any websites or anything, but also now through Open Doors. There's been a prayer request for Christians in Aleppo because that place has been seized, the towns and the villages, and they're very concerned about Homs being next. So it's an ongoing thing that you know that's been going on. That seemed to be dying down, but this group feel they've been mistreated and so they've now, um, going against the government and again, you know, brothers and sisters are caught up in the middle of all this. So, um, a lot of people are very scared and and they're asking for prayers, for wisdom, for the leaders of the churches to know what to do. And there's mixed reports coming out about, um, you insurgents want, they say they don't want to cause any harm to the population, they're just against the military and the government, the regime.
Speaker 3:So, yes, it's all a bit of a myth, but we were asked to pray for the children because obviously they are scared, being displaced. People have tried to flee, but now apparently the roads are closed so they can't do that. So it's knowing what to do for the best and also to pray that in this time that you know, christians' lights will shine. There's about 20,000 Christians in this time that you know christians lights will shine. There's about 20 000 christians in in this area. So, um, yeah, so just remember them, you know, at this time, and and pray for them as you are led. So that's a recent um you know thing that's happened and um, last time we were praying for families of martyrs, so so just remind people about that. And we're thinking of Christmas time and how you know, like for anybody who's lost loved ones, that it can be a tricky time.
Speaker 3:So we want to think of children who might be missing fathers and mothers and other family members who have been killed because of their faith, and now we're going to look at Bangladesh, but this is also happening in India, so we'll look at this. There's two testimonies I want to share about how children are affected by persecution. They can be bullied, rejected, ostracized, tormented by children and adults. The adults teach their children not to associate with Christians, particularly in the Muslim majority places, but we know in India the same is happening with the Hindus and I witnessed some of that when I was out in India how they ostracize and that, because they weren't celebrating the festival of Diwali, that some of the children were being, you know, name called and things.
Speaker 3:But that's why we went at the time. We did so that we could do some a special party, so they would have a special time where all the others were celebrating Diwali, because it's very, you know, divisive and you know they do go to the same schools.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay.
Speaker 3:And you know they do go to the same schools. So, anyway, this first testimony is about a young girl who's nine years old. You can see her testimony on YouTube, on Open Doors YouTube, and it's very moving, it's very good and she speaks a lot of what she went through and her faith in Jesus, and you know. So I'd recommend you actually watch it. So I watched it this morning to school. Because nobody will give her a lift, nobody will help her to get to school. She walks on her own and no one says hello to her or sits near her in class, because they're told not to associate with her.
Speaker 3:And in her village in Northwest Bangladesh, nearly everyone is a Muslim and when her family decided to follow Jesus, the community turned against them. Even people who don't hate Christians are reluctant to associate with family because that means that they were rejecting what the villagers had said. So they they were worried about you know anything happening to them as well? Um, she says I don't have any friends in school because in I'm a christian and my parents are also christians. She says, if I sit with them, their parents scold them and say she's a Christian. Wow, you can't mingle with them because Christians are bad.
Speaker 2:When you think about that, parents doing something to their children, yeah, you just can't contemplate. That, you can't imagine, just because of their faith or because of this. This is just crazy, some of the stuff that we hear.
Speaker 3:Yeah, when the children say something unkind, I just keep smiling, but I cry when I'm alone. My teachers scold children, if they sit with me, saying don't mingle with the Christian. If you mingle with her, you might also become a Christian. I'm just alone. Christian children and youth endure considerable levels of violence as their parents choose to follow Jesus, including verbal, physical, psychological, sexual violence, explains Sister Hassas, an Open Doors partner in Bangladesh. And also you need to remember that this could be increasing because of the turbulence in Bangladesh at the moment, because of the overthrowing of the leader. Because of the overthrowing of the leader. So she says, there are hundreds of young children of Christian converts facing similar issues. Bangladesh has a strong community-based culture, so when the community cuts off the converts and isolates them, that brings huge emotional damage to the Christian. Children Breaks at school.
Speaker 2:So sad, it's just I don't know what to say. It's like really hitting me hard at this moment in time. Yeah, that's her. This is please God.
Speaker 3:She's all on her own and all she can do at break time is she's got a book and she makes up her own puzzles while the children play on the field. So she's been ostracized, she's been pushed out of a friendship group.
Speaker 2:She's been pushed out of the schooling system. She's been bullied goodness knows what goes on simply because I am a christ. I am a Christian. If you could see that photo, it's quite harrowing actually to see a little girl that is a Jesus follower.
Speaker 3:So not only does she face persecution at school, she faces persecution when she walks to church. She says they mock her and throw stones at her and slap her, but Romana shows a remarkable generosity and forgiveness to the children who torment her.
Speaker 2:She says what nation is this Sandra?
Speaker 3:Bangladesh. She's on the border of Indiaia on the border, isn't it lord?
Speaker 2:we, we just need, we need help god. That well, they need help god. What are you doing, god? It it's really. It's a real tough call today. It's really upsetting to pictures, to hear stories like this. Yes, we know that God is moving, but when you really come to the brass tacks and the facts of everything, to think that there are Christians in school, in life, being thrown stones at for going to church, being bullied, all types of abuse for being a Jesus follower, and I get frustrated with the UK church, all this wokeness and weakness. It really has been affecting me lately how the church is really so weak in the UK and not fit for purpose. And then Sandra brings this to the table and it really makes you to the realisation, the realisation that these poor little children are really being oh, I can't say that, sandra, come on, come on, let's go.
Speaker 3:Okay, so their parents really pray with them and they show them the Bible and if you watch the video she says, Jesus said I will suffer, and I know Jesus is with me.
Speaker 2:That's amazing.
Speaker 3:And they are prepared for this suffering from an early age and they are very mature. When you hear them speaking, you know but yeah, it is a pain, but we can see how we can support them and how they need our support as we go on. Her favorite Bible verse is Joshua 1.9. Be strong and courageous.
Speaker 3:Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the Lord, your God, will be with you wherever you go. She says it relates to my life story. I will not be fearful of my classmates. I will be courageous, even at this young age. Parents taught um them how to deal with these pressures, as I said, and they teach them to love and pray for those who persecute them.
Speaker 2:It's very interesting, sandra, what you're bringing, because what you said there the parents are preparing them for what is going to arise as being a believer. This is the issue that we have got, and we've had for many, many years from the UK pulpit. The preachers have never prepared us for such a time as this. So now the church is in desperate state because it has been given a woke, weak, feeble message in the UK all on prosperity, all on revival, all on the falseness of that, and we have been called out as Christians in the UK. The church is really not fit for purpose. The church should have been teaching us to be ready, just like these parents are teaching these children. Be ready for persecution. That is the correct teaching. That's what the church should do Get ready for persecution.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I mean terrible things have happened, but you know, god has been. God has been as we said. He has worked in great ways and we pray that through their fortitude and their perseverance, people will come to know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.
Speaker 3:That's what it's about I mean, you know, they've come to her house when her parents weren't there and verbally abused her and told her that they were coming to kill her. Then she walks home from school and she finds the house is on fire. The fire was massive and there was nothing left of our house. No one would help them and dad collapsed because of that and even the family wouldn't help. But then somebody did and they were able to stay for a little while, and an old friend of his dad's who, because they were Muslims and they converted from Islam A friend did pay for initial medical treatments, but then they had to leave and what they did was they built a shed to live in.
Speaker 2:Built a shed to live in.
Speaker 3:Yeah, where their house used to be Lord, but then Open Doors found out about it and now they have rebuilt their home. So that's the sort of thing, what's a beautiful story when we give prayer is important.
Speaker 2:Sowing a seed is critical, prayer is critical. They're all interwoven. They run beautifully together. They're they're in the fabric of everything you know prayer, prayer and financial. Look at that beautiful story they lived in a shed. Now they've got a lovely home.
Speaker 3:And what she really wants is to meet with other children at Christmas. And so what Open Doors partners do? They have a special Christmas party that they run in a place a safe place in Bangladesh and we're praying that they will be able to run this because obviously, as I said, things are a little bit chaotic at the moment Very, very chaotic and so we pray that they will still be able to run this.
Speaker 3:And she says that you know she loves to go. I love to celebrate Christmas because all the Christians gather around together, singing songs and reading from the Bible.
Speaker 2:Thank you, Jesus.
Speaker 3:Sometimes we read from a storybook, we recite the Bible verses we learned from Sunday school. I like the part when they named him Jesus Christ. Also, on the day Jesus was born, there was a big star. I saw it in the Bible, in the storybook you gave me. So the Open Doors Partners as a gift, they gave them Bibles and she travels to a Sunday school that is also provided through Open Doors support and she loves that too, that she can have time to you know, be a child and have fun.
Speaker 2:Yeah, be a child and have some fun and live as a child.
Speaker 3:So yeah. So the Open Doors partner was saying the greatest gift that children like Romana receive are community encouragement and love. And she says Christmas reminds Romana that she belongs to the body of Christ. It's why she can continue to walk with him, even as she knows the path will be dangerous. And Romana says Jesus loves me. I'm very valuable to Jesus. It's only because of Jesus' love that I have survived until now, despite all the persecution. His love has guided me this far and I know I am on the right path through his love. So it is a beautiful testimony, you know, of the resilience of these children.
Speaker 3:And they really know Jesus as their friend and their saviour.
Speaker 2:I love to hear these children talking about the book of Joshua.
Speaker 2:Be strong and courageous what a what a powerful scripture to to hold and to live your life by be strong and courageous. You know whoever you are out there. We need to draw a draw some understanding from what we're looking at today, that we need to draw strength and we we need to come to the cross and say god, will you move in the church on the in the uk, because it's very weak, it's very poor, it's not, uh, it's not representing god in in many, many ways. And when you hear these amazing stories of these children, children, christ children quoting bride of Christ.
Speaker 2:Children.
Speaker 3:Quoting scripture they love Jesus.
Speaker 2:They love Jesus, Sandra. There's no church in their life as we understand it. It is only Jesus.
Speaker 3:And this is what I saw when I was in India.
Speaker 2:Just Jesus Children just love Jesus. They talk about him.
Speaker 3:And he's their friend. They love to sing the songs this is so good. They love being with each other.
Speaker 2:It's really interesting to know that we've got these children talking about Jesus, loving Jesus, worshipping Jesus, with none of the bells and whistles, of all that stuff that's out there, that we've got in the West, of all this westernised Christianity, thatity that's so, so bad. And you've got these children that don't talk about church. They gather together wherever they can gather, but they're jesus followers and they really pray.
Speaker 3:Yes, they pray for, you know, safety. They pray for the, for their, the children in their class they pray for for their village, you know, and they know what it is to be protected by Jesus, you know. So this is another little girl and her name is Moyam and she lives with her parents and older brother. She's also from Bangladesh and, again, she lives in a Muslim majority village in Bangladesh and her mother teaches Sunday school and teaches adult literacy, and her father is a pastor and evangelist and they're both converts from Islam.
Speaker 2:Thank you, Jesus come on.
Speaker 3:They have again faced great persecution. She walked two kilometres to school. Two kilometres to school Because no one wants to take her in the rickshaw and they mock me saying Christian. Sometimes they throw bricks at me and push me.
Speaker 2:Jesus.
Speaker 3:She's even been pushed off a low roof and the teachers did nothing about it. Sometimes they beat with sticks and call me Christian as an insult, and she's not allowed to play with them. Just like the other girl, you are a Christian. I didn't want to go to school anymore. I got very angry, but still asked Jesus to forgive them. So she's very real, Please God.
Speaker 2:she's very real.
Speaker 3:Some Muslim women once tried to convert her to Islam by offering her chocolate and asking her to recite one of the Islamic creeds.
Speaker 2:It doesn't even matter if you recite everything. It's got no power over a Christian.
Speaker 3:But her parents chased them off. She says I really like Sunday school. We sing songs, dance and pray together. We also read from the children's bible amen and um, she says um. She's memorized the psalms and lots of other bible verses and that that's helped her praise god.
Speaker 3:She's looking forward to the christmas gathering. Um, we have lots of fun, she says. I like it when we all come together. It's a lot of fun to celebrate Jesus' birth by cutting a cake and eating it. It just showed all the children doing that from last year Because Jesus died on the cross for my sins. I forgive my friends, those who mistreat me, insult me, insult me, hate me or don't love me. I forgive them all. I want to be a teacher, she says. When I become a teacher, I will tell all children about jesus.
Speaker 2:This is my dream what a beautiful, what a beautiful testament.
Speaker 2:Look at these children, look at this, look they're beaming jesus, they're beaming jesus's birthday how can, how can this be happening to these beautiful little christian people not allowed to get on school, buses being beaten with sticks, bricks and rocks thrown at them. Goodness knows what else goes on in their lives, because they're jesus followers and the church in the UK can't even, can't even pull itself together. You know, these are real Christians. These, these children, are real John free, free. They're real Bible believers. There's no church in the backdrop, there's no lights glitz, smoke machines, there's no social media accounts. There's none of that. It's Jesus, jesus all the way through the thread of their hearts.
Speaker 2:I pray Lord, please, please, have mercy on the UK church leaders, all the leaders. Come on, Lord, please. What else, Sandra, We've got? We've got four minutes.
Speaker 3:Okay. So we have got a couple of other places, but we'll leave them for next time. So, um, yeah, so pray for the sunday schools that are being um, supported by open doors and other ministries. Pray for protection for these children. Pray for gentle wisdom that's what open doors partners ask for to minister to these children. Pray, pray that the Christmas parties will be able to go ahead in safety and give thanks to God for their faith, for the faith of these children.
Speaker 3:And also on this video I was watching, also thinking about the young people in this country who are being supportive of these children. They did a Go Without your Own Bed to raise money for these parties and they've done some other things as well, and that was really good to see. And pray that many more young people will hear about the needs of brothers and sisters in other parts of the world and gather together and encourage one another. And the verse that I had was the light shines in the darkness and the darkness can never extinguish it. And that's what these little children are. They are lights shining in the darkness and they are not going to be extinguished shining in the darkness and they are not going to be extinguished, so we thank the Lord.
Speaker 3:Thank you, father, for these little children. Lord, you say, let the children come to you, do not hinder them, for such is the kingdom of God. And Lord, they do know that and I thank you for them, and I thank you for their testimonies and I thank you for their courage and I thank you for their bravery, lord, and I pray that through that, people will be um turned towards you, lord, and that all the fear, that and all the pressure that's put upon them, lord um, will be not important, lord, and I do pray for the whole family and the parents, lord you know, because it must be such a pain to them to see their children treated in this way.
Speaker 3:But, father, your loving arms are around them and we just thank you that your kingdom come and your will be done In Jesus name Amen.
Speaker 2:Amen, sandra, we thank you so much. Thank you so much for bringing us to the table and, wherever you are across the world, you know, may God bless you and strengthen you, and I pray, and we pray here in this ministry, here, that you will just seek Jesus Christ. That today's conversation, or what Sandra's brought to the table, will really make us dig deep in the word of God, because it's not about the building, it's not about church, it's about being a Jesus follower and these children, they're following Jesus. May God bless you wherever you are across the world. We'll see you very, very soon. Take care, stay in the gospels of jesus christ and remember, never give up.
Speaker 1:God bless every one of you, amen thank you for listening to us today on Reverend Ben Cooper's podcast. We hope you found inspiration and guidance in today's audio. Remember the journey of faith is a continuous one and your questions and thoughts are important. You can send us a text or an email and we will get back to you. So, wherever you are around the world, thank you for listening to our podcasts and radio ministry. For more information about our ministry, please find us on pastorbencoopercouk. Please support us with prayer. Also, you can sow a financial seed into this ministry. You can also leave us a legacy to support and continue the work of this radio ministry. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and share it with others who might benefit. Until next time, stay blessed.
