Welcome to the Hackberry House of Chosun. My name is Bob and I'm reading first today from the December 2022 issue of the Voice of the Martyrs newsletter magazine. Our story today is entitled Salvation for You and Your Household. It takes us to the Middle East. Jamila has lived in an abusive marriage for more than three decades. Raised as a Muslim, she was forced by her father into an arranged marriage with a harsh Muslim man. I got married not because he was nice or good, but because I had to, she said. From day one, Jamila's husband viewed her more as a possession than a person. And before long, he began to physically attack her. Amid the continual beatings and threats, Jamila's heart ached for goodness and truth. She had wrestled with questions about Islam for years, and when a Christian TV broadcast pointed her to the truth of Christ, Jamila found the answers that she had been seeking. The faith in God that brought her peace, however, seemed only to intensify the violence in her home. Though Jamila is a citizen of a Middle Eastern country, she was born in a Western nation where her Muslim father was posted as a representative of his Arab government. After her mother died when Jamila was five years old, her father sent her to a Catholic boarding school. There she was taught by nuns and required to attend chapel services that honored Jesus Christ. And the seeds of those early lessons took root in her heart. Jesus Christ was real, and he loved her. When Jamila turned 18, her father sent her back to the Middle East. Having lived in a Western nation all her life, she felt as if she had been dropped in a foreign country. She moved from one relative's home to another, barely understanding the language and not at all the culture of her surroundings. First, Jamila was sent to an Arabic school to improve her language skills and gain the ability to read the Qur'an. Then she was sent to Saudi Arabia for Islamic religious training. I had so many questions about Islam, she said. It's very clear in the Qur'an, hate Christians, hate Jewish people. I asked directly, why that is written in the Qur'an? Why do you hate people? They ignored my questions. They didn't give me the real answer. Around that time, Jamila's father pushed her into marriage with a Muslim man. As she continued her Islamic training, Jamila heard an imam criticize Jesus Christ, saying things that didn't agree with what she had learned in Catholic boarding school. Why are these people saying such bad things about Jesus, she wondered. She had been taught that Jesus Christ is loving, kind, and good. She had learned that he was crucified, died, and resurrected after three days, while Muslims deny that he even went to the cross. And then seven years ago, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Jamila began to find answers to her many questions. While studying in Saudi Arabia, Jamila had a dream in which she saw a light so bright that she couldn't open her eyes to see its source. When she returned home, she turned on the TV and began to search through satellite TV channels. As she came across Christian channels, her first impulse, trying to be a good Muslim, was to rush past them. but she felt as if something or someone was holding her hand, preventing her from pushing the button to move past the channel. She watched with interest as an evangelist challenged Islamic teachings and gave a clear presentation of the gospel. Jamila, who had so many questions about Islam, was surprised to see someone openly asking similar questions on TV and providing answers. Wanting to find the answers on her own, Jamila began to compare the evangelist teachings with those in the Quran and other books and on the internet. In the end, she did not find the answers in Islam. Determined to learn more about the Bible, and recalling the nuns and her childhood lessons, she headed for the local Catholic church. But when she got there, she was turned away by church leaders, who feared that inviting a Muslim woman into their midst would cause problems. Then a friend helped Jamila connect with the pastor of an evangelical church. He gave her a Bible, and Jamila made the costly decision to read about Christ for herself. Jamila's husband had been abusive since the first days of their marriage, but he began to treat her even more harshly after he learned that she was pursuing the truth about Christ. He provided food for their children, but at times would not let her eat. When she was sick, he prevented her from getting treatment, and the beatings continued. But Jamila felt that she had a defender in Jesus Christ. I went through the darkness of Islam between a husband and wife, how the husband sees his wife as a slave, Jamila said. My husband beat me for very small things. Any kind of thing, he would make a big issue and beat me. My husband and relatives threatened to kill me. I told them, I don't care. Do what you would like to do. I take Jesus as Savior. He will protect me. Since then, Jamila's grown children have stepped in, and she has seen God protect her. The Lord never left me, she said. He was always with me. I faced some challenges, but the Lord reminded me how he has been with me. When asked why she stays in an abusive marriage, Jamila said, I want to take care of my kids. She's determined that her teenage daughters will not be forced into an abusive Muslim marriage as she was. For encouragement and hope, Jamila looks to Paul and Silas' promise to the Philippian jailer in Acts 16.31. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your household. She is trusting in Christ for the salvation of her children and husband. I believe in this verse, she said. The Lord stands up with me. I have seen his hand in all my life. Amen. Next, I'm reading from a devotional book, also put out by Voice of the Martyrs. It's called Extreme Devotion. This book catalogs the struggles of God's people over past years. Today, we're visiting the country of Romania again. And you understand that Richard Wurmbrand, who was the founder of Voice of the Martyrs, was from Romania. And you will see a lot of stories in this book about that country. It's in the nation of Romania, but the man's name is Demeter. D-E-M-E-T-E-R. Demeter? Demeter? I'm not sure. Let's call him Demeter, who suffered for many years in communist prisons. He had remained strong in spirit during his confinement, but his body was beginning to wear down. There was a certain prison warden who amused himself by beating on Demeter's spine with a hammer. which permanently paralyzed him. But Demeter's Christ-like attitude never wavered, and he was eventually released from prison. Twenty years later, he heard a knock at the front door of his home. He was shocked to see the same prison warden who had so cruelly beat on his spine and paralyzed him years earlier standing before him. Still, Demeter did not waver in his expression of faith. Even before Demeter could offer a greeting, the former warden said, I realize I can never be forgiven for what I have done to you. It was too heinous, but please just listen to my words of apology and then I will leave. Demeter paused only for a moment as he gazed with compassion and wonder at the man. He replied softly, For 20 years, I have prayed for you daily. I have waited for you. 20 years ago, I forgave you already. If we're willing to show love and forgiveness to everyone, even those who have hurt us, then the love of Christ can conquer all. Colossians 3.13, bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Most people will never suffer deliberate physical torment. However, the wounds that others inflict upon us emotionally can be just as devastating. Memories of unkind words, a betrayal by a friend, a bitter divorce can stay with us for a lifetime. We're tempted to hold a grudge or even perhaps to exact revenge against the offender. Forgiveness does not come naturally to us, but it is inseparable from God's nature. If we have tasted God's grace, then we can allow others to share in God's forgiveness. Forgiveness does not depend on the offender asking for it first. It is an act of obedience as well as an act of faith. Ask God to open your heart to the miracle of true forgiveness. If you'd like to be put on the mailing list of Voice of the Martyrs and receive free your own copy of that VOM newsletter, just contact them at vom.org. Or your own copy of Extreme Devotion can be yours, although it's not free, but email voiceofthemartyrs at thevoice at vom.org, thevoice at vom.org, and ask about Extreme Devotion. You'll actually see a little about the different things that they have there. Well, this is the Hackberry House of Chosun. This audio is being released on the 15th of January, 2023. Lord willing, we'll talk again real soon. Bye-bye.