(Voice of the Persecuted) In light of allegations made public by a Christian News agency, we at Voice of the Persecuted want to inform you that we still stand with our brother, American Pastor Saeed Abedini who, in one of the worst prisons in Iran, is being persecuted through extreme physical/psychological torture by the Iranian government for his refusal to deny Jesus Christ and his Christian faith. We ask that you continue to join us in praying for our brother’s release, waning health and for his faith to endure all tests and intense trials that he will face. Pray he will continue to boldly proclaim the Gospel, sharing the message and love of Christ with the lost. Pray he will remain focused on our God and feels the presence of the Lord helping him to carry this cross. Please continue to pray for his family.

A note of discernment:

Many of you may remember a game often called Broken telephone, Chinese whispers, Russian scandal, whisper down the lane, operator, grapevine, gossip, or don’t drink the milk. The game is played around the world in which one person whispers a message to another, then passed through a line of people until the last player announces the message to the entire group. Errors typically accumulate in the retellings or as many studies have shown, people have an intentional or unintentional knack for embellishing messages when they repeat it. At the end of the line, the statement announced by the last player differs significantly from the one uttered by the first. Reasons for changes include anxiousness or impatience, erroneous corrections, and that some players may deliberately alter what is being said to guarantee a changed message by the end.

Unless you, yourself know the facts first hand by all those affected and involved, be careful what you allow others to whisper into your ear. Be cautious of what you read by journalists sharing a sensational story, which they know will be well read, sharing even gossip without interviewing all parties affected.

We are Christians who will continue to be a Voice for the Persecuted, our suffering family in Christ, which includes Pastor Saeed Abedini. However, we will not comment or discuss the latest allegations but keep you updated on his condition and persecution case.

I pray we, as the Body of Christ, will remain focused on our Lord and the purposes for advancing His Kingdom.

God bless you,

Lois Kanalos, VOP Founder and the VOP Team

Categories: Advocacy, Christian persecution, news

Tags: #SAVESAEED, ALLEGATIONS, American in Iran, Christian faith, christian persecution, CLAIMS, Iran, Naghmeh Abedini, news, Pastor Saeed, pray, prison, Saeed Abedini, UPDATE, WIFE