Sermon Cloud

Links

• The complete Letter to the Global Church from The Protestant Church of Smyrna at The Voice of the Martyrs website.
• The website of the Protestant Church of Smyrna (Izmir Protestan Kilisesi) and their page about the Malatya tragedy.

Sermon outline

1. Introduction

   • What were you doing on Wednesday, 18 April 2007?
   • Malatya, Turkey - cf Smyrna, Turkey

2. Three godly men and their families

   • Tilmann Geske - German missionary
   • Necati Aydin - Turkish pastor
   • Ugur Yuksel - Turkish believer

3. Ten young men and their Tarikat

   • Five ‘seekers' at a ‘by-invitation-only' evangelistic service
   • Emre Gunaydin - leader

4. The Bible study

   • They begin
   • Gokhan & his wife arrive

5. Untangling the web

   • 2001: National Security Council of Turkey - Christians & Al Quaida
   • 2005: A meeting - Christians "buy their children's souls"
   • 2007: "We hope you have learned your lesson."

6. The church responds

   • Tilman's wife, Susanne
   • Ugur's fiancé & family
   • Necati's wife, Shemsa
   • Our response
   • The Lord knows, and the Lord gives!

7. Conclusion

   • Pastor Bocek: "Don't pray against persecution, pray for perseverance."

Photo of the three martyred believers: