The Voice of the Martyrs

Sean Wright: What I've found, especially in Muslim background areas, when they've decided to follow Jesus, and in particular, once they've been baptized, they've already decided that they're willing to live dead.

Todd Nettleton: Yeah.

Sean Wright: And they would remind me sometimes, Sean, if I'm doing what the Lord wants me to do and I've accepted Christ, whether I die today because of natural causes or someone takes my life, I'm going to be with Jesus. And by the way, they can't take my life without God's permission.

Announcer: Jesus never promised his followers an easy path. In fact, he told his disciples that the world would hate them. He sent them out as sheep among wolves. Jesus's words came true in the life of the apostles, and they're still coming true today in the lives of his followers around the world. Join hosts Todd Nettleton as we hear their inspiring stories and learn how we can help right now on The Voice of the Martyrs Radio Network.

Todd Nettleton: Welcome again to The Voice of the Martyrs Radio. My name is Todd Nettleton, and we are in our studio today in Bartlesville, Oklahoma with two guests from International Christian Concern. Sean Wright is the president of ICC. Nick Baker is the director of Impact. And Nick, I'm going to have you tell what that is exactly, but welcome to Voice of the Martyrs Radio.

Sean Wright: Thank you, Todd.

Nick Baker: It's a pleasure to be here.

Todd Nettleton: How long have you guys been working with persecuted Christians in general and ICC in particular?

Nick Baker: Well, I got started with ICC in 2022 January, so we're going on about 5 years. And this is my first soirée into the persecuted church. Before that, I was doing a human trafficking work in Europe, but I really felt called specifically to the persecuted church. And it's been such a pleasure for the last almost 5 years, yeah.

Sean Wright: And then for me, in 2011 after a missions trip to Turkey, where I got to spend time with Iranian Christians, many of them had been imprisoned, and all of them had given up everything to become refugees. They most of them had to flee Iran. And that was with the Elem Ministries. And after that time, I spent another 6 months in the business world being very successful, but miserable. I couldn't get it out of my head and my heart what I had experienced. And they reminded me of a calling from when I was 12 years old to unreached people groups and persecuted Christians at a little small Baptist church in Arkansas

Todd Nettleton: Wow.

Sean Wright: in Park, Arkansas where I grew up right outside of Memphis, Tennessee. And it reminded me of of that calling that I had run from. And and so after about 6 months of that, I had the opportunity to start working with Elem Ministries on a part-time basis. And and then a few months after that, I just went full time. And so that kind of started my journey with the persecuted church. And then I came to ICC about 11 months ago on October 31st of 2025 after serving with Pack 7 in in Pakistan. And our team's working together.

And Jeff King had announced his retirement. He'd been there as president for 22 years. And God led me this way and opened up the doors for that to work. And so I've been working with ICC since then.

Todd Nettleton: We're talking this week on Voice of the Martyrs Radio with Sean Wright. He is the president of International Christian Concern. And Nick Baker, he is ICC's director of Impact. I want to ask you a question. So we have asked this question on our Facebook page, and and I'm interested to hear your answer. Outside of the Bible, what is the first story of a persecuted Christian that grabbed your heart, grabbed your attention, and and really just kind of sunk deep into you?

Nick Baker: When we were on the field, I I often will think back to the beneficiaries of some of the projects. And even when we were scouting potential projects, it it changes your whole life. It changes your whole perspective when you get to sit with them. And so I remember specifically we were meeting with a family in the brick kilns in Pakistan. Just deplorable conditions, as I'm sure everyone has heard. It was a mother and it was a a handful of her kids and and the father. And the father was was crippled from having being hit with a motorcycle.

He wasn't able to afford how to do anything anymore. And so they took a loan from the brick kilns. And so then they've lived there for decades at this point. And their children were born there. And one of their daughters had been sold to another nearby brick kiln. And all this is just so devastating. And so when you we were sitting with them, the first thing that they asked wasn't like, do you have any money? Do we have support or anything like that? They're like, do do people know about us? Do they know that we're here?

Are they Christians?

Todd Nettleton: Interesting.

Nick Baker: And I said yes, and we're praying for you and we think about you. And we'll write about you and we we love you. We do. You have a whole church all around the world that thinks about you and that cares about you. And they start crying and they want to hug and they you know, they pray for healing and all of that. No one no one ever brings up support or money or how do I get out of here. Those are the most passionate and inspiring Christians in the world are in those most oppressive places.

And there's countless stories. There's millions, millions, and millions of people that have stories that are just like that in worse and better places. But I mean, those are the most powerful Christians, and they're a huge inspiration to me. And my whole life has changed ever since having interactions like that.

Todd Nettleton: And I want to ask about that.

Nick Baker: Yes.

Todd Nettleton: Sean, let me give you that question first.

Sean Wright: Yeah. I think there are two instances here, and I'll keep them short. But Brother Haik Hassepian, which is who who's highlighted on your wall, um still friends with their family, that one really shook me as well. And then there was one where it was a young lady. It was in our a house group, our home group. We had a Persian or Farsi-speaking home group in our my wife and I had hosted it in our basement. And there were several leaders that had fled and that we had gotten to know over the years. And now they were in the US.

And there was a young lady. She accepted Christ in our basement. And then 2 months later, she and her family went back home. And her husband told her family that she had accepted Christ and her brother's killed her. It really just shook our house group or home group unit. And and that one sometimes I wake up at night and you know, think about her and and I I pray for her husband's salvation and her children. And I don't know what that situation looks like all these years later.

Todd Nettleton: Yeah.

Nick Baker: That story raises an interesting question as as we do this work, we're putting other people at risk.

Sean Wright: Yeah.

Nick Baker: I mean, we we understand this. I feel uncomfortable cuz sometimes people will say, oh wow, you go to all these countries. It must be so dangerous. It's like, yeah, there's a some danger for me, but there is 27 times more danger for any Christian that is going to come and talk to me and be seen with me and walk me around and how how do you process that that putting people in danger? And obviously out of this story, you're still processing that one years later.

Sean Wright: Yeah. Yeah. And And I just returned from Nigeria. And I've got trips coming up as well. And I am very cognizant of that. You know, I really make sure that the team's bought in on on why I'm there, uh where I am going. I let them control kind of where I am going to go because they kind of know.

Todd Nettleton: They know more than you do.

Sean Wright: Yes. And And I'm not demanding about it. I've got to see certain things. The last trip in Nigeria, we were in we had to drive through Fulani held areas to get to the Christian villages that are now surrounded. You know, you change how you travel. And I've had instances where I've been stopped and I've been with other Americans. And they don't seem to have that operational security mindset. I think of one instance. I had briefed the team. Like these are things when the driver is driving us, don't say this. Just assume he understands English. You know, we don't need him understanding what we're doing.

We're business people here, kind of thing. One of the pastors decided to say the name of Jesus, and the guy figures it out. And we think that because we're an American, we have some special status in this area. And he his comment was, well, I'm an American. I have rights. And I'm like, you don't have any rights here. And I said, and by the way, pastor, I'm not so concerned with you as I am my brother Ehson here who is traveling with us, who's going to stay after us, who's our translator, and he's he's Persian.

I'm more concerned with what happens to him after we leave. So I need you to zip it a I need you to zip it a little bit. And let's let's stay under control. And we we actually had a very difficult situation. So you you have to plan it out and and you mitigate what you can. But you know what, what I've found, especially in Muslim background areas or Muslim background believers in particular and and even some from other religious backgrounds, when they've decided to follow Jesus and in particular once they've been baptized, they've already decided that they're willing to live dead.

Todd Nettleton: Yeah.

Sean Wright: And so they're much braver than anything that I even when I was in the military in the Middle East and you know, much braver than any many of the things I saw. And they're willing to take the risk because they already realize every day is a precious gift. And they would remind me sometimes, Sean, if I am doing what the Lord wants me to do and I have accepted Christ, whether I die today because of natural causes or someone takes my life, I'm going to be with Jesus. And by the way, they can't take my life without God's permission.

And I'm like, wow. And And I think we as Christians in the West, we need to live like that. What happens if Jesus returns tomorrow? What if happens if I die tomorrow? I should just live as if I'm I got eternity. Now that doesn't mean be foolish. Cuz I have had times where I've awakened in the mornings in my prayer time and the Holy Spirit has said, don't go there. Go a different direction. And I've changed my plans. And then you sometimes you'll hear of something that happens, sometimes you don't. But I have heard of things that happened in an area.

I would like there was an attack on the Istanbul airport back I think it was what 2015 2016 when the terrorist attack happened at the old Istanbul airport. I was supposed to be in there about that time. And that day, my travel plans changed. And it was the Holy Spirit that morning that just said, hey, stay stay another time. It's just things like that. And I don't think there were coincidences.

Todd Nettleton: Nope.

Sean Wright: At some point, you just have to do what God's asked you to do or it's in his hands.

Todd Nettleton: Amen. Nick, you mentioned that your faith is different after doing this work. It it has changed you. Talk about some of the ways that it has changed you. Like like how how is Nick living for Jesus today differently than he was 10 years ago before these before these conversations?

Nick Baker: Absolutely. Oh gosh. Wow. Well, even last year, I mean I I God has done such incredible work with me. And there was a lot of work to be done. Even my perception of mission work and and what our goal is, what we're supposed to be doing here. I remember when the fall of Afghanistan happened, ICC was there to try to do whatever we could. And And often that came in the form of sending aid to our contacts that we knew were still in there. And my priority was get out. Get out of Afghanistan as quickly as you can.

Get to the border of Pakistan and I'll wait for you and I'll I'll wave you across. And I thought that was the most important thing because you know, you have to. But there was one I don't I won't say his name, but he changed my whole life because we sent him aid. And he was supposed to meet me at the border of Pakistan and he wasn't there. And so I was like, oh no, something horrible happened or whatever. And then he sent us a video and he had used all the money to go buy food and supplies to give to his local village and to while he was doing it and then he was handing out pamphlets of the Bible.

And I was like, the Taliban is has taken over. Afghanistan has fallen. It's a lost cause. And that 's not what he believed. And you have a family. You have a wife. You have two kids. You need to get to the border. And he said, no, this is where God needs me. And nothing's going to be able to pull me away from this. And then you know, we lost contact with him. And we had heard through the grapevine that the Taliban had got him. And so then I was like, well, we got his his wife's information and I did the same thing.

I would send you money, come to Pakistan. And they did the same thing. And they're still staying there. And I'm like, what are you all thinking? But they were thinking beyond. Amen. They're like, this is where God wants us clearly. And we're not going to go anywhere. And our personal safety is secondary to that. And so that kind of thinking is so foreign well, to me, but I'm sure to the West, I'm really. And so to me, I was these people are crazy. I don't understand these people. Sir, but they're not. They're crazy for God.

And they really they feel it and they believe it and they believe in his provision and they know that if if they go down, it's because like Sean said, they're not going to go down without God's blessing. And his story now will live on and the people that he touched in Afghanistan, I'm sure will remember that. And so in that way, I'm you know, like okay, you know what, personal safety maybe is not the the priority. And I I I was so worried when I had to go to Pakistan. I was like, this is it.

I'm going to get caught and they're going to take me and all this. And I I remember I got like a stress ulcer. I was so worried about all this. And then I thought back to him and I was like, well, he he's smiling in all these videos and all these pictures while he's handing this stuff out. And I'm like, you know what, I just need to be a little bit more like this person cuz I either believe that God has me or he doesn't. And

Todd Nettleton: I have that same thought on almost every trip. I wish I was more like this person. I wish my faith was more like that.

Nick Baker: Amen.

Sean Wright: And we And we still have team members who are in some of these areas, like what happened in the Middle East with the Iran conflict that live in those areas and they're not moving. They're ministering to the people who are there and they're in some of the the zones that are being bombed and

Todd Nettleton: Right. Yep.

Sean Wright: and are under a lot of pressure and I was talking to one last week.

Todd Nettleton: Yeah. I know our our contacts in Iran as the war began, not a single one said help me get out. They said, we're here. God's moving. Let's go.

Sean Wright: Yep. You know, you just brought up a good point that made me think. Someone asked me one time several years ago, what do I think was the turning point for Iran? Well, brain drain is always an issue in these countries where you know, if you get a chance to leave, you leave. That really hurts the spread of Christianity in these countries when the Iranians decided to stay. And when they started staying and saying, I need to evangelize my neighbor, I I think and I'm no theologian and I I all that, but I I believe that was that's the moment that it started really changing.

And then this tidal wave of Iran becoming maybe the fastest growing church in the world today for the last decade is because people stayed. And even during this uprising in Iran, I have many Iranian friends. And I'm like, what about your families? And they're like, they're staying. They They want to stay. They see the end and they want to be able to be there to help their people and they want to be able to evangelize. And they're evangelizing even now. And I'm like, wow. Many of them are getting killed and they're still evangelizing. So

Todd Nettleton: Yeah. We're talking this week on Voice of the Martyrs Radio with Sean Wright, the president of International Christian Concern, and Nick Baker, ICC's director of Impact. How do we get more American Christians to care about their brothers and sisters that are being persecuted?

Sean Wright: Well, if I want to be a little cheeky, let's read our Bibles. I I And I am being a little cheeky when I say that, but in reality, what I find the the people who read their Bible the most and really dig into it, they understand that we're not going to see persecution end. We're not going to see it decrease. It's only going to increase. Jesus is clear about those who follow Christ who experience the same persecution that he experienced. And I think, you know, even going back to some of the examples in the field, I've been told if if I'm not experiencing some trouble or expertise, I'm wondering, did I do do what I was supposed to be doing, you know?

And meanwhile, we're all trying to be calm. So I think let's really dig into the Bible and remember Hebrews 13:3 cuz Hebrews 13:3 says to remember those who are imprisoned as if you're imprisoned with them or chained with them. And you know, remember the widow, remember the orphan. I believe that when we start really focusing on those things, then we we get a heart for those that that really may not have a voice and it may not have that that help around them, that system around them. And just understanding that there's no reason to despair.

I mean, yeah, persecution's going to increase. Let's not wash our hands of it and say, well, I can't do anything about it.

Todd Nettleton: I can't stop it, so I'm going to ignore it.

Sean Wright: Exactly. But the Bible is very clear that we're to support those. And it God sees that. And

Todd Nettleton: Yeah. And that it 's a byproduct of faithfulness. That like this is actually something that the Bible says you will endure when you are faithful. So I I appreciate that answer. I it's one of the questions sometimes people ask me is like, how do we get how why aren't more people paying attention? I I wish I could answer that.

Sean Wright: You know what else the Bible says that I think kind of goes with this and that is where your treasure is, your heart will be. It's not the it's not the inverse.

Todd Nettleton: Mhm.

Sean Wright: And so I would say pray, learn more, become an advocate, and then give to it and be a part of it.

Todd Nettleton: Put your treasure there and your heart will follow.

Sean Wright: Your heart will follow it and you and and then what you find is you'll see your neighbors differently as well.

Todd Nettleton: Nick, as we look ahead the next 12 months, what are what are the challenges in in your part of ICC's ministry? And I'm thinking especially internationally, what are some of the things maybe you're looking at, maybe feeling excited about or maybe feeling intimidated by?

Nick Baker: Sure. You know, a lot of the governments that we're working in are not pleased. No, can you believe that? And we're so charming, too. No. So

Todd Nettleton: They don't like you.

Nick Baker: the efforts of the persecutors is really ramping up to try to prevent this. And so we are we need to continue.

Todd Nettleton: And the technology that they have at their disposal is also ramping up.

Nick Baker: It can be very daunting. But if God is for us, then who can be against us? And we are adapting. We have a lot of really clever, really smart people both over here and headquarters, but especially on the ground that come up with all kinds of creative solutions for us to continue to get information in, get funds in to really focus on the projects that are going to make the most impact. And so we're not discouraged at all. We're We're aware of the issues and we're we're ready for them. But we we've always been running into problems.

And every year, it's a new problem. And this government hands down this thing that just totally sweeps our legs out from under us. But we come back the next month with another way to to solve it. And so God has been really good in inspiring and opening the path in front of us. And so we're we're realistic about it, but at the same time, we're not discouraged. Things that we are excited about is and like Sean was saying, we're really focusing in on some holistic care. It's not enough to just give food, aid cuz food aid will run out.

It's not enough just to hand out Bibles. You know, there's plenty of organizations that are handing out Bibles or to start a livelihood project or to this and that. I mean, you know, and those are wonderful things, but you have to start with the heart. And you have to start with the with the mind. And between trauma care, I've seen it myself where you know, you can hand someone the keys to their own business and but they're they're still broken. Something is misaligned in their heart or in their mind and something about their family or the way that their their country views them or their their family views them or something that they had gone through and that they're just broken and they can't put themselves back together.

So being able to see that and identify that and try to work towards mending the heart and mending the soul more than just mending what's around us physically, um that's something that ICC is really trying to spearhead now. And that's something I'm really really looking forward to moving forward.

Todd Nettleton: Sean and Nick, we always try to equip people to pray. So that's the last the last questions I'm going to ask are about prayer. How can we pray for you guys, for the team at ICC, for the ministry there? How can our listeners pray for you this week?

Sean Wright: I think really pray specifically for our team. We have team members who are in some positions that put them in in the crosshairs of governments or of people they're living among. I mean, our our people in the field are all indigenous. There are no Westerners. And they live in the midst of it. I think the biggest thing is pray for that, but pray for we we have an initiative that we can't really say too much about, but it's going to target an area that is really I don't think is talked much about. And that is in the forced marriage uh forced conversion arena because many of these girls are 12, 13, 14 years old.

And we're about to embark on a major initiative specifically going at the root cause. And one of the root causes is the lack of government ID because they're so poor that what ends up happening is these young girls and their families can't prove their age. And so when they're they're taken and they're forced into it, who's going to believe the the young girl or a Christian family in some of these uh in some of these countries? So we we are going to embark on that along with this this trauma care and healing uh initiative and a um persecution preparedness training.

So we're about to go into a period of train the trainer model uh with multiple things. But then this this initiative with these young girls. And And again, I I I wish I could tell you more, but just pray for that because you know, when we start going after that, I I can just see that the evil one is not going to No. And uh And our people are very passionate about this. And this By the way, this is something that's being brought up from the ground.

Todd Nettleton: It's not going to set back. Yeah.

Sean Wright: This isn't something we just thought of as an organization and said, this is great. This was this was something that that initiated from groundwork and this need. So certainly pray for covering, pray for protection and and wisdom and those things. And um I I'm I'm really looking forward to that one. And I'm so glad our people are willing to be on the the tip of the spear for that.

Todd Nettleton: Yeah. Last question. How do you pray for persecuted Christians? And And how can you encourage our listeners to also pray?

Nick Baker: I'm just so grateful whenever I get to meet with them. I'm like, God, thank you for putting this person in my path. Thank you for the way that they've changed me. Thank you for their heart. Thank you for the way that they influenced me and everything around me. And then it's please if it be your will, give us the means to be able to change this person's life, to to be able to give them a comfort through your will. And it really comes down to truly a a gratefulness in the way and and an admiration really of their faith.

It's it's beyond anything that we can comprehend over here cuz we're not tested this way. And so I do thank God for the way that he touches those people and the way that he provides for them in their lives sufficiently enough that they cling to him more than anything else. And I I pray that we can adopt the same kind of thing.

Sean Wright: Amen. Let's not forget the persecutor. I wonder how many people actually prayed for Paul as he was persecuting Christians. And then he became this writer and of the New Testament of so many books and and so much impact that I I pray for the persecutors and and even when I hear my Iranian brothers and sisters talk about that, that they led prison guards who had been beating them led them to the Lord. I pray that we pray more for the persecutors as well.

Todd Nettleton: Amen. I appreciate that reminder so much. And you think about how the world would change if Xi Jinping had a dramatic Damascus Road encounter with Jesus Christ, what would that do for our brothers and sisters in China? You think about that in Iran. You think about the leader of the Taliban in Afghanistan. What you know, those people are not outside the reach of God's grace. And so

Sean Wright: Yeah. Just look at the Ethiopian eunuch. I mean, the whole country of Ethiopia became Christian because of that.

Todd Nettleton: So I I appreciate you bringing that up. I I remind people of that as well. Sean Wright is the president of International Christian Concern. Nick Baker is ICC's director of Impact. Thank you for being our guests this week on Voice of the Martyrs Radio.

Sean Wright: Thank you. It was an honor to be here.

Todd Nettleton: Thank you so much.

Nick Baker: It's really a pleasure.

Todd Nettleton: Well, it has been great to have you. And I would remind you, those of you who are listening, Sean quoted the verse earlier, but Hebrews 13:3 New Living says, remember those in prison as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated as if you felt their pain in your own bodies. I love that particular translation. I would encourage you to remember those in prison this week. I would also encourage you to be back with us next week. Every week on Voice of the Martyrs Radio, we talk about what God is doing in hostile and restricted nations among our brothers and sisters who face persecution.

We will do that again next week. And I hope you are back with us right here on The Voice of the Martyrs Radio Network.