PRAY FOR THE PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS
Hold your Bible up High! If you are converted from
Islam to Christianity and hold a Bible, you might be imprisoned and tortured in
Iran. In 52 countries, the Bible is illegal to have, and Christians are
severely persecuted. [1] Look around the beautiful
sanctuary where we gather to worship freely and without threat. Have you
considered the cost of following Christ?
A
German Lutheran pastor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, wrote in 1937: "When Christ
calls a man, He bids him come and die." How could he have known that he
would be hanged in a Nazi concentration camp? His only crime, he was a
Christian. The persecution of Christians around the World is more severe than
ever. The 20th century saw more martyrs than in the previous 19
centuries combined. Here is how widespread the persecution of Christians has
been.
· In Sudan,
Christians are enslaved. In Iran, they are assassinated. In Cuba, they are
imprisoned. In China and India, they are persecuted and even beaten to death.
· In more than 60
countries worldwide, Christians are harassed, abused, arrested, tortured, or
executed. Their only crime is that they follow Christ.
· It is estimated
that every 5 minutes, a Christian is killed for their faith.
· An average of
105,000 believers are killed each year for simply being Christian.
· That means in the
past ten years, we've seen more than 1 million martyrs.[2]
These are not just
rumors; they are our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Jesus himself reminded
His followers of the cost of following Him. If the World hates you, remember
that it hated me first… Remember what I told you: A servant is not greater than
his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also." John
15:8-20.
Jesus told his disciples,
“I have told you these things so that in
me you may have peace. In this World, you will have trouble. But take
heart! I have overcome the World.” John 16:33. Today is the
International Day Of Prayer for the Persecuted Christians, and we will join our
voices with those who are Praying for the Persecuted Christians around the
World.
I.
The Blood of the Martyrs is the Seed of the Church!
Tertullian, one of the 2nd-century
ecclesiastical writers, wrote, "The blood of martyrs is the seed of
the Church,"
implying that a martyr's willing sacrifice of their lives leads to the conversion of others.[3] The underlying message of
this famous quote is that the Church grew whenever there was intense
persecution against Christians. This was the case in the early Church, which is
still true in the 21st century. Let's see how the early Church grew
under persecution.
Before Jesus ascended to heaven, He met with his
faithful disciples one last time and said, "You will receive power when
the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in
all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8).
According to the promise, a group of 120 disciples
kept meeting, praying, and waiting for the arrival of the Holy Spirit. As
promised, the Holy Spirit fell on this group of 120 disciples. With the bold
witnessing of the Apostle Peter, the Holy Spirit convicted 3000 people who
joined the Church, which grew to 5000. They kept meeting in homes and
assembling at the synagogue. Their faith practice and witnessing were limited
to Jerusalem, the temple town.
God's plan for the early Church was Acts 1:8,
which was to be witnesses not only in Jerusalem but also in all Judea, Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth. Contrary to God's plan, the early Church had a
good time of learning, worshipping, and fellowshipping in Jerusalem only.
They failed God's command in Acts 1:8. That failure
resulted in great persecution of the Church in Acts 8:1, "On that day a
great persecution broke out against the Church in Jerusalem, and all except the
Apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria… "Those who had been
scattered preached the Word wherever they went." The Gospel was spreading
everywhere.
The
seed of the Church kept growing by the blood of the Martyrs. Those scattered by
the persecution traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch. At Antioch,
the disciples were called Christians for the first time. In Acts 12:1-18, we
read about Peter's Miraculous Escape from Prison. Let's see how it all
unfolded. King Herod arrested some who belonged to the Church, intending to
persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death.
When he saw that act met with approval among the Jews,
he proceeded to seize Peter, also. After arresting him, he put him in prison,
handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod
intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.
What was the Church doing in the meantime? The Church
began to pray to God on behalf of Peter. As a result of the Church's earnest
Prayers, God sent an angel to free Peter from imprisonment. Once freed from the
prison, Peter returned to the house of Mary, the mother of John, also called
Mark, where many people gathered and prayed. After briefly rejoining the
brothers and sisters, Peter left for another place. What can we learn from this
story?
II.
Pray For The Persecuted Christians.
We can learn from this story how God intervenes when
the Church prays earnestly. The early Christians taught us to pray as they
modeled their Lord Jesus Christ, the Great Intercessor. Knowing his time on
earth was ending, Jesus offered this prayer on behalf of His disciples, who
were to remain and carry His word throughout the World. "I
will remain in the World no longer, but they are still in the World, and I
am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your
name..While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that
name you gave me. "I am coming to you now...I have given them your word, and the World has hated them, for
they are not of the World any more than I am of the World. My prayer is not that you take them out of the World
but that you protect them from the evil one." John 17: 11-19.
While remaining at the
Father's right hand in heaven, He is still interceding for His brothers and
sisters, His Church (Romans 8:34). Jesus modeled prayer for the persecuted
followers so we, too, can pray. Let us pray scriptures over the Persecuted
Christians. These were shared with the Open Door Ministries by those who were persecuted
in various places.
Psalm 91:4, “He will
cover you with his feathers, and
under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and
rampart.” “This was my scripture when
my husband was imprisoned for his faith. I had great faith in the Lord to keep
him safe. I was confident he would be fine because he had God in his life. I
believe in God’s promise.” —Bouapha, Laos.
Matthew 7:7: “Ask
and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be
opened to you.” “We like this verse because
it reminds us that when we pray, our needs are fulfilled by God. We had to
leave our house with nothing but the clothes on our backs because of our faith.
We always prayed, claiming this verse. Gradually, God made provisions for us
through His people. We have income sources now.” Chendo and Kamala, Nepal.
Romans 8:38-39: “For
I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither
the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor
anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
“I had to move from more than three villages because
villagers and anti-Christians opposed me. I faced false accusations and have
been imprisoned and interrogated. Yet wherever I went, I never stopped serving
the Lord. I was able to gather people and pray. These verses always remind me
that nothing can separate me from God's love; God’s love empowers me to face
trials and opposition. With my family, I will continue to serve the Lord all
the days of my life.” —Shekhar*, northern India.
For those of us
living in relative peace and comfort, the least we can do for our persecuted
brothers and sisters is to uphold them in prayer and support them where we can.
I encourage you to support ministries such as Open Doors and The Voice of the
Martyrs.
Read books such as Tortured
For Christ: The Story of Richard Wurmbrand. If I Die, by Vernon
Brewer. Let’s be informed about the plight of our persecuted brothers and
sisters and support them in prayer. After watching this six-minute video of the
Martinez family ministering to the Cartels in Columbia, we will pray for the
persecuted Christians in the World. As you go home, please take a Prayer Guide
and continue to Pray for the Persecuted Christians. Amen!
