Did you know more than 100 million Christians are persecuted for their faith? Can you imagine how isolating it must be for some believers in countries where they might only know one other Christian?
As many of you have heard me share, last year I have the opportunity to travel with Open Doors to meet with persecuted Christians and hear their stories firsthand. Hearing one man share about the call on his life to carry God’s Word to those who do not yet have their own copy of Scripture challenged me to the core. Hearing that this man had counted the cost and believed that regardless of any punishment he would receive if caught it was worth it to be able to place Bibles into the hands of those who do not have a Bible.
With several copies of Scripture sitting on my shelf it is hard to imagine not owning even one Bible, or to live in a place where to have a Bible could result in persecution, prison time or worse. As I reflected on my conversation with this believer I found myself wondering how I help. And the answer came through you – as we raised over $58,000 to send more than 11,000 Bibles to our brothers and sisters living in persecution!
But there is more we can do. The request I heard repeatedly from the Christians we met was please pray for us. There are many barriers between us and our persecuted brothers and sisters but prayer can break through them all. Open Doors shares countless stories from over the years in which believers facing desperate situations experienced unexplainable peace wash over them. Or prisoners who are in freezing cells with inadequate clothing and no blankets and yet due to the prayers of Christians around the world, they not only make it through the cold temperatures but they see the physical evidence of God warming their bodies as they see the warmth of their breath hit the cold air.
Hebrews 13:3 says, “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”
What if it were you in isolation, sitting in a prison cell because of your faith in Jesus? Would you want others to be praying for you?
The International Day of Prayer for the persecuted church (IDOP) is on November 6th and it is a chance to stand with the Church globally and pray for our brothers and sisters living under persecution. 1 Corinthians 12 says we are one body and verse 26 says, “When one part suffers, every part suffers with it.”
So join us as we pray with our brothers and sisters and be sure to get your church involved on this very important day of prayer! Click here for free resources such as sermon outlines, bulletin inserts and posters. Thank you for choosing to stand with our brothers and sisters in this way!
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