Trinity Mount Barker

Thursday night a small group gathered in the church office to pray for Christian brothers and sisters who are persecuted for their faith in Jesus.  It seemed highly appropriate, praying for these members with us of the body of Christ in the middle of our teaching series on prayer!  Here was a chance to put some of what we’ve been learning from the Scriptures into practice.  It wasn’t only us praying.  Christians around the world joined together in prayer this past week as part of the International Day of Prayer for the persecuted church.

Every day around the world, countless thousands of our Christian brothers and sisters suffer violence, intimidation, loss of employment, imprisonment and death simply because they confess Jesus Christ as Lord.  As I mentioned last Sunday, it’s a sad fact that more Christians have died for their faith in Jesus in the last century than in all the previous centuries of the church combined.

What I found most challenging as we listened to the stories of those who live in fear of secret police and government-backed militias, was that it was often in situations exactly like we were in that violence occurred.  Prayer meetings, where believers gather together to bring their concerns and thanksgivings to God are a prime target for raids and persecution.  It made me wonder; these brothers and sisters would seem to have such good reasons or excuses not to gather in prayer, their own lives are at stake!  And yet still they meet.  I couldn’t help but wonder how our excuses or reasons for not praying, either individually or with fellow believers, measure up.  In my own life, my excuses seemed pretty weak as I look at the great desire these brothers and sisters have to pray and the privilege which they see in coming to our Father in heaven.

Please keep praying for those Christians, for whom to speak of Jesus or to live for him is to invite violence, harassment or death.  If you would like more information about how to support and pray for Christians in countries where they are in the minority and where they suffer for their faith, you can find out more from the following organisations.

Voice of the Martyrs www.persecution.com.au

Open Doors www.opendoors.org.au

Barnabas Fund www.barnabasfund.org