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Sunday, after the elections, what will your church do? November 11 is International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.
Our country is about to elect or reelect a president and the nation is politically divided. You might have witnessed it even within your family or church. This can be overcome because there is something on which we can agree…we are each an important member of the body of Christ and delight in standing together regarding the things on His heart. Galatians 6:10 reminds us that His desires are for us to first care for the household of faith. Well, today over 100 million members of the family of God are being persecuted. Young people imprisoned, pastors beaten, churches burned, hundreds of thousands of families displaced, all because they decided to follow Jesus. You might expect that their first prayer request is to change their circumstances. But it’s not. They want us to pray that their faith remains strong… in spite of their circumstances. In harmony with God’s heart, their desire is to tell their families and friends about the love of Jesus Christ. Stand with them on International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, Sunday, November 11, so that they can change their world with the gospel of Christ. Be One With Them.
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| Kazakhstan Jails Pastor, Considers Extradition to Uzbekistan: A former Uzbek house church pastor is in a Kazakhstan jail, awaiting a ruling whether he will be returned to his native country, even as Kazakhstan’s Supreme Court considers whether to declare him a refugee from almost-certain persecution. Makset Djabbarbergenov was arrested Sept. 5 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Uzbekistan wants him back to face charges that he practiced religion outside state regulation. Over 3,600 Open Doors’ supporters have advocated on behalf of the pastor. If you have not yet taken action, please do so today at Advocate for Makset
Christians Targeted in Nigerian College Massacre: The Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, invaded the off campus hostel of Federal Polytechnic College in northern Nigeria on October 1st and allegedly separated Muslim students from Christians and massacred up to 30 Christian students. The massacre is believed to be a reprisal attack after 156 people were arrested and accused of being members of Boko Haram in late September. Read more>> Syrian Christians Surrounded by Terror and Sounds of War: After 20 months of fighting, there is no sign to an end in the civil war ravaging Syria. The war has claimed over 30,000 lives and left the country in ruins. The children of Syria have been among the victims. An Open Doors contact reports, “Bombings, missiles, shelling, attacks are happening all over the country and are increasing in Aleppo and Damascus. But God’s favor is over His church. Pain and suffering are seen daily, but the church is keeping its hope in Jesus.” Read more>> 10,000 Young People Gather in the Desert to Worship God: In recent months Egyptian Christians have experienced increased persecution, the election of a Muslim Brotherhood president and the death of the Coptic Orthodox Church pope. Many have fled their homeland in fear of an uncertain future. But there have been rays of the light of Jesus breaking through the gloom. Earlier this month about 10,000 Christian young people came from all across Egypt for three days to worship the Lord and to seek God’s blessing for their country. Read more>> Rimsha Masih Update: We continue to closely watch the case of Rimsha Masih, the Pakistani young girl accused of Blashemy. To date, over 4,000 Open Doors supporters have advocated on her behalf. If you have not already done so, please take a moment to send a letter to the Pakistani Ambassador to the United States at Advocate for Rimsha. In recent weeks there have been some setbacks for Rimsha. Three witnesses recanted their statements to police regarding seeing a Muslim cleric attempting to frame Rimsha. A fourth witness stood by his statement. Rimsha’s lawyers are now asking that all charges be dropped. Read more>> |
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