Persecution, Up Close and Personal

We hear about persecution of Christians, but somehow we gloss over it.  We tend to get wrapped up in our first-world problems that crowd out the reality of suffering brothers and sisters in Christ.  Perhaps this is a good time to consider our instruction to "help carry one another' burdens."(Gal. 6;2).

Just a few weeks ago I had the privilege to be in Northern India with a team of believers from home and we partnered with a very special group of believers there.  Since we left,  three of our friends in India have been arrested, one man and two ladies.  As of this post, they are awaiting a third hearing and have been denied bail.  The charge, being Christian.  They are in jail.  Their families are hurting, jobs have been lost (since converting to Christianity is a crime) and their futures are uncertain.  A Christian pastor in that same region was beheaded last week.  Just a couple of days ago, Andrew Brunson, a missionary in Turkey is still in prison and hearings have been postponed for months.  We have been praying for years for Alim in China as he endures a labor camp sentence with years to go... thankfully his charge was reduced from a death sentence for treason.  

What is our response?  Certainly we need to be praying.  Another thing we can do, make it personal.  Find out about those being persecuted and pray for them by name.  Make it your business to find out about places in the world where persecution is a harsh reality and lift those places up.  Those who are hurting are not some distant people in distant places.  According to Scripture, they are family. Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. (Hebrews 3:13)

One resource among many is opendoorsusa.org .  There you can find out the latest info on persecution and arm yourselves with information for prayer and action.  Get in there, get engaged... make it personal!