International Day of Prayer (IDOP) for the Persecuted Church

By: American Decency Staff

 

All around the world in various lands Christians are suffering persecution. Some suffer greatly (N. Korea, China, etc.) while persecution in other lands (U.S.A., Canada, etc.) is not as severe…yet. Nevertheless, a form of attack is present because Satan roams like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Some comfort can be taken in the fact that none of these things took our Lord Jesus by surprise. For that matter, He basically said that it’s a story as old as time. In Matthew 5:11-12 He stated plainly, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

To be blessed in persecution seems like a strange concept to American Christians; but both Jesus and the Apostle Peter says that it’s NOT strange that we should suffer and that it IS a blessing to suffer for the sake of Christ. (I Peter 4:12-18)

Keep in mind, Jesus didn’t say that we would be blessed through persecution for being foolish, careless, or by sinning; but rather, for righteousness’ sake. Peter clearly states that “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye…” (I Peter 4:14).

We have brothers and sisters, in Christ, who are suffering horrendous forms of persecution around the world. I urge you to pray for them daily, help to make others aware of their plight, and encourage them as you are able.

Prayer:  It’s easy to set a daily reminder on one of our electronic devices either once or several times a day. Set it and then pray that God would bless the persecuted church, keeping them strong in trial and not allowing a root of bitterness to spring up in them or their families.

Make others aware:  This can be done in several ways. 1) One of the easiest is to talk with others about what is happening around the world and talk about what Christians are going through there. 2) Another way is to talk with your pastor about the International Day of Prayer (IDOP) which takes place on November 4. Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) has a shorter than 5 minute video that can be shown. To watch it click here. 3) Order a free “Save the Persecuted Christians” banner to display in front of your church. Either go to https://savethepersecutedchristians.org/ or contact Kimberly at 231-924-4050; or email her at:  kimberly@americandecency.org

Encourage the persecuted:  Both Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) (www.persecution.com) and Open Doors USA (www.opendoorsusa.org) give updated prayer requests, ideas of things to do to help the persecuted, and stories about our brothers and sisters around the world and the country God has placed them in for such a time as this. One of my favorite ways to encourage fellow persecuted believers is to send them letters; it’s easier than one might think. 1) VOM makes it very easy to do. Go to www.prisoneralert.com pick a country from the list on the left hand side of the screen, pick a prisoner, and create your letter from a list of verses and phrases made available to you. This is a good way to get children involved as well. Writing a letter to someone is one way to keep them in your mind and in your prayers.  2) Open Doors also makes it easy to contact persecuted believers. Click here to see many opportunities.

Terrible acts of persecution exist today in many countries—unless things change, it will come soon to America.If so, may the Lord grant to us the ability to praise His name in the midst of suffering with joy and without compromise. After all, “Christ also suffered for us” (1 Peter 2:21).

We encourage you to order resources for the International Day of Prayer from either Open Doors or VOM. Become more aware of the vicious persecution which is found around this world. Educate yourself and inform others. Our church has a weekly persecution moment where we learn about a current happening and spend time praying for those involved—the persecuted and persecutor alike.

November 4 will come and go; don’t let the burden for these fellow Christians go with it.

---

To support our efforts please click here or mail your gift to American Decency Association (ADA), PO Box 202, Fremont, MI 49412. 

American Decency Association is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

 

---