by Elizabeth Kendal

"So Peter was kept in prison, but the Church was earnestly praying to God for
him." Acts 12:5

"The angel fetched Peter out of prison, but it was prayer that fetched the
angel." – Thomas Watson.

This quote by the Puritan, Thomas Watson, highlights the way in which God uses prayer
to involve his children in his ministry and his miracles. In this way both the pray-ers
and the prayed-for are blessed through the ministry of prayer.

The International Day of Prayer (IDOP) for the Persecuted Church is a special
opportunity for the Church to lift up its voice as one before God our Father on behalf of
our suffering brothers and sisters. This year, IDOP will be held on 14 November.

IDOP is the initiative of the World Evangelical Fellowship (WEF)

Religious Liberty Commission, and each year has seen a growing number of the worldwide
Church participating, now into the hundreds of thousands. The impact of IDOP is reinforced
by many of the  international Christian advocacy bodies being associated in it.

The aim of IDOP is not only to have a day of specific prayer, but also to raise
awareness of the persecution of Christians.

The Global Evangelization Movement estimates that 160,000 Christians are martyred each
year. Christian Solidarity Worldwide reports that 200-250 million Christians throughout
the world live in daily fear of secret police, vigilante or state violence, repression and
discrimination. A further 400 million Christians suffer serious discrimination because of
their faith.

PERSECUTION PREDICTED

Jesus warned his disciples that persecution would come. In John 16:2 Jesus said,
"… in fact a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a
service to God." This is exactly what Islamic Jihad is all about.

According to the July 1999 Open Doors World Watch List, nine of the top ten most
dangerous countries (in relation to persecution of Christians) are Muslim lands. In fact
16 of the top 20 are Muslim lands of the Middle East, South Asia and North Africa. The
other four countries in the top 20 of the list are the Communist lands of China, Vietnam,
Laos and North Korea.

In Muslim countries there is no separation of Church and State. Islam is pervasive in
politics, law, and religion; personal and national identity. Conversion from Islam to
Christianity is seen as a rejection of family, community and nation. It is a matter of
terrible shame. State sanctioned terrorism, even murder, by a convert’s own family, is
permissible to rid the family and community of the shame and disgrace of the apostate.

FALSELY CHARGED

In Acts 6:8-14 we read of the seizing of Stephen and of the blasphemy charges that led
to him being stoned to death. We read that men argued and stirred up the people. They
persuaded men to make false accusations against Stephen. They produced false witnesses who
testified against him.

Christian leaders and evangelists in many lands are this day in prison on suspicious
charges. In China and other Communist lands the charges are usually related to political
subversion and creating social unrest by preaching the gospel. Most of the Christians in
prison in Peru are there on terrorism charges because in parts of South America, being a
Christian is seen as synonymous with being an American sympathiser.

In some other lands, Christian leaders are charged with criminal offences. Many
Christians imprisoned on such charges have been tortured into confessing them. The
Sudanese Government managed to get two Bishops confessing to terrorism and the planting of
six bombs in Khartoum last year, by torturing each Bishop in front of the other until the
other confessed to save his brother from  suffering. They have been charged and if
found guilty, they, along with eighteen civilian Christian co-defendants, will be
sentenced to death by crucifixion.

PROBLEMS OR PRIVILEGES?

Have you ever noticed how our own problems melt away when we look at the problems of
others?

How small our problems seem when we see young North Korean evangelists imprisoned for
15 years for the crime of possessing a Bible, or when we see Christians in Pakistan
sentenced to death on charges of blaspheming Muhammad.

How luxurious our lives seem when we think of the hundreds of Chinese pastors living in
prisons or when we think of the Christians of South East Asia suffering dispossession,
labour camps and re-education because of their Christian profession, or of the millions of
Christians forced to live in poverty due to religious discrimination.

How free we feel when we look at the Christians of Southern Sudan,  Ambon and
Chechnya trapped in their land by jihad. Sudanese Christians are being starved, bombed,
poisoned, stolen and sold into slavery by their own Government and by government
sanctioned militias.

How privileged we feel when we see that men and women around the world can not find
Jesus because they never hear of him, as no one dares to speak his name. They live in
fear, without love because they never get to meet Jesus. The missionaries, Bibles and
Christians are underground. The fact that Christians choose to stay faithful in these
conditions is humbling indeed. The fact that abuses of religious liberty cause men, women
and children to die without ever hearing the name of Jesus is a tragedy.

COUNTER-CULTURAL

Throughout history, the Church has been a counter-cultural movement. In countries where
the gospel is still seen as counter-cultural and even subversive, the Church is growing.
In those lands the Church is being watered with tears and blood. Its leaders are in prison
and are being murdered. Its people suffer discrimination and persecution and yet the
Church grows.

Conversely, in countries where the Church is very busy fitting itself into mainstream
culture, making itself and its message socially acceptable, the Church is not growing and
it is losing its focus. We can learn from the persecuted Church. We can be reminded what
the gospel is worth.

Being involved in prayer for the persecuted Church is truly humbling and a great
blessing. Aim to put IDOP on your Church’s calendar. Pray for our persecuted brothers and
sisters daily. Who knows when it may be our turn to suffer?

——————-

JOIN IN IDOP ON 14 NOVEMBER 1999

A pack of resource materials is being distributed internationally by WEF Religious
Liberty Commission (RLC), to help you and your church or group to be a vital part of IDOP.
It includes background information from various countries and ministries, specific prayer
points, the stories of people persecuted for their faith, ideas for an IDOP service, and
practical ways your church can help persecuted fellow believers.

These resources can be downloaded in English from <www.worldevangelical.org/idop>, or be
requested as e-mail text from <>.

(In Australia, the material is freely available by contacting AEA: Tel 03 9890 0633 Fax
03 9890 0700 E-mail <>
PO Box 175 Box Hill Vic 3128.)

The material is available also in German, French, Spanish, Portuguese or Korean from
the website as above.

ONGOING PRAYER …

using the brief, weekly Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin from WEF RLC. Just send a
blank e-mail to <>
(The subject does not matter.)

[From AEA ‘Working Together’]