What an irony that this year’s remembrance of Christian martrys comes just 8 days after “World Refugee Day” on June 21. It’s an irony, because today’s headlines are filled both with stories of refugees, as well as Christian martyrs. Each of these groups deserve our prayers, because they are on God’s heart. Hardly a day goes by that we don’t hear of refugees or, for that matter, the slaughter of innocent Christians in places like Nigeria, Pakistan, India, or elsewhere. An even greater irony is that as persecution is on the increase, the numbers of Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus converting to Christianity increases! These reports, too, are coming in every day!
A few posts ago, we told you about “Mr. K” in Pakistan who was to appear before an Islamic court on June 14 for the “crime” of declaring Jesus as his Lord. The people who asked us to pray for Mr. K also listed 8 or 9 other Christians who’ve been tried, convicted, and murdered for simply declaring Jesus in recent months in Pakistan. And, while we have yet to hear the outcome of Mr. K’s fate, we know that other believers in other nations have been beaten, arrested, and very likely died as we’ve waited to hear the fate of “Mr. K”. PLEASE, take time to go visit Voice of the Martyrs website (vom.org) and learn how you can help support the persecuted church worldwide. Read about John Chau, a 26 year old man who died in 2018 trying to bring the “Good News” to a remote tribe on North Sentinel Island in the Bay of Bengal between India and Southeast Asia. Ask your pastor to lead a prayer for the persecuted church worldwide. Or, better yet, educate yourself about the persecuted church and YOU lead the prayer! As these people give their lives for the sake of the gospel, the very least we can do is to bring them before God’s Throne on a daily basis.