International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church
“Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my
bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” *
Sunday,
November 3, 2019 has been designated as an International Day of Prayer for the
Persecuted Church around the world. On
that day, Christians will be praying collectively for those who are suffering
on account of their faith in Jesus Christ, an estimated 245 million people in
150 countries. The numbers are staggering, hard to comprehend.
This year North Korea and China will be the focus of
the world wide day of prayer that is being sponsored by the Voice of the
Martyrs and Open Doors Canada. North Korea is considered the most dangerous
place to live as a Christian. For about eighteen years, Christians there have
been under intense persecution. If caught with a Bible or overheard talking
about God, a person could be arrested and thrown into prison. This would also
put all of the family members as well as relatives or close friends in danger
of being arrested and carried away. No trial, no public announcement, no
warning. They would all just disappear—forever.
One touching story is about the impact of Pastor Han
(first name) who bravely crossed the border from China into North Korea many
times to share God’s love with the people there. What he was doing was illegal
in both countries. Pastor Han led a church in China, but was Korean by birth
and had a heart of compassion for his countrymen.
He was labeled as a missionary terrorist, captured
and killed by North Korean soldiers in 2016. Because of his faithfulness through the years
over one thousand people found hope and salvation through faith in the Lord,
even though they knew that this would put their lives in peril, just as it did
for the selfless pastor.
Although
China has been somewhat more lenient, there has been a severe crackdown on
churches not approved by the government in recent years. Last December, a
prominent Christian leader, Wang Yi, his wife and eleven others connected with
the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, China were arrested on charges of
trying to subvert the state. As of mid-August, Pastor Yi was still being held
in prison without recourse to his own lawyer.
So, what
would it feel like to live with the threat of imminent danger? Only once in my
life have I felt threatened because of my faith in Christ. I was a senior at
UCLA, attending an evangelistic meeting held by Tom Skinner, former gang leader
on the streets of New York City. The meeting took place late in the afternoon
on April 4th, 1968, the day Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated.
A large room in the Student Union on the
UCLA campus was filled with people listening intently to what Skinner had to
say, when the doors to the room burst open. Several angry young men stormed
inside, members of a militant group on campus. When something was shouted about
the death of Dr. King, everyone froze. Skinner spoke loudly into the mike
directly to the group, telling them that the people at the meeting didn’t have
anything to do with Dr. King’s death.
“Now just leave,” he bellowed…and they did!
At that, everyone began to breathe again. Without hesitation, Skinner continued
on speaking where he had left off before being interrupted. Whether the
incident was motivated by racial, political or religious reasons (or all of the
above), the rage of the intruders was definitely felt.
People living in countries closed to
Christianity experience the danger of persecution and arrest all of the time.
They never know when someone will turn and report them. It could be a family
member, a close friend, a colleague at work… Imagine living with that feeling.
How would we respond in the same situation?
Would it be with fear? An unwillingness to share our faith with others? Or would
we be selfless like Pastor Han?
Oh,
to be so filled up with Jesus that He can overflow from us to others. Oh, to be
willing to give up our comforts, pleasures, our very lives for Him and for the
sake of His kingdom. Please help us, dear Lord!
Resources are available online at https://www.persecution.com/idop/ and https://www.opendoorsca.org/idop/.
Please join us on November 3, 2019 as we pray for our persecuted brothers and
sisters around the world.
* Ps. 41:9 NIV
 |
| A church in a small Chinese town on the border with North Korea. |
Comments
Post a Comment