PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS

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5 Ways to Pray for Persecuted Christians

“This is a dangerous time for Christians around the world,” Franklin Graham wrote in a recent Facebook post. “We see the reports every few days on the news. … Reports show that some 215 million Christians experience ‘high, very high or extreme persecution.’

“We can’t sit idly by while these atrocities continue.”

The time to take action is now, and prayer is the first step. Here are five ways you can immediately start praying for persecuted Christians worldwide. Please continue to pray as the World Summit in Defense of Persecuted Christians gets underway on May 10. The event will raise awareness and advocate change as hundreds of church leaders, victims of persecution and others gather to talk about the recent, unprecedented persecution of Christians throughout the world, from Mexico to Syria.

“Prayer is the Christian’s greatest weapon,” Billy Graham once said. Consider the following five points as you battle for your fellow Christian brothers and sisters worldwide.

1. Pray for those in the midst of persecution:

"Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body." ~ Hebrews 13:3

Global watchdog Open Doors reports that 322 Christians are killed every month for their faith while millions more suffer persecution on a routine basis. Please pray that these believers will not only stay committed to the call of Christ but also will respond in love to the evil shown by their aggressors. God’s love will open doors for these believers to share the Gospel even more.

2. Pray for those who are doing the persecuting:

"But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you," ~ Matthew 5:44

Pray that God would open the eyes and soften the hearts of these individuals who bring unfathomable abuse upon Christians. Remember as you pray that God sent His Son for the whole world:

"For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him." ~ John 3:16-17

He does not want anybody — even these individuals — to perish:

"Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?” This is the declaration of the Lord God. “Instead, don’t I take pleasure when he turns from his ways and lives?" ~ Ezekiel 18:23

3. Pray for the families and loved ones of those being persecuted:

"Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time." ~ Hebrews 4:16

Ask God to comfort families who many times do not receive updates about their loved one and are not allowed to visit, or it’s simply not safe enough to do so. Pray they, too, will remain faithful to the calling God has placed on their lives.

4. Pray that churches would rise up:

"When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak God’s message with boldness." ~ Acts 4:31

Support from the body of Christ is so critical. Whether we are giving up our time in prayer or our resources in physical support, the church must rally around those suffering for Christ. American Christians also should rattle the door of Washington by writing their elected officials. Remind them the persecution of Christians is a real issue that must be addressed.

5. Pray that world leaders would do all they can to fight this persecution:

"So now, kings, be wise; receive instruction, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with reverential awe and rejoice with trembling." ~ Psalm 2:10-11

God makes it clear in His Word that leaders have a responsibility. Pray God would stir their hearts, and they would not only draft but enact the necessary policies and procedures to make a lasting, global difference.

https://billygraham.org/story/5-ways-pray-persecuted-christians/