“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” — James 5:16

Over 310 million Christians globally face severe persecution. Todd Nettleton from The Voice of the Martyrs USA says this day of united prayer deeply matters to those suffering for their faith: “Every time we ask, ‘Hey, how can we help you?’ the first thing they say is, ‘Pray for us.’”

World from space (photo courtesy of NASA via Unsplash)

Across the globe, churches will gather to lift up the persecuted believers.

“They are lifting up our brothers and sisters and our Christian family in hostile and restricted nations. They [persecuted Christians] know they’re being prayed for, and it is an encouragement to them,” added Nettleton.

Each year, the International Day of Prayer highlights a specific nation or situation to help believers intercede more personally and fervently.

This year’s focus is on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where believers face relentless violence from armed groups.

“There are over a hundred armed rebel groups active in DRC. Many of them are motivated by Islamist ideology that says Christians are the enemy. [They say] ‘We want to create a caliphate.’ And so the level of violence of some of these attacks is just mind-blowing,” shares Nettleton.

These brutal attacks leave Congolese communities grieving and struggling to heal. Yet the story of God’s presence and restoration shines through.

Photo courtesy of VOM USA

The VOM USA promotional video focuses on how God is helping persecuted Christians recover from trauma.

“He is using Christians to come alongside our brothers and sisters in DRC, to listen to them, pray with them, and affirm them. Help them realize that even in suffering — even in violent suffering — God is still present, and God still has a plan,” adds Nettleton.

Free digital resources are available on the Voice of the Martyrs USA website for churches and Bible studies. Pray for persecuted Christians around the world — and remember the Congolese believers.

“It is a prayer for faithfulness in the face of persecution, in the face of suffering,” adds Nettleton.

Join this year’s global intercession for persecuted believers! Visit Voice of the Martyrs USA
to access resources.

Header photo: Prayer slide from downloadable materials, courtesy of VOM USA.

Before we look closer at this opportunity to pray together, let’s remember how much the concept of “family” means to God.

(Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs, USA via Facebook)

From Genesis 1, God instituted family into human society. In Scripture He invites us to call Him our Father. He calls Christians His children, the sons and daughters of God. Many believers today follow the early church’s pattern of calling each other sister or brother. (See Romans 16:1, Philippians 1:14, and James 2:15 as just a few examples.) Family language is everywhere in the kingdom of God!

Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA says this truth of deep family relationship in the Church is part of what led to the International Day of Prayer.

“When my brother is in prison and is being beaten on, you don’t have to guilt me into caring about him, and you don’t have to try to manipulate my emotions to make me care about him. It’s my brother. Of course I care,” Nettleton explains. 

“It becomes very, very natural for us to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters, to want to be a voice for them. It becomes natural once we understand, once it really takes hold in our heart that these are our family members.” 

Even young children can grasp what this means.

“You don’t have to go so much into the specifics with a young child of what that persecution looks like, or what that level of suffering is,” Nettleton explains. It’s often enough to tell a child that people who are their family, some of them kids just like they are, are suffering for faith in Jesus.

(Image courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs)

Would you commit to pray for your persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ? It’s their first request when VOM staff ask how the West can help. (Learn ways to do so with a VOM prayer guide here.)

It’s also not too late to get involved with the International Day of Prayer throughout November! Find free digital resources from VOM for you and your church to use to pray together this month. It doesn’t matter how big or how small it looks. 

“Many churches are just going to add persecuted Christians to the normal Sunday pastoral prayer time. Some are going to have a special extra prayer time for persecuted Christians. Some are going to give the whole day to it,” Nettleton says. 

“The important thing is, is your church going to do something to raise awareness? To tell your people, ‘Hey, we have family members for all eternity who are suffering right now. We need to lift them up. We need to honor the [Scripture] that say[s], ‘Remember the prisoner as if you were in prison with them.’” 

Connect with The Voice of the Martyrs for IDOP 2024 here. 

Header image courtesy of The Voice of the Martyrs.

You can pray for millions who share our faith but not our freedom on Sunday. November 6, 2022, is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, or Persecuted Christians. See a history of IDOP here.

(Photo courtesy of Jon Tyson via Unsplash)

“Pay attention to religious freedom; pay attention to blasphemy laws and things that affect our Christian brothers and sisters,” Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA says.

“Pray for Christians who are facing blasphemy laws, that God will encourage them and strengthen them to go forward in spite of the danger they face. This is one of the things that we can pray for as we approach the International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians.”

Get prayer guides and other IDOP resources from The Voice of the Martyrs USA here.

One of the most dangerous things a person can do is turn from Islam to Christ. Renouncing Islam is a crime in 24 countries and often carries a death sentence. Pray that believers from a Muslim background will have courage and conviction.

Ask the Holy Spirit to guide all Christians as they share the Gospel with Muslim friends or family members. “I have interviewed many people working in a blasphemy law context, and they will often tell you, ‘I don’t talk to someone about what’s wrong with Islam,’” Nettleton says.

“‘I talk to them about Jesus. I talk to them about what’s right with Jesus, and let them come to the conclusion that Islam is wrong.’”

Header image depicts Rebecca, a Nigerian woman who watched helplessly with her daughter as Boko Haram militants killed her husband and son, and burned her home. (Photo courtesy VOM USA)

FMI’s Work with Persecuted Christians

FMI works in the world’s three largest Muslim dominate countries; Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Pakistan, where Christian persecution is severe. Each of these countries is listed on Open Doors USA’s World Watch List* (WWL).

(Photo courtesy of FMI via Facebook)

In fact, FMI knows of a very strategically placed and highly influential co-laborer for the Gospel of Jesus Christ inside Pakistan has been charged with blasphemy. Oftentimes the Pakistan’s blasphemy law is used to persecute Christians. Learn more about Pakistan’s blasphemy law and this Pakistani Christian’s charges here!

Will you also pray for the Christians serving in these countries? If you’re not quite sure how to pray, follow along with FMI’s Bruce Allen’s prayer below.

Pray with FMI

“Lord Jesus, the earth is yours and the fullness of it. So even these places where there is darkness, where people are abusing your children, these are still your places.

“And we claim your sovereignty over those places. We pray that your light breaks through in magnificent ways. Even to give encouragement to people as they’re going through difficult times.

“Whether they’re in a prison and feeling lonely and abandoned. Or, whether they’re facing persecution out in the community from employers or their own family members, we pray for their ability to continue living the life that you want them to live in these places. That they would see you as a good Father. Someone who gives them bread and not stones when bread is what they need.

A rural church in Bangladesh. (Photo courtesy of FMI)

“We pray for you to give them the peace that passes any understanding, not just so that they can be at ease in the difficult situation, but so that those who have their eyes on those Christians will see that peace and it will strike a chord of curiosity.

“And as I have seen you work in families in some of these situations, that those that have even been doing the persecution will be convicted by that light, by that peace, by that hope. And they will come to place their faith in you as well. It’s in your great name we pray, and for the sake of your kingdom, Amen.”

More Ways to Get Involved

Please also pray for the Pakistani Christian facing a blasphemy charge. Pray for God’s hand in the court process, for the judge to dismiss all charges against this man, and for the protection and encouragement of both him and his family. Learn more about his story here! 

For more ways to pray with FMI, click here!

Learn more about International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians here!

* The WWL lists the top 50 countries where Christian persecution is most severe.

South Asia highlighted in green.
(Map courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Though the financial future seems to shine brightly, storm clouds darken the horizon for Christians. Five of the region’s nations can be found on Open Doors USA’s World Watch List. The list is a ranking of 50 countries where Christian persecution is worst.

This persecution even extends to the Deaf community, says Rob Myers of DOOR International.

“We need those strongholds torn down, and we can only do that through prayer and through seeing God break [them],” he says, requesting prayer for persecuted Deaf Christians on IDOP Sunday.

The Deaf Christian population is admittedly small. There are 70 million Deaf people worldwide, and less than two-percent of them know Christ as their Savior. But, it’s that small percentage that DOOR equips and empowers to reach the rest for Christ.

Learn more about DOOR’s ministry here.

“We have a number of people, particularly in Asia and Eurasia, who are standing up for their faith and are running into some pretty intense persecution in the midst of it,” shares Myers.

Sam Sharma* is one of them.

Standing firm in South Asia

Sam was born into a family committed to one of the region’s Majority Religions. Though he’s Deaf — usually a challenging obstacle in this part of the world — Sam obtained training and a prosperous career in 3-D animation.

In his family’s eyes, Sam successfully overcame his “disability.” That all changed when he met one of DOOR’s Deaf 2-by-2 teams.

(Photo courtesy DOOR International)

“He came to know Christ as his Savior…[and] he decided he wanted to quit his job as a 3-D animator in order to go out and share this amazing news with all the Deaf people he knew, in order to fulfill the Great Commission,” Myers says.

“His family got so angry that they began to monitor him closely, and eventually blocked him from leaving the house, locked him into the house.”

Visit DOOR’s blog to see what happened next.

Today, Sam serves as one of DOOR’s 2-by-2 church planters and uses his experiences to encourage other persecuted Deaf. On IDOP Sunday, your prayers can have the same effect.

“We just need, as the hearing church, to come alongside them and support them and encourage them, and let them know they’re not alone in this struggle, but that as our brothers and sisters in Christ, we’re upholding them in prayer,” Myers says.

Pray Ephesians 6:13 over Sam and all persecuted Deaf Christians. Pray for strength and perseverance so they can continue in their bold stand.

“I would also challenge you to share with at least two other people that Deaf are the largest unreached people group in the world.”

*– Name changed for security purposes.

For believers who stay in Syria, if you aren’t killed by the shrapnel of war, you could be targeted as a religious minority by ISIS militants. Open Doors USA ranks Syria on their World Watch List as the fifth most volatile country to live in as a Christian.

On the World Watch List fact sheet for Syria, Open Doors describes the situation for Christians there:

The Syrian opposition is increasingly “Islamizing” and the civil war continues to take the form of a jihad against the Syrian government. In the conflict, all Syrians are suffering greatly, but some groups are in a more vulnerable position than others. One of the main features of Syria’s Christian population is its combined ethnic and religious identity. The geographical concentration of Christians in strategic areas of the country that are vital to both the government and the opposition’s war efforts is an important factor in their vulnerability, as is their alleged support for the government.

An Insider’s Perspective

The Aleppo citadel before Syria’s civil war. (Photo courtesy of Varun Shiv Kapur via Flickr under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License: https://goo.gl/QXlFrO)

Today, we’re highlighting Syria as we approach the International Day of Prayer for the persecuted Church coming up this Sunday, November 6th.

We spoke with Brother Michael*, a Syrian Christian and ministry partner with The Voice of the Martyrs, USA. He shared with us the humbling perspective of believers in Syria who stay, literally, in the cross-hairs of danger and persecution.

“I was talking to one of the pastors, leaders in that nation,” says Brother Michael. “His son was attacked, a bullet flew right threw his neck; his other son is under threat, he has a young daughter. And I told him, ‘Why are you still there in Aleppo and serving among this? Why don’t you take your family and rescue them?’

“And he said, ‘If I say Jesus is the ultimate example and He died for me, I’m willing to put my life on the line — like my ultimate example, Christ — for others to know Christ.’… Of course there is death, but [there is] also the beautiful image of the resurrection of people to know Jesus Christ. That’s why they stay and that’s why they remain inside Syria.”

The Example of Ananias

Ultimately, it comes down to the Great Commission being carried out in Syria. And the Syrian believers who stay to reach their neighbors with the Gospel don’t see themselves as heroes of the faith. They simply see themselves as being obedient to their Savior.

Brother Michael shares the biblical example of the Apostle Paul’s conversion from his previous life as Saul, a harsh persecutor of Christians, in Acts 9. When you think about it, Saul was similar to extremist Muslims today in his abuse of believers. This account in God’s Word has become the inspiration for many Syrian Christians in ministry as well.

“Damascus, Syria is the place where the first mission journey came out, it started from Damascus and went all over the world. That’s where Saul was heading on the road to Damascus and he was blinded and saw Jesus in a vision,” says Brother Michael.

“What’s so unique about the story is the local Christian [in Damascus]. When the Lord came to Ananias, an elder of the church, he was hiding from this radical terrorist, [Saul]. The Lord came to him and said, ‘I want you to go find Saul and go lay your hands on him.’…”

“Ananias first said no, but then the Lord said to him, ‘Saul will suffer for my name.’ Out of obedience, Ananias went and he laid hands on Saul, and the scales fell out of his eyes and that’s when Paul was able to see again.”

(Photo courtesy of Vision Beyond Borders)

Brother Michael says Syria is full of many ‘Ananaias’ individuals, committed to sharing the hope of Christ. Because the worst that could happen is their own physical death. But the best that could happen? Another person’s eternal life.

“It’s so powerful how God is using His people today inside Syria. There are Christians inside Syria and they are committed Ananias’s to go in finding those people and laying their hands and the scales are falling from the eyes of people and they are coming to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. This is really the story of Syria. It’s not the death story. Is there suffering? Yes, there is suffering. But there are also the dead spiritually who are rising to life.”

Former al-Qaeda Fighter Finds Christ

One testimonial Brother Michael shares features an unlikely Syrian convert:

“In a new church plant, this woman had been coming to the church for a couple months and she was always covered and she’s obviously Muslim, Sunni. After a couple months, she came to one of the leaders in that church and she told him her story.

“She said, ‘I used to be an al-Qaeda fighter. I had an AK-47 and I used to go fight with them and then nurse the injured as well. But I came and I heard the Gospel and I started coming and came to know Christ. I was afraid to tell you because I was afraid you would report me and then I would be arrested.’

Brother Michael remarks, “This is just a beautiful image of what God is doing.”

God in the Muslim Tent

He continues with another miraculous report from the Syrian mission field:

“I was in a camp [in Syria] and I went to visit one of the workers during the holidays last month. As we visited this tent, I went with the worker and I saw he had his Bible with him, and I was afraid because there was a big gathering of men sitting during the holiday and they’re kind of celebrating, visiting each other.

“He sat and I was praying, ‘I hope he doesn’t share the Gospel,’ because we are in a tent, we are among Muslims — Sunni and Shiite — an intense moment. All these men sitting and gathering, there were women as well sitting.

“All of a sudden, he began to share the Gospel. There was talk, a question, an answer, and he was just strategically answering and answering. One angry man walked out, and as soon as this angry man walked out, the Lord began to move,” Brother Michael recounts.

(Photo courtesy of VBB)

“One woman stood up and she said, ‘I saw Jesus in a dream,’ in the midst of that group, and then another woman, and a new woman came into that gathering and she said she saw also Jesus. So we began just in two hours period of time hearing about three different stories of people seeing Jesus in dreams and visions.

“It was just a moment where we opened the Gospel and people right there confessed Christ.”

The Great Commission in Action

Bottom line: the Church in Syria is blossoming and growing through the power of the Holy Spirit and the bold witness of God’s people. Despite persecution, despite physical displacement or fear, despite even the threat of death, the purpose of God cannot be stamped out in this country whose very roots are embedded deep in the history of Scripture and the story of Salvation.

As you pray today for and with Syria, Brother Michael asks us to pray as the believers in Syria do.

“We used to pray, ‘Lord, when is this war going to end? Hasn’t enough blood been sacrificed? Haven’t enough Christians been killed? Haven’t enough churches been destroyed?’

“But after we begin to see people are coming to know Christ in huge numbers, we begin to realize our prayer, our heart…the Church began to pray, ‘Lord, let your will be done.’ The Lord has begun even to convict us to see He is showing in the midst of hardship, and he’s bringing our people to know Him. This is the beautiful image of today of the Church in Syria.”

Brother Michael offers three more specific prayer points as well:

1. Protection  —  “One of the things, we need to pray for the protection of the Church. They’re under attack from all different perspectives. We need to pray for the Christian leaders inside Syria. They’re faithful, they’re loyal to their nation as well, and they love their people. But people attack them. People accuse them of things, false accusations, even within governments. But they are loyal to the Kingdom of God and they are loyal to their nation.”
2. Biblical Foundation  —  “The few who remain have to deal with the multitude coming, so how do you disciple the multitude with only a few of you? One of the things is to [pray for] how God can equip, because we want a biblical Church. We don’t want heresies. We want to try to wrap our arms around the growing Church before heresy comes in and destroys it, especially from other religions coming in, false teachings.”
3. Healing  —  “Pray as well for protection for our women and children, specifically the children. We think about counseling sometimes, but this is impossible. You can bring all the counselors from all around the world trying to help in Syria, but they cannot do the job because it is impossible. But God can, and through the Church. So pray that God can use the Church to bring healing into the lives of the people of Syria too.”

*Name changed for security purposes.

These numbers, as reported by The Joshua Project, only give us a glimpse of the challenge the Church faces in this country. The other challenge? Persecution.

(Photo courtesy of Forgotten Missionaries International)

Pakistan is number six on the Open Doors World Watch List for Christian persecution. As we count down to the International Day of Prayer for the persecuted Church, we wanted to remind you how to pray for Pakistan.

Just last month, a new chapter in Asia Bibi’s story began when the court delayed her appeal once more. The horrors of honor killings of people who have converted to Christianity are regular news. Terrorism against Christians is applauded by many.

Forgotten Missionaries International works within Pakistan to support the Church in this country any way they can.

Bruce Allen of FMI says, “Pakistan is the sixth most dangerous place in the world to live as a Christian, based on levels of persecution.”

(Photo courtesy of Forgotten Missionaries International)

This persecution manifests in a couple of ways. One is on a social level. It’s random action against Christians in general. This includes daily discrimination and terror attacks. But then there’s the more personal level. This happens when a believer is persecuted by their family and friends for choosing to follow Christ.

Allen says the reality for minorities in Pakistan today is sort of ironic given that the country was created to protect a minority — Muslims in a region of Hindus. “They don’t extend that safe haven attitude towards existing minorities in their realms, even minority Muslims,” Allen says.

Despite the fact that the government views Christians as a threat, Allen says, “The Christians in Pakistan are very dedicated. They love their countrymen, they love God. So they’re very eager in their service of planting Churches and discipling people.”

FMI partners with indigenous church planters to increase this work. They support the church leaders with a monthly income so they can stay in the ministry, they help provide the resources to build churches, and they even are supporting a safe home network for Christians who are in danger.

They operate through 120 ministry sites with eight added just in this last year. FMI also works in Bangladesh and Indonesia — two other Muslim majority countries where persecution exists, but it isn’t as harsh. In fact, while they are in the top 50 of Open Doors World Watch List, Pakistan remains in the top ten.

(Photo courtesy of FMI)

“What’s really encouraging, even though it can sound kind of ironic that Pakistan is one of the hardest places to live as a Christian, this is the place where more evangelism is being done and more people are coming to Christ than we’re seeing the in the other countries where we operate combined.”

There are several ways to help the Pakistani Church. The first is to pray. Allen leads us:
“Lord Jesus, we recognize that You are the Sovereign of all nations. From our own homeland to nations that are on the other side of the planet, You are the one who is in control. We praise You for that, and the faithfulness that You have shown across generations and that You are working your plan out for the nations.

“Right now, we just lift up the nation of Pakistan and the Christians who do live there under some very difficult circumstances. We pray for their encouragement, that they would be fortified by You, by the love that is demonstrated by Christians around the world for them so they would be empowered to advance the Gospel in their communities and change the face of their nation.

“We pray for the government, that You would convict its leadership regarding the anti-blasphemy laws, about the injustice being perpetrated against people who are imprisoned unjustly.

“And for those who are persecuted in a more invisible way — by their own family. We lift those people up to You, that You would bring healing, that You would touch their bodies and restore the broken bones, the broken hearts and mend them and provide for them safe places to live and to thrive and to be Your beacon of hope and truth and grace in that nation. We pray these things in the name of Christ and for the sake of His name, Amen.”

If you’d like to support the Pakistan Church financially, click here.

We’ll leave you with this thought from Allen: “We are members of one another. If one suffers, we all suffer. So, as the Body of Christ, we have an obligation to help each other even if we’re geographically distant from people. And we give strong testimony to the fact that we are one in the Lord.”

(Photo courtesy of Forgotten Missionaries International)

Will these obstacles be too great for Somali Christians to overcome?

“These are perilous times,” admits Voice of the Martyrs, Canada’s Greg Musselman.

“Yet, in the middle of all that, we do hear these many stories of Muslims having visions and dreams of Jesus. They need that, really, in order to stand for their faith.”

Somalia’s growing darkness

The Islamic State achieved one of its major initiatives last week by securing a town in al-Shabaab territory. Al-Shabaab, an Islamic terror group allied with al-Qaeda, is allegedly opposed to IS.

(Photo courtesy of VOM Canada)

“The Shabaab decided to kill anyone suspected of supporting ISIS,” an al Shabaab defector told The New York Times. “The fighting between them is a struggle over power, not principle.”

According to Reuters, fighters aligned with ISIS walked into Qandala – a small, coastal town in northern Somalia – and flew their flag over the government building. The black flag remained there the following day, though fighters had reportedly withdrawn to nearby caves.

“The militants left town early this morning but they are not far away,” Abdiweli Adan, an elder in a town close to Qandala, told AFP. “Some fishermen saw them staying close by in mountainous enclaves.”

ISIS isn’t the only group of radical Islamic extremists that pose a threat to Somali Christians. Al-Shabaab is reclaiming territory as well, reportedly seizing towns as soon as Ethiopian officials had left them.

Somalia is “one of the most difficult places in the world” for Christians, notes Musselman. In recent weeks, he adds, the terrorists “have been attacking Christian areas along the Kenya and Somali border in retaliation for the Kenyan government saying they were going to ‘stomp out’…al-Shabaab.”

Prayer needed

Each year, Open Doors USA puts together the World Watch List: a compilation of the world’s 50 worst places to be a Christian. Somalia is number seven on the list. A description on the website reads in part:

Somalia has been on the World Watch List since 1993, and almost always among the top ten countries…Since the downfall of Ziad Barre in 1991, Somalia has become a safe haven for Islamic radicalism. Life for Muslim Background Believers (MBBs) is much more difficult compared to other countries known for persecuting Christians.

As the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) approaches, will you join us in prayer for believers in Somalia?

Lord, thank you for this time that we can come before Your throne and remember our brothers and sisters who are suffering all over the world. We know that, for us who live in the West – in Canada, in America – we don’t face the kind of difficulties that Christians do in eastern Africa; we think especially of Somalia.

(Photo courtesy of VOM Canada)

We pray for the believers who, in many cases, have to be so secretive and careful, or they’ll be killed. We pray for them, as in many cases, they’re the only Christian in their family. Even for their family members to find out could lead to death or great harm and torture, or ostracism from the family. We want to lift them up to You, Lord.

We pray for the small but growing Church in Somalia – that You would be with them, and strengthen them. Also, we pray for ministries like The Voice of the Martyrs and others that are broadcasting the Gospel into Somalia and trying to get, covertly, Christian materials into the country. We just pray that the Gospel would be received; and, of course, we pray for those who don’t know You, Lord.

We think of even those who may be part of these radical groups, like al-Shabaab, Lord, that their eyes would be opened to the love of Jesus. And, that You would draw many to Yourself. The reason we care is because of what the Bible says, that if one part of the Body suffers, we all suffer. So, be with our brothers and sisters in Somalia, and throughout eastern Africa, that many would come to know You. And, strengthen the faith our brothers and sisters there have.

We pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

But what exactly is the International Day of Prayer? Emily Fuentes with Open Doors USA explains, “It’s a date dedicated for American Christians, as well as Christians around the world, to just be praying of those who are persecuted. Thousands upon thousands of Christians join together, many different churches join together and just set aside the Sunday to be praying for persecuted Christians.”

(Photo courtesy of Open Doors USA via Facebook)

Open Doors USA tracks Christian persecution cases worldwide and shares their findings in their World Watch List. Because of this, they’ve really got their finger on the pulse of how we can pray.

“Since 2014, we have seen a sharp increase in persecution year-over-year, and it’s been unprecedented to any other time in the modern era of Christian persecution, so believers need our prayers,” says Fuentes.

“This year, we’re asking Christians not to just pray for Christians who are facing persecution, but to pray with them. To pray they’ll remain strong in the face of persecution, to pray they’ll remain brave in being able to share the Gospel with their family and neighbors and others who need to hear it, and to pray with them that God will use them in mighty ways.”

Fuentes touches on four different countries for now that we can begin to think of and pray for:

• Syria & Iraq — “I think some of the big things we’re asking for prayer for are the Christians who have been displaced for all these years from both Syria and Iraq. Pray for their protection in these refugee camps, and for their encouragement, just because it’s been so long of being in this state of limbo.”
• Nigeria — “The Christians in Nigeria, we continue to see an uptick in violence. An average of five churches are attacked every single Sunday in Nigeria. So, there’s a great need for prayer for these regions.”
• North Korea — “Continued prayer for North Korea, where it’s the most difficult country to be a Christian on earth, where the very act of owning a Bible can mean instant death.”

You can get materials to share for the International Day of Prayer with family, friends, and your church! Open Doors has prayer resources, videos, downloads, fliers, bulletin inserts and more on their website.

“We have different stories available of individuals, information on different countries and what it’s like to be a Christian there, the challenges they face so people can be praying for them — all available on our website as well, which is opendoorsusa.org.”

(Image courtesy of IDOP/Open Doors USA)

There’s also a neat opportunity to engage with the persecuted Church. Just follow Open Doors USA on Facebook!

“This year we’re going to be doing a Facebook Live event,” says Fuentes, “so if you don’t follow us on Facebook, be sure to follow us. We’ll have an interview with a Christian from Central Asia every day leading up to the International Day of Prayer. David Curry, our CEO, will be interviewing him. And then, on the Day of Prayer, we’ll continue to have a Facebook Live event with him, learning about his story, what it’s like for Christians in Central Asia, and how we can best be praying for this region.”

As we spend time in prayer this week leading up to IDOP, remember our Christian brothers and sisters around the world and know they’re praying too.

Fuentes remarks, “It’s a real amazing way to see the Body of Christ united throughout the world.”

You can also click here for prayer resources on OneWay Ministries Prayercast.

Pastor Bakhytzhan Kashkumbayev is one of the persecuted believers in Central Asia who needs your prayers. (Image courtesy Russian Ministries.)

“There’s a date on November third, and then there’s an optional alternate date of November tenth,” he states.

According to IDOP.org, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day (November 1 and 2, respectively) were set apart in the traditional Church calendar to remember the saints of the Church and souls of those who went before us.

The modern-day global Church sets two dates aside during the month of November to remember and pray for the Persecuted Church. This year, those dates fall on Nov. 3 and Nov. 10.

However, “we would urge ongoing prayer, 365 days a [year] for our persecuted brothers and sisters,” Griffith notes.

SGA serves Bible-preaching churches in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States by helping national pastors and churches reach their own people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

“There definitely has been an uptick in the level and intensity of persecution in these countries,” says Griffith.

“The worst persecution believers get would be in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, but it certainly has been stepping up in Kazakhstan.”

Persecution Personified

Earlier this year, Pastor Bakhytzhan Kashkumbayev was imprisoned as part of a nationwide crack-down. He’s been arrested on trumped-up charges, denied medical attention, and imprisoned in a psychiatric asylum.

Now, according to International Christian Concern (ICC), Kazakh officials are harassing members of Kashkumbaev’s Grace Protestant Church.

“You are worse than spies. You bring Kazakhs to Christ,” an officer reportedly told one of ICC’s sources.

In Eastern Kazakhstan, Baptist Pastor Pavel Leonov is facing up to a year’s imprisonment for refusing to pay a fine equal to two months’ income, according to Forum 18 News. Leonov is a Council of Churches Baptist; a group which refuses to register their fellowships with the government.

SGA works with churches of the Union of Evangelical Christians Baptist (UECB), a group registered with Kazakhstan’s government. But, that doesn’t mean they don’t run into problems, Griffith notes.

“They try to comply with registration laws,” he says. “They try to follow the law as closely as they can, and they still end up getting persecuted anyway.”

The Silver Lining

Though persecution is on the rise, it isn’t stopping believers in Central Asia from sharing their faith.

“The churches remember what life was like under Communism,” Griffith states.

“They know what it is to live and serve under persecution, and they’re certainly not going to stop proclaiming the Gospel because this seems to be stepping up again.”

Keep praying for persecuted Christians around the world. Pray specifically for believers in Central Asia.

“Pray for these pastors who are encountering difficulty right now,” adds Griffith.

You could also ‘Share’ this story on Facebook to get more people praying for the Persecuted Church. Just look for the Share bar at the top of this article.

“For some reason, it just doesn’t seem to grab the attention of the news media, and it needs to,” says Griffith. “I mean, these are people that are actually being killed for their faith.”