(Photo courtesy of Mission India)

Mission India’s Regan Miller says, “[Raxit] had a group of believers over to his house to celebrate his son’s birthday, and a group of anti-Christian extremists just barged in loudly and were aggressive and using inappropriate language and behavior. They were just about to start pelting people with stones, and they only stopped because they saw a security camera.”

Unfortunately, it didn’t stop there.

“The police in the area actually favored the anti-Christian activists and filed a case against Raxit,” says Miller. “He’s had his church disrupted on Sundays before or just had people protest his services. But this is kind of a next-level event.”

Threats and targeting of Christians has grown more common in India over the last decade. Raxit’s story hits home for Mission India as they support local believers in ministry.

The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) is coming up Sunday, November 5. It’s really a key time to focus prayer for our persecuted Christian brothers and sisters as they proclaim the Gospel in extremely difficult circumstances.

(Photo courtesy of Mission India)

Leading up to IDOP, Mission India is releasing a week-long devotional prompting prayer and support for persecuted Indian believers like Raxit and his family. The first daily emailed devotional will go out on Monday, October 30.

Sign up for Mission India’s IDOP devotional here!

You can also download a free church resource packet to get your church involved with IDOP at Mission India.

Miller says, “It’ll be a great way to show people just what’s going on with persecution in India that might not make our headlines and might not be front-of-mind very often.

“But it’ll also be something that can help people grow in their own faith. The story that we’re sharing through this devotional is one where over and over, we’ve seen people be impacted personally and convicted by the Holy Spirit in how they can grow in their own faith too.”

Finally, please pray for Raxit and his family as they deal with the fallout of this incident with local anti-Christian extremists. Ask the Lord to infuse Raxit with wisdom and confidence as he represents Christ in his community. Pray for their protection and perseverance.

Header photo courtesy of Mission India.

Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA says, “My co-workers and I here at The Voice of the Martyrs often go and sit down with persecuted Christians. We ask them, ‘How can we help you? How can Christians in places like the United States, in freer countries, help? The first thing they say is ‘Pray for us.’”

Get your church involved

You can get involved, especially through your local church. In fact, Nettleton hopes every church takes time Sunday to pray for persecuted Christians around the world. VOM has created resources to help, including a video. You can find these resources here.

Nettleton talks about the video. “It’s short, usually three to five minutes. It gives the story of a real-life persecuted Christian, or somebody that kind of puts a face to the idea of persecuted Christians.” Additionally, VOM gives churches specific things to pray for on Sunday. “If you want to have a kind of a guided prayer time, in the course of your service, there are slides that say, hey, let’s pray for this situation. Let’s pray for this person who’s in prison. Let’s pray for this need that persecuted Christians have right now.”

VOM has observed this day of prayer for over 20 years. But does prayer really make a difference in the lives of persecuted Christians?

Nettleton tells the story of a coworker at VOM who was imprisoned in Sudan for 14 months. Despite the harsh setting, he got a restful sleep every night. “When Peter was released from prison, he went back home to the Czech Republic. He went to his church, his congregation. They said, ‘You know, Peter, every night at 8:00 pm we stopped what we were doing and we prayed for you.”

Header photo courtesy of the Voice of the Martyrs USA on Facebook.

What About Christians in Syria?

“ISIS was certainly no friend to Christians. Tens of thousands of Christians were displaced by ISIS as they moved forward. When they would take over a city or a village, they would typically announce, ‘Christians get out or risk your lives,’” Nettleton says.

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

“As long as ISIS controlled territory, they were a risk; they were a danger to Christians. The reality is that the ideology that drives ISIS is not dead, even though the leader of the group is dead. Christians in the Middle East are still going to face persecution.”

The good news is that ISIS is not controlling as much territory as it did four years ago. The persecution Christians experience from the extremist group has eased. But Christians in Syria still need our prayers.

Neighboring countries continue to fight for control of the nation. Turkey recently rolled into the country and brought Russian forces along with it. The two nations sealed their power in northern Syria earlier this week. It is the same area where U.S. forces withdrew.

International Day of Prayer

This Sunday, the global Church community will unite in prayer for the Persecuted Church. The day, International Day of Prayer (IDOP), is an encouragement to both those who pray and those who are the focus of countless prayers. It is also a chance to use the news to pray specifically for brothers and sisters in Christ. Nettleton says VOM’s hope is for every church and every Christian to get involved this Sunday.

“There are churches who give the whole day to the International Day of Prayer. We’ve even heard from churches that do some kind of an underground church service, or they have a secret knock to get into their Sunday school class on that particular Sunday,” Nettleton says.

Still not sure how to observe the International Day of Prayer? Go out of your way to focus prayers on Christians suffering from persecution. VOM has resources that can help, including a video, bulletins, PowerPoint slides, and specific prayer requests from around the world.

To find more ideas and resources to mark the International Day of Prayer, CLICK HERE.

During the International Day of Prayer, VOM will post a new prayer request every hour on its social media platforms. These specific prayer requests come from Christians connected with VOM. But do not wait until Sunday to start praying; take time to pray today, too.

Next Steps

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

Pray for persecuted Christians to not lose hope. Pray for their encouragement and joy despite their circumstances. Ask God to strengthen them through His Word. And pray for them to withstand persecution.

“Pray for protection and safety. Pray that they’ll have enough to eat today. Pray that their kids will be able to get an education. Those are very practical prayer requests. But those things aren’t necessarily a given right now in northern Syria, as well as in more than 70 other countries where Christians are persecuted for their faith,” Nettleton says.

Get involved with the International Day of Prayer here!

Header photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs, USA via Facebook.

Conflicting Goals

“The Bible says train up a child in the way they should go and when they are old, they will not depart from it,” says Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) USA Spokesperson Todd Nettleton. “The Chinese government, the Communist Party leaders, are very aware of that as well and they want to train up a child to be a good Communist. And so churches that operate schools, even… just kindergartens, have been targeted by the Chinese government. They are even looking at how parents are raising their children.”

Rules against Sunday School programs and children attending services have long been in place but for years the government turned a blind eye.

“Their training is supposed to be left to the government

(Photo courtesy of VOM Korea)

until they’re an adult, at that point, then it would be legal for them to come to a registered church,” Nettleton says.

Now churches are being raided, pastors detained, schools closed, and children are being asked about their parent’s reading choices and gathering habits.

Religious Expression Crackdown

“This is part of a broader picture in China right now of a concerted effort to control all religious expression. Every aspect of the church, whether it be a registered church or an unregistered is under the scrutiny of the Communist government. They are trying to bring every aspect of religious expression under their communist control.” Nettleton says.

The end goal is to bring religions in line with the ideals of the Chinese Communist Party. Other targeted groups include the Muslim minorities of the Xinjiang region many of who have been detained in re-education camps. Like Christian children’s programs, some Arabic-language schools are now being shut down. Read more about China’s increasing pressure on religious expression here.

Mobilizing Resources

Action is already underway to support the families of believers being impacted by the crackdown. VOM South Korea is now developing tools and a program for these parents. Further information will be released in the coming weeks and months. Learn more about VOM here.

“Every parent is responsible, whether they live in America or China, to help their children develop good spiritual habits and good spiritual understanding,” Nettleton says.

Now they just need the tools to do so. VOM also stresses the importance of the stories of victorious Christians of the past. This is neither the first time nor the last Chinese Christians have been persecuted, and they can draw strength from understanding that legacy and unity.

How to Help

Though Chinese Christians are facing an internal threat, fellow believers can do a lot to help. Please pray for Chinese Christians, especially parents and their children. Sponsor Bibles through

VOM to reach Chinese Christians and provide encouragement.

On a more tangible level, Nettleton asks believers to pressure their government officials to address religious freedom in China during ongoing negotiations.

“We need to make sure our government knows that we as voters, this is something we care about. It’s something we

think about when we go into the ballot box. That also makes a difference for our Chinese brothers and sisters,” Nettleton says.

But the Christian community is responding to extremist hate with something even more radical — love and forgiveness.

Raj* is a Sri Lankan pastor and ministry facilitator with Global Disciples. The Easter service at Raj’s church started as a joyous occasion. His church had just gone through a season of growth, doubling in size after weeks of repentance, fasting, and prayer.

But as Raj’s church worshipped the Risen Christ, just two and a half hours away their fellow Christian brothers and sisters were martyred for their faith.

Wendy Nagle with Global Disciples says, “While [Raj] was preaching, they were receiving notices and the police started to enter their building. He said, ‘I don’t quite know how we finished the service that day. But somehow we did, and realized at the end of the service that our building was surrounded by the police who had arrived to protect us.’

“They as a congregation, of course, began to pray for the brothers and sisters and friends that Raj had that were pastors in that area, including the pastor who lost 30 of his Sunday school children.”

In the weeks and months following the bombings, Christians in Sri Lanka are processing the worst attack ever to target their community. For Sri Lankan children younger than 10-years-old, it’s the first time they have lived through such tragedy since the nation’s 30-year civil war.

The radical grace and love offered by Christians following the Easter massacre ring louder than the blast of a bomb ever could.

“As they offered forgiveness, their country just couldn’t believe the response,” Nagle says. “Buddhist leaders [and] Muslim leaders would come to them and say, ‘If this happened in our community, we would be retaliating. We would be seeking revenge on the people who did this to us.’ They were literally in awe of the forgiveness that was being offered by the Christian churches.”

(Photo courtesy of Global Disciples)

As Raj facilitates Global Disciples’ discipleship training programs in churches around Sri Lanka, he has seen a recent shift in the cultural attitude towards Christians.

“In the past, it wasn’t easy to hand out tracts or give out Christian information or literature in Sri Lanka. And it certainly wasn’t easy to invite people into a church setting. It was far more acceptable to have a house church setting. But now they can meet in public and they can speak in public because the country has had a positive response to Christians following the event.

“In the end, Raj responded that the people who died that day became seed for Sri Lanka. What they see is the beginning of a period of revival in that country.”

Nagle passes along some specific prayer requests from Raj for his country.

“Raj has specifically asked for people to really pray for the people of Sri Lanka, that they will take advantage of a time like this, and that they will have the courage to share the love of God.”

Please also pray for Global Disciples’ role in encouraging the Sri Lankan Body of Christ.

(Photo courtesy of Global Disciples)

“As Global Disciples reaches out with training, we don’t just train them on global outreach. We encourage them to do it. We have the outreach programs active so that they can learn and do at the same time.

“It’s very important in this setting for Raj and others to be able to model for this community what it looks like to share the love of Christ…. As we’re looking at the future, Raj sees more potential for those training programs to multiply. So [be in] continued prayer from the people in this country — that those open doors will remain and that the passion and courage to share the love of Christ will continue.”

*Name changed for security purposes.

Header photo courtesy of Global Disciples.

Wayne Pederson is the Executive Director and chairman of IDU. He says, “The International Day for the Unreached is made up of a dozen or more organizations whose main purpose is to reach places of the world that are less than two percent Christian.”

This Pentecost Sunday, they will examine the different aspects of the Great Commission. What is it? Why is it important? What’s standing in the way of us completing this? Can the Great Commission be fulfilled in our lifetime?

Furthermore, Pederson says, “We’re trying to raise the awareness of North American Church to the cause of the unreached around the world.”

Photo Courtesy International Day for the Unreached

It cannot be denied that the numbers describing the unreached are staggering.

“There are about three billion people that have not had the opportunity to hear the Message of Christ. Not only don’t have the opportunity, but there are no churches, no missionaries, no Bibles in their language or their people group.”

And yet today, very few Church resources are going towards reaching the unreached, and a large portion of the Church is uninvolved in these efforts completely.

What’s Stopping You?

Some people may feel that this is simply too large of a problem to deal with. Others may feel like it doesn’t concern them. Pederson has an answer for both of those dilemmas.

First of all, he says we have to consider our motivation as Christians: “When we hear that… about 70,000 people a day are dying without the knowledge of Christ, that should be enough to compel any Christ-followers to get serious about this.”

And as to the problem being too large to deal with, Pederson says we have to remember that we are called the Body of Christ. We may be many members, but we’re in this effort together. And that’s how the Gospel will reach to the ends of the earth.

Pederson says together, we have enough time, talent, and treasure to reach all who have not yet heard the Good News of Jesus Christ.

“I think when we break it out, there are enough resources here in this country—or in this continent—to be able to take on this challenge.”

Pentecost Sunday

One of the goals of IDU is to make the larger Body of Christ aware of what is happening within missions, and that the Great Commission isn’t just up to the few who are called to be missionaries. This is the responsibility of the Church.

That’s why IDU is held on Pentecost Sunday.

(Photo courtesy of IDU)

“This is the day in the Church calendar in the first century where Christians from all parts of the known world came and heard the Good News of Jesus Christ for the first time, in their own language. And 3,000 people… became followers of Jesus that day. And that was every language group in the known world in the Roman Empire.

“And we’re using the Pentecost Sunday to say this is a time when we need to reach out to every language group, every people group, so that many more can hear in our known world.”

And God is doing great things through those who are sharing the Gospel. While the numbers of the unreached are staggering, the numbers of people coming to the Lord are something to rejoice about. Pederson says, “We know that there are 3,000 people an hour that are accepting Christ each and every day.”

Ramadan

Pentecost Sunday and IDU take place just a few days after the start of Ramadan. This Muslim holy month is significant for movements like IDU.

“We consider that the Muslim people are not unreachable. They’re just unreached. It’s estimated that only 10 percent of foreign missionaries work among the Muslims, though Muslims make up 37 percent of the non-Christians in the world.

“We don’t need to be afraid or keep our distance from Muslims. There are many in the Islamic tradition that are looking for a new reality. And we know that people are coming in by the hundreds through dreams, through revelations… many are coming to Christ through media!”

He continues, “Ramadan should remind us of this huge unreached people group in the Islamic culture and how we need to focus our attention on loving them. They are not the enemy. They are people for whom Christ died. And we need to love them in the name of Jesus.”

Where do you fit into all of this?

IDU has a number of resources that can help Christians get involved in reaching the unreached.

“One of the things that the International Day for the Unreached is providing is a handbook for Christians to pray,” Pederson says. “And this will give them specific information about specific unreached people groups they can pray for. And you can find that on our website. You can download it from dayfortheunreached.org. But that’s the beginning of the process—to see who those unreached people groups are and to begin to pray.”

And, this Sunday, IDU is holding an hour and a half long Facebook Live event, hosted by Focus on the Family in Colorado. Pederson will be leading the event along with  Mission Network News’ Ruth Kramer. There will also be an appearance by musical artist, Phil Stacey.

“Various members of the coalition of the International Day for the Unreached will be talking about the needs, the challenges, the opportunities to reach around the world with the Gospel of Christ.”

The event will take place at 6pm Mountain Time, 8pm Eastern.

For more details click here.

April 29 is the official date Compassion International sets aside for this annual event. All over the United States, Compassion sponsors will set up a booth, present to their church, and answer questions about Compassion’s child sponsorship program.

Matt Monberg of Compassion says, “Compassion Sunday is a sponsor-led movement to reach out and care for children living in poverty around the world. Compassion currently has over 1.8 million children that are part of our sponsorship program, all of whom are in a one-to-one sponsorship relationship with a caring family—Christian who wants to see the best for their life, to help truly release them from poverty in Jesus’ name.”

(Photo and header photo courtesy of Compassion International)

April 29^th is an opportunity for sponsors to raise awareness of this program and gain more sponsors. And it turns out, the event has opened the eyes of other individuals to the life-changing impact they can have, too.

“Each year, we have about 2,500 sponsors who raise their hand and say that they want to be part of the Compassion Sunday movement. So, that’s 2,500 sponsors and 2,500 local churches across the country—there are events in all 50 states. And we typically on Compassion Sunday would see at least 13-15,000 new children sponsored from all of those events.”

So, if you’re a Compassion Sponsor and haven’t already signed up to host an event at your church, you might want to learn more, here. If you sign up, you’ll receive a planning guide as well as child profile packets. Many sponsors see this as a great opportunity to multiply their impact as they share about child sponsorship with their fellow congregants.

“When an individual in a church takes that packet home and chooses to sponsor a child, what they are doing is enabling that child to fully attend their local church and the development program that is run from their local church.”

However, if you feel like “breaking the rules” Monberg says it’s not a problem. Your church could host an event, even if there are no Compassion sponsors to lead it. And, you don’t have to hold the event on April 29^th.

“It really can be done on any Sunday—it actually can be done on any day—and you don’t even really need to do it in a church. Most presentations are done in a church, but many people do it in a book club, a classroom, a small group, at their school. Really anywhere where you have people gathered together, you could host a Compassion Sunday event, receive child packets, and help speak up for children.”

So, keep your eyes open for a Compassion booth at your church Sunday April 29^th, or ask your church leadership if there will be a Compassion Sunday host.

Why sponsorship?

Monberg says there’s a reason why so many sponsors get involved on Compassion Sunday. It’s because they are passionate about the spiritual and physical impact children are receiving through this program. From education to meals and medicine, children’s basic needs are met when they otherwise would go without.

(Photo courtesy of Compassion International)

“Sponsors are in a personal relationship with a child, but the results of that is that the opportunities available to that child open up dramatically. Children who are in our sponsorship program are more likely to become fulfilled adults. They’re more likely to have stable higher-paying employment. They’re more likely to finish school. They’re more likely to be leaders in their church and their community.”

Monberg encourages you to look at your own life and be inspired by how the Holy Spirit has blessed you. Child sponsorship is one way to pass those blessings on.

“Sponsorship becomes a way in which you’re helping a local church in that child’s context to provide those earthly needs while at the same time offering them the opportunity to hear the Gospel, the opportunity to respond to the Gospel, the opportunity to become a truly and wholly fulfilled adult.”

To sponsor a child, click here.

To learn more about Compassion Sunday, click here.

Just two days before that, on January 20, 2008, many will choose to recognize Sanctity of Life Sunday. It is a day set aside to remember the anniversary of that Supreme Court ruling by lifting up the unborn. 

Buckner International is helping raise awareness on that day, says Debbie Wynne. "Buckner is working on providing materials to churches that might be interested in sermons they could give on Sanctity of Life Sunday and also flyers they can pass out to their congregation and church family members to really raise awareness."

Many young women who find out about an unplanned pregnancy "don't know where to turn. Oftentimes  they don't have hope that they can care for a child or they're not ready to parent, and they might look to abortion. We know that is not what we want these young women to do," said Wynne.

Instead, Buckner wants to direct young women toward making a decision about adoption.

Through their ministry, and by raising awareness in January, Buckner is helping individuals share Christ's love with women in need. "If they can turn to a friend and see the Lord working through that person to guide them, and Buckner works with women, they may not be Christian women, but we're here to serve those that are in a crisis. I think it's through our acts and working through them that we're showing the Lord's love and His desires," said Wynne. 

Get more information about the resources Buckner is offering.

"Each week we'll have a balance of music,
intimate interviews, devotionals, and friendly tidbits
that will brighten our listeners' day and set
the tone for their worship," said Scott Thunder,
Bible League's media specialist and veteran Christian
radio personality. "Best of all, this is a program
the whole family can enjoy and look forward to."

"Word and Worship Weekly" debuted on January
20. Developed to fill a need for a nationally-syndicated
praise and worship music program, it features interviews
and Christian music from such artists as Chris Tomlin,
Michael W. Smith, Jars of Clay, Sonic Flood, and Fernando
Ortega. Each program also focuses on sharing Scripture
and inspirational stories of how God's Word transforms
lives around the world.

"We wanted to offer something thoughtful and
satisfying, centered around the most popular style
of Christian music today, and tie the songs together
with relevant passages of Scripture," Thunder
said. "The tone of the program is warm, bright,
and conversational, with a relaxed pace designed to
counter life's busyness."

Thunder has more than 25 years of radio experience,
ranging from programming the modern rock channel on
Crosswalk.com to writing and producing the CCM Radio
Magazine. He was also a consultant for Time-Life's "Songs
For Life" series, and has been behind the microphone
on programs in Seattle, Nashville, Wichita, and Portland,
Ore.

"We hope that ‘Word and Worship Weekly' will
set the standard in the worship song movement," he
said. "We have an awesome combination of ‘gold' songs-which
have greatly impacted listeners' lives-and
powerful new songs that will capture their hearts."