Don’t Forget to Pray for Persecuted Christians Around the World

Over 200 Nigerian Christians were murdered by Islamic terrorists earlier this month, a tragedy that seems to have slipped below the radar of most mainstream media outlets.

The horror was carried out by militants, many of whom were shouting “Allahu Akbar” as they stormed into several locations, including a church and other buildings that were housing displaced Christians.

“What I saw was truly gruesome,” said Ukuma Jonathan Angbianbee, a local parish priest in the town of Yelewata. “People were slaughtered. Corpses were scattered everywhere.”

A farmer named Fidelis Adidi told a reporter, “My body is weak and my heart keeps racing. I lost five of my family members.”

Radical Islamists are persecuting and killing Christians all over the world. According to Open Doors International, a ministry dedicated to tracking and training leaders to raise awareness and help the hurting, upwards of 5,000 Christians a year are killed for their faith – the vast majority in Nigeria. 

The full extent of the genocide is impossible to know, though given the secrecy and remoteness of many of these attacks, we are confident it’s much higher. Without question, there is far more suffering and sacrifice than is documented.

“Christians around the world are experiencing severe persecution,” warns Dr. David Jeremiah. “The consequences for professing faith in Jesus Christ range from stereotyping and marginalization in the West to enslavement and martyrdom in parts of the East. As unwelcome as it may be, persecution is not surprising. Jesus warned His believers, ‘A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you’” (John 15:20).

While the persecution may not be surprising, it’s nevertheless heartbreaking and a tragedy and reality that demands our prayers.

This summer, Focus on the Family is hosting a display in its Welcome Center centered on the life and ministry of Elisabeth Elliot. On loan from The Museum of the Bible and titled, “Through Gates of Splendor,” it highlights her remarkable missionary life – including the tragic death of Elisabeth’s first husband, Jim.

Jim Elliot and four other missionaries were murdered by an Ecuadorian Indian tribe in 1956.

As has been well documented, Elisabeth returned to Ecuador and forgave those who killed her husband.

“To forgive is to die,” she wrote in her book, Love Has a Price Tag. “It is to give up one’s right to self, which is precisely what Jesus requires of anyone who wants to be his disciple.”

How scared was Elliot in the field after the death of her husband? She admitted to being fearful and confused but nevertheless rested in the Lord’s sovereignty.

“The love of God did not protect His own Son,” she said. “He will not necessarily protect us – not from anything it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process.”

If your summer travel brings you through Colorado Springs this summer, please consider stopping by to visit this inspiring display. We will roll out the red carpet for you.

But regardless of where you are or where you’re going, please pray for fellow believers in danger around the world.

Photo from Shutterstock.