Tom Doyle says that persecution (of the
church) is “the new normal”. He
discusses his assertion in a short article in the DTS Magazine, Winter
2016. Here’s the link: http://www.dts.edu/read/persecution-the-new-normal-doyle-tom/
I’ve just read Doyle’s excellent book “Killing
Christians”, in which he gives a much more detailed account of the persecuted church in countries
closed to Christianity by telling personal stories and recounting testimonies
showing the love and grace of Jesus.
His stories include a man in a coffin, an empty graveyard, a
ruthlessly-controlled wife, an influential professor and accounts of Jesus
revealing himself in dreams. His
stories are shocking, captivating and encouraging all at once. I downloaded the ebook from Amazon. Be warned:
Don’t read the book if you don’t want to be challenged in your faith,
and in standing with those who are persecuted.
The World Watch List is updated annually
and lists the worst 50 countries for persecution of believers. (See https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/world-watch-list/)
From the WWL
homepage, you can download the full annual report, click on individual
countries and see video testimonials, request prayer brochures and updates, and
offer support. This video explains the
world watch list: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y4bLaRDC_M
India is currently number 17 on the World
Watch List. As a minority of 62.3 million
people in a country of 1.3 billion, Christians are not tolerated in a steady
increase of radical Hinduism. The new
government does not regularly speak out against the persecution or atrocities
committed against Christians.
Paul says in 1 Cor. 12:24b
that “God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, 25
so that there may be no division in the
body, but that the members may
have the same care for one another.
26 And if one member
suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is
honored, all the members rejoice with it.”
Tomorrow,
Saturday, June 18, 2016, our fellow believers in India will be praying strategically. Please pray with them as follows:
- For the seed of the Gospel to be planted in those in authority (1 Tim 2:2-4)
- The President of India and his office, to be wise and uphold the constitution
- The Prime Minister and his cabinet; to be proactive and courageous to govern impartially and remain concerned for the welfare of the marginalised communities
- The Members of Parliament to be efficient in law making, responsible stewards and example-setters
- The Supreme Court and other judicial instruments, to be just, fair and quick in all cases, sustaining the law in light of injustice.
- Military and Police officers, to be dutiful to serve and to protect
- Pray for the defeat of the spiritual strongholds around India, that the light of the gospel will penetrate and banish the darkness (Eph 6:12 )
- For the local church and its continued obedience to God and vision effectiveness, its ministries and its servant leaders.
Photo credits for this article:
Book cover: Tom Doyle 2015, ISBN 978-0-7180-3069-8 (ebook)