Editor's note: If you are ready to write your letter to Christians who have experienced persecution in North Korea, click here.
It happens every year. A season comes and goes. The same can be said for campaigns. They get a lot of people talking, both in person and on social media. Then things end and the sound of silence replaces the roar of conversation.
For example, people get in the spirit of Christmas or Easter and they talk about Jesus and giving. Then it’s (insert holiday or newsworthy event here) and we focus on sporting events, movies, or exercise plans to shed Christmas and Easter calories. What about Jesus? What about giving? Crickets…
This week, the team at EngageMagazine.net has been working hard to raise awareness about Christian persecution. I pray we informed, uplifted, and inspired many people; but I don’t want to stop here. We need to continue bringing attention to the fact that many Christians are persecuted. Some of them are even executed for being followers of Christ. That’s not right and even though Matthew 5:11 tells us that we will be persecuted, that does not mean believers roll over and go silently into the night.
How You Can Help Us Help Them
You most likely are reading this on a computer or mobile device. That technology comes equipped with a keyboard, and you obviously have the Internet, so share this article. Share everything Engage has published, beginning with articles about persecution. You may not reach everyone, but you can reach someone.
Meanwhile, make it a priority to discuss Christian persecution with your friends. It could be over dinner or coffee. It could be in the car while you are traveling to a ballgame or concert. It could even be in your church or Sunday school with permission from the pastor or instructor.
We, Christians, talk about a lot of things that don’t matter. Not everything we read, see and hear about President Trump and Hillary Clinton is important. Moreover, a person’s eternal destination will not depend on whether he/she prefers Star Wars to Star Trek or DC to Marvel.
That does not mean we can’t be involved. That does not mean we must turn into hermits and live like Ben on Tatooine. But we should have priorities, and sharing our faith should be number one (Mark 16:15, 1 Peter 3:15). Praying for believers should be near the top, especially for those being persecuted. Faith McDonell at the Institute on Religion and Democracy wrote a blog recently about the reasons we should pray for persecuted Christians. In addition to their being our siblings in the faith, McDonnell points out it “enriches our own spiritual life when we pray for persecuted Christians.”
Speaking of praying, Jesus uses that phrase in Matthew 6 while instructing His disciples on how to pray. Jesus also tells us to pray our persecutors. They too are sinners in need of Christ. So when we pray, let’s remember how we ought to pray for others, including those who need to repent and invite Christ into their hearts (Matthew 5:43-38). That can happen. It is possible. It starts with you.
We Are Not Alone
In addition to sharing information from Engage, sign up for emails and follow organizations such as Voice of the Martyrs, International Christian Concern, or Open Doors. They too are fighting the good fight, and you can help with that battle. Pray for those organizations. If you are inclined and have the means, give to those organizations. You might even work for them if you have the giftings and skills needed to serve in that area. Bottom line: be in the arena. We all have a role to fulfill. Together, we can fight darkness with the light.
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us;
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
from “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” by Martin Luther
