Remember Ambassadors

Sharia law is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, causes of Christian persecution in today’s world.  Sharia is the system of law based on Islamic holy writings - the system of law that governs, to one extent or another, in every Muslim country.

But Sharia is not just a system of law with Muslim underpinnings or a general Islamic worldview.  It is an imposition of Islamic values on everyone it controls - Muslim and  Christian alike.  In fact, Sharia puts a very real and overt pressure on any non-Muslim, and stringently denies anyone but a Muslim the freedom of religion.  While Sharia does not make it a de facto crime to simply be a Christian, it makes it a crime to convert from Islam, or to evangelize among Muslims.  In some cases, these “crimes” of converting and witnessing are punishable by death.

But Sharia law is not a static force.  As Islam expands, so does the impact of Sharia’s persecution - and hardline Islamic fundamentalists are determined to spread Islam by any means possible, including violence.  We’ve talked about Nigeria before (link goes to PDF document), where in recent years the Islamic incursion has brought very real terror and destruction to the Christians.  In other places, too, Islamic influence is growing - Indonesia and Malaysia, central Europe, even western China.

The latest stories are coming out of Somalia, where fundamentalist Islamic rebels are taking over the country piece by piece.  Wherever they go, they impose a drastic, almost unimaginable version of Sharia law.  They’ve made recent news by stoning a teenager to death for the crime of “adultery” after she was forcibly raped, and for murdering aid workers.

As the world kind of looks on at this growing persecution of Christians, let us pray.

I’m sure that you have breathed that wonderful sigh of relief when you return home from a trip.  Even if you enjoyed the trip, there is something wonderful about returning to the familiar and friendly place you call “home.”

I have to wonder what it would be like to return home after leaving because of persecution - something that Christians in Mosul are experiencing right now.  What would it be like to return to the neighborhood and city that had been so hostile, so full of fear and violence just weeks previously?  What would it be like to live in a place where your life was threatened simply because of your faith?

I can only imagine the answers to these questions, but as I ponder them, I am reminded that as Christians, their real home is not in Mosul.  In fact, it’s not on earth at all.  During their pilgrimage here, they have been put in tough circumstances, but their hope is not in stability and peace here, but in heavenly eternal peace.  How hard it must be to focus on this future hope in the presence of present suffering and fear!

As we pray for them, let’s pray that they would keep their focus on eternal hope.

The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church is only days away - are  you ready?

While praying for the persecuted church should not be a one-day-a-year event, the IDOP is a special day to join with thousands of believers worldwide to jointly intercede for the needs of our suffering brothers and sisters.  Don’t miss this special opportunity on November 9!

The theme for this year is “Refined in Fire,” a very accurate description of what Christians in so many countries are experiencing.  Though their fires can be very diverse, their refining takes them to one place - closer to the character of Jesus.  Let us pray for their resolve, their commitment, and their faithfulness through the fires.

The IDOP website has a number of resources available for download that you can use to get you started.  If you’re looking for country-specific information, and information on how you can pray for Remember’s work, visit our resources page, too.  Feel free to download and distribute all of the information that is there.  Make sure your church family knows about the IDOP!

There has been a lot of major persecution news since our last world update.  All around the world our brothers and sisters are being targeted for suffering - and they need our prayers!  Please use these news highlights to guide your intercession for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

China: Persecution Intensifies After Olympics

Eritrea: Officials Imprison 20 Members of Underground Church

India: Destroyed Church Building Leads to Unity

Even in the midst of persecution, believers are praising God for His faithfulness!

Iraq: What’s Behind the Attacks on Christians in Mosul?

Newsweek tackles a tricky, but very important question.

North Korea: Leader’s Reported Health Woes Unlikely to Affect Anti-Christian Policies

Kim Jong-Il has long been one of the world’s worst persecutors, but his illnesses are not stopping North Korea’s program of violence and intimidation against the Body of Christ.

Pakistan: Pastor Suffers Police Attacks, Death Threats

Somalia: Christian Aid Worker Beheaded for Converting from Islam

Somalia is not known for its ongoing persecution, but violence from further north in Africa continues to spread.

When I read the ongoing news of violence and destruction from India, the emotion I feel is heartbreak.  When I hear about the suffering in cities like Mosul, I can’t help but feel sorrow.  These events, and so many others like them, are examples of the evil present in this world.  I would imagine that you have felt the same.

But that perspective is not the only one available.  Some Hindu leaders in India, for instance, are holding up the Orissa violence as a model of what a state should be.  “We will make our district like Orissa,” they have pledged.  That horrifying violence, the destruction and slaughter, is their idea of what constitutes good.

I should not be surprised, I suppose, that this perspective is alive and well - without it, there would be no persecution! - but seeing it displayed in such brazen prominence is a wake up call.  Evil is alive and well, and there are those that are so deceived as to think that it is their calling to persecute our brothers and sisters in Christ.

But truth does not depend on our perspectives, and as we minister and pray we can do so in the confidence that we are serving the God of that truth.  Let us pray with that confidence against the evil that pervades this world of ours.

Lately, persecution news has focused in on Orissa, India, where violence is ongoing and intense.  Let’s not forget to continue to pray for those Christians - but at the same time, let’s not forget that there are so many other places where persecution is brutal reality.

The latest hotspot is the Iraqi city of Mosul (the modern-day location of ancient Ninevah).  If you have followed Remember’s work, you know that persecution in Iraq has been growing since in recent years (Background Briefing).  The toppling of the main dictator, Saddam Hussein, increased the power to local warlord dictators, many of whom hate Christianity.  The persecution is widespread throughout the country, causing the vast majority of Iraq’s Christians to flee the country for their own safety.  These are the Christians that we ministered to on our recent trip to Jordan.

But those Christians that remain are under constant threat of violence.  That violence recently broke out in Mosul in a terrifying way.  ANS is reporting that over 3,000 Christians have been forced to flee their homes in the last week alone.

Armed Islamic terrorists are walking in the streets and asking pedestrians for his or her identification card. The religion of the owner is written on every ID card, either Muslim or Christian. When “Christian” is read by the terrorists, the owner of the card is sometimes murdered on the spot with a bullet through the head.

These Christians need our prayers.

For More Information–

Islamic Fundamentalists: “Expel the Christians from Mosul”

Christians Targets in Iraq