“Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body”

— Hebrews 13:3

Hebrews 13:3 “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.”

Revelation 2:13 “‘I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

At one time in my life, I was at work and as always reading my bible and sharing the word of God with whoever was interested. When management got to know that I read the bible at work, the assistant director approached me and asked why I read my bible at work, and he asked me to stop bringing my bible to work. When I told him it was my own magazine just like the other magazines that were all over the place, he banned magazines at work. I stood my ground to defend my relationship with God. More so, I started keeping my bible in my locker in a manner by which everyone entering must see it. If I was in a place like Afghanistan, I probably would have been killed. According to Luke 21:12 “But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake.” persecution is expected in our Christian Journey. However, some go through what is beyond our imagination of the word itself. They go to bed and wake up in continuous persecution by their government, communities, tribes, and families in different ways. Those of us in the U.S do not know how good we have it, yet we take it for granted. As you reflect on the persecuted church today, I encourage you to remember them not only today, but always.

2 Corinthians 12:10 “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” It is very hard to imagine how apostle Paul lived this bible verse. More so, if one read the whole accounting the of the Acts of the Apostles. Acts 13:50 “But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district.” Acts 8:1 “And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.” What is written in these bible verses, is the account at that time. However, these same persecutions, if not worse, are ongoing right now in some communities.

According to the latest 2022 report from the Christianity Today website, Nigeria has 4 out of 5 martyrs worldwide, China has 3 out of 5 church attacks, and Afghanistan is now worse than North Korea on Christian persecution. There are 50 countries where it is very hard to because a Christian and Afghanistan is the new #1. As quoted directly from the website, “ Overall 360 million Christians live in nations with high levels of persecution or discrimination. That’s 1 in 7 Christians worldwide, including 1 in 5 believers in Africa, 2 in 5 in Asia, and 1 in 15 in Latin America.” (https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2022/january/christian-persecution-2022-countries-killed-world-list.html).

1. The word of God has some encouraging words for the persecuted church so declare these verses on them. Pray that the eyes of their understanding be opened to stand on the revelation of these verses: Matthew 5:10-12 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

2. The enemy uses the spirit of fear to intimidate the believer so that the last thing he/she wants to believe is the word of God during persecution. Pray for the grace that enables standing against the fear instilled by the enemy. Pray for the grace that resists the devil. Revelation 2:10 “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” James 4:7 “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

3. Pray that the love of Christ will envelop the persecuted church so that they will see ONLY that love during the hardship from the enemy: Romans 8:35 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?”

4. If you have read the account of most of the persecuted churches, you will notice one thing very common: A Forgiving Heart. They are experts in practicing Romans 12:17-21. Pray that this will never die off from their hearts; that God will grant them the grace to forgive always: Romans 12:17-21 “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

5. Pray that during persecution, they will resist satan, and stand firm on God’s word and promises: 1 Peter 5:9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

6. Pray for God to send rescuers to these nations to rescue his church: 2 Timothy 3:11 “My persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.”

7. Pray that the strength of the Father will be their portion. Pray for the spirit of encouragement even through their trials; that they will look on to entering the kingdom of God.: Acts “14:22 Strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”

8. Pray for the spirit of boldness to minister even during these such difficult times: Acts 4:18-20 “Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

9. Enough must be enough. In the time of Saul of Tarsus, the Lord had had enough. He arose and arrested Saul’s heart: Pray that in any of these communities, the Saul(s) that need to be transformed into the Paul (s) must be confronted with the heavenly light: Acts 9:1-6 “ Meanwhile Saul, still breathing out threats to murder the Lord’s disciples, went to the high priest and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, either men or women, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he was going along, approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” So he said, “Who are you, Lord?” He replied, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting! But stand up and enter the city and you will be told what you must do.

10. Pray that God will arise from his throne and judge all those who are in opposition to the church and his mission. Pray against the Herods, Pontuis Pilates, and all the conspirators working against God’s work on earth: Acts 4:27-30 “27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

11. Pray for the wrath of God against this kind of wickedness against God’s children: Ezekiel 25:17

I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon them.”

12. Pray that God will hear their cry. Can you imagine what can be going through someone’s mind: Jeremiah 29:12-13 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

13. Pray for their provision. Whatever their needs are, that God will provide: Psalm 84:11 “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

14. Pray against the forces of evil working in these nations where there is persecution: Ephesians 6:12 “ For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”.

15. Thank the Lord for raising warriors who will not give him rest until these communities begin to experience peace: Isaiah 62:6-7 “ On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD shall take no rest for yourselves, nor give Him any rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth”.

“Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches? Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives or fall among the slain. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised”

— Isaiah 10: 1-4

Have you noticed that in the society in which we live, family name, riches, and position in society affect what one has access to? A man who appears in an office in very simple clothes compared to someone who comes in expensive clothes and drives a car will always be given very different services. It is unfortunate that this is the same thing in the church, whereas, the church should know better to demonstrate the love of Christ. No wonder the bible says in Isaiah 53: 3 “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.” Jesus was despised and rejected because he did not show up in any form of beauty, yet he carried the glory of God. Isaiah 10 above says woe on to those who are unjust to the poor. Sometimes people don’t really think such a scripture exists, because if one has and they refuse to give to the poor, why get punished? Is it not a choice to give?

Interestingly, Jesus told the rich man to go sell all he had and give to the poor. He did not say some, but all. Luke 12:33-34 “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” This means we must not hold anything of this world dear to us except Christ and him alone. If he says give it up, we should do so without hinderance because it means nothing.

1. For any man to have the heart to do something for God without complaints in their heart, the love of God must have consumed every aspect of their heart. Pray that God’s love will consume our hearts: Hosea 6:6 “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

2. Pray that God will arise and deliver the poor in the land: Psalm 12:5 “Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the Lord; “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”

3. The poor will always be in our midst (Matthew 26:11)and it’s the expectation of God that we take care of them. It is an honor to God when we give to the poor. Pray that God will grant us the grace to not oppose the poor, but to be generous to them: Proverbs 14:31 “Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.”

4. Pray that this bible verse will never be our portion and that we will be givers to the poor: Isaiah 5:8 “Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field until no place is left and you live alone in the land.”

5. Pray for the spirit of giving to be our portion, just like God gave to us all that he had, no conditions attached: Acts 20:35 “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

6. Sometimes people will say they have given, but when compared to what they have, they have really given nothing. There are so many needy people in our midst, community, neighborhood, family etc: Pray for an open hand in our giving: Deuteronomy 15:7-8 “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be”.

7. Christians specifically have the tendency of mixing physical and spiritual things. Sometimes a person needs just a bag of chicken from your fridge and not prayer at that time. The bag of chicken is the answered prayer through you, but you spend time trying to pray as if God should go to another person. This is selfishness and self-centeredness. Pray that you will not close your heart, mind, and soul, but that you will be open to see and bless those who come to you in need: 1 John 3:17-18 “But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

8. Pray that the love of God will compel our hearts to love and give like Jesus. Jesus did it for us all and presented the example of a selfless life. We cannot afford to live for us, but only for Christ: 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 “14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”

9. Pray that the presence of God will bring peace upon the poor. Pray that God’s presence will vindicate the poor and their children in our midst, as well as judge those who have oppressed them: Psalm 72: 3-4 “3 May the mountains bring peace to the people, and the hills bring righteousness. 4May he vindicate the afflicted among the people; may he save the children of the needy and crush the oppressor.”

10. We have not practiced this bible verse. Pray that God will help us take care of such a population in our midst: James 1:27 “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

11. To share what you have does not mean you have more than what you need. The principle of giving is not based on the amount we have, but on the heart that gives out of what we have: Hebrews 13:16 “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

12. There is a blessing in giving to the poor. Pray that you will not miss it. It is a way to win souls. When you give, God causes the spirit of Jesus within you to shine in the darkness: Isaiah 58:10”If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday”.

13. Pray that God will grant you the grace to be a giver; there are so many ways to give. Ask the Lord to show you where to give. Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you”.

14. Finally, as we pray and fast, we should be asking God to help us give something we have never given before; it may be time, money, material etc. 2 Corinthians 7:9 “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Isaiah 58:6-7 “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

Day 7: Remembering the persecuted Church

Day 6: Making the Case for the Poor