January 30 – The Persecuted

Hi Church. Thanks for joining us. Every day, 13 Christians worldwide are killed because of their faith. Every day, 12 churches or Christian buildings are attacked. And every day, 12 Christians are unjustly arrested or imprisoned, and another 5 are abducted. 309 million Christians live in places with very high or extreme levels of persecution, which is up from 260 million last year. The numbers are mind boggling! Paul highlights the importance of praying for the persecuted in 2 Thessalonians 3: “pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one” (2 Thessalonians 3:1-3 NIV). Let’s pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ.