Missionaries who have worked in foreign countries where the persecution of Christians is an every-day occurrence say it is a very vexatious problem, but Americans could be much more active to alleviate the suffering.
Pastor Nicolas Carraway of Belmont Baptist Church and former Central Asian missionary Jared Fitzpatrick of Bartlesville, Okla., say Americans are usually OK in such environments because the perpetrators have nothing to gain and potentially a lot to lose by killing them, but native ministers and believers are often tortured and murdered with impunity.
“When Christians in the United States hear about the extent of persecution around the world, it’s easy for them to be overwhelmed,” said Carraway, who was a missionary in Eastern Europe. “The problem of persecution seems so large and is often happening so far away that it is difficult to imagine a way for American Christians to help at all.
“But the good news is that there are many ways for American Christians to take steps that will aid their brothers and sisters who are being pressured in other countries.”
He said a fundamental first step in getting involved is to learn as much as possible about the world and the places where the Gospel is meeting resistance.
“Knowledge is power when it comes to responding to global persecution,” Carraway said. “The more an American learns about the world and persecution, the less countries like Nigeria, Mozambique and Yemen seem impossibly remote.
“Ministries like the Voice of the Martyrs and Open Doors have incredible free resources to help educate Christians in the United States about global persecution hot spots.”
He said advocacy is another way that a believer in America can respond to Christian persecution in far-away countries.
“For example it can be helpful for American Christians to write their congressmen about persecution,” Carraway said. “The United States is vastly powerful and capable of using its influence for good internationally.
“This is more likely if our representatives know that Christian persecution is an issue that lies heavily on the hearts of their constituents.”
Congressman August Pfluger, who represents the Permian Basin, recently said he would use his position as chairman of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Intelligence and Law Enforcement to address the crisis.
Carraway said an additional tangible way for American Christians to join in the sufferings of their persecuted brothers and sisters around the world is to give financially to reputable persecution response ministries.
“A wonderful example of such a ministry is International Christian Response, which meets the physical needs of severely persecuted Christians all over the world,” Carraway said. “Even small amounts of money from the U.S. can have an incredible impact when shared with a person who has lost their home or been hospitalized for their willingness to bear Christ’s name.
“Finally the most significant and most accessible way to respond to global persecution is prayer. The Lord hears the prayers of his people and I sincerely doubt that anything delights his heart more than to hear his children praying for each other. These organizations provide free prayer guides because they know the unmatched importance of praying for the persecuted.”
In his travels overseas, Carraway said, he was often humbled by the tears of gratitude that flowed from the faces of abused Christians when they were told that thousands of their brothers and sisters whom they’d never met were praying for them by name.
“So let’s pray often and fervently,” he said. “Pray for the persecuted that they will be strengthened to endure suffering in hope and joy. Pray for their persecutors that they will turn to Christ in repentance.
“And finally, pray that the Lord, who was himself persecuted, will soon return and make all things right.”
Fitzpatrick, representing the Lynden, Wash.-based International Christian Response group, said Islamic terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa, Hindu radicalism in India, imprisonment in Iran and state surveillance in China are a common reality for Christians.
“The Apostle Paul warned us of this when he wrote, ‘Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,’” Fitzpatrick said. “Christians’ persecution has always existed.
“Christ even warned his disciples in John 15:18-25 that they would be hated as he was.
“How are we as believers in the U.S. supposed to respond to the persecution of our brothers and sisters throughout the world?” he asked. “First of all we need to know what is happening.”
Citing First Corinthians 12:26, Fitzpatrick said that if one of the body of Christ suffers, every part suffers.
“We are also called in Romans 12:15 to mourn with those who mourn and to remember those who are in prison and who are mistreated,” he said. “Without knowledge we cannot support fellow believers.
“Secondly after hearing what our brothers and sisters are enduring, we should pray. Whenever I meet persecuted believers I am reminded that their need is beyond anything I could provide. Only God can truly minister to all of their needs. So we pray.”
Finally, Fitzpatrick said, American Christians should give to meet the needs of persecuted believers.
“Food, shelter, and medicine are only a few of the necessary items that many lack,” he said. “Finding trustworthy organizations that faithfully serve the persecuted and then financially partnering with them is a key thing that believers can do from the U.S.”
