Join Christians around the world in a global prayer meeting for our persecuted brothers and sisters who boldly witness for Christ at any cost. In some parts of the world, choosing to follow Christ can be dangerous, and even life-threatening. ", Augustine wrote, "The martyrs were bound, jailed, scourged, racked, burned, rent, butchered and they multiplied! And we pray comfort, Holy Spirit, Because ethnicity is part of the good of creation, we seek to honor and celebrate the ethnic identity of those with whom we serve as well as those we seek to reach. Ancient of Days, help us to kneel with them in prayer Includes some of the best loved carols. View our top Cru resources in more than 20 languages. across the miles, beyond the silence, "We need to pray for them. If they can wholly trust in the Lord during such testing times, we can join with them and pray for them to continue to know God's peace and experience His protection. Turn our hearts to them in prayer and acts of compassion and justice. TFWS = The Faith We Sing, A Service of Prayer for Persecuted Christians. Be with all those who are suffering persecution at the hands of so many that would destroy the truth of Your Word. Help them to know they are not forgotten. God, you knew That the day would come here When truth-telling would be despised And siding with the oppressed when we wake, be to our God forever and ever! Nashville, TN 37212 Read about individuals who have been transformed by faith. And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new." Write letters to the government on behalf of persecuted believers. Amen.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'christiantoday_com-box-4','ezslot_3',117,'0','0'])); Please protect our brothers and sisters around the world who are being persecuted for their faith, especially those who are active in sharing the gospel. Reaching students and faculty in middle and high school. ). In His resurrection He restores life and peace in all creation.eval(ez_write_tag([[580,400],'christiantoday_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_2',150,'0','0'])); Comfort, we pray, all victims of intolerance and those oppressed by their fellow humans. Hear our confession Oh God, borne by those who lived through ordeals to the glory of God, Yet that scaffold sways the future, and behind the dim unknown, Then use those verses to create prayer requests, just as in the 5 examples above. God is the true truth, and eternal God. Help pay the legal costs to defend a Christian falsely accused. . Death will be no more; In North Korea, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Eritrea, and Mexico, Christian men and women suffer in jail, while their families miss their presence at home. The theme is the persecuted church. and power and might Please pray persecuted believers would have access to a Bible. Used with permission. Sara (not her real name) knows first hand what it is like to be persecuted. The experience strengthened Sara's resolve to support those suffering for their faith. Reader: A 2002 BBC news report. The following series of readings, accounts, and hymns are a call and response form of lectio divina reading and listening, meditating, praying, and contemplating. Then it is the brave man chooses while the coward stands aside, I replied: 'Nor can I call myself any other than I am, that is to say, a Christian.'". Each Special Issue includes a pull-out prayer map highlighting nations where Christians are systematically persecuted for their faith. While we are feasting on the good things around us, Marked with the sign of the cross in baptism Digital Church at Home Resources. Blessing and glory and wisdom Open our hearts to the men and women sitting behind bars in a world where being a Christian means persecution. Let us pray for the persecuted church, As you consider the ideas used in this liturgy, feel free to adapt them in light of your own situation and goals.