EXCLUSIVE: A FAMILY THAT
STAYS TOGETHER
PRAYS TOGETHER by LAURIE JALBERT
In a time when
violence is on the rise, we are bombarded with news of severe persecution
against Christians. Story after story of imprisonment, torture, rape, beatings
and beheadings are being reported daily. The question I must ask is: Is there still a disconnect between the American
Christian culture and the persecuted believers overseas?
Why is it
that we can receive persecution news in “real time” and yet lack the
heart to
pray? The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) is on
November 2nd. Advocacy organizations are working tirelessly to bring unity to
our dysfunctional Spiritual family but research shows a lack of interest in
participating in the IDOP.
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| LAURIE JALBERT FOLLOW ON TWITTER FOLLOW LAURIE'S BLOG Persecution Resource Council |
The Persecution Resource Council reported, “During the week prior
to the 2013 International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, we reviewed
the websites of the one hundred seventy leading churches and denominations.
Nearly all of these leading Christian organizations had Veteran’s Day- or
Thanksgiving-related “food for the hungry” programs advertised on their home
pages.
None of
them mentioned the Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church on their website’s
home page. Only ten of them had it listed on their website’s calendar of events
or somewhere else on their websites.”
The statistics are clear:
western Christians have lost their love and burden for the persecuted church. But
these persecution stories are not just statistics; they are real people who are
part of our spiritual family.
The media brings reports
about my family...and your family too. This morning I asked myself the
question, what would I do if my parents were threatened, abused and imprisoned?
How would I respond?
Should I not feel the same urgency for all the fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters being persecuted right now? Jesus is calling us to “Remember those in prison, as if we were there ourselves. Remember also those being mistreated, as if we felt their pain in our own bodies.” (Hebrews 13:3)
Should I not feel the same urgency for all the fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters being persecuted right now? Jesus is calling us to “Remember those in prison, as if we were there ourselves. Remember also those being mistreated, as if we felt their pain in our own bodies.” (Hebrews 13:3)
ACTION POINT:
Take at least five minutes to
pray. Pray that God would revive your heart to “remember them as though you
were with them” and that you would “feel their pain in your own body”. After all, “If one part
suffers, all the parts suffer with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26) …because we are
family, right?
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