DEDICATED TO THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

This is dedicated to all our brothers and sisters in Christ, who suffer for the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. worldwide.

Here is how to pray for the Persecuted Church, courtesy Open Doors:

1. Pray that whatever their circumstances, God will give persecuted Christians the right words.

2. Pray that persecuted Christians will understand and find peace in the sufficiency of God’s grace, even in their weaknesses.

3. Pray that Christians facing hardship will draw from a source of power larger than themselves.

4. Pray God would be present with persecuted Christians in their hardship, protecting them according to His will.

5. Pray their witness would inspire those who seek to harm them.

PSALM 69*

Save me, O God!
For the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in deep mire,
Where there is no standing;
I have come into deep waters,
Where the floods overflow me.
3 I am weary with my crying;
My throat is dry;
My eyes fail while I wait for my God.

4 Those who hate me without a cause
Are more than the hairs of my head;
They are mighty who would destroy me,
Being my enemies wrongfully;
Though I have stolen nothing,
I still must restore it.

5 O God, You know my foolishness;
And my sins are not hidden from You.
6 Let not those who wait for You, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed because of me;
Let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel.
7 Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;
Shame has covered my face.
8 I have become a stranger to my brothers,
And an alien to my mother’s children;
9 Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up,
And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.
10 When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting,
That became my reproach.
11 I also [e]made sackcloth my garment;
I became a byword to them.
12 Those who [f]sit in the gate speak against me,
And I am the song of the drunkards.

13 But as for me, my prayer is to You,
O Lord, in the acceptable time;
O God, in the multitude of Your mercy,
Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.
14 Deliver me out of the mire,
And let me not sink;
Let me be delivered from those who hate me,
And out of the deep waters.
15 Let not the floodwater overflow me,
Nor let the deep swallow me up;
And let not the pit shut its mouth on me.

16 Hear me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good;
Turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies.
17 And do not hide Your face from Your servant,
For I am in trouble;
Hear me speedily.
18 Draw near to my soul, and redeem it;
Deliver me because of my enemies.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ALL OF PSALM 69

New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH - NOVEMBER 8 & EVERYDAY

Indonesian church torched by extremists (Open Doors photo)

Two days have been set aside recently for as International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church in 2015 - November 1 and November 8. As mentioned last Sunday, the main request of persecuted Christians is to "please pray for us". Most western Christians completely ignore their own lost neighbors and friends, to begin with, and therefore, have no thought for those who are under the gun or the desert sword of another religion.  

It is imperative that we go to the Scriptures for them in prayer and supplication today and for the rest of this week....not to mention everyday or as much as we can. Please read these short devotionals, at your convenience as to the importance. One in particular should be read above all (halfway down the web-page) called "DON'T STAND IN SILENCE". God will hold us accountable for our actions one day, one of this is the sin of omission, when the cost was just a prayer in the comfort of our homes.

To that effect, here are some more prayer points to add on to those supplied last week to consider and prayer for our persecuted brethren, around the world. 

CLICK HERE FOR THE VOICE OF THE MARTYRS PERSECUTION PRAYER ACTION POINTS.

1. That God would give them the right words and that they would fearlessly make Christ known. Here Paul tells how to pray for him when he was suffering for Christ in jail -- notice his prayer was not for release. Ephesians 6:19-20 "Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should." Colossians 4:2-4 "Devote yourselves to prayer... praying at the same time for us as well, that God may open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; in order that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak." 

2. That they will see God's grace as sufficient and God's power perfected in their weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) Many of the pastors, evangelists and workers who are beaten and imprisoned for their bold witness leave behind sons, daughters and spouses to fend for themselves. Pray for wives of those imprisoned. With the absence of the breadwinner, the responsibility for caring and feeding of the family falls on the wife. Sometimes the wife is also forced to provide for her husband in prison (often the case in Vietnam). If she is also arrested, then together they have to bear the anguish of leaving often quite young children to fend for themselves. Pray for them. 

3. That they would love Christ's appearing all the more. 2 Timothy 4:5-8 "I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing." Hebrews 11:35 "...others were tortured, not accepting their release, in order that they might obtain a better resurrection". 

4. That they will rejoice in sharing the sufferings of Jesus so that they will rejoice even more when Christ is revealed. Hebrews 10:34 "...accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and an abiding one." Matthew 5:12 "Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." I Peter 4:13 "but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation." 

5. That they will endure. Hebrews 10:36 "For you have need of endurance". Hebrews 5:8 "Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered." Pray for Christian work among refugees. Pray that as the refugees are led to Christ, they will be willing to return to their countries to take the Gospel back with them. 

6. That they will love Christ far more than life itself. Revelation 12:10-11 "they overcame (Satan) because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death." Philippians 1:21 "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." 

(Prayer points supplied by Voice of the Martyrs. Visit for more information)

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH TODAY

Many who have been on the front-lines with brothers and sisters in Christ who are the victims of the vilest forms of persecution worldwide, tell us that they all have the very SAME request: "Please Pray for Us!" This simple request is stunning, when you consider it comes from people who are not just being persecuted for just being the peace-loving Christians they are, but have their cities and homes destroyed, their churches burned and in too many cases now - lose their actual lives.

The period from last year's International Day of Prayer (November 1, 2014) to now, one year later, marks incredible devastation to the Body of Christ worldwide and increasingly here in the United States of America. 

-  Just this past week, Bremerton High School (Washington State) Football Coach Joe Kennedy was suspended from his job for praying with his team....while three teachers in the same school invited members of the local Satanist temple to come to the game! (ABC News).

-  In an eerie similarity to Columbine back in the 1990's, a vile shooter singled out Christians at an Oregon's Roseburg Community College and then killed nine of them on October 2, 2015 (Washington Post).

-  Then there is Kimberly Davis, the Kentucky County clerk and first Christian openly imprisoned in America for her Christian beliefs about Biblical Marriage. (Breakpoint formerly with the Late Chuck Colson).

PLEASE READ: SEVEN SNARES IN RELATING TO THE PERSECUTED CHURCH 

CLICK TO READ HOW PRAYERS
HELP SYRIAN CHRISTIANS!

These are just a few examples of a worsening trend in the USA, but nothing tops what is happening to millions of Christians whose family lines go back further than the islamic religion which represents most of the current configuration of the Middle East. This is a hard Truth for the average "open minded" westerner to grasp who cannot grasp the enormity of this form of religious persecution. In order to help us understand, the following article will assist tremendously:

HERE ARE THE TOP 30 COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD WHERE PERSECUTION IS THE MOST HORRID (PER CAPITA. STATS: COURTESY OPEN DOORS):

2015 World Watch List Country Fact Sheets

1. North Korea (PDF)
2. Somalia (PDF)
3. Iraq (PDF)
4. Syria (PDF)
5. Afghanistan (PDF)
6. Sudan (PDF)
7. Iran (PDF)
8. Pakistan (PDF)
9. Eritrea (PDF)
10. Nigeria (PDF)
11. Maldives (PDF)
12. Saudi Arabia (PDF)
13. Libya (PDF)
14. Yemen (PDF)
15. Uzbekistan (PDF)
16. Vietnam (PDF)
17. Central African Republic (PDF)
18. Qatar (PDF)
19. Kenya (PDF)
20. Turkmenistan (PDF)
21. India (PDF)
22. Ethiopia (PDF)
23. Egypt (PDF)
24. Djibouti (PDF)
25. Myanmar (PDF)
26. Palestinian Territories (PDF)
27. Brunei (PDF)
28. Laos (PDF)
29. China (PDF)
30. Jordan (PDF)

ACTION POINT FOR THIS YEAR'S IDOP 2015:

Adopt one of these countries or more than one, and pray for ALL Christians who live there, attempted to live there and are still evangelizing entire villages and regions, before being found.  Click on the "pdf" listed for that country: 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE PRAYER RESOURCES FOR THIS YEAR'S EVENT & BEYOND. Also, these are just starting points.  The key is persistent prayer.

To assist in this, here are just five Prayer Points, courtesy Campus Crusade (now called "Cru") with the Bible verses, which I have linked, to go with them. Let's get to it:

Please pray persecuted believers would know the hope God gives (Ephesians 1:18).

Pray the Holy Spirit would strengthen them (Ephesians 3:16).

Please pray persecuted believers would know how much God loves them (Ephesians 3:17)

Pray they would know how to share the gospel (Ephesians 6:19).

Please pray persecuted believers would fearlessly tell others about Jesus (Ephesians 6:20).

TEN DAYS OF PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH: OCTOBER 24-NOVEMBER 2, 2014, Day 4

NEWS FROM THE PERSECUTION FRONT TO BE IN PRAYER FOR:

ITEM 1- Pray for the estimated one million Christians in Iran who are in need of Discipleship, study materials and trained mentors who will teach these brethren. Pray for the new PERSIAN version of the Bible which is being translated by Wycliffe Bible Translators and Elam Ministries. Elam plans to distribute 300,000 copies of this Persian Bible over the next three years and we pray for God's Hand of guidance, protection and favor to HIS people who will received this Precious Word of God.

ITEM 2 -Pray for the Protestant church in Turkey, now under islamist persecution. American Pastor Jensen, of the New Life Church in Turkey, has been fined and ordered deported from Turkey back to the USA, for no apparent real violations except running a Christian church. There are 5,000 Protestants in 120 congregations in Turkey. Their church leaders are not allowed to be trained and all kinds of roadblocks. This is a very small remnant in a huge country which is featured in the Bible as Asia Minor.

ITEM 3 - Pray for churches in Cuba who are seeing their leaders harassed and worse, by the atheist communist government of the Castro brothers.  The leftists routinely destroy churches and/or harass pastors and new Christians in that Caribbean island, especially when some of these new Christians are family members of the ruling communist party.  There is also a really desperate shortage of any christian resources on that island. Pray for heart changes in the communists and for God's grace to get Bibles and teaching materials into this persecuted area of our hemisphere.

FATHER, IN THE MIGHTY AND POWERFUL NAME OF JESUS, WE PRAY FOR CHURCH RIGHT NOW, IN CUBA, IN IRAN AND IN TURKEY, WHERE EVIL MEN ARE KEEPING YOUR PEOPLE FROM LEARNING MORE ABOUT YOU, FROM WALKING WITH YOU AND FROM BEING IN FELLOWSHIP WITH THE ASSEMBLY BEFORE YOU. LORD, WE PRAY FOR COURAGE FOR THE OPPRESSED AND FOR A CHANGE OF HEART FOR THE ENEMIES OF GOD WHO ARE OPPRESSING YOUR PEOPLE.

FATHER IN THE SAVIOR'S HIGH PRIESTLY PRAYER OF JOHN CHAPTER 17, THE LORD JESUS PRAYED THAT HE PRAYS NOT FOR THE WORLD, BUT FOR THE ELECT. THE WORLD HAS TURNED ITS EVIL BACK ON YOU AND AWAIT THEIR RECOMPENSE THINKING NONE IS COMING. BUT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST ALSO PRAYED FOR HIS ELECT WHO ARE IN THE WORLD BUT WHOSE FUTURE LIES IN THE HEAVENLY KINGDOM, REGARDLESS OF WHAT MORTALS DO THIS SIDE OF GLORY.

WE CLAIM THAT PRAY ON BEHALF OF ALL CHRISTIANS EVERYWHERE, HERE, THERE AND ACROSS THE MILES WHEREVER YOUR PEOPLE ARE STEPPED UPON. FATHER, WE ALSO PRAY FOR LEADERS TO BE RAISED UP IN ALL THREE OF THESE CHURCHES - IRAN , WHERE THE SHORTAGE IS HUGE AS THEIR PASTORS ARE CONSTANTLY HARASSED AND PUT IN CHAINS BY THE ISLAMIC AUTHORITIES. WE PRAY FOR THE PASTORS IN THE PROTESTANT CHURCHES OF CUBA WHO ABUSED AND DRIVEN FROM THEIR PARISHES...AND WE PRAY FOR THOSE WHO ARE LEFT LEADER-LESS IN TURKEY WITH THE REMOVAL OF PASTOR JENSEN.  WE CONTINUE TO LIFT UP THESE THREE URGENT NEEDS, FOR YOUR ATTENTION BEFORE THE THRONE, IN THE STRONG AND MIGHTY NAME OF JESUS, AMEN.

(News items courtesy Voice of the Martyrs - www.persecution.org) 

TEN DAYS OF PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH: OCTOBER 24-NOVEMBER 2, 2014, Day 1

For the next ten days, (October 24 - November 2, 2014) we will be praying for the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. (The actual International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church - IDOP - is on November 9, but many begin observing it from November 2-9). Many in the US are being awakened to the persecution of the people of God, due to the sermons of Houston, Texas pastors being demanded in court documents or ordained ministers in Idaho threatened with fines etc. if they do not perform a certain type of wedding. This is mild in comparison to what is taking place around the world, in both atheist countries (like North Korea) and the islamic countries across the Middle East and India.

Before the current persecution of Christians, who have lived outside Baghdad, Iraq and Syria for almost 2000 years, almost 163,000 (according to the British Broadcasting Service and others) are persecuted/martyred each year for being followers of the Son of the One True God - JESUS CHRIST. This is an average of a Christian being persecuted every four minutes or so. As the weeks and months go by, this number is set to increase.

According to OPEN DOORS, which produces the World Wide Watch list annually, North Korea heads up the list of countries with the dubious honor where the Lord is not welcome, in a violent way. Each year, Christians observe the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP). This year, it falls on Sunday November 2. So for the next ten days, we offer a series of encouraging prayers, articles and encouraging posts, from different writers, leading up to that day. This day - November 2 - also sees a collection of some of America's top Bible teachers and ministers, led by the President of the Southern Baptist Convention, Dr. Ronnie Floyd, Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson, Pastor Mike Huckabee and others for a nation-wide simulcast at 7 pm EST for a Rally to make a stand for the Gospel and Religious Freedom. We pray for that event as well. Therefore.....

OUR MOST HEAVENLY AND GRACIOUS FATHER, WE COME TO YOU IN THE MIGHTY AND POWERFUL NAME OF OUR GREAT LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST - REVILED AND PERSECUTED BY MEN, YET HE HUMBLED HIMSELF EVEN TO THE CROSS AND PAID THE DEBT FOR ALL MANKIND, FOR ALL TIME, THAT WE MAY BE RECONCILED TO THEE. 

FATHER, EVERLASTING FATHER, MOST MERCIFUL GOD IN HEAVEN, WE REMEMBER THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE US, AND GIVEN IT ALL FOR THE PRAISE AND GLORY OF THY NAME. FROM STEPHEN TO PETER, PAUL AND THOMAS TO POLYCARP AND THE SAINTS IN THE ROMAN COLOSSEUMS AND THROUGHOUT TWO MILENNIA UNTIL TODAY, WE THANK THEE THAT MANY HAVE COUNTED THE COST OF GIVING ALL FOR THY HOLY NAME, AND HAVE NOW FOUND THE PEACE THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING. 

TODAY, OH GOD, WE PRAY MOST URGENTLY FOR THY CHILDREN WHO ARE BRUTALIZED BY THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW YOU IN THE DESERTS OF IRAQ AND SYRIA. LORD WE PRAY FOR THE FAMILIES RIPPED APART. WE PRAY FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN FORCED TO PERFORM HORRIBLE UNSPEAKABLE THINGS. WE PRAY FOR MEN WHO ARE LOSING THEIR LIVES FOR THE SAKE OF THE GOSPEL. WE PRAY COMFORT FOR THE CAST-ASIDE; MERCY FOR THE MULTITUDES THERE; PROVISION FOR THE POWERLESS; PROTECTION FOR THE PERSECUTED AND PEACE FOR THE BROKEN-HEARTED.

FATHER, YOU SENT YOUR SON THAT ALL THE WORLD MAY BE SAVED. YOU ALSO SENT HIM TO SET THE CAPTIVES FREE AND BIND UP THE BROKEN-HEARTED. LORD WE PRAY THAT HEALING ON YOUR BODY TODAY AND FOR THE DAYS TO COME. WE PRAY THAT IRAQI AND OTHER CHRISTIANS WILL FIND THE STRENGTH (PHIL 4:13) TO PERSEVERE THROUGH THIS MADNESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND IF NOT, THAT YOU WILL RECEIVE THEM TRIUMPHANTLY AS YOU RECEIVED STEPHEN IN THE BOOK OF ACTS. 

LORD, WE CONTINUE TO LIFT UP OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS AND THEIR LOVELY CHILDREN, AND WE ALSO PRAY FOR THE CONVERSION TO CHRIST OF THEIR PERSECUTORS, EVEN IN THE MIDST OF THIS OUTRAGE, IN JESUS POWERFUL NAME AND PRESENCE, AMEN.

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LOOKING FOR A CITY .....(OUTSIDE THE CAMP)

12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. 13 So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. 14 For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.
Hebrews 13:12-14
(Bible Gateway- NASB)

Any study of the history of Christianity will reveal the sheer brutality which the persecutors of the Lord Jesus visited on those who followed His teachings, His Truth and His Way. The first three centuries were highlighted by the blood of the martyrs, who laid the cornerstone for the Faith we enjoy today. The first to shed His Blood was the Master Himself - the Ancient of Days, the Great I Am - YHWH - Who descended to reconcile man back to God. He was nailed to a Cross, suffered and died by evil men - Romans and Jews. 

Stephen was the first martyr of the modern church, led outside the gates (outside the camp as verse 13 above says) to be stoned by priests. Present was one zealot by the name of Saul. When Christ saved Saul on the Road to Damascus and changed his name to Paul, the latter spent and give his life in hot pursuit of souls to make up for what he had done to followers of the Way in the past. Every disciple of Jesus Christ was martyred except John. He wrote the Books of John, 1/2/3 John and the Revelation of Jesus Christ and died of natural causes at the ripe old age of 95.

The protective valley of Pella, Jordan,  where God sent the first

Christians from Jerusalem to save them from Titus (AD 70)

Photo Credit: www.bibleistrue.com

CHRISTIANS SAVED FROM ROMAN DESTRUCTION IN AD 70
When Jerusalem fell to the Roman General Titus in 70 AD as prophesied by Jesus Himself in detail in Matthew 24, not one Jewish Christian was killed because the Lord had removed His remnant and hidden them in a place called Pella. The Book of Hebrews was written, before this crucial event, to some of these same brethren to encourage them as they were persecuted by the Pharisees. The Lord knew this was coming down and wanted His elect to be fully aware of what they believed. The majority heeded the advice of the Apostle Paul in this Book and while the Romans killed millions at Masada and by starvation etc. in Jerusalem, King Herod Aggripa II welcomed the Elect to Pella. Pella is a city in the Decapolis which is just beyond the Jordan River.

To the Jew of the period, Jerusalem was the sacred and eternal City of God. The Good News is - Jerusalem STILL IS and will always be! But verse 14 above instructs those of us who are now in a spiritual "Pella" that this city is still to come. It is known in Scripture as the "NEW JERUSALEM".  This is a part of our history, as believers, to which scant attention is paid. 

We can look at End Times prophesy, as pre-Wrath/pre-tribulation believers, and

Petra, Jordan, future hiding
place of the Jewish Remnant
Photo: www.gomadnomad.com

are certain as to the taking out (rapture) of the church. Scripture tells of the hiding of the Jewish remnant which will be saved during the Tribulation, in the protected city of Petra. Just as the Lord saved the first Jewish Christians from the rampaging Romans in AD 70 by sending them to Pella, the one third of modern Israel which will be saved (during the Great Tribulation) will be housed in Petra - both being in the area of Jordan...both being "outside the camp"!

OUTSIDE THE CAMP
But what does this "outside the camp" really mean? Well, the answer is actually in the brief passage above! Followers of Jesus Christ know His Word and His Word dwelleth within. Therefore, we instinctively know that Scripture explains Scripture, because the Same Holy Spirit Who inspired the writers of the Bible to physically write down these words, lives inside everyone who is truly born again and rejuvenated, as adopted son or daughter of Abba.

Verse 12 (Hebrews 13) says Jesus suffered outside the gate...that He may continue to mold us into His Image (sanctify). We know He was crucified outside the gates of Jerusalem and died for the sins of all mankind, for all time. Therefore we are to "remain outside the gates" of the world as well, so that we remain worthy of being continually cleansed into spiritual growth, by His Precious Cleansing Supernatural Blood.
This means while we live in this world, our entire being - body/mind/soul - are to be set apart OUTSIDE of this corrupt system of the evil one in order to be aligned with His Holiness, His Truth, His Cleansing Power and His Righteousness. Anything else is anathema. Any other doctrine is the doctrine of demons. Any compromise to co-exist outside of the Will of God is idolatry and all three of these will be punished in the Judgment. We must NOT defile the sacrifice He made outside the Gate on Calvary, by running back into the City of Sin and its closed walls of death.

Verse 13 (Hebrews 13) gives us the road map of where we are to land, once we have made the conscious and intellectual decision to allow His Sanctification into His Image and Likeness. There is a work to be done. This work is not for the purpose of salvation but for the principle of submission. Here is where the majority of professing Christians in the western hemisphere (mostly North America and even Australia/the UK) have a problem. The verse says "let us go to Him outside the camp BEARING HIS REPROACH"!
There is a cost to this. We are not going to be loved and tolerated, even by those who like to talk about "love and tolerance". The biggest enemy of the true church is, get this - the apostate church! We already know who the atheists are and their modus operandi. We already see what false religions are doing to God's people in the Middle East, Nigeria, North Africa and Asia. But it is those who claim the Name of Jesus and constantly select out of context phrases from the Sermon on the Mount, while rejecting the Diety of Christ and the Inerrancy of the Word, are stumbling blocks. You and I will lose many of these as friends. Some of them walked with us, ate with us, and even went to church with us....but when the rubber met the road and then it came to the point of going outside the Culture and the demands of the Corrupt modern societal norms, they walked from Jesus just like those "disciples" of John 6:66. Are you ready to bear the reproach...which in today's definition means - the insults, mocking and cursing by the lost because you and I have Jesus Christ as our LORD and Savior? Only those to whom Jesus is LORD will persevere to the end.

Verse 14 (Hebrews 13) is the reward as well as the exhortation to not look back on the door that just slammed behind us as we walked away from the perishing of this evil world (in spirit and in truth). He says "we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come". Therefore what He (the Spirit) means is what the old baseball legend, Satchel Paige from the old Negro Leagues of 100 years ago once said "Don't look back, something mighty be gaining on you"!
This word specifically implies that the former abode from which Christ rescues us - IS NOT GOING TO LAST! Thus, He wants us, because we are now being molded and shaped into what Christ wants ....and because we have gone outside the gates, and turned from the fleeting/useless love and praise of mortal men into the growing in grace and maturity of the True Worshipper by taking the heat as a Disciple, we can now keep our eyes up to the skies, from whence cometh our help!

That help is the home which He first promised us in John 14:1 ("in My Father's House there are many rooms"). Those "rooms" reside in the Eternal City of the New Jerusalem! This eternal and everlasting city, where none of the filth, corruption, political correctness, distractions and diabolical plans of this current system exist, is the 100% REAL hope of the Believer. 
This will be the home of Stephen, stoned outside Jerusalem while the future Apostle Paul held the coats of his murderers. 
This will be the home of Paul, beheaded in Rome by Nero. 
This will be the home of Polycarp who refused to bow and burn incense to an evil one like Caesar. 
This will be the home of Athanasius, St. Nicholas, John Hus, Tyndale, Wightman, Jim Elliott, Pastor Saeed and the millions and millions of Christians from 100 AD until now whose names are only known to our Great Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
This will be the home of those of us, who take up our Crosses daily, live outside their gates, knowing Who bought us with His Life, and is now maturing us into the men and women of God, that He wishes all could be. Amen

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR PERSECUTED CHURCH TODAY

We should be praying for our brothers and sisters in persecuted lands, now more than ever - and daily. It is good to have special days set aside each year to remember them however, and the week of November 3-10 2013 has been set aside for the annual International Day of Prayer(IDOP) for the Persecuted Church. Today is such a day.

Even if your church does not observe it or fails to pray for persecuted brethren, you and I should. Not just that, but we should be very intentional about praying for them, but for the Grace of God, there goeth you and I! In fact, days are already here in the United States where true believers are already persecuted in these very United States of America, where Freedom of Religion is guaranteed in the US Constitution.  We are not just talking about the annual "Wars on Christmas and Easter" by the secular liberal humanists and progressives. 

We are seeing all sorts of persecution of Christian small businesses in the US by gay rights activists, because they refuse to conduct the gay "wedding" ceremonies or US military chaplains being told they cannot pray in the Name of Jesus or the Fox Sports broadcaster who was fired for believing in biblical marriage. There is the health care mandate on Bible publishers Tyndale to pay for pills that induce abortion or Hobby Lobby etc. More and more American Christians are being told to keep our faith behind the four walls of the church on Sunday. But it will not be long before the anti-God forces come in to to monitor what is preached from the Bible. Romans 1 preaching is already banned in certain parts of Canada because of the warning against all kinds of Sin therein. 

Therefore, it is our duty to pray for those under painful persecution, worse than you and I can imagine, around the globe. Why? Because one day we may need their prayer as well. In fact, I was made aware, by reliable sources, that saints in the underground Chinese Church and in certain African cities are actually praying for American Christians because they know we are not strong in Faith and Righteousness, should we have to face what they have been for over 70 years of communist oppression!

Therefore, the following are some examples for us to consider in prayer, along with any others you may know about. These are direct links back to the original articles. American Pastor Saeed is being treated like this and sent to the Iranian "death row" to disappear, because the Iranians know the American authorities and most of our western churches do not care either. God will hold those accountable for that. We know who know better should pray for him and his family over here. So without further ado, here are some headlines etc to consider at this time:

Pastor Saeed Abedini Placed in Cell With Death Row 

BY STOYAN ZAIMOV, CHRISTIAN POST REPORTER

November 7, 2013|2:50 pm

Pastor Saeed Abedini has been placed in a single cell with five death row inmates in Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj and is prevented from having any visitors, the American Center for Law and Justice said, raising further concerns that officials placed him there to "disappear."

"Rajai Shahr is a murders' jail. It's a violent criminals' jail," said ACLJ Executive Director Jordan Sekulow on Fox News following news that the U.S. pastor was abruptly transferred from Evin Prison in Tehran on Monday. "He is not allowed any visitors, and he is under quarantine. He is in Ward 9, which is the murders' ward. So he's sharing a 10x10 cell with five people who have been convicted of violent crimes, these are people who are basically on death row. 

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE

Half a Million Churches to Pray for Persecuted Believers for IDOP

Christians around the world will observe the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) either this Sunday or on Nov. 10, but those being persecuted for their faith want other believers to not just pray for them, but pray with them.Jerry Dykstra, director of media relations for Open Doors USA, told The Christian Post that prayer is the "number one request" of believers in persecuted nations, and even those who are among the persecuted are praying for Christians in other nations.

Christians in Nigeria, for example, pray for other persecuted believers in the Middle East, said Dykstra. A century ago about 20 percent of the population in North Africa and the Middle East was Christian, according to Open Doors, but Christ-followers now make up only four percent of the population there due to persecution.

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CHRISTIANS IN SYRIA:

A SYRIAN CHRISTIAN VILLAGE

A new survey of Syrian towns by CNN suggests that much of northern Syria has come under the control of radical Islamist groups. CNN claims that Islamist militants, led by a group called the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), are attempting to impose a strict Islamic ideology on Syrians across the region.

ISIS is said to have complete control of a number of towns in the region, including Keftin, Tal Rifat, Azaz, Ad Dana, Dar Ta Izzah, Binnish, Taqqa, Ma’arrat, Misrin, Jarablus and Al-Bab, while many others are said to contain a strong ISIS “presence”. The effect of this on minority groups within the region, including Syria’s Christians, is a cause of growing concern. Recently, ISIS was implicated in what has been described as the “biggest and most serious massacre” of Christians since the start of Syria’s civil war.

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NORTHERN IRAQ NO LONGER SAFE FOR CHRISTIANS

CHRISTIANS IN NORTHERN IRAQ LIVED THERE FOR ALMOST 2000 YEARS!

An increase in violence against Christians in northern Iraq has increased the flow of Christians leaving the country. The north, generally considered a relatively safe area of the country, had become home for many Christians fleeing from the tumultuous central and southern regions.However, several bombings in the north in recent months have caused panic among the Christian community.

On September 22, a suicide bomb went off outside the home of Christian politician Emad Youhanna in Rafigayn, part of the Kirkuk province, injuring 19 people, including three of Youhanna’s children.Several bomb attacks have also taken place in the northern city of Erbil, for which Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility. In early September, Christians in the village of Deshtakh complained that they were facing harassment from local police.

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WORLDWIDE WATCH LIST OF TOP 26 COUNTRIES (PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS)
Source: Open Doors

(RED SIGNIFIES EXTREME & ORANGE SEVERE PERSECUTION)

1. North Korea 
2. Saudi Arabia 
3. Afghanistan 
4. Iraq 
5. Somalia 
6. Maldives 
7. Mali 
8. Iran 
9. Yemen 
10. Eritrea 
11. Syria 
12. Sudan 
13. Nigeria 

14. Pakistan 
15. Ethiopia 
16. Uzbekistan 
17. Libya 
18. Laos 
19. Turkmenistan 
20. Qatar 
21. Vietnam 
22. Oman 
23. Mauritania 
24. Tanzania 
25. Egypt 
26. United Arab Emirates 

VISIT THE OPEN DOORS AND VOICE OF THE MARTYRS WEBSITES FOR MORE INFORMATION.