October 31st, 2008 by Mike Enright
Barnabas Fund, a Christian ministry which seeks to support, help and encourage Christians who suffer discrimination, oppression and persecution as a consequence of their faith, has invited churches to designate one Sunday in November as ”Suffering Church Sunday”, and on that day to think about and pray for believers who suffer and even die because of their love for Jesus. That will be our focus in our services this morning.
Imagine being fined for the “crime” of holding a Christian worship service in your home - and the fine for your first offence being the equivalent of 10 times the average wage for a month. That’s happening right now in Uzbekistan.
Imagine having a powerful dream that convinced you that Jesus was real, and choosing to follow Him, and as a result experiencing a miraculous healing of a condition you’d suffered from for 16 years - and then your husband throwing you and your 8 children out of the house because of your new faith, and having nowhere to live and no way of feeding or caring for yourself or your children. That happened recently to a West African woman.
Imagine being given low grades or failed in exams, simply because you were a Christian; this happens regularly in countries like Egypt and Pakistan. And in Burma, Christian parents are promised education for their children if they will convert to Buddhism.
These things are happening to our Christian brothers and sisters. It is important that we remember them, pray for them, and support them in whatever practical ways we can. To find out more, check out the Barnabas Fund website: www.barnabasfund.org
