{"id":4710,"date":"2023-12-12T08:49:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T08:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/?p=4710"},"modified":"2023-12-11T23:19:13","modified_gmt":"2023-12-11T23:19:13","slug":"how-long-will-our-christian-brothers-and-sisters-suffer-alone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/how-long-will-our-christian-brothers-and-sisters-suffer-alone\/","title":{"rendered":"How long will our Christian brothers and sisters suffer alone?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From the Voice of the Martyrs President:
Cole Richards<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Like the Old Testament prophet Elijah, today\u2019s persecuted Christians often face powerful persecutors alone. Elijah denounced Israel\u2019s wicked King Ahab, after the king and his wife, Jezebel, led the Israelites to worship the false god Baal. In a dramatic confrontation on Mount Carmel, Elijah stood alone against hundreds of Baal\u2019s prophets. \u201cI, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord,\u201d Elijah pronounced, \u201cbut Baal\u2019s prophets are 450 men\u201d (1 Kings 18:22).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not one Israelite came to Elijah\u2019s aid. Persecution is and always has been a regular occurrence for many in the body of Christ. But if it is normal in church history, why is responding to persecution exceptional? The issue is not whether faithful witnesses for Christ in places like Burkina Faso will face severe opposition but whether they will become discouraged by having to do so alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christians living in the world\u2019s most difficult and dangerous places<\/strong><\/a> for our faith are, with us, members of one body \u2014 the body of our Lord. The suffering of any member of Christ\u2019s body must always be our concern. Leaving them without help discourages them and dishonors Christ. Scripture teaches that there should be \u201cno division in the body\u201d because its members care for one another: \u201cIf one member suffers, all suffer together\u201d (1 Corinthians 12:25\u201326).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

“The correct response when a family member is being attacked is to do everything we can for them without hesitation.”<\/p>\nCole Richards – VOM President<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

We must be resolved to rush to their aid. The correct response when a family member is being attacked is to do everything we can<\/strong><\/a> for them without hesitation. We immediately pray, go and help in whatever way possible. Persecuted Christians like Jamila, a Christian convert from Islam trapped in an abusive marriage, are not a statistic to discuss, a theoretical problem to solve, or a cause to be championed. Jamila is our precious sister for eternity. If we understand what God intends for the members of His family, we will hear the cry of persecuted Christians: \u201cHow long must we stand and suffer alone?\u201d And our immediate response will be, \u201cNot long! We are on our way.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have found that many sincere Christians in our nation have no knowledge of the
persecuted members of our eternal family. And among those who know about the persecuted, most are unaware of the powerful ways we can support and encourage them. Our prayers matter:<\/a><\/strong> Persecuted Christians are greatly encouraged by knowing that we understand their plight and lift them up in prayer. Our gifts matter:<\/a><\/strong> They provide food, clothing, shelter, and Bibles to our Christian family members in their time of greatest need. And our voices matter:<\/a><\/strong> Please consider the name of this magazine a task that you can take upon yourself. Will you be the voice of the martyrs?<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"The<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From the Voice of the Martyrs President:Cole Richards Like the Old Testament prophet Elijah, today\u2019s persecuted Christians often face powerful persecutors alone. Elijah denounced Israel\u2019s wicked King Ahab, after the king and his wife, Jezebel, led the Israelites to worship the false god Baal. In a dramatic confrontation on Mount Carmel, Elijah stood alone against hundreds of Baal\u2019s prophets. \u201cI, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord,\u201d Elijah pronounced, \u201cbut Baal\u2019s prophets are 450 men\u201d (1 Kings 18:22). Not one Israelite came to Elijah\u2019s aid. Persecution is and always has been a regular occurrence for many in the body of Christ. But if it is normal in church history, why is responding to persecution exceptional? The issue is not whether faithful witnesses for Christ in places like Burkina Faso will face severe opposition but whether they will become discouraged by having to do so alone. Christians living in the world\u2019s most difficult and dangerous places for our faith are, with us, members of one body \u2014 the body of our Lord. The suffering of any member of Christ\u2019s body must always be our concern. Leaving them without help discourages them and dishonors Christ. Scripture teaches that there<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":4721,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[104],"class_list":["post-4710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-presidents-letter","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nHow long will our Christian brothers and sisters suffer alone? - Stories<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\""The correct response when a family member is being attacked is to do everything we can for them," said Cole Richards, VOM President.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/how-long-will-our-christian-brothers-and-sisters-suffer-alone\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How long will our Christian brothers and sisters suffer alone? 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