Thought for the Week - 22nd January 2022

Dear Friends, 

Last Wednesday saw the launch in the Houses of Parliament of the 2023 World Watch List produced by the Christian charity Open Doors which supports persecuted Christians around the world. This year is the 30th anniversary of the list being produced which shows the top 50 countries where followers of Jesus face the worst discrimination, intimidation, threat and violence because of their faith. Using a simple questionnaire designed to assess persecution levels in the world, the list contributes to the Open Doors mission of ensuring that no one suffers persecution alone, by standing with them and amplifying their voices in many places. This year the list has found that more than 5,600 Christians were killed for their faith, and more than 2,100 churches were attacked or forcibly closed. More than 124,000 Christians have been displaced from their homes because of their faith, and almost 15,000 became refugees. In the apostle Paul’s first letter to the believers in Corinth we find the notion of the church as a body and read, ‘If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it’ (1 Corinthians 12:26-27). Frans Veerman, Open Doors managing director of research says, ‘The biggest threat to Christianity is that persecution brings isolation, and when it keeps going on incessantly it may cause loss of hope.’ He also noted that the church in countries where there is persecution there is the threat of decreased resilience in believers because of continual persecution and the feeling of being forsaken by the rest of the Body of Christ. That is why the World Watch List is such a powerful and useful resource because it informs us of the backgrounds, the situations on the ground, and the prayer requests from believers, and it helps us in our own praying for these people and countries. And of that resilience of persecuted believers, Veerman says, it is found by being ‘anchored in the Word of God and in prayer’, and by being ‘courageous’ as the persecuted church is most often ‘active in spreading the gospel’ and ‘growing against the odds.’

Grace and peace,

Neil     

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