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One Year Pray for the Persecuted Bible - Flipbook - Page 7

FOREWORD
The One Year Pray for the Persecuted Bible is a tool to help you pray for our Christian brothers and sisters around the world who are persecuted for their faith. The Voice of the Martyrs’
(VOM) field leaders meet with persecuted Christians to bless and encourage them as well as to
inquire about unmet needs, and the first request of the persecuted is often, “Pray for us!” This
Bible will help you fulfill their request.
Before we begin praying for persecuted Christians, let us first consider the meaning of persecution. How do we determine whether a Christian is suffering as a result of persecution for
righteousness or whether the suffering is simply the result of living in a fallen, sinful world?
Persecution for righteousness follows a pattern: A Christian’s faith in Christ results in obedience to God’s Word, leading to a bold and faithful witness for Christ. The Christian’s faithful witness then encounters a persecutor. In both English and biblical Greek (transliterated
dioko), the word persecute connotes pursuing an adversary in a hostile manner, with the associated image of a hunter tracking prey. Therefore, persecution involves a person or a group
hostile to the faith actively pursuing and attacking Christians with the intent of silencing
their witness.
Acts 17 relates Paul and Silas’s encounter in Thessalonica, which exemplifies this pattern.
When the two went to the synagogue, Paul witnessed for Christ, explaining the prophecies and
proving that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. While many chose to join Paul
and Silas, some Jews who heard their message became jealous and conspired to silence their
witness. They attacked the home of Jason in search of Paul and Silas, accusing them of “treason
against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, named Jesus” (Acts 17:7).
Christians face a similar pattern of persecution today in many nations and regions around
the world when they actively obey God’s Word and bear witness for Christ. And because of
this persecution, they have a variety of needs that we, their worldwide Christian family, are
privileged to help fulfill.
The One Year Pray for the Persecuted Bible includes a unique prayer prompt with each daily
Scripture reading, covering a wide range of needs facing persecuted Christians today. Those
needs may include basic physical provisions like food, shelter, and medical help after being
attacked because of their faith; Bibles for Christians in nations where owning one could mean
prison or death; and even transportation for f ront-line workers advancing God’s Kingdom on
some of the world’s most dangerous mission fields.
And then there are the intangible but equally critical spiritual needs: courage for Christians
to share the gospel with family members even though they could be disowned for doing so,
strength for Christians who are imprisoned for their faith and don’t know if they will see their
loved ones again, and wisdom for f ront-line workers seeking ways to get Bibles to Christians
who are surrounded by people who are opposed to the gospel.
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