{"id":36407,"date":"2020-05-01T08:35:57","date_gmt":"2020-05-01T13:35:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.local\/?p=36407"},"modified":"2020-04-28T12:42:25","modified_gmt":"2020-04-28T17:42:25","slug":"amid-covid-19-remember-the-persecuted-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2020\/05\/01\/amid-covid-19-remember-the-persecuted-church\/","title":{"rendered":"Amid COVID-19, remember the persecuted church"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>CENTRAL ASIA \u2013<\/strong> COVID-19 has contaminated hundreds of thousands of people with infections increasing dramatically daily. Some have projected the total number of those affected worldwide will be in the tens of millions with fatalities anticipated to be over 1 million people. Sports have been canceled, jobs have been lost, schools have been closed. Terms like \u201csocial distancing,\u201d \u201cisolation,\u201d and \u201cquarantine\u201d have become common vocabulary. Churches have been shut down for weeks, many without a date for reopening.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">The current circumstances, though alarming, could present opportunities for churches to deepen their understanding of what the persecuted church faces daily. Christians in the U.S. are some of the most innovative and generous people in the world. They have given billions of dollars and countless hours to witness to those where Christ is least known.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">But from a firsthand perspective, most cannot relate to people who have been harassed for their faith in an environment where Christianity is constrained. Christians in restricted access countries constantly are watched because of their faith. Often their phones are tapped, their conversations are recorded, and their workplaces and friendships are monitored. When gathering together for worship, they have to be careful.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">They cannot meet in traditional church buildings and changing venues regularly is normal. Sometimes they gather in houses, sometimes in parks, sometimes in stores. They congregate in small numbers, no more than 10 to 15 people. Not long ago, a pastor was kidnapped. When the pastor\u2019s wife asked officials where he was, after over a month of looking for him, an official replied, \u201cWe executed him two weeks ago. \u2026 Tell your Jesus to come and make him alive.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">While Covid-19 has not threatened Christians with jailtime or torture, those who are used to worshiping in complete freedom have been given a small taste of reality for persecuted Christians. Unable to gather as they are used to, believers are getting a glimpse of what daily life is like for Christians in countries that do not allow such freedoms. Hearing a believer in a restricted access country say, \u201cYou are the first Christian I have seen in two years,\u201d may not be so unfathomable now and may have deeper meaning than it did before the virus broke out. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">This coronavirus will be contained, its stresses will be relieved, and life will get back to normal \u2013 though a new normal. For the persecuted church, however, the pressures will remain. Christians in restricted access countries will still be threatened. They will continue to suffer and die for their faith. Each time they gather, they will be at risk.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">You can use this time to focus your kindness and your prayers toward those who face the hardship and persecution constantly. Your temporarily restricted freedoms can serve as a reminder to deepen your commitment to reaching the world with the gospel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Here are some examples of powerful ways to stay connected to the persecuted church right now:<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">\u2022 Prayer. Commit to pray daily. Pray for Christians who cannot meet regularly and do not enjoy the same freedoms that you do.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">\u2022 Bibles. Getting them to persecuted Christians is paramount. Losing corporate, physical worship is one thing. What if you or your church had no Bibles?<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">\u2022 Support. Many churches have experienced just a little bit of what missionaries to persecuted peoples constantly face. This should help in the way the church supports missionaries before, during and after their time on the field.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">\u2022 Gratefulness. Counting blessings takes on a different worth. Including the blessing of suffering when expressing thanks to God.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">\u2022 Surrender. Consider the cost. Become a missionary. Encourage your children to become missionaries. Take work overseas. The persecuted church needs all types of missionaries, vocational and non-vocational.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Things are not the way they are supposed to be. Life is hard. Christ is precious. As Romans 8:16 states the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the future glory that will be revealed in us.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>*Name changed for security. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>Benjamin Breeg is a Christian worker in Central Asia. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CENTRAL ASIA \u2013 COVID-19 has contaminated hundreds of thousands of people with infections increasing dramatically daily. Some have projected the total number of those affected worldwide will be in the tens of millions with fatalities anticipated to be over 1 million people. Sports have been canceled, jobs have been lost, schools have been closed. Terms [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9192384,"featured_media":36359,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_wpscp_schedule_draft_date":"","_wpscp_schedule_republish_date":"","_wpscppro_advance_schedule":false,"_wpscppro_advance_schedule_date":"","_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_selected_social_profile":[]},"categories":[177,10,16],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Amid COVID-19, remember the persecuted church<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"CENTRAL ASIA \u2013 COVID-19 has contaminated hundreds of thousands of people with infections increasing dramatically daily. 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