A Call to Action and Prayer
In the comfortable rhythms of our Sunday mornings, as we gather freely to worship, sing, and study Scripture together, it’s easy to forget that millions of Christians around the world cannot do the same. For countless believers, gathering for worship means risking arrest, violence, or even death. Their faith costs them everything, yet they persist, demonstrating a courage that should both humble and inspire us.
The writer of Hebrews understood this reality intimately. In Hebrews 10:32-34, we find a powerful reminder of what it means to stand in solidarity with suffering believers: “Remember those early days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution. At other times, you stood side by side with those who were so treated.”
This passage reveals something profound: we are called not just to pray for persecuted Christians, but to stand with them—to be present in their suffering, to bear witness to their struggle, and to work actively for their freedom and flourishing.
The Hidden Stories of Persecution
Consider the young man who was forced from his home simply because he chose to follow Jesus more intentionally. Coming from a traditional Christian family, his decision to join an evangelical church and deepen his personal relationship with Christ resulted in his father disowning him—a profound dishonor in Middle Eastern culture. Like the prodigal son, he found himself cast out, not for waywardness, but for seeking truth.
Or think about the couple studying theology, preparing to serve their North African community, who received court sentences to prison while still in seminary. They faced an impossible choice: remain in safety or return home to challenge unjust laws. Against all advice, they chose to go back, to fight the legal battle, and to trust God with the outcome. Their courage paid off when they won their appeal, but the harassment and fear they endured reveals the daily reality for Christians in restricted nations.
These aren’t stories from the early church or distant history. These are our contemporaries, our brothers and sisters in Christ, living out their faith under circumstances most of us can barely imagine.
The Reality of Global Persecution
The statistics are staggering. In Nigeria alone, more Christians are killed for their faith than in any other nation. Church leaders have been kidnapped, with some escaping captivity only by walking through dangerous territory in the dead of night. In Eritrea, seven church leaders have been imprisoned for twenty years without trial, without charges, simply held because of their faith. Hundreds of ordinary church members languish in similar conditions.
In India’s Manipur state, 300 churches were destroyed and 200 people killed in a single outbreak of violence. Across the border in Pakistan, 26 churches were burned and Christian communities devastated based on false accusations. These aren’t isolated incidents but patterns of systematic persecution that continue year after year.
Yet here’s what’s remarkable: in the midst of this suffering, the church is growing. People are coming to faith through visions, dreams, and miracles. Ministries are flourishing. Believers are standing firm, refusing to renounce their faith despite tremendous pressure.
The primary story isn’t victimhood—it’s faithfulness and fruitfulness. God is moving powerfully in the very places where following Him is most costly.
What Does Solidarity Look Like?
So how do we, living in freedom and relative comfort, stand with our persecuted family? The answer is both simpler and more complex than we might think.
First, we must recognize that those facing persecution have agency. They’re not passive victims waiting to be rescued; they’re active participants in God’s kingdom work. They know their contexts better than we ever could. Our role is to listen, to ask what they need, and to support their vision rather than imposing our own solutions.
When asked what Western Christians could do to help, one Baptist leader from South Asia gave a surprising answer. Rather than requesting loud international advocacy or condemnation of his government, he asked for training in biblical peacemaking. He wanted his churches equipped to build bridges with other communities, to prevent the next round of violence before it started.
This wisdom reveals something crucial: sustainable change requires equipping local believers to advocate for themselves, to engage their own governments and communities, to become peacemakers in their contexts. Top-down advocacy from Geneva or Washington D.C. has its place, but bottom-up movements led by local Christians are essential.
The Hope That Sustains Us
What gives us hope in the face of such overwhelming persecution? The same hope that has sustained the church through every age of suffering: the transforming power of Jesus Christ.
Consider the story of Paul on the road to Damascus. The greatest persecutor of the early church became its most effective missionary through a direct encounter with the risen Christ. This is our ultimate hope—that persecutors will meet Jesus and be transformed.
This hope shapes how we engage. Our advocacy must be gospel-rooted and gospel-centered. We speak truth to power, yes, but we do so as ambassadors of Christ, seeking the redemption and transformation of persecutors, not merely their punishment.
The young man who was disowned by his father? He eventually reconciled with his family, and most of them came to know Jesus personally. This is the kind of redemptive outcome we pray for in every situation of persecution.
Our Response Today
As we reflect on these realities, several responses become clear:
Pray with intentionality. Move beyond generic prayers for “persecuted Christians” to specific intercession for named individuals, countries, and situations. Learn their stories. Remember them by name.
Educate ourselves. The persecuted church isn’t a monolithic entity. Each context is unique, requiring different responses. Take time to understand the complexities.
Support strategic work. Organizations that equip local believers to advocate for themselves, that train church leaders in peacemaking and human rights advocacy, that come alongside rather than speaking over—these deserve our financial and prayer support.
Examine our own commitment. When faith costs us so little, it’s worth asking: What would we risk for Jesus? The courage of our persecuted family should challenge our own comfortable discipleship.
A Legacy of Freedom
From its earliest days, the Baptist movement has championed religious liberty for all people. The first Baptist document ever written argued before King James for freedom of conscience. This isn’t a political position but a theological conviction: faith cannot be coerced, only freely chosen.
Today, we inherit that legacy and that calling. In a world where religious freedom is increasingly restricted, where believers face violence for their convictions, we have both the privilege and responsibility to stand with those who suffer.
When we do, we embody the heart of Hebrews 10: we stand side by side with those who are persecuted, we sympathize with those in prison, and we hold fast to the better and lasting possessions that await us in God’s eternal kingdom.
May we be known as Christians—and churches—who stand with the suffering, who work for freedom, and who never forget our family members who pay dearly for the faith we share.
