Resources by Topic: Persecuted Church

Two weeks ago I shared a firsthand account of the persecution of Nigerian Christians from my friend Samuel Kunhiyop. The situation in Nigeria keeps getting worse. Please pray. 

"What can we do to help the believers? Literally the only thing they currently ask for is prayer. That’s not strange or overtly spiritual. If they had a thin layer of protection and justice, it’s now gone. Jesus is literally all they have left. The Christians are seeking ways to stay safe and to survive. We stand with them in their time of greatest need."

Many of our Nigerian brothers and sisters in Christ are being severely persecuted and oppressed. Samuel, a brother I dearly love and trust,  recently sent a letter, sharing how he visited two camps for displaced persons in Southern Kaduna in Nigeria, where he was born and raised. He wrote, “What I saw really shocked me beyond what words can describe.”

In this excerpt from my novel Safely Home, business executive Ben Fielding, who is staying with his friend and former college roommate Li Quan in China, makes a surprising discovery. May this story remind us how precious God’s Word is to believers in places where it is costly and difficult to have a Bible.

Those who are familiar with my books know that I wrote my novel Safely Home to open readers’ eyes to the persecution that Christians in many places face. I still hear people mention the dedication of Safely Home to the Staines family. Their commitment to Christ and their eternal perspective concerning their loved ones was a great example, and it was a privilege to dedicate my book to this wonderful family.

My friend Kerby Anderson, host of the Point of View radio talk show, is a veteran spokesman for causes honoring to Christ. I was very touched by what he wrote below and asked if we could share it. Let’s take it to heart and take appropriate action too. 

The following letter was written by Pastor Wang Yi, who along with his wife and over 100 members of his church was arrested by Chinese authorities earlier this month. This is not just good for information on persecution in China—it also models a radical commitment to Christ that we, certainly I, can learn from.

Recently a number of reports coming out of China indicate that persecution of Christians is increasing.

Just as our fellow believers can’t be persuaded to abandon their faith because of persecution, such violence in our own churches won’t stop us from gathering and proclaiming and celebrating the Good News of Jesus. 

Safely Home, the painting by Ron DiCianni, has special meaning to me. I wrote a novel, also called Safely Home, set in China and telling the story of Li Quan, a modern day martyr. It was inspired by this beautiful work of art. To this day Ron’s painting hangs on my office wall.

With all of the bad news we hear out of the Middle East, it’s easy to overlook how God is at work in this region in incredible ways, drawing people to Himself and growing His church. I think you’ll be encouraged by what David has to share. 

God will use persecution, as He always has, to thereby strengthen His church and extend the Gospel message, not destroy it. Persecution in America will probably never be as extreme as it has been in countless places throughout church history and as it is around the world today.

Iran has the fastest growing church in the world. However, the moment an Iranian says “yes” to Jesus, persecution begins.

In June 2015, Randy Alcorn was a guest on Dave Harvey's Am I Called Podcast, talking about leaving pastoral ministry, living for eternity and writing fiction.