Because she had faced earlier dangers in the land she loved, friends and family members tried to dissuade Swiss missionary Beatrice Stockli from returning to Mali in Africa in 2014. Her reply was: “’I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I that live…’ I must share Him with others.” Beatrice, who had lived in Mali since 1998, was abducted from her home two years later, on June 8, 2016, and was held hostage for over four years by al-Qaida. In October of 2020, Christians who were released from captivity reported that Beatrice had been executed for her faith.
According to Open Doors, these are the ten most difficult nations in which to live as a Christian in 2021: North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Pakistan, Eritrea, Yemen, Iran, Nigeria, and India. Our persecuted brothers and sisters understand sections of the Bible better than those of us in ‘free’ parts of the world. One young believer, after being rejected by family in India said: “I have to run the race that is set for me, even if there are obstacles.”
“My own family disowned me, but now you are my family.” Such comments reflect the feelings of persecuted Christians when supported by others in the Body of Christ. God tells us we are one Body and ‘when one suffers, we all suffer.’ Whether or not we ever meet these brothers and sisters on earth, Jesus wants us to love, serve, remember… and learn from them.
Sara Bos is a field worker with Open Doors who has spent the last seven years serving the persecuted church in the Middle East. In 2015 she spent time worshipping with Iraqi Christians in a refugee camp. As the murderous destruction of ISIS spread, these brothers and sisters were forced to flee their homes in the Nineveh Plains. Sara witnessed their struggles and experienced their hope.
What I saw wasn’t anger or exhaustion. Instead, I saw laughter, joy, and most of all, peace. I don’t remember the exact words they said to me, but I do remember the way they said it — full of Jesus’ love. Every part of them seemed to radiate it. And I was forever changed.
I had never met people so full of Jesus. How could it be that I met the most full-of-Jesus people in such a miserable situation? I realized that prayer was the basis of their religious lifestyle. They lit the fire of God’s presence in their lives in a very simple way: they prayed. Not once, not twice, but constantly. They weren’t superheroes themselves. They didn’t need to be because they knew a God bigger than any superhero: the Creator of Heaven and Earth, our risen Lord Jesus Christ.
Persecuted Christians are human beings. And this is good news, because the amazing things we hear about them don’t have anything to do with their capacities. Their stories rely and focus on their God. And just as He is there for them, He is there for you and me. So, I encourage you to spend time with God; seek His light in your darkness. You might get answers, you might not. You might “feel it,” you might not. But you will receive one thing for sure: His presence.
“If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the Body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” I Corinthians 12:26-27
Quotes from ‘Presence’ magazine, Open Doors; July/August 2020; p 23