Each day when I engage in my personal prayer time one of the things I remember to pray for is my nephew serving in the U.S. Army in Mosul, Iraq. Patrick is there serving his country and his life is put on the line each day. I find some comfort in knowing that he is equipped for the mission he is on, and he is surrounded by soldiers who are trained to protect each other. But mostly I trust in Christ to protect him in the middle
of battle . . . But it is comforting to know it is a battle that he is trained to engage in.
You can imagine that my attention is grabbed anytime I see Mosul mentioned in a news article or anything else. I was reading a friend’s website this week who is a Chaplain in the U.S. Air Force. His name is James Gaylon and his blog is 2 Worlds Collide. On his site he related the danger that Christians in Mosul are encountering while practicing their faith in Christ. I think you need to hear what he wrote:
(Church of the Holy Spirit in Mosul, Iraq)
“In December (2008) and January, over 3,000 Christian families fled from Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city. Mosul is currently “ground zero” for Christians in regard to persecution. The Iraqi government is either unable or unwilling to protect Christians in the city. it seems more likely that the government is unwilling since there is sympathy for radical Islamists among members of the Iraqi armed forces and police force. Christians who remain in Mosul risk certain death. Many Christ ians are being put to death by Islamic family members who are ashamed of a member within their own family being converted. Iraqi Christians face a nearly insurmountable challenge due to the number of pastors and church workers who have been murdered and targeted for murder by Islamists.
Nonetheless, Iraqi Christians are not praying for an end to the persecution. Rather, their prayer (and the prayer they are requesting) is that they might be faithful despite the oppression and to advance the work of the gospel. Please ask the Lord to strengthen the Christian families who remain in Iraq and that the Lord would use them to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. Also pray for Christian leaders to be able to continue in the work of ministry in the face of ongoing persecution.”
It is easy for us to be caught up in the troubles of our daily lives and things like the economy, that we forget that we have brothers and sisters across this world that are really suffering for the sake of the gospel. Let’s remember to pray daily and diligently for those who belong to Christ and thus belong to “our” family through Him.
Filed under: Persecuted Church, The Church, The Gospel | Tagged: Persecuted Church | Leave a comment »
Here I Stand . . . I Can Do Nothing Else 