Secret Church

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Suffering Like Christ Posted: 01 Feb 2013 09:43 AM PST As many of you now know, Pastor Saeed Abedini was sentenced to eight years in prison for his faith in Christ. This could prove to be far worse than a normal eight-year sentence, though that in itself would be unjust and difficult. Evin Prison, where Pastor Saeed is supposed to serve his time, is one of the most brutal prisons in the world. According to reports from survivors, time spent in Evin is comprised of  regular beatings, malnutrition, horrible living conditions, torturous interrogations, and Islamic propaganda. Full reports can be found on ACLJ and FOX News websites. This leaves us with clear marching orders. We must pray. Pastor Saeed needs it, his family needs it, and all the other prisoners of Evin need it. And like Pastor Saeed, we ought to also be concerned about his fellow prisoners. He “made it clear he wants to be a voice for the many others who are with him in prison—suffering the same fate—imprisoned because of their religious beliefs” (ACLJ). So let’s not exclusively relegate our prayers to Pastor Saeed’s situation. Instead, let his story remind us and drive us to pray for all of our brothers and sisters who are imprisoned for their belief in Jesus. The fact is that there are many prisoners—some in Evin with Pastor Saeed, but many others in different jails and prisons around the world—who are suffering for desiring to “live a godly life in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 3:12). Most of these stories don’t make the headlines. Similarly, let’s not pray only for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ. Their persecutors, whether oblivious to this fact or not, are in an even worse predicament. They are enemies of the Almighty God, and they desperately need our prayers. As Pastor Saeed “suffer[s] for righteousness’ sake” (1 Pet 3:14), he is following the example of Christ, who suffered for His straying sheep (1 Pet 2:19-25).  Let us pray that God would open the eyes of these poor lost sheep to see the loving pursuit of their heavenly Shepherd in the suffering of their Christian prisoners. And as they watch these Christians suffer well, may they see a faith in God that is too strong to be human. Pray for… …the persecuted. …the persecutors. …the suffering unbeliever.  This includes Mohammed Ali Dadkhah, also in Evin, who was the attorney that helped free Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani in the fall of last year. …the families of those suffering. ACLJ, FOX News

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