16 Christians die for their faith each day

        Source:                   www.opendoorsusa.org
Date:                        January 31, 2022

 Outside a burned church in Jos, Nigeria, after an extremist attack.

 Today, 16 of our Christian sisters and brothers will be murdered. 

 They might be attacked by an extremist group bent on crippling the church. They could die by the hands of their tribe or family because they’re seen as traitors. Or they might perish from starvation—denied access to food and water by their community.

 Whatever the means, they will all die because at one point in their lives, they made the decision to follow Jesus. 

 Our research for the newly released 2022 World Watch List reveals that on average, 16 Christians were killed for their faith every day last year. Almost 500 each month.

 Tragically, the actual number is likely to be much higher because many deaths go unreported. As you can imagine, no one in a North Korean prison camp or a mountainous tribe in Afghanistan can report the murder of a Christian. 

 Last year, Christian persecution numbers rose in all categories: murders, arrests/imprisonments, kidnappings, churches attacked/vandalized. You can read what’s happening on all fronts, where violence is the worst—and how you can pray.

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I realize it’s difficult news to take in—the reality is sobering. But it’s critical we know and then confront the dangers that believers… our own family … are walking in to follow Christ. 

 One of the best ways to confront this reality and stand with your persecuted family is prayer. 

 That’s why this year we created a new 52-week prayer guide designed to help you pray with your sisters and brothers in all 50 countries on the 2022 World Watch List. I hope you’ll take a minute to download it and then share it with others. Maybe you’ll want to pray through the list each week as a family or with your small group.

 However you respond, I pray you’ll be as intentional and passionate about it as our persecuted family is about following Jesus. God has called us to lift up His Church.

 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people (Ephesians 6:18).

 Best,
 Lindy Lowry 
 Managing editor, Open Doors USA