

(By Eric Metaxas & Stan Guthrie, BreakPoint). More Christians are persecuted today than ever before. Which is why we need to join in the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.
On a sunny day last May, several families climbed onto a couple of buses, happily looking forward to visiting a monastery together.
They never made it. Instead, half of them, including ten children, were slaughtered. You see, these families were Egyptian Christians.
Islamic terrorists dressed in military fatigues stopped the buses and ordered the riders off. As one eyewitness later said, “As each pilgrim came off the bus, they were asked to renounce their Christian faith and profess belief in Islam. But all of them—even the children—refused.” The terrorists murdered 29 Christians before fleeing.
This Sunday is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. It’s a time to focus our attention on our brothers and sisters who are being arrested, tortured, murdered, and driven out of their homeland, simply because they worship Jesus.
The attack in Egypt was just one of many around the world last spring. In Germany, a Muslim stabbed a woman to death—one who had converted from Islam to Christianity.
In Pakistan, a Christian pastor was sentenced to life in prison and tortured for blasphemy. He reportedly has been tortured many times.
In North Korea, entire families are thrown into labor camps, where they often die from torture, beatings, and starvation.
In Turkey last year, American missionary Andrew Brunson was locked up on the absurd grounds that he was a terrorist.
Islamists have also swept through Niger, setting fire to Christian churches, orphanages, schools and homes. I could go on.
Related articles and resources:
International Days of Prayer for the Persecuted Church set for November 5, 12, EPConnection
International Days of Prayers for the Persecuted Church – 2017
Will You Pause This Sunday to Pray? Download These Resources to Join In