Join the Fight!

Over the years, I have been struck by an attitude in the persecuted Church. Church leaders, those who face long sentences or execution for their work in the most dangerous parts of the world, have the attitude that it is “safer” to do ministry in that environment than to enjoy the ease and safety of the West. How could this be?

So they will sit at the gates of hell to minister to and rescue those imprisoned by Satan. They stay in the fight in spite of the severe repercussions they face for ministering to the persecuted. Why?

Because they have discovered what the Koreans, who were imprisoned and executed by the Taliban, (see Forward of LWOTM) discovered: that what truly gives us life is to be involved in a great cause, to be in the heat of the battle, clinging to Jesus and the Holy Spirit with all our might.

The New Testament writers repeatedly ordered the church to wake up (see Romans 13:11, I Corinthians 15:34 and Revelations 3:2). According to the Lord, these churches were asleep.

But there were also parts of the “New Testament Church” that were awake, alive, and alert. They were devoted to Him – and growing.

Throughout history, when the church has been persecuted, it has grown. This holds true today. Persecution not only refines the church, it also demands an alertness and sense of urgency that is missing from many western individuals and churches.

International Christian Concern (ICC) has served the persecuted Church for over two decades by working in three key areas:

1. AWAKENING the Western Church:
We work to awaken the Western Church by sharing the stories of our persecuted brothers and sisters. This is really a two-fold focus.

The press doesn’t talk about persecution, so the church has no idea what is happening to their brothers and sisters. Therefore, we must inform the Western church so they can see the suffering of the Body of Christ and know there is a need.

But we don’t just want to inform the church in the West; we want to AWAKEN it. Once we are awake, our instructions from Christ are clear. We are to be His “witnesses in Jerusalem (the centers of political, social and religious influence), and in all Judea (to people who look, think, believe and act like I do) and Samaria (to people who DON’T look, think, believe or act like I do, who I may be afraid of or offended by), and to the ends of the earth (everyplace in between).”  And if we are awake, our call is to “wake up” the world around us.

2. ASSISTING the Persecuted Church:
Our mission at ICC is more than just to talk about persecution. We build and bandage the Church overseas in the most dangerous areas, where believers are attacked for their own faith.

When our family is hurt, we are going to respond. Our goal is to care for the injured, provide for the widow and orphans, and replace what was taken away. We believe that this mission is a Biblical mandate for all followers of Jesus, and we will always invite western Christians to join us in that call.

But we are also focused on building the church that is next to the gates of hell. We send out church planters into the most dangerous areas, we smuggle Bibles, and we broadcast the gospel into North Korea and the most dangerous Muslim countries.

3. ADVOCACY for the Persecuted:
For 25 years, ICC has been working in the halls of the U.S. Congress. We awaken and activate those that hold the levers of temporal power. Who have the authority and influence to free the prisoner and to push back countries that persecute.

When persecutors know that the world is watching, their behavior towards our brothers and sisters in prison changes. We have also frequently been told how much difference it makes to our brothers and sisters who are suffering when they know that the global church is aware of their situation and is advocating for them.