Pray

“Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.”
– Hebrews 13:3, NASB

Prayer Points

Please keep these issues in prayer as you go through this week and check back each week for new prayer points! If you would like to receive these prayer points every week by e-mail, sign up here. We encourage you to subscribe to our prayer points so that you can easily print or forward them electronically to your church, prayer groups, friends and family.

8/16/2010 North Korea (MNN) Church Leaders Executed in North Korea- North Korean police raided a house in Kuwal-dong in Pyungsang county, Pyongan province, and arrested 23 believers who had gathered for a “religious function”. After executing the leaders, the authorities reportedly sent the other 20 to prison camp No. 15 in Yodok. The killings and imprisonment took place in mid-May and the fact that this is the latest report from Voice of the Martyrs Canada displays the paranoia and isolation that is experienced in this country: It has taken nearly three months for the news to travel to the border. A group of North Korean defectors based in Seoul, calling themselves ‘North Korea Intellectual Solidarity’, along with AsiaNews and Release International has confirmed the event. According to AsiaNews, the 23 Christians had reportedly come to faith after some of them travelled to mainland China on business and came into contact with the church there.

The government often tries to force religious prisoners to renounce their faith by torturing them. Those caught praying are also beaten and tortured. Many citizens attempt to escape North Korea, but are frequently caught and repatriated. Those who do confess faith in Christ during the interrogation process have been known to be executed immediately. It is estimated that some 200,000 North Koreans, many of whom are Christians, are suffering in detention.

Pray that God will continue to change the political scene in North Korea to enable greater freedom for Christians to worship Christ.
Pray for boldness and comfort for remaining Christians in the nation as intense persecution continues.
Praise God that the church in North Korea continues to grow and that, as Jesus promised, even the “gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

8/18/2010 India (UCANews) Mob Attacks Church School in India- A Catholic school in Central Indian Madhya Pradesh state was attacked by a mob of about 60 people, destroying furniture, computers, windows, and doors an eyewitness reported. Father Biju Thiruthanathil, who works in the school, said the attackers arrived before school started and closed the gates, preventing students from entering. The attackers left when police arrived soon after school officials called for help. It is suspected that the attackers were members of the student wing of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), regarded as a political arm of pro-Hindu groups. No one has been arrested for the attacks yet. Church leaders in India have reported that attacks on Christians have escalated after the BJP came into power in December 2003. Christians have experienced a total of 184 attacks, including the latest attack.

Pray that the government will intervene and assist in stopping the escalating violence towards the Christian community.
Pray for opportunities for attackers to hear the Gospel and turn their hearts towards Christ.
Pray for the continued opposition to the Christian community only strengthens Christians and increase their faith and witness for Christ.

8/18/2010 United Kingdom (ChristianPost) Council Worker Loses Cases Over God Remarks- The United Kingdom continued to slide towards complete secularism and intolerance of Christians when a Christian homelessness advisor lost his case against a London council that dismissed him after he mentioned God in the workplace. An employment tribunal ruled that Wandsworth Council had acted reasonably in dismissing Duke Amachree for gross misconduct after he suggested to a client suffering from a terminal illness that she should not give up hope but try putting her faith in God. Amachree had worked at Wandsworth Council for 18 years prior to his dismissal in January 2009, two days after he was reported by his client. Amachree was represented at the tribunal by the Christian Legal center, which said it intends to appeal the decision.

“This is a sad day for Christians who simply want to live out their faith in the workplace without fear, he commented. “But my heartfelt thanks goes to the Christian Legal Center and those who have stood by me from the beginning and I know they will continue to support me.”

Pray that the continued intolerance towards Christians in the United Kingdom will cease and that Christians can worship and live out their faith in freedom.
Pray that upon the appeal of the Christian Legal Center, this decision will be overturned, therefore protecting future Christians from discrimination.
Pray that the government in the United Kingdom will soften their stance towards religious expression in their country.

8/16/2010 Pakistan (CDN) Rapes of Christian Girls in Pakistan Increasing- Last month, two Christian girls were raped at the hands of Muslims in Pakistan. This trend targeting Christian girls is increasing in the country, but is rarely reported. In Farooqabad, Shiekhupura district, three Muslim co-workers of a Christian man allegedly raped his 16-year-old daughter at gunpoint the night of July 21. The following evening in Gujar Khan, Rawalpindi district, more than a half dozen madrassa students decided to “teach these Christians a lesson” by allegedly gang-raping a 12-year-old girl.

The students at Jamia Islamia Madrassa had been harassing Christian in villages around Gujar Khan, said the pastor of United Pentecostal Church, the church to which the girl’s family belongs. “The students often beat Christian children who come to play on the school grounds, telling them to convert or leave, he said. “On Sundays, they throw stones at the church building.”

“Three or four Christian girls were washing dishes near a pond,” Rana Aftab said. “These guys ran towards them, and the girls started running. One of them fell on the ground, and these madrassa students got hold of her and took her in the fields. I tried to stop them, but they were 15-16 in number.” They left the girl in the field and some villagers took her home to her father, Pervaiz Masih, Aftab said. Masih was devastated and the girl’s mother fainted when she saw her, Masih told Compass. Masih and Aftab went to the police station to register a complaint, but the officer in charge refused to register it, Aftab said.

Pray for these rapes to cease towards these young Christian girls.
Pray for the government officials to do more to prevent these attacks from happpening. Pray for actions to be taken against alleged rapists.
Pray that the families of victims are kept safe as they are frequently attacked and kidnapped for reporting these crimes.

8/13/2010 Afghanistan (InspireMagazine) Warning of Growing Threat to Christians- “Christians living and working in Afghanistan face the added risk of being accused of proselytism, in addition to practicing their own faith privately and in community.” This warning comes from Release CEO Andy Dipper, who worked in Afghanistan during the rise of the Taliban. He believes that the latest attack on workers for the International Assistance Mission highlights a growing danger to Christian relief workers – and also to Afghans who have embraced the Christian faith. The Afghan government recognizes only one church, the Community Christian Church of Kabul. Other gatherings of Christian believers exist but most meet in homes.

Pray for the Christian workers in Afghanistan that God would protect them in their loving endeavors to serve the Afghan people.
Pray that Christian workers and citizens in Afghanistan would remain sure of their faith in Christ.
Pray for opportunities to continue for Christians to love and serve those around them.

8/13/2010 Pakistan (CDN) Christian Woman Acquitted of Blasphemy- A Christian woman was acquitted on August 12 after authorities had pressured her into making a false confession according to the Center for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS). Residents of Alipur Chatta, Gujranwala district in Punjab Province accused her of blaspheming Muhammad on March 20. Police arrested her on March 21 under Section 295-C of Pakistan’s widely condemned “blasphemy” laws, assusing her of having spoken ill of Muhammad during a quarrel with a local resident. She was imprisoned along her with her 1 1/2 year-old-son, Yashwa.

Punjab provincial legislator Tahir Naveed Chaudhary said that on March 20 the mother of three had purchased some edible fats from a Muslim woman, Seema Bibi, but asked for a refund when she found they were impure. Seema Bibi began threatening her and speaking derogatorily of Christ, Christians, and Christianity, Chaudhary said. In her false confession on April 6, Rubina Bibi said under duress that she was not used to hearing such contempt about herself and her faith and responded by insulting Muhammad. “Her statement of confession was under pressure and we obtained her new statement in the presence of lawyers in which she said that she did no such thing,” CLASS National Director Joseph Francis said.

Despite the victory, the safety of Rubina and her family remains a deep concern. “We are once again in need of your prayers for Rubina, her husband Amjad Masih and her three kids,” Francis said. “Though she is acquitted by the court of law, even then it will be very difficult for Rubina’s family to live at home among the Muslim extremists – they will have to move to some safe place.”

Pray for the safety of Rubina’s family in the midst of a hostile culture and neighbors.
Pray that Pakistan’s “Blasphemy” laws will be struck down as they are set to be reviewed once again by the Pakistani government following misuse of the law.
Pray that Christians will stop being targeted by extremist Muslims taking advantage of loopholes in the “Blasphemy” law.

8/17/2010 India (CathNewsIndia) Pastors Arrested After Radicals Disrupt Prayers- Two Protestant ministers and ten other Christians were detained by police in Karnataka after some Hindu radicals disrupted a prayer meeting on August 15 in Mandya district. The Global Council of Indian Christians said the two ministers belonged to the Campus Crusade for Christ and the ministers spent Independence Day in prison. The Christians were conducting a prayer service on the national holiday, when some thirty radical Hindus barged into the room shouting slogans.Rather than arresting the Hindus, the police charged the Protestant leaders for alleged violations of the law that restricts religious conversions.

Police soon released the ten Christian laymen, but kept the ministers in custody. Karnataka state has witnessed more than 200 attacks on Christians since the pro-Hindu BJP came to power in 2008. Christian leaders say the government makes no effort to restrain Hindu zealots from violence. Full Story

Pray that the violence targeting Christians by Hindus in various Indian states will stop.
Pray that the local and national governments will enact justice when Christians are targeted for their faith in Christ.
Pray that Christians remain bold witnesses for Christ as the violence has increased in recent days.