November 5th was the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Hundreds of millions of Christians around the world live in nations where they face severe persecution for their faith.
As a former Trump appointee to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, I am all too aware of the dangers many Christians endure for a right far too many Americans take for granted.
Every Sunday around the world, Christians often leave humble homes and walk miles with their families to worship Jesus Christ. They do this knowing that it may be the last thing they do on this earth. Every Sunday, churches in Africa, Asia and elsewhere are attacked. Our brothers and sisters in Christ are murdered, raped and imprisoned.
For example, Nigerian Christians are routinely slaughtered by militant Islamists. Christians in the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip are frequently attacked and discriminated against. And as I have repeatedly warned, China is waging war against all faiths, including Christianity.
Chinese Christians are being forced to take down pictures of Jesus and worship the communist dictator instead. The Chinese Communist Party is even rewriting the Bible!
If your pastor did not mention Christian persecution overseas on November 5th, please encourage him to make it a priority in future sermons, as well as planning early for next year's International Day of Prayer.
As we pray for our fellow believers who suffer in countries without religious liberty, let's redouble our efforts as Christian citizens to defend our religious liberty, which is increasingly under attack here in the United States.