As I sit on my cozy sofa, with a warm blanket draped across my lap, in my three-bedroom three-bath townhome, sipping on my organic latte I had the pleasure of making at home, my experience of comfort does not escape me. I type away on my laptop, crafting a new piece for my Christian blog that I have the freedom to publish in my country. This freedom does not escape me. Because across the globe, other Christians, brothers and sisters in the faith, are not enjoying these same comforts and freedoms. Their experiences are vastly different. They are gathering in secret house churches and small villages with the threat of slaughter. Nigerian Christians are being persecuted, and yet their faith remains.

Read Me Next! – Rooted In Christ

Faith Rises

The images are harrowing. Burning churches and burnt bodies. According to an April 2023 report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, more than 52,000 Christians have been killed in the past fourteen years. Their crime? Practicing their faith. In Nigeria, the death toll continues to rise. With most of the attacks concentrated in Nigeria’s Middle Belt and northern states, men, women, and children are being murdered and abducted. Thousands of displaced survivors have watched their churches attacked and destroyed.

“We saw one woman’s body torn apart,” Esther recalled. “She had been trying to save Bibles from the altar.”

Global Christian Relief

And yet, faith rises.

“The change that was happening in my own heart uplifts the heart of forgiveness—the heart of love, of caring for one another, of showing concern. I learned prayer is very important. We need to pray every day. We need to read the scriptures and when someone wrongs us, we need to forgive the person.”

Global Christian Relief

A survivor turns to prayer. A daughter forgives. A congregation worships in the ruins of their church. In the darkest, most depraved experience of humanity, they found hope. They saw God.

The United Church

Our Western practice of Christianity has often deceived us into understanding what true persecution is. We think persecution is cancel culture and harassment from social media bots. Daily, we take for granted our perfectly curated, public, air-conditioned gatherings. We are dazzled by the lights and the sound of the worship team as their voices ring out over the mics. However, there is another sound being heard in unfamiliar places. There are voices fervently singing songs of praise and worship with consciences well aware of the ever-present danger that awaits them.

In heaven, there will be no Nigerian church or American church. There will be no Asian church or European church, no Black church or White church. There will only be THE CHURCH. We are the UNITED CHURCH. Every nation and tongue, bowing before the Lord. When one part of the Body is being persecuted, we are all being persecuted.

Mainstream media may sit idly by, but we stand in the gap, we intercede, we raise our voices, we pray. Therefore, we hold onto the faith that was gifted to us by our Savior. We do not take for granted the comfort given to us. But we leverage that comfort to speak God’s truth and spread His love. We stand with our brothers and sisters in Christ. If they can stand amid suffering and cry out when the enemy tries to shut them up, so can we. They proclaim Jesus when the world denies Him, so can we. If they can faithfully preach the Gospel, so can we.

With Love,

Tamara

Organizations To Support

Many organizations are standing in the gap to help victims and displaced survivors.

Global Christian Relief

https://globalchristianrelief.org

Equipping The Persecuted

https://equippingthepersecuted.org/

International Christian Concern

https://persecution.org/who-we-are/

Voice Of The Martyrs

https://www.persecution.com/

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