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The Persecuted Church Prayer Devotional the Persecuted Church Prayer Devotional Interceding for the Suffering Church pcpd.pdf 14/5/07 15:33:19 THE PERSECUTED CHURCH PRAYER DEVOTIONAL PRAYER THE PERSECUTED CHURCH THE PERSECUTED CHURCH PRAYER DEVOTIONAL INTERCEDING FOR THE SUFFERING CHURCH More Christians were martyred in the twentieth century than all previous centuries combined, and this onslaught has continued unabated into the new century. As Christians, it is our duty to be knowledgeable and to take action on behalf of those who are persecuted. One of the most essential actions we can take is to C stand in the gap by being on our knees in prayer. M The Persecuted Church Prayer Devotional lists over sixty Y countries in desperate need of prayer. It describes the past and CM present situation in each country and the challenges and MY opportunities for the future. Once well informed, you can use the CY INTERCEDING FOR THE SUFFERING CHURCH prayer points at the end of each country to help you focus on CMY specific areas of intercession. K This excellent resource will equip and mobilize Christians worldwide to take part in the lives of the persecuted church through prayer. BEVERLY J. PEGUES is the co-founder and president of the WINDOW INTERNATIONAL J. Pegues Beverly NETWORK, a Christian organization developed to inform, equip, and mobilize networks of prayer around the globe for the 10/40 Window. Beverly is a gifted and passionate speaker at conferences, churches, and retreats nationally and internationally. Beverly is an ordained minister with New Life Church in Colorado Springs where she resides. Missions / Prayer ISBN 978-1-932805-90-1 Beverly J. Pegues www.authenticbooks.com persecuted church prayer devo.ini i 5/11/2007 5:22:38 PM persecuted church prayer devo.iniii iii 5/11/2007 5:22:39 PM Authentic Publishing We welcome your questions and comments. USA 1820 Jet Stream Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80921 www.authenticbooks.com UK 9 Holdom Avenue, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Bucks, MK1 1QR www.authenticmedia.co.uk India Logos Bhavan, Medchal Road, Jeedimetla Village, Secunderabad 500 055, A.P. The Persecuted Church Prayer Devotional ISBN-13: 978-1-932805-90-7 ISBN-10: 1-932805-90-1 Copyright © 2006 by Beverly J. Pegues 10 09 08 07 / 6 5 4 3 2 1 Published in 2007 by Authentic All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1966. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE ®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplifi ed Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked RSV are from the The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version 1952 (RSV), the authorized revision of the American Standard Version of 1901, Copyright © 1946, 1952, 1973 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version. All historical data contained in this devotional was derived from the CIA Factbook (www.cia. gov) and the Library of Congress Country studies (www.loc.gov). Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available Cover design: Paul Lewis Interior design: Angela Lewis Editorial team: Patton Dodd, Dana Bromley, Megan Kassebaum Printed in the United States of America persecuted church prayer devo.iniv iv 5/11/2007 5:22:39 PM CONTENTS Acknowledgements vii Dedication viii Foreword ix Introduction xiii Afghanistan 1 Gaza Strip Albania 5 and West Bank 62 Algeria 8 Guinea 65 Azerbaijan 11 Guinea-Bissau 68 Bahrain 14 India 71 Bangladesh 17 Indonesia 75 Benin 20 Iran 79 Bhutan 23 Iraq 83 Brunei 26 Israel 87 Burkina Faso 29 Japan 91 Cambodia 31 Jordan 94 Chad 34 Kazakhstan 98 China 37 Kuwait 101 Djibouti 40 Kyrgyzstan 104 East Timor 44 Laos 107 Egypt 47 Lebanon 111 Eritrea 51 Libya 114 Ethiopia 55 Malaysia 118 The Gambia 59 The Maldives 122 persecuted church prayer devo.inv v 5/11/2007 5:22:39 PM Mali 125 Sri Lanka 174 Mauritania 128 Sudan 177 Mongolia 131 Syria 180 Morocco 134 Taiwan 184 Myanmar (Burma) 137 Tajikistan 187 Nepal 140 Thailand 190 Niger 143 Tibet 193 Nigeria (North) 146 Tunisia 196 North Korea 150 Turkey 200 Oman 154 Turkmenistan 204 Pakistan 157 United Arab Emirates 207 Qatar 160 Uzbekistan 210 Saudi Arabia 163 Vietnam 213 Senegal 167 Western Sahara 217 Somalia 170 Yemen 220 Afterword 223 Advocacy List 225 Advocacy Letter 229 Persecution Ranking 231 Colonized Nations Chart 233 persecuted church prayer devo.invi vi 5/11/2007 5:22:39 PM ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A work of this magnitude can only result from a team effort of dedi- cated partners. Special thanks go to the United Kingdom Coalition (UKC), who pro- vided the majority of the research as well as verifi cation for many of the stories. Thank you to Tina Lambert from Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW). Tina led the UKC and the CSW team, all capable advocates who work with the Persecuted Church. Other members of the UKC include Jonathan Andrews with Middle East Concern; Alan Hall with Open Doors International; Richard Wells with 3P Ministries; Wilfred Wong with Jubilee Campaign; and Patrick Sookhdeo with Barnabas Fund. I want to thank my research assistant and good friend Cristine George for all of her hard work coordinating and verifying information. I’m also thankful for the noteworthy contributions from Sharon Manning, Joseph Joshua Torrez, Joann Blomdahl, Brandon Shupp, Rachel Chen, Esther Kim, and Dr. Rebecca Faulkner. Thank you, Patton Dodd, for your expertise and for orchestrating me through writing this devotional. God has given you an awesome gift of communication. Thanks to other individuals who have made valuable contributions but who wish to remain anonymous for security reasons. Thanks to the faithful who pray, resource, and advocate for the Persecuted Church in the 10/40 Window. Thanks to my wonderful daughter, LaTonya Pegues, who always cheers me on to go beyond my limits. vii persecuted church prayer devo.invii vii 5/11/2007 5:22:39 PM DEDICATION This devotional is dedicated to those being maimed, tortured, abused, or persecuted this very moment because they have chosen to fol- low Jesus Christ. It is also dedicated to those who refused to deny Christ as their Savior and Lord and had the privilege of being martyred for this great cause. Thank God—you are honored to be among the assembly of the Great Cloud of Witnesses. viii persecuted church prayer devo.inviii viii 5/11/2007 5:22:39 PM FOREWORD Since 1949, Christians in China have constantly experienced deep persecution. Its severity is no less than that experienced by the early Christians in Rome. The amazing thing is that during their times of trial, suffering Christians experience not only the persecution but also the presence of Christ Himself. Sister Le Chang told me, “When I was handcuffed, I became fi lled with the Holy Spirit and was fl ooded with tears of thanksgiving. Oh Lord, You love me so much that You have allowed me to experience this and share with all of the other saints who have suffered for Your Kingdom.” One Sister’s father who was in the Red Army was arrested for preaching the Gospel. He said, “When I was put into the police car, my heart was fi lled with honor because it was the Lord who let me get into the police car that day, and someday in Heaven the Lord will allow me to sit on a throne next to Him.” I saw the Lord’s servant XiMen Zhao proclaim the victory by say- ing, “I would rather wear iron nails on the road to Heaven than ride a saddled horse in Egypt, displaying my honor in the world. My side is willing to be pierced with the same sword as the Lord.” While I was in prison, a sister named YingCun taught me the Prison Song: “The Lord gave up His life and His body for me. What do I give up for the Lord? Only one heart is in love with the Lord.” This Prison Song became her last words as she died in prison in 1995 as a martyr for the Lord. The prisoners bravely minister to one another with words from songs like “Who has a heart for the Lord that is pure like Mary’s? Put aside all worldly affections, and love only Jesus. More suffering brings us closer to the Lord, and more willing to sacrifi ce everything for the Lord. May the Lord give me the same grace, that I may satisfy the Lord’s heart.” When Christian prisoners listen to songs that are full of faith, they give the saints courage and strength to endure the hardships of prison life. ix persecuted church prayer devo.inix ix 5/11/2007 5:22:39 PM Brother XiangChen Yuan, served the Church immediately after be- ing released from prison after twenty-three years.
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