WAKE UP!!

http://www.gfa.org/news/articles/five-years-rebel/

I read this article this morning after God has touched, opened, blown apart my heart for the persecuted church in the last few months, really in the last year since I went to China and experienced a little of it, and just spent some time in prayer for this man who has been imprisoned for going on six years by none other than satan himself. Instead of sulking he is sharing God's word and a revival of sorts has broken out in the prison! Talk about allowing God to use you wherever you are!  We need to open up our eyes and realize that we know so little about suffering for the cause of Christ, and what Christ can build out of suffering. We are so quick to get prideful in our faith and think we have such a good grasp on what it means to be a Christian and live it out. We think our faith is so strong. But the reality is, we are so comfortable here that it is hard for us to really experience total trust and dependance on God. Here's a challenge. Just spend some time reading this and scrolling around the stories of some of these missionaries and just pray for them. WE NEED TO OPEN OUR EYES! The world is so much bigger than we've made it out to be here in America. We have brothers and sisters all over the world who are being imprisoned, beat, killed for the sake of the gospel that we take for granted every day. If we can't go and stand beside them in their persecution then we need to be in diligent prayer for them! The only thing that can change anything that is being experienced across the globe is prayer! That's what Paul was asking for when he was imprisoned! The bible tells us.....Colossians 4:2-4 “Devote yourselves to prayer… praying at the same time for us as well, that God may open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; in order that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.” This would be a great thing to do several times a week just pick a missionary from this website or any you can find and spend some time in prayer for them. If you need some direction in how to pray for the saints here's some ideas:

How to Pray for the Persecuted Church
Here's a list of countries where they are facing persecution: 
http://www.epm.org/resources/2009/Dec/18/17-countries-where-christians-are-persecuted/

1. For their physical protection and deliverance.
   

   Matthew 26:39 “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt.”
   

   Acts 12:5 “So Peter was kept in theprison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.”

   Philippians 1:19 “For I know that this shall turn out for my deliverance (from jail) through your prayers.”

   Philemon 22 “I hope that through your prayers I shall be given to you (from jail)”

   Romans 15:30-31 “Now I urge you, brethren… to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, that I may be delivered from those who are disobedient in Judea”.

   God predicted persecution:Acts 20:23-24 “the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course”

   And the suffering came:Acts 21:30-31 “And all the city was aroused, and the people rushed together; and taking hold of Paul, they dragged him out of the temple; and… were seeking to kill him.”

2. 
   
   That God would give them the right words and that they would fearlessly make Christ known

   Here Paul tells how to pray for him when he was suffering for Christ in jail—notice his prayer was not for release.

   Ephesians 6:19-20 “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am anambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”

   Colossians 4:2-4 “Devote yourselves to prayer… praying at the same time for us as well, that God may open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; in order that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.”

   [See our Effective Evangelism section]
3. 
   
   That they will see God's grace as sufficient and God's power perfected in their weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
4. That they would love Christ's appearing all the more
   

   2 Timothy 4:5-8 “I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
   

   Hebrews 11:35 “…others were tortured, not accepting their release, in order that they might obtain a better resurrection”.

5. 
   
   That they will rejoice in sharing the sufferings of Jesus so that they will rejoice even more when Christ is revealed

   Hebrews 10:34 “…accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and an abiding one.”

   Matthew 5:12 “Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted theprophets who were before you.”

   I Peter 4:13 “but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation.”

6. 
   
   That they will endure

   Hebrews 10:36 “For you have need of endurance.”

7. 
   
   That they will choose ill-treatment and the reproach of Christ, not pleasures of sin

   Hebrews 11:24-26 “Moses… (chose) rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin; considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt.”

8. That they will arm themselves with this purpose: to suffer so as to eradicate sin
   

   1 Peter 4:1 “arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in flesh has ceased from sin.”

   Hebrews 5:8 “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.”

9. That they will love Christ far more than life itself
   

   Revelation 12:10-11 “they overcame (Satan) because of theblood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death.”

   Philippians 1:21 “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

   Acts 20:24 “I (Paul) do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course.”

10. 
    
    That they will love their enemies

    Luke 6:27-31 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

11. 
    
    That they not enter into temptation—an easy possibility under the stress of persecution (Luke 22:39-45 - Jesus in thegarden)
12. 
    
    That they will rejoice that they are considered worthy to suffer for HIS name

    Acts 5:41 “So they went on their way from the presence of theCouncil, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.”

13. That they will remember they were made for such persecution
    

    Acts 14:22 “Through many tribulations we must enter thekingdom of God.”
    

    Philippians 1:29 “For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.”

14. 
    
    That they will live the joy of the Lord before their persecutors

    Acts 16:25 “But about midnight Paul and Silas (in jail) were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.”

    Philippians 1:28 “…in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.”

15. 
    
    That they will remember their unbelievable future glory

    Romans 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

16. 
    
    That they would learn to more completely trust in God

    2 Corinthians 1:8-9 “For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of deathwithin ourselves in order that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead”

17. That they would rejoice that they bear in their bodies the “brand marks of Christ”
    

    Galations 6:17 “From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus.”

18. That they would rejoice in filling up that which is lacking in Christ's sufferings
    

    Colossians 1:24 “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body (which is the church) in filling up that which is lacking in Christ'safflictions.”
    

    Note: Our sufferings do not add to the atoning worth of Jesus' sufferings. Rather, His sufferings are not known to the world, and so we suffer to bring that news to those His sufferings were meant to save.