'Spiritual battle': Watchdog group urges Christians to help persecuted believers, calls for prayer

One of the challenges to supporting persecuted Christians abroad is that many in the West don't realize just how much their brothers and sisters in Christ suffer for their faith, according to the head of a leading advocacy group.

Global Christian Relief (GCR) is an advocacy group dedicated to uplifting persecuted Christians through practical support and providing the Gospel to those in need. The organization serves five regions worldwide, including Central and East Asia, Latin America and Southeast Asia. 

GCR also seeks to remind Christians to stand in solidarity with their oppressed brothers and sisters and not to remain ignorant of their sufferings. 

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“There has been a rise in the persecution and oppression of Christians over the last 15 years or so,” GCR President and CEO David Curry told The Christian Post. “And we need to awaken to that and do a couple of things.”

Last Sunday, GCR hosted a livestream for the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, an observance for Christians around the world who are subjected to violence and discrimination for their beliefs. 

The event included a kit with short stories about several individuals who overcame adversity, including a survivor of Boko Haram massacres in Nigeria and an advocate for the underground church in North Korea. The kit also features testimonies from persecuted Christians whose stories of oppression might not be as well-known, such as a woman from Nepal who faced discrimination for leaving Hinduism.  

While many in the West are familiar with the plight of Christians in Nigeria, considered by various advocates to be one of the “deadliest” places in the world for people of faith, Curry noted that Nepal doesn't appear to be on most people’s radar. 

One reason for this, he suggested, is that reports of Christian persecution in Nigeria typically involve more physical violence, which tends to draw more attention. Even if the level of violence is not the same in Nepal as it is in Nigeria, Curry emphasized that Christians in the South Asian country still face persecution. 

“We don't want to see people get hurt, but what we really want is to start at the top and say, ‘Do you know what’s happening to your brothers and sisters around the world?’” Curry said. 

“Including Nepal and the pressures they face just to do the simple things like read Scripture, go to church peacefully and practice their faith. That's not a given in Nepal.” 

As GCR and other advocacy groups like Open Doors have noted, while Nepal is no longer a Hindu State, Nepali Christians face the threat of being attacked by their families or even forced out of their homes for believing in Christ. The government also oppresses Christians through anti-conversion laws and the shuttering of churches. 

Another challenge is that many people in Nepal are illiterate and rely on oral communication, making it difficult for Nepali Christians to read the Bible. GCR has tried to help by working with local partners in the area to distribute audio Bibles in local languages to Christians throughout the country. Last month, GCR reported delivering around 40,000 audio Bibles to Nepal. 

Still, Curry stressed that one way Christians in the West can continue to stand up for their persecuted brothers and sisters is to pray. 

“Because we have to recognize this is a spiritual battle,” Curry stressed. “First, we've got to start with prayer. It's life or death. So we've got to understand it's more than just politics; that’s why we start with prayer, and then there’s advocacy.” 

“I think once people get into this and they see that their voice makes a difference, then we can start talking about this with our representatives, having our churches pray about it, and we can move the needle on Western governments, the U.S., the U.K., France, speaking out for Christians who are being persecuted for their faith.”