October 31st is usually a cause for people to dress up, go to parties and have a lot of fun. Children dress up and go house to house for candy and then the parents have to deal with the sugar highs that they will have as they polish off the spoils. Many people don’t know that Halloween is a shortened form of All Hallows Eve. All Hallow’s Day or All Saint’s Day is November 1st.

This is a day when Christians think about, and pay homage to, the Christians that came before us. This can include the family members that died in the past year but more common is the commemoration of Saints that were killed for being Christians. We haven’t had many persecutions in the US, but in places like Africa, Syria and China, Christians are being killed just because they are Christians. We need to earnestly pray for these Christians and give to organizations that are trying to help. We can also let Congress know that this needs to stop.

This quote is from John Stonestreet who is with Breakpoint, a part of the Colson Center, in an email and radio broadcast about International Religious Freedom Day:

On June 13, at least 200 Christians were killed in a single day in the Nigerian village of Yelwata. In March and April, more than 250 Christians were slaughtered in coordinated attacks on churches and villages during Palm Sunday services in northern and Middle Belt regions of Nigeria. Survivors described gunmen storming worship services, hacking victims with machetes, and burning families alive in their homes.  

The persecution of Christians is happening in other African nations as well. In February, more than 70 worshippers were beheaded in the Democratic Republic of Congo when ISIS-affiliated rebels stormed a Protestant church in Kasanga, North Kivu, during a service. The dead included women and children. 

In Syria this past June, an ISIS suicide bomber detonated explosives during Sunday liturgy at Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church, killing more than 20 worshippers and injuring dozens more. Eyewitnesses, including a surviving woman who refused to flee despite threats, described the blast ripping through the congregation mid-prayer, with shrapnel embedding in icons and pews.  

Recently on YouTube, one of my content creators that I listen to had a person on his channel that was “feet on the ground” in Nigeria. His mission in Nigeria is to house and feed Christian refugees, giving them a safe harbor in all the persecution. Equipping The Persecuted is also trying to get the word out past the officials in Nigeria that tell the world that nothing is going on. Here is the channel if you would like to listen to the podcast. It’s very alarming.

We must remember to pray for those that are persecuted. And as you attend church tomorrow, remind others that there are Christian Martyrs today that can use our prayers and support.