REMEMBER the PERSECUTED

By Dr. Peter Hammond

REMEMBER the PERSECUTED

By Dr. Peter Hammond

“Remember the prisoners as if chained with them – those who are mistreated – since you yourselves are

in the Body also.” Hebrews 13:3

Persecution Worldwide

Over 400 million Christians live under 66 governments which restrict religious freedom and persecute believers. Every year an average of

200,000 Christians are killed for their Faith.

In the Book of Revelation, the

Apostle John was given a glimpse into

Heaven.

He sees the martyrs, and he

hears their prayer.

What are the martyrs who have

died for Christ praying?

The Martyr’s Prayer

“When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the Word of God and for the testimony

which they held.

And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘how long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge

our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’

Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their

fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.” Revelations 6:9-11

Praying for Justice

Here we obtain a glimpse into Heaven. Those who had been faithful to God’s Word, and had been slain for the testimony that they had

maintained, are in the very presence of God and they are praying:

“How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You

judge and avenge our

blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

Throughout the world I have come across many people who are praying for peace. However it is notable that the martyrs

in Heaven are praying for justice.

And how does the Lord respond to these prayers? Does He rebuke them? No! Each of them is given a white robe

signifying their right standing with Almighty God.

They are told to be patient for a little while. When the full number of their fellow servants and brethren have died for

Christ, their prayer for justice will be answered.

The Wrath of the Lamb

The rest of Revelation 6 illustrates that Judgment: “And the kings of earth, the great men, the rich men,

the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man,

hid themselves in the caves and the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the

Wrath of the Lamb! For the Day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” Revelation 6:15-17

If the World Hates You

The Lord Jesus warned us:

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.

If you were of the world, the world would love its own.

Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose

you out of the world, therefore the world

hates you. Remember the Word that I said to you, ‘the servant is not

greater than his master.’

If they persecuted Me, they will also

persecute you.”

John 15:18-20

Indeed, all of the

Apostles suffered severe

persecution for Christ:

The Testimony of the Apostles

Peter was crucified upside down in Rome after much outreach.

James the Elder was

beheaded by Herod in

Palestine after fearless

preaching.

John, after a life of evangelism, was boiled in oil and banished in

exile to Patmos.

Andrew was crucified in Greece while spreading the Gospel there.

Philip died as a martyr

in Asia Minor after preaching the Gospel

to the Gauls.

Nathaniel preached the Gospel in India and Armenia before being flayed alive and beheaded.

Thomas established churches throughout Babylonia and India before being axed to

death.

Matthew was burned to death while preaching

the Gospel in Ethiopia.

Jude preached the Gospel throughout

Syria and Persia where he was

finally martyred.

James the younger was

crucified while

evangelising in Egypt.

Simon the Zealot preached the Word of God throughout Syria and Mesopotamia and was

sawn in half in Persia.

Matthias was crucified on a missionary outreach in the

Crimea (in what became the Ukraine).

MARK was martyred in Alexandria, Egypt

The Sufferings of Paul

The Apostle Paul testified: “In labours more abundant, in s t r i p e s a b o v e measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five

times I r e c e i v e d f o r t y stripes minus one.

Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness,

in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and

thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness – beside the other things which come upon me daily: my deep concern for

all the churches.” 2 Corinthians 11:23-28

The Suffering is Temporary

The Apostle Paul wrote: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the

glory which shall be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18. The suffering is temporary – the glory is eternal.

Following in His Steps

The Apostle Peter wrote: “For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also

suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.” 1 Peter 2:20-21

Tested by Fire

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the

genuineness of your Faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found

to praise, honour and glory at the Revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:6-7

Will Suffer Persecution

“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12

Scripture does not say some, nor does it say many, nor even most.

“All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”

Faithful Under Fire

Yet, surely, if we are seeking to be faithful to our Lord Jesus, we will suffer some persecution for it? By God’s grace, perhaps, not the violent

and vicious persecution which Christians in communist and Muslim lands have suffered.

However, if we remain faithful to the Lord, there will be times when we will be misunderstood, slandered, discriminated against, threatened and

abused.

Whether from family or friends, neighbours or co-workers, whether at school or at the work place, those who maintain a consistent testimony

for the Lord are bound to suffer some abuse.

Watch and Pray When the Lord warned his

disciples of coming persecution (Matthew

16:21-16; 26:31-35), they responded with disbelief.

Because they did not believe Christ’s warning, they did not “watch and

pray.”

As a result, they denied the Lord and ran away

(Matthew 26:40-46; 56; 60-75).

The Apostle Paul strengthened the disciples and encouraged them to

remain true to the Faith by teaching: “We must through many tribulations enter the Kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22

Rooted in the Word

Jesus taught that many believers would forsake Him (Matthew 24:9-10) when trouble or persecution comes because of their superficial

commitment. Those with no roots in God’s Word would fall away quickly (Matthew 13:21).

In response to the clear warnings of these Scriptures, and in the light of the increasing hostility towards Christianity in so many circles, it would

be wise for every Christian to study what the Word of God has to say about persecution.

Brother Andrew writes of a mission behind the Iron Curtain to Hungary where a pastor asked him if there

were any pastors in prison in Holland. Brother Andrew replied that, -no, he was not aware of any

pastors who were in prison in Holland.

“What then do your churches do with 2 Timothy

3:12?”

Brother Andrew reported that he had to admit that their churches did nothing with this

verse.

Victorious Faith

“And they overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb and by the Word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”

Revelation 12:11

Christians can overcome satan by the Blood of

Christ’s atonement and by the Word of God. Not only by the Word known and

memorised in our hearts and minds, but by

our living testimony,

applying the Word of God to

every area of life.

Our Lord Jesus Christ taught that we should not be afraid of those who can only kill the body and after that

can do no more. The Lord told us whom we should fear. We must fear God, who after

the killing of the body has power to throw both body and soul

into hell, forever. (Luke 12:4-5)

Courage

And it is this kind of courage that we see in the Apostles in the Book of Acts. When Peter and John were dragged before the Sanhedrin they courageously responded: “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in

God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:19-20.

In response to the threats of the Sanhedrin, Peter and John gathered with the other disciples

and prayed for the boldness to continue to

proclaim God’s Word “Now Lord, look on their

threats, and grant to your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your Word…”

Acts 4:29

And the Scripture records that “when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled

with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the Word of God with boldness.” Acts 4:31

To Obey God or Man? Then we read that the High

Priest rose up with great indignation and arrested the apostles, casting them into prison. “Did we not strictly

command you not to teach in this Name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with

your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on

us!” But Peter and the other

apostles answered: “We ought to obey God rather than men.”

Acts 5:28-29

Suffering Shame for His Name The Sanhedrin then had the

apostles flogged and commanded them not to

speak in the Name of Jesus. We read that the Apostles

left the council “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame

for His Name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease

teaching and preaching Jesus as the

Christ.” Acts 5:41-42

The Steadfastness of Stephen

We then read of the martyrdom of Stephen who is described as “full of Faith and power” and who did great wonders and signs

among the people (Acts 6:8).

The people were stirred up against Stephen and false witnesses were produced. Stephen’s courageous stand

before the Sanhedrin is recorded in Acts 7: “You stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the

Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?

And they killed those who foretold the coming of the just One, of whom

you now have become the

betrayers and the murderers, who

have received the Law by the

direction of angels and have not kept

it.” Acts 7:51-53

Scattered by Persecution

We read that “a great persecution arose against the Church which was at Jerusalem; and they all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria…those who were scattered went everywhere preaching

the Word.” Acts 8:1-4

The Martyrdom of James

In order to please the people, King

Herod had James, the brother of

John, beheaded.

He then ordered the Apostle Peter to be arrested.

However, God opened prison

doors and set the captive free - in

answer to prayer.

And God judged Herod. “An angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give

glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. But

the Word of God grew and multiplied.”

Acts 12:23-24

Power Amidst Persecution

Throughout the Book of Acts we see peace and power amidst persecution. Paul and Barnabas boldly proclaimed the Gospel and

responded to persecution with joy.

“But the Jews stirred up the devout and

prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised

up persecution against Paul and

Barnabas and expelled them

from their region.

But they shook off the dust from their feet against them, and came to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy

Spirit.” Acts 13:50-52

Singing in the Cells

In Acts 16 we read of Paul and Silas seized

and dragged before the authorities,

“Then the multitude rose up together against

them; and the magistrates tore off

their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with

rods.

And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they threw them into

prison, commanding the jailor to keep

them securely…he put them into the inner prison and

fastened their feet in the stocks.

But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing Hymns to God and the prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:22-25

Triumph Amidst Tribulation

Stripped and beaten, flogged and imprisoned, chained in the

prison cells, Paul and Silas

determined to praise God amidst their persecution.

“Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so

that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were

loosed.” Acts 16:26.

By God’s grace Paul and Silas were able to see their captor converted and his entire family brought to Salvation.

Refusing to Worship Caesar

Foxes Book of Martyrs records

many testimonies of courageous

Christians who suffered for the

Faith.

It is important to note that Christians were not persecuted in the Roman Empire for worshipping Jesus. The Romans were polytheists.

They had an entire pantheon of gods.

If the early Christians had registered their religion with the state and if they had burnt incense before an image of Caesar,

they would have been left alone.

However, by refusing to participate in Emperor worship and declare “Caesar is lord” Christians came under suspicion and violent

persecution. They were not persecuted because they worshipped Christ, but because they refused to revere Caesar.

Christian Courage

It is extraordinary to read these testimonies in Foxes Book of

Martyrs of dynamic believers

responding to persecution

with joy.

Ignatius of Antioch

Ignatius of Antioch, when sentenced to death by the Emperor Trajan

responded: “I thank Thee O Lord, that they has vouchsafed thus to honour me. I am God’s grain, to be ground between the

teeth of wild beasts, so that I may become a holy loaf for the Lord.”

Polycarp of Smyrna

When Polycarp, the Bishop of Smyrna,

was arrested he declared: “God’s will

be done!”

He provided food for his captors before they escorted him before the Roman

consul.

The consul was struck by how old Polycarp

was: “Pity your grey hairs, old man, just burn some incense

before the Emperor and you can go

free.”

Polycarp responded: “If you think for a

moment that I would do that, then you pretend not to

know who I am. Hear it plainly, I am

a Christian!”

“Then do this, old man, just curse

Christ and I will set you free.”

Polycarp responded: “86 years I have served my Christ, and He has never done me any wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who

has saved me?”

“I have wild beasts” threatened the pro-consul.

“Bring them” Polycarp said. “I

would change my mind if it meant

from going from the worse to the better,

but not from the right to the

wrong.”

“If you despise the wild beasts, I will have you burned”, warned the consul.

“You threaten me with a fire that burns for but an hour and then is extinguished. But you know nothing of the fire of Eternal Judgment

which will never be extinguished. Bring what you will.”

As Polycarp was led into the arena he was heard to pray: “Lord God, Father of our blessed Saviour, I thank Thee that I have been deemed

worthy to receive the crown of martyrdom, and that I may die for Thee and Thy cause.”

Cyprian of Carthage

Cyprian of Carthage, when sentenced to be beheaded, exclaimed:

“Thanks be to God!”

Perpetua – Forever Faithful

Perpetua was a Christian noblewoman living in Carthage (North Africa). In A.D. 202 when Perpetua was a 22-year old mother, she was one of the first to

be arrested in a new wave of persecution.

When her pagan father visited and pleaded with her to deny that she was a Christian, Perpetua responded

that it was impossible that she be “called anything other than what I am, a Christian.”

When the governor ordered Perpetua to worship the emperor her response was decisive: “I will not.”

“Are you a Christian then?” asked the governor.

“Yes I am!” Perpetua’s determined response brought immediate condemnation.

The governor condemned her and her friends to be thrown to the wild beasts and to die in the arena.

The amphitheatre was filled with nobles, ladies, senators, ambassadors, and tens of thousands shouted their insults and derisions as she was led to her death. Wild beasts and gladiators circled them on the arena floor and the crowds in the stands roared, demanding to see blood.

When Perpetua and her friends entered the stadium they were singing Psalms in such a joyful demeanour that the crowd demanded that the

Christians be scourged first. This was done.

As the mob screamed abuse, Perpetua was heard

to say:

“You have condemned us,

but God will condemn you.”

A wild heifer charged and tossed Perpetua into the air. As she fell on her back she sat up and adjusted her ripped tunic,

“thinking more of her modesty than of her pain.” She then walked over to help Felicitas, her servant to her feet.

Perpetua encouraged the other Christians: “You must all stand fast in the Faith and not be

weakened by what we have gone through.”

Witnesses in the stands described Perpetua in the

arena as “young and beautiful”,

“a pure and modest Christian lady”, “with shining

countenance and calm step, as the beloved of

God, as a bride of Christ, putting down everyone’s

stare by her own intense gaze.”

Her bold testimony: “I am a Christian and cannot deny Christ” was repeated throughout the Empire. Her example of Christian resolve and

Christian courage, choosing to suffer and die with a clear conscience, rather than deny her Saviour, inspired generations of Roman Christians

to stand firm in the face of relentless persecution.

“Be faithful until death,

and I will give you the crown

of life.” Revelation 2:10

The Blood of the Martyrs

As Tertullian famously declared: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” For every Christian killed in the arena

multitudes were converted in the stands.

Converting the Persecutors

In time the slaves of the Roman Empire were converted, the nobles of the Roman Empire were converted,

the barbarian invaders were brought to Christ,

and even the

bloodthirsty Vikings

were won to Christ.

The Waldensians

The Waldensians of Southern France, Northern Italy and Switzerland endured much persecution between the 12th and the 17th Century,

courageously standing firm and enduring as the oldest community of Protestants in the world today.

Wycliffe and the Lollards

Professor John Wycliffe of Oxford University, and his itinerant evangelists (the Lollards), despite severe persecution continued to

translate the Scriptures into English and to proclaim and sing the Gospel in English in the market places.

They were the field workers of the Reformation, sowing the good seed of the Word of God and laying solid foundations

for the mighty move of God’s Spirit in the Reformation.

Jan Hus of Prague

Professor Jan Hus of Prague courageously worked for Biblical Reformation and was burned alive in 1415. His final prayer was: “Into

Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit. I am willing, patiently and publicly to endure this dreadful, shameful, and cruel death for the sake

of Thy Gospel and the preaching of Thy Word.” He died signing praises to God.

William Tyndale

The Reformer William Tyndale of England was burned alive at the stake for the crime of translating the Bible

into the English language.

His last words, his dying prayer: “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes!” was wondrously answered as the very King, Henry VIII, who had condemned Tyndale

for his work of Bible translation,

within two years of Tyndale’s death, had

authorised that same Bible in English to be placed in every parish in the land,

accessible to the common people, in the common

tongue.

George Whishart

Patrick Hamilton and George Whishart of Scotland were burned at the stake for preaching Biblical Reformation.

George Whishart prayed an Imprecatory Prayer against the cardinal who had condemned them.

Within three months that cardinal had met a violent death.

John Knox

Reformer John Knox of Scotland was imprisoned

and chained as a slave in a galley for nineteen months. At one point he refused to

kiss an idol of Mary. Throwing it overboard, he

declared: “She is light

enough, let her learn to swim!”

St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre

The Huguenots of France endured vicious persecution and massacres, particularly the St.

Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of 24 August 1572.

Condemning a Nation

At one point in the 16th Century the

Spanish Inquisition condemned the entire nation of

Holland (3 million men, women and

children) to death as heretics!

By God’s grace, and through the

courage of Prince William the Silent and his followers,

the Dutch succeeded in

throwing back the Spanish invaders

and winning freedom for

Protestant Holland.

The Greatest Century of Persecution

You may be surprised to know that more Christians died for Christ in the 20th Century than in all previous

19 centuries combined.

In 1980, The Christian World Encyclopedia calculated that at least 28 million Christians had been martyred

in the 20th Century { up until then }.

The total martyrs since A.D. 33 was calculated at 43 million.

The encyclopedia calculated that atheists and secular governments had murdered 25 million Christians.

Violence against Christians in Egypt has escalated sharply over the last ten years. Churches have been targeted for car bombings.

Incredibly the Egyptian church has survived 14 centuries of Islamic discrimination and persecution.

There are however over 10 million Christians, mostly Coptic Orthodox, making up 12% of the population of Egypt.

For over 1,000 years Egypt was a majority Christian population, even after the Arab Muslim conquest in AD 640.

Many hundreds of Christians have been wounded or killed in violent attacks on Christian churches and neighbourhoods, especially in Iraq

and Egypt.

And Roman Catholics and RC governments had murdered 4½ million Protestants.

Serving the Persecuted

During the last 30 years of missionary work I have had the privilege of serving the persecuted Church in Mozambique, Angola, Romania,

Albania, Rwanda, Sudan, Northern Nigeria, the Congo and Zimbabwe.

During this time I have endured aerial bombardments, ambushes, artillery and rocket barrages, and I have been arrested and imprisoned

for missionary work.

Speaking up for the Persecuted

Some of what Christians suffer in Marxist and Muslim lands has been documented in Faith Under Fire in Sudan; Holocaust in Rwanda; In the

Killing Fields of Mozambique; Slavery, Terrorism and Islam;

and in documentary films that we have helped to produce such as: Sudan: The Hidden Holocaust and Terrorism and Persecution –

Understanding Islamic Jihad.

Angola’s Agony

On numerous occasions, Cuban soldiers in Angola have placed the heads of cattle, or an AK47, on altars

or pulpits demanding that the Christians commit idolatry and bow before them.

They have walked into services, and taken the Bible off the pulpit and thrown it by the door and demanded: “You may all

leave – one by one – just spit on the Bible and you can go free. If you don’t – we will kill you!”

Communist troops have burst into church services declaring: “You Christians – you say that you worship the Lamb – well

here is a lamb!”

The Cubans taunted the worshippers as

they started pouring the blood of this lamb

over the believers saying “the blood of

the lamb is shed amongst you – worship

the lamb!”

The head of the lamb was placed mockingly on the pulpit and people were dragged and forced to their knees to bow down

before it.

Christians who have escaped from communist concentration camps and

prisons have told how they were often tortured

by the Marxists.

One prisoner told me of a time in Angola when they were near breaking point and one of them shouted

out: “Why don’t you just kill us, and get

it over with?”

The response of the communist concentration camp guards was

most enlightening: “Oh no, we don’t want to kill

you! We don’t want to send you to Heaven to

be with God! No, we want you to curse Christ and to come to hell with us, for

all eternity!”

The Aim of Persecution The aim of

persecution is not to kill Christians. There is no victory to the

kingdom of darkness for Christians to go

to Heaven. The aim of persecution is to

intimidate Christians into silence.

To persuade believers to compromise. To terrify Christians, to giving in to cowardice. If the devil cannot stop us being

converted, he at least wants to divert us and distract us so that we are not effective in fulfilling the Great Commission

and winning other souls to Christ.

As long as you refuse to be intimidated into silence, neutrality and compromise,

persecution fails.

“Then Jesus said to His disciples,

‘if anyone desires to come

after Me, let him deny himself,

and take up his cross, and follow

Me.

For whoever desires to save his life will

lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and

loses his own soul? And what will a

man give in exchange for his

soul?’” Matthew 16:24-26

Sabrina Wurmbrand

The wife of Romanian Pastor Richard

Wurmbrand, Sabrina Wurmbrand, testified that before she went

to prison she was very poor. But once she went to prison she became very rich.

This was because she was poor in the things of the

world, but rich in the things of God. When she came to prison she had the only

currency that was of any value, she had much of the

Word of God memorised and stored up in her heart and

mind. Therefore in prison she was able to make many

people rich!

After years in the slave labour camps of Romania, Sabrina was finally released.

Some time later a man came to her claiming to have been in prison with her husband, and having a message from him to

share with their congregation.

Knowing how the communist state sought to infiltrate congregations by infiltrating spies and blackmailing members into being informers,

Sabrina was cautious. “Please, before we go any further, would you lead us in prayer?” She bowed her head.

There was an awkward silence and then the man, who claimed

to have a message from her husband, stuttered and

stammered. Sabrina Wurmbrand looked up and, gazing directly

into the man’s eyes, said: “Now then, aren’t you ashamed of

yourself? Wouldn’t you like me to explain to you how you can

become a real Christian?”

To Prison with Praise

In 1987, while leading a Frontline mission team across the border, we were arrested.

This was my first prison experience. We were stripped

and beaten.

Thrown into cells covered with human filth. Deprived of water

and food, blindfolded and transported from Livingstone to Lusaka. There we were thrown

into an overcrowded prison.

The cells, which were 15 feet by 25 feet, were crammed with an average of 60 prisoners per cell. There were no beds, furnishings, plumbing or

electricity in these cells.

The whole prison seemed to be one big stinking disease factory. With our shoes taken away, walking barefoot, with cut and bleeding feet, amongst this filth, we could only imagine how many infections and

diseases God protected us from.

Falsely Accused

In our prison cell there was Isaiah Moyo, a 26 year old black South African, who had been imprisoned on trumped up charges of being a

South African spy!

Actually, he had lent money to some ANC refugees in Lusaka, who had decided, rather than repay him, to accuse him of being a spy!

Tortured

Isaiah had been severely tortured. He had 26 pussy sores on his body where red hot pokers had been pushed into his skin. His knees were

calloused from the many hours he spent kneeling on the concrete floor praying to the Lord.

When, by God’s grace, international prayer and pressure forced the Zambian government to open the prison doors and let us free, I

determined to campaign for the release of Isaiah Moyo.

Publicising the Plight of the Prisoners American

Christians that I met in Cape Town encouraged me to

come overseas and testify of the

reality of communist

persecution in Africa.

I received an invitation to speak at the International Society for Human Rights Conference in Frankfurt, Germany and used that as the launching

pad for my first overseas ministry trip.

This involved radio and TV ministry in the USA,

testifying to government officials of

the atrocities I had witnessed and documented in

communist Mozambique and

Angola, and speaking on the BBC World

Service.

Later I heard that prison wardens had rushed with their radios to Isaiah Moyo in Lusaka Central Prison shouting: “Isaiah, that white South

African missionary who was locked in here, he is speaking on the radio – and he is talking about you!”

Isaiah heard the tale end of my interview as I gave people his prison address, and requested people to send care packages, with salt, soap,

sugar, vitamins, pens, pencils, paper, etc.

Isaiah told us later that from that time on he was never mistreated again. Mail sacks of letters and parcels were dragged into the cell. He became the most popular person in prison. He had so many trading

items which everyone wanted. People couldn’t do enough favours for him.

The BBC World Service radio programme had raised him to celebrity status in the prison. The prison guards treated him with great respect, and soon he was set free and allowed to travel back to South Africa to

be reunited with his wife and two children.

Publicity Provides Protection for the Persecuted

This was my first experience of seeing what an influence Western Christians can have through prayer and pressure.

Publicity provides protection for the persecuted.

As our Lord Jesus taught in Luke 18:1-5,

even an unjust judge will do what

is right in response to persistent prayer and pressure.

As virtually every Marxist dictatorship in the world is a beneficiary of vast amounts of foreign aid from Western nations, this provides

leverage.

Most dictators prefer foreign aid to foreign prisoners. If given a choice, they will let the prisoners go free in order to

continue to receive the Western dollars, pounds or euros.

Setting Captives Free

Whatever we bind will be bound, whatever we loose will be loosed. By the power of prayer, and through persistent

pressure, we can see the powers of darkness limited, prison doors opened and captives set free.

Jesus said: “For I was hungry, and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked

and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.

Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see

You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?

Or when did we see You sick, or imprisoned and come to You? And the King will answer and say unto them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, in as

much as you did it to one of the least of these brethren, you did it to Me.’” Matthew 25:35-40

“And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the

Body of Christ, and members individually.” 1 Corinthians 12:26-27

REMEMBER the PERSECUTED

Sunday 11 November is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.

“Remember the prisoners as if chained with them – those who are mistreated – since you yourselves are

in the Body also.” Hebrews 13:3

Frontline Fellowship PO Box 74

Newlands

7725

Cape Town

South Africa

E-mail: admin@frontline.org.za

Web: www.frontline.org.za