As was custom, the believers slipped off their shoes before stepping into Peshawar’s All Saint’s Church. The clean white building was one of the oldest of its kind in Pakistan, and drew hundreds to its weekly gatherings.
The congregation spent the next hour worshipping together, a great source of comfort amid several weeks of vicious religious backlash. Recent suicide bombings and violent targeting of minority groups had sent shockwaves into multiple communities. The individuals worshiping inside All Saint’s Church could never have expected they would be the next victims.
After the service, throngs of people poured out into the church’s courtyard for fellowship and a meal. The day was beautiful, and the sense of family was strong and healing. No one noticed the two men who had slipped among them, their arms casually crossed over their chests.
In one unceremonious instant, two explosions ripped through the air, bulldozing everyone to the ground and shooting glass shards in every direction. Thick dust clung to the air, and for a moment, everything was quiet.
After a few seconds of dazed confusion, the dust started to settle . . . and the screams began.
Dozens of men, women, and children lay lifeless on the ground—many of them unrecognizable—while others sat huddled in bloody bewilderment.
Days later, dark stains were still clearly visible on the ground—testament to the deadliest attack in history against Pakistani Christians. The blasts had seriously wounded over 100 people and claimed the lives of more than 80 believers . . . 37 of them children.
Pakistan is one of 60 countries known for extreme persecution of Christians. Today, 200 million Christians around the world undergo regular persecution of some form. In some countries, simply claiming to follow Christ can be your death sentence. Yet millions are refusing to hide or abandon their faith, even as their families face the threat of daily stigmatization, harassment, and death.
On November 3, World Help is joining the global movement of prayer for these Christians. And we’re asking you to stand with us.
Persecuted Christians need our prayers. In fact, we’re commanded to pray for our brothers and sisters experiencing persecution. Hebrews 13:3 reminds us of our responsibility to remember those “who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”
We encourage you to visit worldhelp.net/prayer to learn more about the plight of the persecuted body of Christ. There you’ll find our free information sheet that can be easily printed and shared. Consider inserting these sheets in your church bulletins in the weeks leading up to the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.
For the sake of those waging battle on the front line of our faith, thank you for uniting with us in prayer on their behalf.
Now you can pray and give! Provide a copy of God’s Word to a Christian in need for only $5 >>