Today is our National Day of Prayer…
As with many of my brothers and sisters in Jesus my Messiah, I have a number of things I wish to pray for. One of them being the often persecuted churches in the nation of Algeria, a country in the northern portion of Africa.
According to a recent article I read in the SWORD OF THE LORD newspaper (Murfreesboro, Tennessee) dated March 20, 2020, the Algerian government has been trying to shut down all Christian houses of worship. This has been going on for a while now. In one instance, according to a report found on the christianpost.com website, in a city known as Oran, the government shut down a small congregation known as Hope Evangelical Church.
Also, according to the article, thirteen churches throughout Algeria have been closed down since January of this year. The article states that Algeria ranks as "the 17th worst country in the world for Christian persecution." It goes on to state, "In some of these cases, Christians were forcibly expelled by police in the middle of church services."
The world is seeing more and more of this kind of overt persecution against those who believe in Jesus Christ. Whenever I think of this, I cannot help but pray for my brethren who are suffering for their faith. In my mind, I could hear their cries saying, "Please pray for us. Please do not forget us. We are God's children, just as you who live in North America are. And what is happening to the churches in Algeria, may one day happen on your continent."
D.B.
According to a recent article I read in the SWORD OF THE LORD newspaper (Murfreesboro, Tennessee) dated March 20, 2020, the Algerian government has been trying to shut down all Christian houses of worship. This has been going on for a while now. In one instance, according to a report found on the christianpost.com website, in a city known as Oran, the government shut down a small congregation known as Hope Evangelical Church.
Also, according to the article, thirteen churches throughout Algeria have been closed down since January of this year. The article states that Algeria ranks as "the 17th worst country in the world for Christian persecution." It goes on to state, "In some of these cases, Christians were forcibly expelled by police in the middle of church services."
The world is seeing more and more of this kind of overt persecution against those who believe in Jesus Christ. Whenever I think of this, I cannot help but pray for my brethren who are suffering for their faith. In my mind, I could hear their cries saying, "Please pray for us. Please do not forget us. We are God's children, just as you who live in North America are. And what is happening to the churches in Algeria, may one day happen on your continent."
D.B.
