This Tuesday, on the day after many Americans honor death, many Christians will honor those who died as they observe All Saints’ Day.
According to Stephen Gauthier, a canon theologian for the Anglican Church in North America and who spoke with World Radio, Christians originally used the day to remember family and friends, but eventually, the Catholic Church turned it into an official day to celebrate martyrs and eventually all saints.
Regardless of its origins, though, and regardless of any possible theological baggage, the day can still particularly encourage American Christians to look beyond mere mortality and live more fervently for their King and His eternal kingdom. Perhaps as they learn of those who have died, who might soon die, or who live as sacrifices, they won’t succumb to the partisan madness of election day; they won’t succumb to the materialistic madness that so easily infects the rest of the season.
And though the world did not and does not deserve such heroes of the faith, as the author of Hebrews writes in Hebrews 11:38, they and their families deserve Christians’ prayers, as the following account show.
(The following come from the organization Voice of the Martyrs. Read more at https://www.persecution.com/stories).
• Pastor Rajan is an impoverished day laborer with three children, ages 2, 7 and 13. He also pastors four house churches. During a church service at his father’s house, local members of Hindu nationalist groups burst in and beat him severely. They had him arrested and paid the police to beat him as well. He was eventually released, but he was in such bad shape that he was unconscious for a day and a half. He suffered a few fractured ribs and severe bruising. Pastor Rajan was released from the hospital in June, but he has multiple brain bleeds that cannot be repaired surgically, and the doctors expect him to die.
• Assetou became a Christian while training to become a hairdresser. When she completed her training, she returned home, and her parents — who practice an animistic, traditional religion — were unhappy with her new faith. Assetou’s father tried to force her to marry an animist man, but she refused because of her faith in Jesus. In response, her father beat her and withheld food from her. When Assetou still clung to Jesus, she was driven from her home. Front-line workers request prayer for Assetou as they fear she has been kidnapped and forced into marriage.
• Simon became a Christian after receiving an audio Bible and listening to God’s Word. He was raised in a family that practices a form of fetish worship common in Burkina Faso. As the eldest son in his family, Simon was expected to lead the burial ceremony following the recent death of his father. As a Christian, Simon did not want to lead or participate in the animal sacrifices typically required in these traditional services. Still, he wanted to help bury his father. When he arrived at the funeral, his family and village would not allow him to participate and started beating Simon’s wife. She escaped into the bush with their child, but Simon was beaten unconscious. He is still in a coma at a local hospital, and the whereabouts of his wife and child remain unknown.
• Biman was preaching the gospel in five villages near his home, intending to plant churches. In one village, he was tutoring poor children, hoping to also lead their parents to Jesus. In February, while ministering to these children, Biman was surrounded by a group of radical Hindus who attacked him. Many others joined in and beat the pastor mercilessly. By the time they stopped, he was badly bruised. Biman managed to get back home but was experiencing severe pain. His health steadily deteriorated, and he died from his injuries the next day. Biman is survived by his wife, Sita, and two children, 8 and 10.
• Evodia, 14, and her mother were captured in 2021 when Palma, a town in the Cabo Delgado province, was overrun by ISIS terrorists. Her attackers killed her brother in front of her because of their Christian faith; she was then tortured and forced to become a prostitute. She and her mother spent eight months living in the bush with their ISIS captors before escaping. Pray for Evodia and her mother to experience God’s healing comfort as they recover from their abduction, and thank God that they escaped.
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