Understanding the "silent war" on religious liberty: A must-see video

From the outset, let me make clear that this is not a political post. I'm not trying to convince you to support any party or candidate. This post is part of an ongoing conversation about religious liberty in the West that I've tried to be part of in the broader context of global persecution. Please do not attack or promote candidates in your comments. That will not further the conversation. 

In my previous blog series on persecution, one of the posts gave a picture of what persecution in the 21st century world looks like. In that post, I shared what I have learned from others who have made a point of studying and researching this topic: Persecution in the West - Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand - looks very different than persecution in other parts of the world. Persecution in the West typically doesn't look bloody, but it's no less serious. People of faith are marginalized by an increasingly (and often intentionally) secular worldview which brings some presuppositions to the table - ideas that directly conflict with Scripture, setting up a certain challenge for those who adhere to Biblical faith. A few of these challenges include:

• Private Affair: The idea that faith is private and should not impact a person's public choices or actions. This is often called the "naked public square" approach (as opposed to an "open public square, where all ideas have an equal chance to be heard). 
• Relativism: The idea that faith is a matter of opinion and preference is pervasive. While the idea that individuals are free to choose their beliefs is a basic tenet of free society, this type of relativism elevates the "human rights" of individuals to such an extreme that sharing one's faith is offensive - and increasingly challenged on legal grounds. 
• Anti-Christian elites: There are some secular political elites who are intent on bringing a "neo-secular inquisition" (Professor Rocco Buttliglione's phrase, quoted in Boyd-Macmillan, p. 217) to professing Christians.
• Anti-absolutes culture: Increasingly, the West is hostile toward religions with uncompromising ethical beliefs. There is an "anti-absolute militancy" (Boyd-MacMillan, p. 219) that presents several lies as norms. If these are challenged, marginalization and persecution occur.

It's rare to hear a speech on a national level that highlights the unique aspects of these challenges to religious liberty. While President Obama rightly spoke out recently on the persecution of Christians globally, his remarks were linked solely to the obvious, blatant persecution outside our borders. Others that do speak to the religious liberty challenges of our post-modern, post-Christian western culture often fail to present a complete picture, instead focusing on the political aspects or taking a fear-mongering approach. The reality is that the religious liberty challenges in the West are much less obvious because they are bloodless and don't yield dramatic photographs of people beaten or abused for their faith. Yet they are real enough and serious enough as they are.

These challenges are real, and they need to be pointed out. For the church to be an advocate for those experiencing severe persecution, we must have a voice. For the church to be a light in the darkness, we must leave our four walls. For the church to fulfill the great commandment and the Great Commission, we must open our hearts, hands, and mouths to share the Good News with those around the corner and around the world.

So I was happy to hear about a speech on a national level that focused on religious liberty. When I heard the speech I was amazed. Here was a political figure - some say potential presidential candidate - who was not only speaking about religious liberty, but hitting all the key points that scholars have recognized about the secular West.

Below is the speech by Bobby Jindal, governor of Louisiana. He begins speaking at about 15:00 mark and speaks for about 35 minutes, followed but a question and answer time. (For those unable to view, here's the transcript.) Some of the key elements of this speech, from my perspective:

• Jindal makes clear on more than one occasion that this isn't a Christian issue. This affects everyone of any faith at all. 
• He accurately puts diversity of belief as foundational to who we are as a country, noting: "These days we think this diversity of belief is tolerated under our law and Constitution. But that’s wrong. This diversity of belief is the foundation of our law and Constitution."
• He gets the order right: "America does not sustain and create faith. Faith created and sustains America."
• He observes that a war, silent or otherwise, on faith in the public arena is a war on good deeds and social action, for faith has driven countless changes in this country. 
• He highlights three strands of current legal challenges that should concern anyone of any faith.  
• He draws from current issues at the state level to show both potential problems and potential protections.
• He clearly notes the important distinction between freedom of worship and freedom of religion. That single word change makes all the difference, legally. 
• He advocates an open public square, not a naked one. 
• He challenges Americans not to settle for a silent faith locked away inside the walls of our religious institutions.

This is an important speech.  Watch it and pray. Remember the words of Daniel 11:32: "The people who know their God will stand firm and take action." Know Him, stand firm, and take the appropriate actions He leads you to take.




Sources:
Boyd-MacMillan, Ronald. Faith that Endures: The essential guide to the persecuted church. Revell, 2006. 

Persecution: Why It's Personal to Me Now

Hebrews 13:3 ESV Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.

1 Corinthians 12:26 ESV If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

I'll be honest: For many years, "the persecuted church" was an abstraction to me. My journey of awareness began where so many of my journey start - in my head. Scripture says the persecuted are part of the body, and I should suffer with them. I heard about the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church and figured that was a good place to begin.

And, it was - but God didn't want me to stop there. Over the past few years, God has taken that beginning and developed my understanding. A research paper for graduate school, some in-depth readings, and a blog series gave me a deeper understanding of the theological and practical issues involved. Open Doors gave names and faces to persecuted Christians, and I came to understand their struggles and endurance even more. Still, while "the persecuted church" had moved from my heart to my heart, it remained more of a "cause" for me, something that I was supposed to "do something about." I began to pray daily and seek for ways to be very intentional in my advocacy for persecuted Christians as well as for religious liberty worldwide.

Then came the day I heard about an Iranian-American pastor imprisoned for his faith. I heard he had a wife and two children. I read his story. I prayed for him, as I had many others over the years. Our church held a prayer vigil. And one cold Sunday night, I stayed up late to catch a West Coast broadcast. I heard this pastor's wife speak. She told his story, and her story.

Naghmeh Abedini personalized "the persecuted church" for me. As I watched her, I didn't see an abstraction. I didn't see a cause. I saw a wife and mother who had the difficult task of watching her kids' disappointment on Christmas when they didn't get the only gift they prayed for - daddy's return. I saw a woman who had struggled through the harder years of marriage, settling into her relationship with her God and her husband, only to have him torn from her arms. I saw a strong woman who was authentic about her vulnerabilities. I saw someone I could relate to. I saw someone who could easily be sitting next to me on the pews on Sunday mornings or across from me at Wednesday Bible study. In her honesty, I saw myself.

I realized that God had taken my understanding persecution to a new level. He answered my prayers for the persecuted in a way that revealed His heart like nothing I could have imagined. I didn't know to ask for it, but when it happened I knew it had His fingerprints all over it: He caused me to take persecution very personally.

That's how He takes it, you see. In Acts 9, the resurrected Jesus confronts persecutor Saul on the road to Damascus where he was headed to take his next Christian victims. Jesus' words to Saul? "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting ME." (Acts 9:4). By giving me a gut-level identification with Saeed & Naghmeh's plight, Jesus is letting me take persecution the way He does - personally. After years of praying and advocacy, for the first time I am really beginning to grasp what it means to remember the prisoners as if I were right there, and to feel someone's suffering as my own.

In Faith That Endures, Ronald Boyd-MacMillan gives some great tips to help persecuted Christians in tangible ways, along with warnings of what NOT to do. One of his warnings is to avoid letting the persecuted church be simply a cause. Let's face it: We've all seen a good cause become disjointed from the people it's about. The cause becomes the cause, rather than the people affected along the way.

Similarly, "the persecuted church" can become a politicized cause, a PR cause, a fundraising cause - anything but individuals loved by God who are part of the body of Christ He asks us to serve. Boyd-MacMillan relates a tragic story of a Chinese house church pastor who was called to Washington to receive a human rights award. Politicians joined the gathering, and speeches highlighted abuses of power that failed to relate to the current situation in China. The pastor told Boyd-MacMillan that no one had asked him his story or tried to get current information; instead, "they just wanted to hand me the award." (p. 236-237)

This story would be bad enough on its own, but Boyd-MacMillan's next words caused me to really sit up and take notice: "This experience has been multiplied in advocacy contexts a hundred times. I am weary of looking into the eyes of the persecuted believer being honored and seeing the question, Why doesn't anyone take an interest in my story." (p. 237)

I'm glad God has moved my understanding of persecution from head, to heart, to gut-level identification. By His grace, I will continue to be a strong advocate of the persecuted church and of the importance of maintaining our religious liberty so that we have a voice to speak out on behalf of those who suffer the most for the sake of Christ. There is nothing wrong with Spirit-led action. But I want to always remember that, whether I know their stories or not, there are people with families and dreams and needs, making heartbreaking decisions for their faith, every single day.

On Valentine's Day, Naghmeh Abedini shared a picture that  I cannot shake from my mind. It's a picture that I believe God has firmly planted in my memory so that I will always take persecution as personally as I do today. May this story and photo speak to you as it has to me. May God bless you to take persecution very personally.
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Saeed's family in Iran is allowed to visit him from time to time, and on the last visit he asked his family to contact Naghmeh's family to arrange a Valentine's surprise for his wife. He wanted her to know she was loved and he hadn't forgotten. After a day with the children, she arrived home to this scene:

Candles, a photo of her and Saeed, flowers. Reminders of the love they share, a love that spans the ocean, a love that prison bars cannot hold back. When I see this photo, I don't see an abstraction or a cause. I see two people who love each other deeply -- but they love Jesus more. And because they love Him more, they won't do the one thing that could cause them to be together. Saeed could deny Christ and be freed - but he won't. And Naghmeh doesn't want him to.

Does she want him home? Absolutely. Does she need him? Desperately. Does she want to face more questions from kids who miss their daddy and just don't understand? Of course not. But more than all of that, she doesn't want to take the easy way out. She, and Saeed, want to endure for the glory of God, for the ministry He has for them during this season, and for the reward of hearing Him say, "Well done."

Fighting Selfish Ambition

Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (James 3:13-18 ESV)

Like anyone who has followed Jesus for a while, I am keenly aware of just how far He's brought me. I can recount a number of areas where I am just not the same person, thanks to His transformational power to deliver me.

Undoubtedly, though, the most powerful area of deliverance I've experienced is in the area of selfish ambition. I grew up in a Christian home but while church was part of my life, and I even read my Bible on occasion to meet a checkbox requirement for Sunday School, I don’t remember ever truly loving Jesus.  What I do remember most is how much I thought of myself, how competitive I was, how full of selfish ambition. Undoubtedly, I was on the throne of my life. At my high school graduation I was proud and eager to enter a world I was sure that I would conquer. I intended to win the Pulitzer Prize by the time I was 30 and have my name known. To make sure of that I went to a school where I could be a big fish in a little pond – and all that time, I considered myself a Christian.

God has a way of getting our attention, though, and for me the next seven years were painful, dark years with one silver lining: I came to the end of myself. By age 25 rather than feeling proud, I was miserable and ashamed. I finally found something I wanted more than that Pulitzer Prize: A fresh start. I wanted to live a life without the regrets that constantly whispered in my ear.

About that time I married my sweet husband, and God began to do a work in me by prompting me to seek Him for wisdom on how to build a good marriage. Then, God brought across my path an in-depth, verse by verse study of Romans. This study is designed to take two full years, but I blew through it in somewhere around 10 months. We also started attended a church regularly, and got involved in a Sunday School class. God began blowing my mind with His Word. He showed me through Romans 1-3 that I was a sinner, despite my belief that I was a Christian. Then Romans 4-5 showed me what it means to be saved, and I cried through Romans 6-8 to realize that He does the sanctifying work in my life. You see, I had somehow absorbed the false message that we are saved by grace but after that were on our own. I already knew I couldn’t trust myself, so I was feeling pretty hopeless until those chapters. Sometime in 1997, somewhere between Romans 1 and Romans 8, I quit religion and started trusting in Jesus for my salvation. I realized that I had to trust totally and completely in His finished work on the cross for every aspect of my faith.

Ever so slowly, He began to transform my mind and my actions. I was so confused by what was me and what was Him that I would literally write out Scriptures such as Galatians 5 and make a chart – these are deeds of flesh, these are fruit of Spirit. I learned to look at that and ask Him to help me to do the things on the right (the Spirit) not the things on the left. For years that Scripture hung by the sink. For some reason I had lots of fleshly thoughts when I did the dishes :)

He has so completely transformed me, I cannot even put it into words. Pretty much everything about me is opposite of how I used to be. One of the biggest areas is that selfish ambition I told you about. See, when I got saved that didn’t leave me overnight. There were lots of sins that did – things I never once struggled with again – but that one hung around. I just Christianized it and decided that I was going to be a famous speaker. HA. God patiently kept teaching me, showing me more of Himself and His Word, revealing the gifts He’s given me and the call He has on my life. 

Soon, God used the crucible of parenting and caregiving to purify me, refining that selfish ambition out of my life, making me know how to recognize it when it rears its ugly head. For a season, God called me to lay down all ministry to focus on the needs of my step-daughter and my mother-in-law. My earlier goals seemed so far behind me, yet something in me still struggled. I knew I was being obedient, but I felt so obscure. 

At some point near the end of my mother-in-law's life, I was studying the life of John the Apostle. We see John first as a “Son of Thunder”, one of Jesus’ inner circle, with a desire for recognition in Jesus’ kingdom. He was the closest one to Jesus, and was charged to take care of Mary after Jesus left. We see John busy in the early chapters of Acts – preaching, being thrown in jail, healing a man at the Gate called Beautiful – but then he disappears from the scene. We don’t know much until his writings appear, after all the other apostles were dead. We can assume he was active in the Jerusalem church (where Mary was based) because he became a bishop over Ephesus. But other than serving his church and taking care of Jesus’ mother, John remained relatively obscure for decades. That spoke to me deeply, and sitting in my mother-in-law’s house watching over her one day, I penned these words:

Lessons from Obscurity
I asked You to give me something to do for Your glory, something grand and magnificent.
You gave me a wounded child and said "Believe".

I asked You for more, for a grander task.
You gave me a husband with dreams and said "Hope".
 

I wanted to reach even higher and sought a broader place to serve.
You gave me a sick mother-in-law and said "Love".
 

The bigger the vision you have given me for the world
The more you remind me that faith, hope, and love begin at home.
 

I have the faith to do big things for You.
Do I have the faith to be obscure?

 
Today, I am a transformed women. I am learning to live for His glory and His purpose and not my own selfish ambition. I am learning to trust Him with my future. That young, proud girl with selfish ambitions of winning a Pulitzer has become a woman at 44 who truly, honestly has no 5 year plan. I don’t even have a one year plan. I have learned enough to know that I want my words to fall to the ground and His words remain. 

The apostle Paul realized that selfish ambition temptations don't go away when we come to know Jesus. He wrote to the church at Philippi:

Philippians 2:3 ESV  Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

That's my deepest desire for this blog - that, as public as it is, it won't be a place for selfish ambition. I want to encourage and "stir up" other believers toward a kingdom mindset, toward being world Christians. Over the years, the purpose for this blog has shifted. Initially started to encourage missionaries, this blog for one year hosted a daily prayer through Operation World (found in the 2012 Archives) and most recently a series on persecution (found in the 2013 archive). For this season, I'm really not sure what the blog will look like. I just know that I don't want selfish ambition to drive my posts. Wherever it's going, I look forward to the journey - a journey that won't end until the throne room.

"The World Was Not Worthy of Them": When the persecuted church is lost in the noise

...But others were tortured, not accepting release, to obtain resurrection to a better life. And others experienced mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, sawed apart, murdered with the sword; they went about in sheepskins and goatskins; they were destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (the world was not worthy of them); they wandered in deserts and mountains and caves and openings in the earth. And these all were commended for their faith...

Hebrews 11:35b-39a, NET

Last night, a major political speech by the president of the United States ignored several US citizens being held prisoner by foreign governments. Two of these men, Kenneth Bae and Saeed Abedini, are held for reasons related to their Christian faith. To say that I was disappointed that they weren't mentioned, directly or indirectly, or that their relatives in the US were not invited to represent them at the speech as a signal to the world of our intention to see them freed, is an understatement. 

As so often happens, though, in the aftermath of my emotional reaction God dropped His Word into my heart. The phrase came to me in the translation I first read it: "men of whom the world was not worthy". I found the passage in its context above and was greatly encouraged, and my reaction was sobered. 

You see, refusing to recognize those persecuted for the sake of the Gospel says something significant. It says that the person that is being ignored is lost in the noise. Sometimes it's the noise of good things; sometimes it's the noise of political things; sometimes it's the noise of evil things. But their stories are missed, not because they are unimportant. They are missed because "the world was not worthy of them". Remembering the persecuted, praying for them, calling attention to them and advocating for their release is the job of the church. Sometimes the world will listen - but when they don't, there is still hope. 

For even when "the world is not worthy", God still hears our cries, sees our hearts, and has compassion for those in these horrible situations. He commends them for their faith as they are faithful to Him. Whether it's Kenneth Bae, Saeed Abedini, Asia Bibi in Pakistan, or countless thousands whose names we won't know until heaven - God hears their cries and counts their tears. He will lift up their heads. He commends their faith. This is the hope of the Gospel.

This morning I have faith that God is still at work in Saeed Abedini's life and Kenneth Bae's life. He's at work in your life, and in my life. My prayer for the president and all the other political leaders who allowed their stories to be lost in the noise is that God will forgive them because they don't know what they are doing. They don't realize how personally Jesus takes the persecution of His church, His body. 

Attention wasn't called to these men last night. But I pray that this morning, God will lift up their heads and whisper to their hearts, "Child, it's ok. I commend you for your faith."

Monday 1/27 prayer and advocacy for Saeed Abedini

As regular readers know, I have committed to pray regularly for Pastor Saeed Abedini and, on Mondays through March 8 (the day his wife Naghmeh was originally slated to protest, but changed her plans after much prayer and counsel), to advocate on his behalf using the resources God has given us through our rights as American citizens.

Today, my prayer for Saeed has been Barnabas' exhortation to the church at Antioch:

Acts 11:23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with devoted hearts

I am praying that whatever Saeed's circumstances tonight, he (1) is true to the Lord and (2) has a devoted heart. Out of everything Barnabas the Encourager could have exhorted the fledgling church at Corinth to do, this was the priority. This is what matters most.

But following the example of Paul, we still pray and work to bring him home, knowing that any movement in the human realm is because God affects the hearts of the leaders involved. So with that in mind, here is what I wrote to our Congressman, Senators, and President Obama tonight (adjusting as needed for each individual). Please join me in praying this will be received and acted upon! 
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Congressman,

Thank you for your kind response to our email of last week. We wanted to give you an update that Naghmeh Abedini will not protest on March 8. She made this decision after reconsidering the effects of the protest on her children, Saeed's situation, and the body of Christ which she desires to see in unity, not division. We respect and affirm this decision.

However, there is still a way you can "stand with Naghmeh" even though she is not physically standing outside the White House. In testimony to Congress she stated that she knew she would fight Iran for Saeed's release, but never dreamed she would fight her own country. She has also stated she feels abandoned by her country. This should not be!! I encourage you to contact her directly, hear her story, and let her know that she is supported and that there are individuals working to free Saeed.

I further encourage you to ask President Obama to take the same step to show support. We understand that everything that goes on to release Saeed cannot be made public. That is understandable, but by contacting her, you can help Naghmeh feel that she is not alone in her battle. She will sense support from the highest levels of our government. We have heard buzz that President Obama might mention Saeed in the State of the Union address. This is a great step, but the actions need to back it up, and contacting Naghmeh would be a great step in that direction.

Thank you again for your service to our country and the people of Arkansas.

Praying for the heart of a "king"

The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes. - Proverbs 21:1 (NASB)

Late last night, the word came that Naghmeh Abedini has prayerfully decided NOT to proceed with her protest in front of the White House. Her announcement came the same day as news that her husband has been moved to a different section of the worst prison in Iran. Her stated reasons - the best interest of her husband and children, and the good of the Body of Christ - are admirable. I honor and affirm her decision not to protest just as much as I did her initial choice to protest. These decisions about whether to take a spiritual battle into the political realm can only be decided between the person in that situation and God. There is no one size fits all solution - there are biblical examples of all kinds of courses of action. 

As I have prayed over the past 24 hours about what God would have me do with my planned Monday prayer and advocacy times, God brought the verse above into my mind. I've been troubled by President Obama's failure to communicate with Naghmeh. God has reminded me that He is the only one who can change the president's heart. 

God's call for me to support Naghmeh with prayer and advocacy has not changed. However, instead of asking my representatives to go 'stand with Naghmeh' outside the White House, I plan to ask them to contact President Obama and ask him to reach out to Naghmeh. Specifically I am asking God to turn the president's heart toward Naghmeh as he hears from multiple senators and representatives asking him to contact her. I further pray that when he hears the story directly from this precious woman, God will turn his heart yet again and cause him to work toward Pastor Saeed's release. 

Many of you join me in praying for Saeed, Naghmeh, and their children Rebekka and Jacob on a continual basis. My request to you tonight is that you join me on Mondays in praying specifically for God to change President Obama's heart toward the situation and move for him to contact Naghmeh. After you pray, please act: write or call the White House; contact your senators and representative and ask them to contact the president; and pass the word on so others can do this as well. Let's see if someone from each of the 435 congressional districts will contact his or her representative and both senators from that state!

You can prepare this weekend by visiting www.house.gov and www.senate.gov to find the contact information for your senators and representative, and preparing your letter or phone notes. (Please remember that "mass email campaigns" rarely work with congress; they really just want to hear from the people in their own district or state). 

Naghmeh's decision last night reminded me anew that the body of Christ is just that - all one body. As Paul teaches, when one suffers, we all suffer. The author of Hebrews exhorts us to remember those in prison because we, also, are part of the body. And in the passage below Paul makes them aware of God's deliverance that would be brought about through their prayers. As many prayed, God would receive more glory as many praise Him when the prayers are answered! That is my ultimate prayer for this season of prayer and advocacy - that we would see Him work and He would receive more praise and glory from His church!

2 Corinthians 1:6-11 ESV 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. 8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

The People Who Know Their God

He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, 

but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. (Daniel 11:32) 

Evil in the world is nothing new. Attacks on God's people are nothing new. Thankfully, centuries ago God provided a pattern that holds true today. 

An angel warned Daniel of a time to come, a time when an evil ruler would draw many away with flattery. This was fulfilled quite literally during the evil reign of Antiochus Epiphenes and yet foreshadows the pattern of many evil men through the centuries.

The response also foreshadows what can be true of you, and me, and any people of faith. The angel promises that people who have a personal, knowledgeable relationship with God would do two things:
1) Stand firm
2) Take action

So often we focus so much on the first promise ("stand firm") that we lose sight of the second ("take action"). The awesome thing about this passage is that as we accurately and intimately know God, we will be equipped to stand firm - not to be swayed by flattery and lies of evil - AND take appropriate action. We will know what actions God is calling us to take, and we will have the courage to take them. When we do, we'll see God come through! When Antiochus was at his worst, a group of individuals from the Maccabees family rose up, stood their ground, and fought back. God miraculously sustained the light in the temple for 8 days when the oil ran out (leading to the feast known today as Hanukkah), and Antiochus was pushed back as the Jewish people reclaimed the temple and their land.

Today, because I know my God, I am praying and advocating for Pastor Saeed Abedini. I am asking God to intervene in his situation because I know my God: He identifies with those persecuted for His name's sake. He is compassionate and merciful. He hears the cries of a woman in need and two children who desperately miss their daddy. He has a purpose for everything we go through, and I'm sure He has used Saeed mightily in prison. But He also places limits on what He allows to happen to us, and I am firmly believing that He will release Saeed for His glory when those limits are reached. I'm praying that will be soon.

This isn't a political issue for me. Hebrews 13:3 tells us to remember the prisoners and those in chains because we, too, are in the body of Christ. So today I remember Pastor Saeed; Kenneth Bae; Asia Bibi; and hundreds of thousands of nameless, faceless individuals who are suffering because they love Jesus more than their lives. I'm praying they will know how to stand firm and take action. And where I can, I will join with them in God-ordained actions. In that context, below is the email that I sent to our congressman, senators, and President Obama. I pray for God to hear my prayers and those of others, and work whatever miracles He determines in this matter.
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Senator,

We are writing to appeal for your visible and vocal support of three American citizens held hostage in Iran.  Robert Levinson, held since 3/9/2007; Amir Hekmati, since 8/29/2011; & Pastor Saeed Abedini, since 7/28/2012. It is appalling that any nuclear "deal" would not have the release of our citizens as a precondition but, if news reports today are to be believed, that is exactly the case. (www.freeallthree.com has more information on all these hostages).

Thankfully there is still a way you can show your support. We would like to ask your visible support of Naghmeh Abedini as she protests outside the White House at noon on Saturday, March 8. Naghmeh has been a tireless supporter of her husband and other persecuted Christians, as well as the two other US citizens held in Iran for political reasons. Sadly she has stated that while she anticipated fighting Iran for her husband's release, she didn't anticipate fighting her own country. She has even said she feels "abandoned" by her country, especially as the president has not called her even in the midst of deciding not to make her husband's release a condition for talks and deals with Iran. This should not be the case!!

Naghmeh realizes she is risking arrest. A group of pastors and other Christians are supporting her in the weeks leading up to her protest by risking arrest themselves outside the White House every Monday at noon. Those of us unable to be in Washington have committed to pray and act on Mondays, in part by reaching out to our legislators and asking you to join Naghmeh on March 8. Please help her realize her government has not abandoned her. See www.istandwithnaghmeh.com for more information.

Thank you for your service to Arkansas and your consideration of this request.

Why I Support Naghmeh Abedini Protesting at the White House March 8

Sometimes there is a false conception within the church that those persecuted should never fight back legally, or that we should not use legal means to fight for them. This is not the Biblical example. Acts 22-28 records the events following Paul's arrest in Jerusalem. We see him arguing the injustice of his arrest and appealing to Caesar, as was his right as a Roman citizen. From the epistles he wrote from house arrest in Rome, we know that he was surrendered to the will of God - but that surrender was not listless resignation. It was an active rest, utilizing every resource God gave him while surrendering the results to God.

This is why I support Naghmeh Abedini not only as she calls us to Pray for Pastor Saeed Abedini but also as she makes the bold decision, along with several pastors, to protest outside the White House. I did some research last night, and learned of the zone outside the White House fence where protestors are arrested if they do not keep moving and walking past the building. This is the risk she is taking for her husband, an American citizen. This is her way, the only way she knows to "appeal to Caesar", in this case, to get the attention of President Obama. He is the commander in chief. God has given him the responsibility for our country, especially in dealing with threats. Iran is holding an American citizen captive in a prison with murderers and rapists, simply because he stepped foot in the country, checked on orphanages and ministries he started years ago and visited his family (something he had done 8 times previously). They were opposed to him when he fled his native Iran years ago because he was vocal about his Christian faith. Yet Iranian law allows for individuals to choose their religion. He has not even violated Iranian law. The only "charge" is "compromising national security", though specific details have not been stated.

What has the US government done in the face of this? The State Department "condemned" it, and Obama "mentioned" it in his historic phone call with the president of Iran. Other than that - nothing. His release isn't a condition of our talks with Iran. The other two Americans still held in Iran (Robert Levinson, held since 3/9/2007; Amir Hekmati, since 8/29/2011) are similarly ignored in the talks. Notably, Obama has not called Abedini's wife, who has vocally and publicly lobbied for his release (despite calling other notable figures such as Jason Collins and Sandra Fluke).

So Naghmeh has made the decision to risk arrest to raise the profile of the plight of these hostages. I stand with her, and I pray for her. In my understanding she is on solid Biblical ground.

I will use the voice God has allowed me to have in this free country to advocate with her.

With her, I trust God for the results.

If you are a pastor, or know a pastor who could get to DC, encourage them to support her by protesting on one of the Mondays leading up to March 8. Get involved yourself by advocating for all three of these men to be freed (check out @freeallthree and @naghmehabedini if you are on Twitter). Contact your congressman and senators. Email and tweet to @barackobama.

 

Holding on to the open public squre

As I write this, the twitter-verse is in an uproar over the suspension of a major TV personality for stating non-PC views on homosexuality. Please do not misunderstand my perspective on A&E firing Phil Robertson. I do not agree with everything he says. For example, I think his perspective on race in the south in the pre-civil right era reflects an "out of sight, out of mind" attitude that was common among his generation (I've seen it in my parents). I have quite different criteria for selecting a president than he stated. I'm also quite certain we have theological differences. BUT A&E didn't suspend him for his blindness to racial inequality, his political views, or his theology. They suspended him for his views on a moral issue that he was asked about ("What, in your mind, is sinful" is the exact question). He was asked this by a reporter who was very clearly uncomfortable with the Robertsons' faith, who wrote a profanity-laced article mocking that faith, and who made a point of placing the most inflammatory comments earlier in the article while burying comments such as these:

“You put in your article that the Robertson family really believes strongly that if the human race loved each other and they loved God, we would just be better off. We ought to just be repentant, turn to God, and let’s get on with it, and everything will turn around.”

“If you simply put your faith in Jesus coming down in flesh, through a human being, God becoming flesh living on the earth, dying on the cross for the sins of the world, being buried, and being raised from the dead—yours and mine and everybody else’s problems will be solved. And the next time we see you, we will say: ‘You are now a brother. Our brother.’ So then we look at you totally different then. See what I’m saying?”

“We never, ever judge someone on who’s going to heaven, hell. That’s the Almighty’s job. We just love ’em, give ’em the good news about Jesus—whether they’re homosexuals, drunks, terrorists."

His response statement said:

 “I myself am a product of the 60s; I centered my life around sex, drugs and rock and roll until I hit rock bottom and accepted Jesus as my Savior. My mission today is to go forth and tell people about why I follow Christ and also what the bible teaches, and part of that teaching is that women and men are meant to be together. However, I would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me. We are all created by the Almighty and like Him, I love all of humanity. We would all be better off if we loved God and loved each other.”

He added: “However, I would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me. We are all created by the Almighty and like Him, I love all of humanity.
"We would all be better off if we loved God and loved each other."

Read more at http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/136173/1/I-Would-Never-Treat-Anyone-With-Disrespect-Duck-Dynastys-Phil-Robertson-Backpedals-On-Homophobic-Rant-Following-Suspension#wWTrRAGmRz28GvGZ.99

"I myself am a product of the 60s; I centered my life around sex, drugs and rock and roll until I hit rock bottom and accepted Jesus as my Savior," he said in a statement. "My mission today is to go forth and tell people about why I follow Christ and also what the bible teaches, and part of that teaching is that women and men are meant to be together."
He added: “However, I would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me. We are all created by the Almighty and like Him, I love all of humanity.
"We would all be better off if we loved God and loved each other."

Read more at http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/136173/1/I-Would-Never-Treat-Anyone-With-Disrespect-Duck-Dynastys-Phil-Robertson-Backpedals-On-Homophobic-Rant-Following-Suspension#wWTrRAGmRz28GvGZ.99

Is Phil Robertson perfect? Of course not. Are there lots of sinful things he didn't mention? Of course. Does he say things off the cuff, not thinking how they might sound apart from the larger context? Yep. But let's be clear. A and E knew that about him. They have profited greatly from the fact that people respond to the entire family's openness about their failures and the faith that helps them overcome.

This suspension reflects a growing "naked public square" mindset in our country - the idea that people of faith should hold that faith close to their chests, only in the walls of their homes and churches, and not be involved in the broader conversation or allow faith to impact their decisions in the public arena. It's "freedom of worship" versus "freedom of religion". In this country, people of faith are much less likely to be jailed than silenced.

But we're not there yet. This is not the time to retreat and silence ourselves. This is the time to remember that our country was found on freedom of religion and on the free exercise thereof. It's the time to recall the benefits to society of an open public square where all views are welcome, even when we disagree with them. It's also a time to stay in the Word and pray for wisdom and boldness to respond with truth and love when needed.

Yes, I #StandWithPhil. I'll pray for him and the family. I'll also pray for Drew Magary, the author of the GQ piece, to remember and heed the heart of Phil's message about salvation. I'll seek God's grace to demonstrate love to those I disagree with, rather than shutting them down like A and E did Phil Robertson. And I'll pray for boldness to speak the full truth of God's Word, in love, if I am ever asked "What, in your mind, is sinful?"

 

Source of quotes: http://www.gq.com/entertainment/television/201401/duck-dynasty-phil-robertson

A Desperate Prayer

"God does not really live on the earth! Look, if the sky and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this temple I have built! But respond favorably to Your servant's prayer and his request for help, O Lord my God. Answer the desperate prayer Your servant is presenting to You today. Night and day may You watch over this temple, the place where You promised You would live. May You answer Your servant's prayer for this place." 

- 1 Kings 8:27-29, NET

Solomon brought a lot of petitions before God in 1 Kings 8, as he prayed over and dedicated the temple he had spent 20 years building. Each prayer is theologically significant and holds many lessons for us in our own prayer lives. But this one - this one is special. One request was worthy of being called a "desperate prayer". The context is clear: Solomon was praying desperately that the God who cannot be contained in all the heavens would make His presence known in the temple Solomon was dedicating that day.

He knew it would be nothing without the presence of the Lord.

Solomon knew that without the Shekinah glory of God that had filled the tabernacle, the temple he built would be a worthless monument, reduced one day to nothing but rubble. There was nothing special about the carefully constructed building, its contents, its ornamentations. Oh, it was a wonder, a beauty to behold. It was the absolutely finest effort a human could make. Solomon spared no expense and cut no corners. It was The Best.

But it would be nothing without the presence of the Lord.

Gifted men built the temple. Solomon intentionally sought out those known for skill in certain areas. They absolutely did their very best and did not in any way shirk their responsibilities in the construction. But their gifts didn't define the temple.

It would be nothing without the presence of the Lord.

So Solomon prayed this beautiful, heartfelt prayer of 1 Kings 8. The chapter gives the sense that although he was in front of the congregation of Israel, he was alone with God. Scripture is clear that this portion of the prayer was the heart of the matter - Solomon was desperate for God's presence in the temple. His heartcry reminds me of  Moses when, in a dialogue with God, he laid out how desperate he was for God's Presence - so desperate he would stay put without it:

Exodus 33:14-16 The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.  How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?"

Moses and Solomon knew the secret to life, to work, to ministry: the Presence of the Lord. It's something that I've come to desire more deeply every year of my walk with Him. Tonight, Solomon's prayer jumped out at me as God urged me to pray it for myself as His temple. He's promised me His presence, given me His Holy Spirit, and now I feel compelled to pray again for a fresh filling, a fresh anointing in this "place", this temple that is now His. 

Many years ago, God let me know that one of the gifts He's given me is teaching. Very quickly He let me understand the enormous responsibility that comes with that gift, and gradually unfolded for me "my part" in faithful study, preparation, and prayer. He also made sure I stayed humble by giving me a word through Beth Moore's statement that God called her to teach because she had so much to learn. Me too, Beth. He never lets me forget that. 

These days I'm in the process of preparing a new study that God is blessing me to lead starting in January. This one is huge - a survey of the names of Jesus. As with other studies I've written this isn't something that is new to me - it's a topic I've studied before and one God has birthed in my heart to teach for some time now. For me teaching is a process - first God teaches it to me, then plants a seed that there is something there that He wants to turn into material for others. Once that is confirmed, usually through me being asked to lead a small group for a season, the process of formulating a structural framework for the study begins. I've been in that stage and now I'm moving into the heart of preparation - actually beginning to write the study. 

And that's when things move from exciting mountaintop ("Wow, God is actually going to do something with that study that's been on my heart for a while") to desperate face-down prayer in the riverbed. Because there is nothing like a blank Word document on my computer screen to make me realize that in a very short time, women's faces are going to be staring at me, and behind those faces are souls that are hungry for His Word. My words will do absolutely nothing for them, but His Word can heal and encourage and edify and strengthen them. So that blank Word document pushes me, like nothing else in the process of teaching, to get on my knees and beg God not for wise words, or unique insights, or profound thoughts -- but for His divine Presence to fill me and for His words to flow through me onto the page. 

Please join me in praying for His presence during this writing season. Like Solomon, it's a desperate cry. No matter how much effort I bring to this study, it's nothing without the Presence of the Lord.

Lessons From the Arena: What we Learn from Persecuted Followers of Christ (Persecution 101, #9)

This post is #9 of a series. For other posts please see here: #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9

It's hard to believe we've made it to this point - the final post in this series on the persecuted church. I hope that God has done a work in your life like He's done in mine as you have studied about a subject so dear to His heart. As I have prayed for, studied about, and written about the persecuted church over the past few months, God has imprinted these truths on my heart in ways I cannot express adequately. Even the aches and pains that go with living in this body of flesh have become reminders to me of the suffering that is occurring in the body of Christ. I never want to forget what I've learned.

I also never want to make the mistake of just thinking that the relationship with the persecuted church is one way. It's true - they need to feel connected to the wider body of Christ, to know we are praying and helping in practical ways. But also - and maybe even moreso - we need to feel connected to them. We need to receive from them the ministry and lessons only they can teach.

As we discussed when we defined persecution, we are all "persecuted believers" to some extent. Whether through spiritual warfare, marginalization, mocking, or a whole range of other non-physical forms, we know what it means to be attacked for no reason other than our faith in Christ. Yet there are those whose persecution reaches far more severe levels, who live daily with the possibility of imprisonment or death, who face choices far more drastic that I've ever seen. And I have learned through these studies that I need them more than I ever realized. We - the church in the West - need them more than we know. So here are some lessons that those who've worked most closely with them have learned - and a few that I've learned along the way. (Some of these are pulled from Boyd-MacMillan, 304-349, with my own thoughts incorporated.)

• A cross-centered life. Persecuted believers who endure don't minimize the cross. Instead, they exemplify a cross-centered life. Their theology is focused on Jesus - on His life, on His suffering, on His resurrection, on His victory. They connect their suffering to His, identify with Him in the "fellowship of His sufferings" even while they wait for the "power of His resurrection" (Phil. 3:10).
• A relationship-oriented life. Often their testimonies reflect the lesson that relationship with Him is more important than tasks for Him. Wing Mingdao, a Chinese pastor, learned this when he spent 20 years in a cell with no ministry opportunities at all, and not even a Bible to study. He found himself with nothing to do - "Nothing to do except get to know God. And for twenty years that was the greatest relationship I have ever known. But the cell was the means." (Boyd-MacMillan, 308). A cross-centered life focuses on God, and lets Him take the reins for any tasks. The success, and speed of victory, are His to determine. As Boyd-MacMillan says, "How sad it is that so many of us work in the garden for the Creator, but never walk through the garden with the Creator! This invitation to walk with God in His garden, say the persecuted, is one we must pay any price to accept." (p. 310)
• A Bible-saturated life. A persecuted believer hungers for God's word. If he's had a little of it, he wants more. If he's had a lot, he recalls it for sustenance. Suffering also brings clarity to confusing Bible passages, yielding lessons about God that we don't learn until we are in the trenches. A Chinese pastor described to an American pastor why Revelation was his favorite book of the Bible. Surprisingly, it wasn't because of the hope for heaven and victory to come. It was because of the encouragement he received to resist idolatry. He saw Revelation as describing the way his world was - full of idols and things trying to draw him away from Jesus. (see Boyd-MacMillan, 316-318). Scriptures depths can be plumbed for a lifetime and we will still have lessons we can only learn from each other, because God has set up His body to need each other.

"The ultimate challenge of the persecuted church is to teach us things about God that we can incorporate into our daily walk. If all we do is pray for the persecuted, support the persecuted, march for the persecuted, then it's still a question of us helping them. We have not actually allowed the persecuted to change our lives." - Boyd-MacMillan, 305

• An empty/full life. Persecuted believers are forced to accept their weaknesses. They give up trying to do things in their own strength, and allow Him to fill them. Suffering empties us of ourselves and allows us a deeper filling of Him. An Egyptian believer recounted his persecution, and how it brought him to a place of seeing the depth of his sinful nature. In the midst of that dark moment, he realized how much Jesus loved him at his worst, and then: "Christ rushed in and filled me, and the filling was so great because I was so empty." (Boyd-MacMillan, 320)
• A risky life. Radical Christianity invites hostility, because as we saw earlier Satan hates Jesus and lashes out at us because of Him. Whether the attacks come spiritually, or more overtly through our cultures, families, laws, neighbors, or even authorities in power, obedience to Christ is not a "safe bet". One believer in California related how his radical giving and simple lifestyle became offensive to his law firm partners, costing him a partnership. Brother Andrew observes, "Persecution is because of the radical life, not the other way around. Why are we not having persecution? Because we are dodging it." (Boyd-MacMillan, 326). That doesn't mean we go "looking for trouble". It simply means that as we live out our faith, and confront darkness in Jesus' name, there will be a reaction. Boyd-MacMillan highlights how broad this reaction can be when he writes, "the pressure of the world, the flesh, and the devil comes from so many sources that we can safely say that every Christian will experience it, no matter if their culture is formally hostile to Christianity or fundamentally formed by it." (p. 326)
• A God-glorifying life. Persecuted believers remind us of God's power to deliver, as well as His power to equip us to endure. They testify to His faithfulness. They remind us that we don't have to know the results of our efforts, because He will see the job through. Missions was His grand idea, after all, and He just asks us to help Him out for the short time we walk this earth. Persecuted believers can teach us to exalt God.

By far, the single biggest lesson I have personally learned from reading stories of persecuted believers and praying for them is simply this: Jesus is worth it. He is enough. This truth was driven home to be in a powerful way though a story I read. A pastor in the former USSR was being tortured by KGB agents to give up information. He refused, but then they brought in his son. As they tortured his son to the point of death, the father started to waver. Just before he would have given in, his son urged him to stand firm. "I can see Jesus coming for me," the son said as he encouraged his father not to give in. "And He is so beautiful."

I don't have to know how things will turn out. I just have to know that He's worth holding on to - and that He's holding tighter to me than I ever will to Him. HE IS WORTH IT.




YOUR TURN: What have you learned from studying the persecuted church along with me?

References
Boyd-MacMillan, Ronald. Faith that Endures: The essential guide to the persecuted church.Revell, 2006. 

http://www.preachtheword.com/sermon/mark26.shtml 

Helping the persecuted in tangible ways (Persecution 101, #8)

This post is #8 of a series. For other posts please see here: #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9

In the last post, we talked about helping the persecuted through prayer. Since that's their number one request, I felt it was appropriate to discuss it separately.

Prayer as the priority does not mean prayer alone, however. As Christians through the centuries have learned, God quite often invites us to be part of the answer to a prayer, moving the action from our hearts into our hands and feet. This lesson will focus on tangible ways to get involved, as well as some general principles to consider. We'll start with the principles, to lay a foundation for better understanding the specifics.

Helping principle #1: Be careful not to do more harm than good.
Any time we have a stirring of the heart to "do something", this becomes a risk. When that stirring is directed toward helping the persecuted, the risk is very often literally life or death. We need to do the background research to get it right.

Ronald Boyd-MacMillan cites a tragic example from a few years back. Christians in Sudan, especially children, were being kidnapped and sold as slaves by Muslim traders. Certain organizations started a "buy back slaves" campaign, raising large sums of money along with increasing awareness. As the months passed, concerns arose about bogus slave traders collecting cash and massive sums of money flowing into extremely poor areas. What began as an attempt to "do something" ended up fueling the slave trade by make it an extremely profitable, viable business. (Boyd-MacMillan, 232).

In this particular case, simply thinking through basic human nature and the economics of poverty could have led to more creative solutions. Identifying possible ways that harm can occur isn't always that easy, though. That's why principle #2 is vital.

Helping principle #2: Actively engage local persecuted believers to identify viable options.
This task is more difficult than it sounds. Often the problem is locating the believers to begin with! Establishing trust, and learning whom to trust, are other factors. The more I have studied, read, and prayed, the more I realize the importance of this principle - but a counterbalance is needed. I cannot simply plop myself down in Iran and start looking for Christians. Effective engagement of the persecuted church requires long-term relationships where trust can be developed both ways. The wider body of Christ is served by agencies who specialize in the persecuted church, who maintain ongoing relationships and a presence "on the ground". My part in principle #2 is to pray for discernment and wisdom for those who are doing the legwork of engagement, and to exercise my own discernment in reading reports and information from the field. (The purpose of this blog is not to promote any one agency, but I realize that this principle will beg the question "Who can I trust?". In my opinion, the organization doing the best job of this principle, staying true to Scripture and accountable to local churches in the process, is Open Doors International.)

Helping principle #3: Focus on serving the persecuted, not using them.
Let's face it: We've all seen a good cause become disjointed from the people it's about. The cause becomes the cause, rather than the people affected along the way. My husband and I are currently reading an excellent series of historical fiction books about the Civil War, and I've been reminded afresh that many abolitionists were just as prejudiced as slave-owners. They had a Cause, but didn't want anything to do with the people they supposedly were trying to free.

Similarly, "the persecuted church" can become a politicized cause, a PR cause, a fundraising cause - anything but individuals loved by God who are part of the body of Christ He asks us to serve. Boyd-MacMillan relates a tragic story of a Chinese house church pastor who was called to Washington to receive a human rights award. Politicians joined the gathering, and speeches highlighted abuses of power that failed to relate to the current situation in China. The pastor told Boyd-MacMillan that no one had asked him his story or tried to get current information; instead, "they just wanted to hand me the award." (p. 236-237)

This story would be bad enough on its own, but Boyd-MacMillan's next words caused me to really sit up and take notice:

"This experience has been multiplied in advocacy contexts a hundred times. I am weary of looking into the eyes of the persecuted believer being honored and seeing the question, Why doesn't anyone take an interest in my story." (p. 237)

Turning the persecuted church into a Cause leads directly to violating principle #1: extreme statements, misinformation, and other poor advocacy tactics can lead to a cost in influence, reducing credibility for genuine concerns and giving ammunition for government anti-Christian propaganda. A good agency will be careful to get the story right and will always, always, always serve the person rather than the cause.

How are the persecuted "used"? Boyd-MacMillan highlights four key failures (pp 238-253) that should be avoided if we truly wish to serve the persecuted church. Since he goes into much more detail and includes some great examples, I once again commend his book to you for more information than you will find here.

• Overheated Publicity - representing extreme cases as the norm, or exaggerating the situation.
• Tactical Polarization - attacking those who have a different approach. This does not preclude a dialogue about what tactics work and what might cause harm, but it does mean not attacking agencies or individuals whose viable methods are different than another's.
• Propoganda Parroting - This primarily occurs when a visitor to a persecuted nation swallows the government's propaganda lies and repeats them. This is especially an issue for religious VIPs and some political leaders.(Others fall victims to "overheated publicity", the opposite extreme.)
• Focusing on Urgent instead of Strategic -  High profile releases, short-term fixes, and other urgent tactics have their place - but an overemphasis on these misses long-term, strategic opportunities. For example, in some Indian villages Hindu extremists launched a plan in the 1990s to offer free education (they provided the teachers, of course). Parents who could not afford school jumped at the chance to educate children - who are being taught the radical Hindutva ideas along the way. A "50-year plan" to provided Christian schools is not as dramatic a sell as "give now to help release pastor X", but in the long run might be far more helpful.

So - what does work? Other than the most important - prayer - what can the contemporary Christian in a relatively secure country do to help his or her brothers and sisters who are suffering? Based on Boyd-MacMillan's assessment of tactics in chapters 10 and 11 (254-299), here are some additional ways YOU can help, starting today. (As always, prayer comes first. If you aren't praying regularly for the persecuted church, start there!)

• Share their stories. Once you find an organization that you trust, share the stories of the persecuted church. A wise agency will be careful about photos and names, but will always have general stories about "a believer in Nepal" or "the underground church in Iran" that you can pass on to others. Raise awareness with solid information presented in a way that helps rather than hurts the church. We need to get the story out, and it's hard in traditional media because of "secular myopia" (p. 263) and because for security purposes the stories come from unnamed sources. Use social media, use your church prayer group, use whatever means God puts at your disposal to educate others who might not realize that persecution didn't stop with Acts 28.
• Advocate wisely. Private representation, often from western government leaders or trusted businessmen who have developed relationships with the persecuting government, has worked when used wisely and quietly. Ronald Reagan asked a state department official to bring up the names of specific Jews and Christians who were seeking to get out of the USSR; another story claims that he actually brought the names of Christians in Soviet Gulags to his meetings with Soviet leaders, quietly asking for their individual release. None of this was public at the time; he wisely recognized that he could help more by advocating quietly. While most of us do not have this level of influence or personally know anyone who does, we can keep our elected officials informed and ask them to wisely and cautiously intervene if they get a chance. When a trusted agency releases the name of a persecuted believer, we can make sure our leaders know that name.
• Write letters. Letters written to persecuted believers and persecuting authorities have had a demonstrable effect. Boyd-MacMillan notes that often, prisoners who the government gets letters about are treated better; consistently, prisoners who receive letters note that they are encouraged by them even if they could not read the language.
• Legal intervention. Supporting laws that will help the persecuted church, and watching for laws that could harm them, is an important role that Christians in a democratic society can play. Be aware and discerning, then use the voice that God has allowed you to have to speak for those who have no voice.
• Illegal tactics. This is controversial, but based on Acts 5:29 many agencies embrace tactics such as Bible smuggling, sneaking in teachers, etc. Our role should be to pray for these efforts and understand where these choices come from.
• Political pressure. Individuals or states can exert political pressure, and there are times this is effective. However it is probably the most overestimated tactic, so we must not expect too much from this arena.
• Positive engagement - building up the society where persecution occurs. The rush of Christian NGO's into Afghanistan after 2002 illustrate one example of this method. This helps the church in that society in practical ways, destroys caricatures of Christians, and nudges the country forward. The drawbacks, of course, are always present; there is no way to avoid working with the persecuting authorities and short-term sacrifices might have to be made for long-term gains. Much prayer and wisdom is needed, but these projects are often very worthy of support. 
• Financial support. While it's generally unwise to give cash directly to persecuted believers (they will be accused of being "bought" by the west, among other things), giving to agencies that work with the persecuted is one of the best ways we can help the persecuted church. But how to pick a worthy agency? Besides taking into account the principles above, we should avoid agencies that seem to focus on grandstanding, celebrities, and emotional manipulation. Instead, look for the following:
• Encounters with the persecuted. Whether through stories, emails, opportunities to write, or even trips - do you have a chance to encounter the persecuted believer for yourself? The best agencies provide chances for donors to go to the field.
• Prayer. A solid agency will make prayer a priority, providing multiple ways for you to pray continually for the persecuted church.
• Financial accountability and integrity. Are the books open - can you get a full financial statement? Is the organization a member of the Evangelical Council on Financial Accountability or a similar agency? Are the leaders known for integrity? Is the board independent, or under the authority of the president/founder?
• Does the agency cooperate with other organizations? Work with the persecuted church is a work to bring unity between parts of the body of Christ, so the organization should certainly be in unity with other agencies.
• Does the organization include long-term strategies in its approach? Does it seem to be aware of the complexities and challenges faced by persecuted believers?
• Does the organization intentionally serve the church? 
• Does the organization have a solid track record, and is it willing to face controversy rather than compromise its values?
• Let yourself feel the burden for those persecuted. Boyd-MacMillan noted: "I'm convinced that the best donor of an organization who seeks to help the severely persecuted is a person who is burdened for, informed about, and a witness to the suffering church." (p 287)

The bottom line is that as you pray, God will guide you. Connecting the wider body of Christ to the persecuted church was His idea to start with, after all :). Whatever you do to help the persecuted church, keep seeking His heart for them:

Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies. - Hebrews 13:3, NLT

Your turn: How are you feeling led to be involved with the persecuted church?

References
Boyd-MacMillan, Ronald. Faith that Endures: The essential guide to the persecuted church.Revell, 2006.