There has been an increase in the harassment and persecution of known Christian leaders leading up to the Olympic games in Beijing. Christians are urged to pray for the persecuted church in China during the Olympic games and wear an armband as a reminder:
The chief of the Federation House Church in Beijing apparently isn’t someone the Chinese government wants reporters from the free world interviewing during the coming Olympics: He and his wife have been expelled from the city and now apparently are living on the streets, according to Christian ministries who are asking Christians around the world to honor the persecuted church in China during the games.
The program launched by Voice of the Martyrs and China Aid Association asks Christians to wear armbands as a reminder to pray for Chinese Christians in house churches.
“We’re trying to let Christians know as the Olympics are here, let’s use this as a time to pray for China. As we turn on the television and see the sunset over the Great Wall, let’s pray for the church in China. As we see the teaming street scenes in Beijing, let’s pray for the church in China,” Todd Nettleton, a spokesman for VOM, told WND.
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“Some well meaning Christian leaders would like you to believe that Christians are no longer persecuted in China,” the promotion says. “Chinese Christians like Anna would disagree. At the young age of 11, Anna has been persecuted for her faith. She has been run out of a Christian orphanage by the Communist authorities and refused admission to public school. She currently lives in hiding and attends an illegal underground Christian school. Anna, like many persecuted Christians in China, remains strong in her faith. She recently told The Voice of the Martyrs, ‘I think God must really love me. He has taken such good care of me.'”
Let’s remember to not only pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ but the others who are being silenced during this time when the Chinese government puts on a mask to hide all the ugliness that is going on in their country.