Standing Firm in the Face of Persecution

An arrogant and strong-minded man who tried to destroy a church in Zalingei comes to Christ.

Throughout this past year, the church in Zalingei received intense threats from the community. A group of Muslim adherents threatened to destroy the church building and kill all the Christians associated with the church. Among this group, was a man named Kabir*.

Several times Kabir came into town carrying his knife so that he could possibly stab any Christian he met on the street. He believed that in doing so, he would gain access to heaven.
When opportunities did not present themselves, he changed tactics.

He sought out a Bible. Kabir believed that he could collect enough information to debate with Christian believers and somehow accuse them or point out false beliefs. He sent his friend to get a Bible from the church. His friend took the Bible and gave it to Kabir. Kabir started reading the Gospel of John because he has been told that the promised prophet Muhammad is written about in the Gospel of John. So he studied the Gospel of John diligently. He didn't find anything written about Muhammad. Rather, he read about the Holy Spirit whom he had never heard about before.

As he read, the end of John 15 and the start of chapter 16 grabbed his attention. He read that Christians will be expelled from the synagogues, their place of worship. And the time is coming when those who kill them will think they are doing a holy service to God.

Shocked, Kabir thought the Bible was directly addressing him. He continued reading. At the end of the day, he asked, “If Christians know all these, why don’t they run away?” He was confused. He asked God to help him understand. He said, “Let me find one of these Christians to ask about these issues so I can understand them better.”

He met Barak*, an associate pastor of the church, in the market and shared what he had discovered while reading the Bible. Barak knew this man Kabir and was afraid that he was trying to instigate a problem. He told Kabir that they could meet later in the day.

Barak came back to the church and told Silas* about Kabir approaching him in town. Later that day, they went together to meet Kabir. Kabir shared his story again. Silas opened his Bible to Acts 9 to share with him the story of Saul who, on his way to Damascus to imprison followers of Christ, encountered the Lord who gave him a new mission.

Kabir said, “I have already decided to follow Christ. I just don't know how to become a Christian.” Silas explained to him about repentance and faith in Jesus. He encouraged him to continue to grow in his new faith by continuing to read the Bible, gather with other believers and pray to God.

• Join us in rejoicing in Kabir’s radical change of heart. 
• Pray for Kabir and his family. His elder brother is trying to chain him up and take him to the Quranic school. There he would be chained until his death.
• Pray that God intervenes and uses Kabir mightily for his glory.

*Names altered for safety.

Our global partner, Silas, shares the following ways to pray for those who face persecution on a daily basis in Sudan:

1. Pray that God will cover them with the blood of Jesus Christ. That they should abide in Christ in any situation.
2. Pray that God will give them the vision to carry the gospel to their families, neighbors, throughout Sudan, and to neighboring countries.
3. Pray for God’s protection as they go forth with the gospel message.
4. Pray for God's provision. Darfur has been at war for more than 19 years and people are living in poverty.
5. Pray that God would soften the hearts of people to hear and respond to the gospel truth.

After praying, post a comment and join others in praying for the advancement of the Gospel.

For additional resources and guides to pray for the persecuted church in Sudan, check out The Voice of the Martyrs Global Prayer Guide.