Easter Thoughts

As we celebrate Easter here in the United States, it's very easy to forget that much of the world does not share our freedom to worship. In fact, in many places around the world, practicing your Christian faith like we did on Sunday will result in your being thrown in jail, beaten, tortured and/or killed.

As some of you know, an American pastor named Saeed Abendini has been jailed in Iran for "practicing his Christian faith." Recently the United Nations cited Iran for their human rights violations because of their systematic persecution of Christians and listed over 40 others who are currently in prison as "enemies of the state" because of their Christian faith.

Saeed is currently in the hospital where he is receiving treatment for the severe beatings and torture that he has received at the hands of the other prisoners and the guards. He has been beaten nearly to death and has been given medical treatment only grudgingly. Even now, they are withholding surgery that he needs.

Even in prison, Saeed has found ways to continue his ministry. The link below is to an open letter that he passed to his lawyers when they visited him in the hospital. I'm not ashamed to tell you that I read it with tears streaming down my face.

http://aclj.org/iran/american-pastor-saeed-writes-easter-message-as-a-prisoner-in-the-darkness-of-iran

I know that some of you are already praying for Saeed and his family (his wife lives in Idaho with their children) but I'd like to encourage you all to:

1) Pray for Saeed and his family
2) Pray for the other Iranian Christians who are in prisons for their faith
3) Pray for those who continue to worship in secret home churches across Iran...all the time knowing that the police could kick down the doors and haul them off to prison.
4) Remember to pray for Saeed's health...he is only 1 year into an eight year sentence and will not live to see the end without God's provident intervention.
5) Pray that the President will bring pressure on the Iranian Government to release Saeed
6) Pray for all the Christians who are being persecuted for their faith around the world (China, Indonesia and much of the Muslim world lead the abusers). Never in the history of the world have greater numbers of our brothers & sisters in Christ been under persecution.

Thank you for letting me share this with you. We have much to be thankful for.