Reposted

A 28-year-old Christian woman from the Middle East spoke at Meadowbrook Baptist Church in Gadsden, Alabama, on Sunday, and what she told the congregation may catch some American Christians by surprise.

She began by detailing the persecution she and her fellow Christians have endured in her country (which we won’t name, for security purposes).

When she was growing up as a student in public school, the Muslim teachers would ridicule her and make her sit in the back of the packed classroom. Muslims have continuously tried to shut down her father’s shop. They threatened to pour acid on her face and kill members of her family. They stole her family’s land. And the police and courts have repeatedly refused to protect or defend them.

“There are verses in the Qur’an that say Muslims should take the side of their Muslim brother in a dispute with a non-Muslim, even if he is wrong,” she explained. “There is no justice for the Christians.”

With all of that in mind, her answer to the question, “How can Christians in America pray for Christians in the Middle East?” may surprise you.

Here’s what she said:

“Do not pray for the persecution to stop, because the church is growing when the Muslims see how we love them anyway. Instead, pray that God would give us the strength and courage to endure it so that He will be glorified.”

When asked how the persecution was impacting the Christian church in the Middle East, the young woman opened her Arabic bible and read Exodus 1:12.

“But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad.”

She concluded by imploring Christians in the United States to “wake up.”

“Don’t be sleepy believers. Don’t be a sleepy church,” she said. “Don’t just do the ‘normal routine.’ There is no time to waste.”