“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.”
Three pastors have been imprisoned for 20 years for not following the traditional practices of Eritrea’s Orthodox Church, Mission Network recently reported. They were detained without an arrest warrant and are some of the hundreds of Christians who were denied even the right to stand trial.
Todd Nettleton of the Voice of the Martyrs USA said about 300-350 Christians are currently in custody in Eritrea. Eritrea is a small country located in the Horn of Africa.
Nettleton said, “None of them has ever been tried. Not a single lawyer has been appointed. In fact, none of them have actually been charged with a crime.”
The three incarcerated pastors were members of the Eritrean Orthodox Church. Nettleton explained, “This is very important because even when the Eritrean government closed the evangelical churches in 2002, the Orthodox Church was one of the churches that could legally continue their activities.”
The problem stemmed from when these pastors tried to teach and deliver words in a language that even the general public could understand, going beyond the tradition of worshipping in an ancient language only priests could understand. Nettleton added, “This was how they got into a rift with the government.”
Nettleton recently interviewed Hana, the daughter of one of the pastors. Hana was six years old when her father was arrested, and she was arrested by police the same year for attending a Sunday school meeting. “Not only did Hana come to understand persecution through her father’s imprisonment, but she experienced it firsthand herself,” Nettleton said.
Hana said, “No one asked me about my enemies until I came to the U.S. In Eritrea, no one sees the government as our enemy. We just think we will have persecution in following Jesus.”
Nettleton said it is noteworthy that these believers rely more on Christ’s call than who their persecutors are, and the diary left by Hana’s father had writings that he was prepared to pay any price for following Christ. (Source: Gospel Prayer Newspaper).
Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. (Hebrews 10:33-35)
God, may You remember and add grace upon grace to Your servants who have been detained for many years without even being trialled for not following the Orthodox practice, and release them as soon as possible. Though they are being persecuted by the government, let them be bold like those who have attained better eternal possessions and help their families endure and overcome difficult times with the same faith. May You rebuke the government’s evil conduct and guide them to repent before the gospel of Jesus Christ through the free gift of grace. May You build the churches of this land be Jesus’ churches that serve only the Lord more even amid suffering.
Prayer 24·365
prayer@prayer24365.org
