(Voice of the Persecuted) You are invited to join us on Thursday, February 9, 2023, in a prayer conference call for the persecuted church hosted by Persecution Watch
PAKISTAN: Population: 212 million, Christians 4.1 million
Pakistani churches include believers from diverse faith backgrounds and a variety of denominations. All Pakistani Christians face difficulties, discrimination, and persecution because of their Christian identity. Some evangelicals take great risks to witness to Muslims, baptize converts and gather them into churches, and many Christians are working tirelessly to equip, encourage and educate Christian youth. Some Christians boldly share the gospel and distribute God’s Word in radicalized Muslim neighborhoods and cities, some of which are home to Islamic extremist groups like the Taliban. Most Christians are treated as second-class citizens and are forced to work long hours in labor-intensive jobs while being oppressed by schemes that keep them in bondage to their employers.
Christians are a minority group in Pakistan and are severely repressed. Pakistan’s notorious blasphemy laws have created an extremely volatile environment for religious minorities—even an accusation of blasphemy can lead to mob attacks and violence. Christians who convert from Islam can also be in danger; many clerics view renouncing Islam as a form of blasphemy. There are additional, shocking reports of Christian women and girls who are forcibly married to Muslim men and/or raped.
Prayer Points
- Pray to the Lord that He will President Arif Alvi and his cabinet to honor the rights of the Christian minorities.
- Pray to the Lord that He will open the eyes of the authorities to see that Christians are not a threat to jurisdiction.
- Pray to the Lord that blasphemy laws will be overturned, and religious freedom will flourish.
- Pray for believers who are accused of blasphemy.
- Pray for the protection of Christian young women against kidnapping, rape and forced marriage to Muslims.
- Pray for those imprisoned for their faith that the Lord will give them hope and peace.
- Pray for healing for believers who have been traumatized by violence, kidnapping and sexual abuse.
- Pray to the Lord that will encourage His Christian communities and encourage and strengthen them against exhaustion and despair.
- Pray to the Lord that He will change the hearts of the religious leaders to recognize Jesus as Lord.
- Pray that believers will find encouraging messages on the internet – and that Muslim will be encouraged to learn more about Christianity.
- Pray that the Lord will appear to many Muslims in their dreams and that they will be connect to believers who can disciple them.
- Pray for the protection of NGOs as they deliver Bibles and outreach into difficult areas, training local pastors and evangelists, and also immediate aid to victims of persecution.
- Pray that believers are anchored in faith and know that they are being prayed for.
- Pray for the courage, wisdom and protection of believers when sharing the Good News.
- Pray that the Lord will continue to grow the numbers of believers in spite of the negative
- Environment.
Again, we want to lift-up these persecuted witnesses to the Lord:
- Leah Sharibu, a prisoner of Boko Haram since 2018, pray for her release.
- Alice Loksha Ngaddah, kidnapped February 2019. She is a mother of two, working as a nurse for UNICEF. Pray for her release.
- Pray Pastor Wang Yi to be released from prison
- For the release of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani from Iran, and his family as their Persecution continues. Pastor Nadarkhani is serving the second year of his six-year sentence, recently reduced from ten years.
- Pray for Ryan Kohler, pilot for Mission Aviation who is in prison in Mozambique. While flying supplies to orphanages in the Northeast of the country, he and two others were detained and accused of supporting terrorism.
The Harvest
- “I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts 26:18)
Andy, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Moderator
Prayer Conference Call Details
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
From any location on your phone
USA Time Zone:
9:00 PM Eastern
8:00 PM Central
7:00 PM Mountain
6:00 PM Pacific
Call in number: (667) 770-1476
Access Code: 281207#
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If you are experiencing any difficulties joining the call, please let us know.
What is Persecution Watch?
Persecution Watch is a U.S. national prayer conference call ministry that prays specifically for the global Persecuted Church. For over a decade, Blaine Scogin led this national network of believers who faithfully pray for the persecuted and the global harvest for the Kingdom of God. The group meets via a free call-in service every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night at 9pm Eastern time in the United States (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted, and the missions became one. Brother Blaine passed into glory on December 26, 2019. It was truly a blessing for all of us to serve alongside this dear man of God and he will be greatly missed. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch remains an important part of our mission. Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continue the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with the dedicated Persecution Watch prayer warrior team.
Prior to the passing of Brother Blaine, he confirmed the passing of the torch as prayer conference call leader to Nadia Dybvik. Nadia has a burdened heart for the persecuted and is a prayer warrior standing in the gap for them. She joined the Persecution Watch prayer team in 2013 and has been part of the core ever since. Before becoming the prayer call leader, she served in the role of prayer moderator since 2015. Blaine chose Nadia for her faithfulness to pray for the persecuted and her strong commitment to the Persecution Watch mission. We are blessed not only with her gift of prayer, but her genuine love for every brother and sister in Christ that comes on the call to pray. May the Lord continue to bless Nadia and the prayer team in the mission and their personal lives.
“Pray for us” is the number one request that we hear from the persecuted. As the members of the first century Church were moved by the Holy Spirit to pray, we too must continue to serve those suffering persecution by lifting them up to the Lord through prayer.
On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters have been invited on the conference call to share the trials they are facing. The team serves to encourage them by washing their feet in Spirit led prayer. Time is often reserved for those on the call to ask questions. We believe this helps to gain a better understanding of the situation that persecuted Christians endure in their specific nations. Q&A also helps us to focus our prayers based on their current needs.
Persecution Watch also hosts callers who want to pray united from other nations. If your heart is perplexed by the sufferings of our persecuted brothers and sisters, you no longer need to pray alone.
We welcome all who desire to pray for the persecuted church and consider it a joy to pray together with you. If you are new to the call and cannot find your voice, listen in and pray silently or on mute. We are grateful and thank the Lord for bringing us all together to pray in agreement for our persecuted family in Christ. We can all be prayer warriors on this call!
God bless and protect you in your faithfulness to serve.
Lois Kanalos, Founder, Voice of the Persecuted, Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Leader and the Persecution Watch Prayer Team
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Note to Voice of the Persecuted (VOP) readers: The Persecution Watch prayer team is also the prayer team of Voice of the Persecuted. SIGN UP today.
VOICE OF THE PERSECUTED 