Marking the coming of the Holy Spirit on the disciples, this Sunday 15th May 2016 is the festival of Pentecost.  Writer Simeon Whiting reflects on Whitsun and marginalised Christians across the world.  Join us in prayer for the Persecuted Church this week.

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'After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.'

Acts 4:31

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In the space of a few verses, the disciples are transformed. They start Acts 2 as frightened, directionless and profoundly ordinary men, and finish the chapter preaching to crowds, leading decisively, and seeing 3,000 people join them.

Of course, it’s the Holy Spirit who makes the difference, and this is what we celebrate at Pentecost. The Holy Spirit enabled the disciples to act and speak boldly, and he enables us to do the same.

Bold faith in the face of persecution

When we look at Feba’s overseas partners, their boldness is striking, particularly in those who face the harshest penalties for expressing their faith.

It’s remarkable that Christians facing the most severe persecution are often the boldest in sharing their faith. A friend of mine is a pastor in Algeria, where evangelism is still prohibited. On one notable occasion, he was preaching and singing worship songs on a train. Someone called the police who marched him off to jail, but he kept preaching to the police officers, all the way there. When we look at Feba’s overseas partners, their boldness is striking, particularly in those who face the harshest penalties for expressing their faith. And the result of their boldness is that communities in north-east Africa and in the Arab world are being transformed. (I could also add that the church in Algeria is flourishing.)

Prayers this Pentecost

This Pentecost, let’s celebrate the Holy Spirit being amongst us and let’s pray for boldness, for ourselves and for persecuted Christians the world over. We in the UK may not face persecution anywhere near as extreme as our friends in Yemen, Iraq or the Horn of Africa, but we need the Holy Spirit to give us boldness in our words and actions, just as much as they do. May we all be filled with the Holy Spirit and speak the word of God boldly, whether we risk being put in prison or just looking a little foolish.

Simeon Whiting

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The Persecuted Church is a core focus area for Feba.  

Our partners transmit life changing information, hope and spiritual support to marginalised Christians across the world.  As we celebrate Pentecost, we will be praying for our friends in areas of the world where Christians are persecuted and ask God to pour out his Spirit upon them.  

For further prayer suggestions see This Month in Prayer, our online diary with daily prayer guidance. 

Published: 13th May 2016