Middle East (MNN) – In the Middle East, new followers of Jesus often face rejection from their own families. Two brothers were recently forced into hiding after their family learned of their new faith.
“These two brothers came to faith in Jesus about a year ago through dreams that both their parents had about 30 years ago. The parents never came to faith,” says David* with Cry Out Now, a ministry leading Christians in prayer for the Middle East.
The brothers kept their faith secret until a Bible was found in the family’s home. The older brother then received a call to come home immediately because his mother was sick. He drove home as fast as he could. When he arrived, his father, oldest brother, and cousin were waiting for him.
“As soon as he stepped into the house, he realized it was a trap,” says David.
“His dad held up this Bible. And he said, ‘Is this Bible yours?’ And at this moment, he had a decision to make. What should he say? Should he deny Jesus? Or should he acknowledge that it is his Bible?”
Instead of denying Jesus, he said yes and told his family that he had become a Christian. They began screaming at him, calling him offensive names, and then beat him. He tried to fight back but was outnumbered.
Just when he was lying on the floor and had given up hope, his younger brother, who was also a secret Christian, came home.
“Miraculously, [the younger brother] threw these three guys off of him, and screamed at him and said, ‘Get out of the house! Run!” says David.
“So he ran out the door. His shirt was all torn up; his eyes were puffy from being beaten up. He ran out and he ended up escaping.”
The other men tried to look for him, but when they couldn’t find the brother who escaped, they turned to the younger brother. David says, “They put a gun to his head. And they said, ‘You have three days to give us your brother, or we’re going to kill you.’”
After that, the two brothers soon fled together in the middle of the night to another country. Pray that God will continue to protect and provide for the brothers while they remain in hiding from their family.
“Persecution is real and following Jesus often is very hard,” says David. “It’s important for us to pray for these two guys, and to pray in general for the Church of God, our brothers and sisters, all over the world who, just for having a Bible in their possession, can face physical, psychological persecution, and even physical death.”
Join Cry Out Now in prayer for these brothers and other persecuted believers.
*Name changed for security.
Header photo is a representative stock image courtesy of Sara Calado via Unsplash.
