Turkiye (MNN) – You know that feeling you’re being watched? Imagine feeling that walking into church or while you worship.
Turkish Christians are often under scrutiny by state or local authorities. At the church of FMI-supported Pastor Izzet, police will show up and intimidate churchgoers.
Pastor Izzet says, “As the people come to the church, they’ll set up a video camera and take pictures of all the people that come into the church. We can’t share a lot of that just because of security reasons, but there are a lot of things like that that are just very discomforting to people.”
It’s true that the persecuted Church often grows despite persecution. Many Christians in Turkiye boldly stand for their faith in the face of intimidation and persecution.
However, “Especially for people who are weaker in the faith, this is not an opportunity for evangelism. It’s often actually a stumbling block for them.”
Malatya, Turkiye (Photo courtesy of Yakup Polat/Pexels)
Pastor Izzet says, “In 2007 in the city of Malatya, three of our brothers were killed — martyred for their faith — and a lot of people during that time left the Church. They say, ‘This is too much of a test for us. We don’t want to go through this.’ A lot of other people said, ‘We’re ready to stand and fight for this, and we’ll stand for the truth of what we believe in.’
“So this is not a hobby. This is not a game. This is actually life or death for us.”
Pray for unwavering faith among Turkish church leaders and young believers.
“There are a lot of leaders who have served the Church for many years, but of course, they’re getting older. So we need a new generation of younger leaders to step forward and take their role,” says Pastor Izzet.
“Pray that we would do evangelism well and pray for abundant and abiding fruit. Pray that the Lord would provide new and courageous leaders for the Church.”
You can support pastors in Turkiye with FMI here and directly encourage the persecuted Turkish Church.
Header photo courtesy of Igor Sporynin/Unsplash.
