India (MNN) — A two-year-old’s birthday party with his Christian parents suddenly turned into a frightening moment for the family. The father, Raxit, mentors Children’s Bible Club leaders with Mission India and hosts church services in his home.
(Photo courtesy of Mission India)
Mission India’s Regan Miller says, “[Raxit] had a group of believers over to his house to celebrate his son’s birthday, and a group of anti-Christian extremists just barged in loudly and were aggressive and using inappropriate language and behavior. They were just about to start pelting people with stones, and they only stopped because they saw a security camera.”
Unfortunately, it didn’t stop there.
“The police in the area actually favored the anti-Christian activists and filed a case against Raxit,” says Miller. “He’s had his church disrupted on Sundays before or just had people protest his services. But this is kind of a next-level event.”
Threats and targeting of Christians has grown more common in India over the last decade. Raxit’s story hits home for Mission India as they support local believers in ministry.
The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) is coming up Sunday, November 5. It’s really a key time to focus prayer for our persecuted Christian brothers and sisters as they proclaim the Gospel in extremely difficult circumstances.
(Photo courtesy of Mission India)
Leading up to IDOP, Mission India is releasing a week-long devotional prompting prayer and support for persecuted Indian believers like Raxit and his family. The first daily emailed devotional will go out on Monday, October 30.
Sign up for Mission India’s IDOP devotional here!
You can also download a free church resource packet to get your church involved with IDOP at Mission India.
Miller says, “It’ll be a great way to show people just what’s going on with persecution in India that might not make our headlines and might not be front-of-mind very often.
“But it’ll also be something that can help people grow in their own faith. The story that we’re sharing through this devotional is one where over and over, we’ve seen people be impacted personally and convicted by the Holy Spirit in how they can grow in their own faith too.”
Finally, please pray for Raxit and his family as they deal with the fallout of this incident with local anti-Christian extremists. Ask the Lord to infuse Raxit with wisdom and confidence as he represents Christ in his community. Pray for their protection and perseverance.
Header photo courtesy of Mission India.
