Christians Gather for International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church
Christians around the world convened on Sunday for the annual International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church as they prayed for believers in countries where they are persecuted for their faith. Speaking to The Christian Post, Voice of the Martyrs' Vice President and radio host Todd Nettleton stressed the importance of empathizing with persecuted Christians.
"The important thing is to put ourselves in their place," Nettleton explained, citing Hebrews 13:3, which states, "Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering."
"If I were in prison, I'd want to know people were praying for me and looking out for my family," he added. "And I would want to know that they were banging the drum to say, 'Hey, this guy's not a criminal. Let him go free.'"
Nettleton also spoke on meeting with Christians in India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka on his recent trip to Asia. He specifically recounted the story of an Indian pastor who was in prison for four months, whom he had previously met during his travels with VOM's international ministry team, which meets with persecuted Christians and listens to their stories.
"At first, [the pastor] was doing well, and he saw God at work," Nettleton recounted.
"God actually put him next to a Muslim guy who defended him to the other prisoners and said, 'Hey, leave this guy alone.' And so, that was an answer to prayer. That was kind of miraculous, and he was excited about what God's doing."
While in prison, the pastor prayed to the Lord that another pastor be arrested, as he felt discouraged from being separated from his family and dealing with prison conditions.
"Another pastor was arrested and assigned to the bed right across from him," Nettleton said. "The two were the only Christians in the prison. The new arrival told him, 'You've got to hang on. God's going to work this out.' It gave him the strength to continue faithfully suffering in prison."
According to Nettleton, the story of both pastors, who have since been released, highlights the importance of fellowship.
"When we go through hard times, whether it be persecution, arrest, or maybe it's illness, unemployment, or some other difficulty, it just shows how important it is for us to be walking in fellowship with other believers," he said.
"One of the really powerful things we heard were stories from India of God showing up in miraculous ways," he said. "Someone is healed, or a family member is healed, and once they see the power of God, you cannot talk them out of following Jesus."
The 2025 Open Doors World Watch List ranks India as the 11th worst country in the world where Christian persecution is most rampant. Many in the country believe in Hindutva, the belief that all Indians should be Hindu.
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Originally published November 03, 2025.
