PRAY

VOM:Next Resource for the International Day of Prayer

I COMMIT TO

Scan the QR codes found throughout this resource for exciting bonus content!

VOM:NextVOM:Next challenges teens to become part of the next generation of Christians who help, love and encourage the persecuted.

The writer of Hebrews emphasizes our connection with persecuted Christians in chapter 13, verse 3, when he writes, “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.” In 1 Cor. 12:26, Paul writes of the body of Christ, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. …”

Would you walk for eight hours just to get your own copy of the Bible? Can you imagine having a family member taken from your home and put in prison simply because he or she shared Jesus with others? How would you feel about telling terrorists who want to kill you about the love Jesus has for them? These are real-life situations for Christians in other parts of the world today, and on the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP), you can get involved in supporting them by lifting them up in prayer with the teens in your church, youth group or small group.

VOM:Next has developed some activities that will help you challenge teens in your church, youth group, or small group to get involved in IDOP.

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“Doing the work of God is dangerous. Not doing it is more dangerous.”

- Sabina Wurmbrand

Activity 1: QR Code Prayer WalkOverview:

Teens will be divided into small groups that will rotate through prayer stations and pray for persecuted Christians from six regions of the

world. Their prayers will be informed by short video clips, blog posts, maps and other visual elements, some of which will be provided to you by VOM.

You will need: • smart device (i.e., smartphone or tablet computer equipped with a

camera and a QR code* reader app)

• strong Wi-Fi or cellular signal to access the videos and websites

• printed copies of the QR codes provided in this resource

• Maps, images or other visuals for each prayer station

Preparation:

• Print the supplied QR codes from the last page. Test the printed codes by scanning them with a smart device. You can download a free QR code reader app from your device’s app store.

• Preview the five videos and read the blog post. The videos are all found on The Voice of the Martyrs’ YouTube channel, and the blog post is from The Voice of the Martyrs’ blog, www.persecutionblog.com.

• Choose your space for the Prayer Walk. This is where you will be doing the prayer walk event. Be creative, but prepare an area with minimal distractions. For example, you can use a large room, move throughout your church facility, walk outside your church, or go to a park. Whatever space you choose, make sure you test the cellular signal or Wi-Fi signal in that location in advance.

• Set up your six stations. Each of the QR codes gets its own “station,” representing a specific region of the world.

• Divide students into groups of no more than 10 people. (It can get crowded if too many people try to gather around one small device.)**

• Each group needs one smart device with the ability to scan and read QR codes.

• Instruct each group to start at a different station.

• Explain what to do at each station (scan code, watch video or read blog; pray; rotate to next station). Each video is less than five minutes long; you can choose how long you want your groups to pray at each station.

• After all of the groups have finished the six stations, gather everyone together for a closing prayer for the persecuted church!

*A “QR code” (Quick Response code) is simply a type of barcode that contains data which can be used to access videos and websites when scanned by a smart device.

**Groups with more than 60 members may wish to develop an alternative method of rotating to accommodate more than six smaller groups. See suggestion above to generate your own QR codes and add prayer items to your walk.

Hebrews 13:3 Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also. NKJV

Tips and Suggestions:

• Do the prayer walk in dim light. This will make it easier to see the videos on the device you are using. Just remember, you will need some light in order to scan the codes. Use the light on the smart device or provide small flashlights.

• Set the stations far enough apart so that the groups don’t disturb each other or compete for smart device volume.

• Make sure the volume on your device is turned all the way up so everyone can hear.

• Have the person holding the device read all words and subtitles aloud during the videos. This way, nobody in the group will miss anything.

• Instruct groups not to move ahead to the next station until the group ahead is finished.

• Many students have access to a smart device that can be used for this activity. Remind students in advance that they’ll need a QR code reader app.

• Decide how you want the groups to pray. Would you like one person to pray aloud, every person in the group to pray aloud, etc.?

• Feel free to use the QR codes provided or make your own. You can generate QR codes for free from any number of websites. Do a quick Google search and find the site you like best. Then, make codes that link to blogs or videos that you would like to add to the prayer walk.

• Incorporate Bible teaching and worship into the activity.

• This is important: Don’t let technical glitches ruin your time of prayer! As we all know, technology has a way of failing us. If something doesn’t work in the middle of the activity, don’t sweat it; just pray for that region of the world and move on. Prayer is what’s important!

Matthew 5:43–45

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” NKJV

Activity 2: What Would You Do?Overview:

Teens will be divided into groups of four each (as closely as possible) to discuss various real-life situations of persecuted Christian teens.

The discussions will focus on specific situations of persecuted teens, what the Bible says and prayer for the persecuted church.

You will need: • Copies of the four “What Would You Do?” stories provided below

(one copy of each story for each group of four)

• Bible for each student

Preparation:

• Make copies of the “What Would You Do?” stories.

• Preview the scripture passage provided in the margin next to each story.

On the day of the event:

• Divide the students into groups of four.

• Give every student a Bible.

• Give every student a “What Would You Do?” story. Make sure each student in a group has a different story.

• Instruct students to read their story aloud to their group, discuss the questions and read the scripture passage.

• When all groups have discussed all four stories, gather the students and lead a prayer time for the persecuted church.

What Would You Do? — Story 1

Pakistan Read This: Rimsha, a 14-year-old girl from a poor Christian family in Islamabad, was arrested on Aug. 16, 2012, for allegedly burning pages of the Quran. After a TV news channel reported the accusation, made by a Muslim shopkeeper, a mob of Muslims quickly filled her working-class neighborhood. They surrounded her home, chanting and calling for her death.

More than 150 families fled their homes as the mob raged through the neighborhood. They remembered a similar attack in another neighborhood three years earlier, when mobs looted and burned entire blocks of Christian homes. Before police could reach Rimsha’s home, she and her 15-year-old sister had been badly beaten by the mob.

Police took the girls, along with their mother, to the police station. Rimsha was charged with blasphemy and held in prison during her trial. She was detained for more than three weeks, until witnesses revealed that a Muslim leader had planted the burned Quran pages.

Discuss This: What would you do if you were falsely accused of a crime that resulted in a severe beating and arrest?

Read This: Rimsha was released from prison on Sept. 8, 2012, but she and her family were immediately forced into hiding.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. NKJV

2 Corinthians 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. NKJV

What Would You Do? — Story 2

Israel Read This: Ami was a normal 15-year-old. He loved to play basketball. And he was always hungry. So when he came home and found a gift basket for the Jewish holiday of Purim on his family’s doorstep, he did what any teen boy would do: he took the basket to the kitchen and dug in, looking for snacks. But instead, a bomb hidden in the basket exploded in his face, blasting shrapnel throughout his body. Miraculously, he survived, but he faced months and months of painful surgeries and rehabilitation.

Ami’s father, David, was an active evangelist and pastor who worked in a Jewish settlement within the West Bank. He led a group of Jewish followers of Christ at their church and had also brought many Muslims to Christ.

Discuss This: If this happened to you, would you want your father to continue telling people about Jesus? How would this affect your daily life?

Read This: The bomb was planted by an extremist who believed all Christians, especially missionaries, should be expelled from Israel. A few years after the attack that almost took Ami’s life, he was back playing basketball, this time on his college team.

What Would You Do? — Story 3

Uzbekistan Read This: Sasha was just 14 when her pastor father was taken to prison in Uzbekistan in January 2007. She didn’t know the Christmas she had just celebrated would be the last one she spent with her dad for four years. Sasha, as well as her mom and three sisters, missed her dad enormously. He had been the life of their family, always joking around. He was also the one who supported the family, and Sasha’s mom was having a hard time making ends meet. Now, there was often very little to eat in the house.

Sasha’s dad, Dmitry, was held in a prison 12 hours away by bus. Still, she, her sisters and her mother visited as often as they were allowed — two days every three months. That was a lot of long bus rides, and not much time with her dad. She worried about him, because he had high blood pressure and wasn’t getting the medicine he needed in prison.

At first, they were sure her father would be released early. Every time the government would announce a general amnesty for prisoners, Sasha and her sisters prayed that her dad would be one of those set free. And every time the list was published in the newspaper, his name was missing from the list.

Discuss This: Would you find it difficult to remain hopeful if you were in this situation? What would it be like to know your father was in prison simply for being a pastor?

Read This: Finally, in January 2011, Dmitry completed his prison sentence and returned to his family. He had missed four years of Sasha’s life — band performances, school graduations and those father-daughter talks that she treasured. Having him home again was a hard adjustment. The family had learned to live without him, and he was sick and sad when he got home. But every day, it gets a little bit better.

Will you commit to pray for the persecuted?

What Would You Do? — Story 4

Colombia Read This: In 1999, when Luis was 10, guerrillas from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) attacked his town. He hid under the bed with his disabled brother to avoid being hit by gunfire. As the violence continued over the years, Luis saw many of his friends and neighbors killed.

At age 13, God touched Luis’s life and he became a Christian. He finished high school early and entered a two-year seminary program at age 16. He longed to help people who had suffered because of the recurring violence. He knew that Christians were often targeted by the guerrilla groups, and he also knew that a visiting evangelist would be especially endangered.

Discuss This: If you had grown up in a situation like that of Luis, would you want to leave as soon as you could or would you be inspired to go back and help those who continue to suffer?

Read This: Luis used some of his small savings to buy some books, a few games and other presents before returning to his old village. He brought New Testaments donated by The Gideons International and gave them to everyone, even police officers, soldiers and guerrilla members. “I told them, ‘Jesus still loves you despite all the pain you caused,’” he said. “I was scared, but I thought, if I die, I die with Christ.” Luis is 22 and married now, and he continues to travel through the Colombian jungles sharing about the same God who touched his life.

P.O. Box 443 Bartlesville, OK 74005-0443

tel: 918-337-8015 orders and contributions: 800-747-0085 ministry information: 877-337-0302 e-mail: thevoice@vom-usa.org website: www.persecution.com VOM:Next website: www.vomnext.com

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Philippians 1:12 But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel. NKJV

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