What would you do if a group of angry young men came streaming into your Sunday School class this Sunday, faces masked and swinging clubs as they came?

The prayer focus for Secret Church this year was on the nation of India. Why choose India? India’s 1.2 billion people include members of all of the world’s major religions, and the country also been a hotspot for Christian persecution in recent years.

This Sunday churches around the world will be praying for our persecuted brothers and sisters as part of the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Many of those churches will share the story of Suta, a story that reminds us to pray not only for persecuted Christians, but for their persecutors as well.

In VOM's free monthly newsletter last February, we wrote about a church in India that was facing persecution.

Ramsey Tripp has been involved in making short films that help thousands of churches pray for our persecuted family each November on the International Day of Pray for the Persecuted Church.

Is it easy to reach Muslims with the message of salvation through Christ? No. But Prem Kumar says, “We believe in the power of the gospel.”

Many American churches have abandoned the practice of "Prayer Meetings," weekly gatherings of believers to seek the Lord and lift up the needs of their congregation and the world. But prayer meetings to lift up persecuted Christians are still happening every week among believers from all over the world—online.

Recent remarks by Indian political figures have underscored a growing Hindus-only attitude in India. And while the situation for Christians there may grow more difficult, it’s encouraging to know that God can and is working in the hearts of those who are active persecutors of Christians. And VOM workers in the region see the potential upcoming events not as something to be feared, but as motivation to reach more people with Christ’s love.

In this video shot by VOM staff on a recent visit to India, a pastor shares about the persecutiong that he has faced in his work trying to open a new church in a Hindu-controlled village. But the pastor also shares how some of his fiersest persecutors are now followers of Christ and loyal workers in the church.

How spiritually hungry are we? As I meet with persecuted sisters and brothers around the world, I notice that their definition of “hunger” is often different than mine. They often exhibit a spiritual hunger that appears to keep their faith agile and alert.