International Christian Response

Frequently, when I visit believers in countries where they are persecuted, I am amazed at the level of solidarity they live out amidst their difficult circumstances. In Vietnam, for example, I observed believers sacrificially sharing the little food they have with a family who had their home confiscated and destroyed. In Indonesia I watched solidarity expressed by those rescuing the wounded at the risk of being shot by Muslim extremists. In China I saw solidarity expressed by those weeping as they prayed for their brothers and sisters in Christ in neighbouring North Korea.

If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.
1 Corinthians 12:26, The Message

A while back I drove with a friend, Alex, from New Delhi to the North of India. We drove past a number of car wrecks along the way and were thankful for God’s ongoing protection. As we drove along a straight stretch, we saw a man on a bicycle riding from a field onto the main road. A motorbike with two riders coming along the main road slammed into the cyclist full force and sent him flying. The two men on the motorbike turned out to be policemen. Alex stopped the car and went to see if he could help. I stayed in the car and had a strong sense that I should pray for protection. The cyclist lay lifeless on the road and the policemen got back on their motorbike and took off. Two people dragged the cyclist off to the side of the road and left him lying in the grass, never giving him another look. Someone suggested to my friend that we should take him to the hospital in our car. Alex said he only wanted to do that if a relative would come along, in order to provide the needed...