In the past two years, 90% of all Christian persecution deaths have taken place in Nigeria. In the past four years, nearly 17,000 Christians have been killed for their faith in Nigeria. The situation is desperate, the need is great, and the responsibility falls on Christians to step up and help our brothers and sisters in need.
Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation and has a wealth of natural resources, yet the nation is stuck in poverty and religious turmoil due to competing cultures and religious animosity. What seems peculiar is that you most likely have not heard much about what is happening in Nigeria, perhaps in a Charisma News article, or when Fox News did a brief story on the tragedy. Or maybe you’re hearing about it for the first time right now as you read this.
Persecution of Nigerian Christians has been happening for quite some time, and it is not because there is a lack of Christians in Nigeria, as approximately 47% of Nigerians identify as Christians. Despite the large Christian population, violence against Christians rages as jihad sweeps across the Middlebelt of Nigeria. Areas that were once 60% or 70% Christian in Northern Nigeria are now 10% to 20%, as Christians flee or are brutally disposed of by groups such as the Fulani herdsmen or Boko Haram (African ISIS).
I have seen firsthand the destruction that is taking place in the lives of our brothers and sisters in Nigeria. One widow told me her story of how her husband—a pastor—was targeted, stalked and ultimately butchered for his faith. It brought me to tears to hear her testimony, but also to hear of her faith and love for the Lord as she thanked God for all the blessings in her life.
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But there is hope too, in Nigeria, through ministries such as the Fountain of Hope and Equipping the Persecuted. While it is heartbreaking to see the destruction wrought on the innocent, it is also heartwarming to see victims recovered with hope in their hearts because they have found Jesus Christ as their Savior. Yes, there is a lot of evil happening in Nigeria: Christians losing their lives for their faith, mass kidnappings—sometimes involving entire schools—and horrific violence that can’t even be spoken of. Better is possible through the reach of the body of Christ.
Pastor Sam Jones serves as outreach coordinator for Equipping the Persecuted and is the senior pastor of Abundant Life Christian Fellowship in Humboldt, Iowa.
