Dear Friend of the Persecuted Church—

All of Christendom joins together this week to celebrate the miracle that gives us eternal hope.  As we ponder the pain of our Savior, the shedding of blood that provides our remission of sins, we remember that after His death came His glorification.  Jesus Christ did not stay dead, and in His resurrection conquered both sin and death.

“I am the resurrection, and the life,” Jesus told Mary before His crucifixion, as she grieved over the death of Lazarus.  “He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”  (John 16:25-26)

That is the hope of the church.  It is your hope, and my hope.  And it is the hope that sustains our brothers and sisters throughout persecution.  Because Christ is risen, we too will one day be glorified with Him!

But do you know what amazes me most about this story?  Mere verses after proclaiming this eternal hope, Jesus weeps.  He weeps in sorrow over the pain that surrounds him over the death of a dear brother.  The Resurrection and the Life overflows in sorrow over the death of one of His own.

The hope that Christ’s resurrection gives us is shared by all believers—of all ages, nationalities, and social conditions.  But that is not the only thing that the Body of Christ shares; we share each other’s pain.  Even though that pain is temporal, we are called to bear each other up in the light of the perfect eternity to come.

This Easter, as we look to the hope, let us bear each other up through the pain, as our Lord did at the tomb of Lazarus.  Your prayers are an effective tool in doing just that!  You are there to bear them up in their persecution—and to remind them of eternity’s glorious hope.

Happy Easter to you and yours.  Christ is risen!

Yours for the Body of Christ,

Gabriel J. Waddell
Executive Director

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