…and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
Philippians 1:14

Paul wrote to the Philippians from prison. His imprisonment was on account of His faith in and preaching about Christ. In 1:14 the mentions that his persecution and suffering emboldened other brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Since none of us suffer much for Christ’s sake, we cannot be much of an encouragement to others as Paul was in his suffering. But are we emboldened to speak about Christ by our awareness of our brothers and sisters who do suffer persecution?

Here are three things we can do to experience that blessing:

Be informed regarding the suffering church. “Voice of the Martyrs” (VOM) is an excellent ministry to inform believers about the persecuted church around the world. Get their app on your phone so you can read a short summary each day of a place where believers are persecuted. The more we know, the better we can…

Pray for the persecuted church. The VOM app will help you pray regularly for them.

Pray for boldness for yourself. Pray to be bold for Christ as you see how much others suffer for His name’s sake—especially since, compared to them, it is so easy for us to follow Christ.