Open Doors Delivers Precious Cargo of Bibles For Persecuted Christians

by Allie Martin
March 16, 2004

Like This Page? Tweet

(AgapePress) - A ministry that serves the persecuted Church delivered nearly four million Bibles and other scriptural teaching materials to persecuted believers worldwide last year.

Open Doors International delivered the Bibles -- children's Bibles, study Bibles, and other resources to Christians in 60 countries in 2003. Also, more than 22,000 pastors and church leaders received intensive training in how to lead their congregations and stand strong in their faith in the midst of religious persecution and discrimination.

Jerry Dykstra is a spokesman for Open Doors. He says pastors and Christians in persecuted nations are willing to risk their freedom for God's word, and the opportunity to share it with other believers. For instance, he says, "Most of the pastors we talked to in Vietnam had been in jail at one time or another, and yet they risk that, and they risk their families, and all for Christ."

Next year, Open Doors has a goal of delivering one million pieces of Christian literature to Christians in Communist China. Dykstra says believers such as those in China whose regime is hostile to the free exercise of Christian faith often find it hard to obtain Bibles and other Christian resources.

"In China we delivered 500,000 pieces of children's literature in 2003, and some of the responses we got were just so emotional," Dykstra says. "We've heard co-workers there in China say they're so blessed by these children's Bibles."

In fact, the Open Doors spokesman recalls, one of the Chinese ministers the organization has been networking with told him, "You know, we got 2,000 sets of Sunday School curriculum, and really, we thank you so much for that, but next year we need 3,000. We need to get more people involved because people are so excited about the Lord."

Studies show that most Christian homes in the United States have at least five Bibles. Open Doors International is helping to bring more of God's word to places where it is deeply needed and highly prized by spiritually hungry believers in the persecuted Church around the world.