Praying for the Persecuted Church, Helping with Food Insecurity & Calling Out the Called

More than 360 million Christians worldwide suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith. That’s a staggering 1 in 7 believers. According to the ministry Open Doors, that raises awareness and support of the worldwide persecuted church, the number of countries where Christians suffer high and extreme levels of persecution has almost doubled in the last 30 years.

The IMB says, “The world’s greatest problem – lostness – is growing every day. As believers, we have the solution to that problem – the gospel. When we pray for persecuted believers, God uses their witness to inspire gospel transformation among the lost.”
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Millions of people are living in households with food insecurity in the United States, including 3 million children, according to a report released this week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). One of the factors leading to this lack of food for many families is the reality of food deserts. It’s important that Christians become aware of our neighbors who are vulnerable in this way so that we can help meet their tangible needs in the name of Jesus.

Food insecurity is defined at a household level as the lack of adequate food for any household member due to financial constraints​​. It occurs when people do not have sufficient access to nutritious and affordable food. According to data from the USDA, in 2022, 12.8% (17.0 million households) were food insecure. Food-insecure households (those with low and very low food security) had difficulty at some time during the year providing enough food for all their members because of a lack of resources.

In 2022, 5.1% of U.S. households (6.8 million households) had very low food security.
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Good News for Today is sponsored by The Voice of the Martyrs

Good News for Today is made possible through our friends at The Voice of the Martyrs, a nonprofit organization that serves persecuted Christians around the world. Founded in 1967 by Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, VOM is dedicated to inspiring believers to deepen their commitment to Christ and to fulfill His Great Commission — no matter the cost. Find out more and sign up for their free monthly magazine at vom.org/goodnews.
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A seminary leader says there are some practical ways believers can help other believers know if they’re called to vocational ministry. In the Baptist Press Toolbox, Scott Pace says:

Celebrate the church

Sometimes we can also be guilty of bemoaning our ministry responsibilities or complaining about relational dynamics in the church. Instead, we should model a love for the church as the body and bride of Christ that is positive, affirming and exhibits gratitude for the privilege of serving the Lord in a ministry capacity.

Provide opportunities

A primary element of discerning a call to ministry involves discovering your spiritual passions and gifts through service opportunities. We must encourage, enable and empower others to do the work of the ministry. As people begin to explore, exercise and employ their spiritual gifts, they may also begin to discern God’s calling on their lives to serve in a similar vocational capacity.

You can read the full piece and learn more about our daily emails at Baptist Press.com.