“As it is, there are many parts, yet one body… If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” (1 Corinthians 12:20, 26)
A Pastor Becomes a Prisoner
On October 7, 2016, Pastor Andrew Brunson was arrested at the Izmir airport in Turkey, a country where he had faithfully served for 23 years. The charges were absurd: espionage, terrorism, and attempting to overthrow the government. His real crime? Planting churches, training believers, helping Syrian refugees, and “Christianization.” Within hours, this American pastor of a small 24-member congregation became a political pawn in a geopolitical chess match between Turkey and the United States.
For the next two years, Brunson would spend 735 days imprisoned – first with 21 other inmates in a cell built for eight, later in solitary confinement, and finally under house arrest with an ankle monitor. He faced a potential 35-year sentence, essentially a life term for the 50-year-old father of three. His wife, Norine, was also arrested but released after 13 days. Every day after her release, she stood vigil outside the prison, waiting for the brief moments she could visit her husband.
Andrew lost over 50 pounds. He battled depression, panic attacks, and even suicidal thoughts. He began questioning God’s existence, accusing God of being unfaithful and deceptive, deeply wounded by feeling abandoned in his suffering. (Release International) There were dark days when he wondered if God was even there.
But Andrew Brunson wasn’t alone—not even close.
A Worldwide Prayer Movement
Due to a worldwide prayer movement and significant political pressure from the U.S. government, he was finally sentenced and then dramatically released in October 2018. But what made this prayer movement so remarkable was its unprecedented scope.
A church historian told Brunson that what happened to him was an unprecedented prayer movement focused on one person, something clearly supernatural, God-initiated, God-driven, and God-sustained. (The Voice of the Martyrs) The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of America called for prayer and fasting on October 7–8, 2017, for Brunson’s release. (Persecution.org) The EPC issued a 31-day prayer initiative for Andrew and Turkey, with prayer resources available to congregations. (Global Christian Relief)
But it went far beyond his denomination. Churches across America and around the world mobilized. Believers in dozens of countries began praying daily for a man most had never met. Children’s ministries incorporated prayers for Pastor Brunson into their lessons. Small groups made him a regular prayer focus. Leaders, including Family Research Council president Tony Perkins and New York pastor Bill Devlin, joined him in Turkey for the final hearing, with Perkins delivering letters of support from the President and Vice President.
An American pastor the Brunsons had never met before came to the hearing to show his support, hoping to communicate to the judge that he wanted to take Andrew’s place in prison. Think about that – a complete stranger willing to trade places with him.
Sustained by the Body
Brunson explained that “what made a huge difference for me was the prayer of many people, knowing that they were praying for me.” As the prayer movement grew and Norine told him more and more people were praying, he came to see that God was using what was intended for evil for His purposes. (Htp)
Norine remembered once or twice saying to somebody, “You know, I should be feeling a lot worse right now. My spirit is lifted. There’s probably somebody praying for me, somewhere, in some time zone, right now.” One day in church, a woman felt something behind Norine and asked God what it was. God said to her, “It’s My giant hand holding her up” – a direct result of people’s prayers.
The prayers weren’t just emotional support; they were spiritual sustenance. Andrew later testified that during his second year in prison, when God seemed silent and he felt abandoned, God was teaching him how to devote himself and be faithful in the absence of feeling His presence and the normal means of encouragement. In those moments when he couldn’t sense God’s love or faithfulness, when he had no awareness of His presence or voice, the prayers of the global church became the hands and feet of Christ, sustaining him.
When One Part Suffers, All Suffer
This is precisely what Paul meant in 1 Corinthians 12:26. When Pastor Brunson suffered in that Turkish prison cell, the global Body of Christ suffered with him. Believers around the world felt the weight of his imprisonment. They carried his burden in prayer. They advocated for his freedom. They wrote letters. They fasted. They wept.
And when he was finally released on October 12, 2018 – convicted but sentenced to time served due to his two years already in detention – the entire Body rejoiced together. Debi Forester, communications director of Brunson’s hometown church in North Carolina, said church members were “all just shouting ‘Hallelujah!’ and doing the happy dance.”
When Andrew and Norine meet people who prayed for them, they are deeply grateful, recognizing the Lord was using that prayer to sustain them while doing something much bigger. Andrew believes there will be a massive movement of God in the Muslim world, and God is setting things in place for that.
The Unity That Persecution Reveals
Persecution strips away what divides us. When all that’s left is Christ, believers stand shoulder to shoulder, clinging to Him and to one another. The Brunson case demonstrated this beautifully. Republicans and Democrats, senators from different parties, believers from different denominations – all united in demanding this pastor’s freedom.
On July 5, 2018, 98 Members of the European Parliament from all political groups and 21 countries sent an open letter to President Erdoğan, reminding Turkey of its commitments to freedom of religion, protesting that Brunson had to wait almost a year and a half before being indicted and that the indictment associated ‘Christianization’ with terrorism.
This wasn’t just about one American pastor. It was about the unity of Christ’s Body transcending national borders, denominational differences, and political divides. When one member suffers, every member truly does suffer with them.
Our Suffering Family Today
Andrew Brunson’s story ended with freedom, but millions of our brothers and sisters remain in chains, literal and figurative. Christians continue to be imprisoned in Iran, China, North Korea, Pakistan, and dozens of other nations. They face torture, forced labor, family separation, and death simply for following Jesus.
These aren’t just statistics or news stories. They are members of our own Body. When a pastor in Iran sits in solitary confinement, we sit with him. When a mother in Nigeria watches her village burn, we watch with her. When believers in China worship in secret house churches, risking arrest, we worship with them.
The question is: Do we feel it? Do we carry their suffering as our own?
Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 12 aren’t just beautiful theology—they’re a call to action. We are spiritually, mystically, and eternally bound together in Christ. Physical distance doesn’t diminish this reality. Cultural differences don’t erase it. Nothing can break this bond because it’s sealed by the blood of Jesus and maintained by the Holy Spirit.
How the Body Responds
The global response to Andrew Brunson’s imprisonment shows us what’s possible when the Body of Christ truly functions as one. Prayer sustained him when he felt utterly alone. Andrew came to see that God was using his imprisonment to draw in prayer for Turkey in an unusual way. The prayers weren’t wasted. They accomplished far more than just his release. They positioned the church for harvest in a Muslim nation.
Every time we pray for persecuted believers, we’re not just offering words into the air; we’re extending the hand of God to hold them up. We’re reminding them they’re not forgotten. We’re declaring that the Body is united, that their suffering matters, and that we will stand with them until they’re free.
When we support organizations that provide aid to persecuted Christians, we’re demonstrating that their physical needs matter as much as their spiritual ones. When we advocate with our government officials for religious freedom, we’re using our voices for those who have none. When we share their stories, we’re ensuring the world knows that following Jesus is still costly in many places.
The Bond That Cannot Break
Your prayer for persecuted Christians isn’t a small thing. It’s a lifeline. It’s God’s giant hand holding them up. It’s evidence that they are not alone, that the Body is functioning as it should, that when one part suffers, every other part truly does suffer with it.
Andrew Brunson experienced this reality in the darkest season of his life. Now countless others are experiencing their own dark seasons. They need to know what Andrew knew: somewhere, in some time zone, right now, someone is praying for them. They need to sense what Norine sensed: God’s giant hand holding them up through the prayers of believers they’ve never met.
We are one Body in Christ Jesus. Let us live like it. Let us pray like it. Let us love our suffering family with the fierce, unbreakable love that comes only from being united in Him.
Heavenly Father, awaken us to the reality of our unity in Christ. Help us feel the suffering of our brothers and sisters around the world. Move us to pray without ceasing for those in prison, those in danger, those facing persecution. Use our prayers as Your hands to sustain them. Give the global Church opportunities to show love and support to those who suffer for their faith. May persecuted believers sense our prayers, our love, and our unbreakable unity every single day. In Jesus’ powerful name, Amen.
Sources:
- PBS NewsHour interviews with Pastor Andrew Brunson
- Christianity Today coverage of Brunson’s release
- Global Christian Relief stories and interviews
- Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) documentation
- U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) reports
- Wikipedia entry on Andrew Brunson
- WaveStarters ministry website
Blogs about today’s persecuted church:
A Month of Prayers for the Persecuted Church – 31 prayers based on Scripture
Standing with Our Persecuted Brothers and Sisters – a short, simple reminder that we Christians are all one in Christ, called to love and support each other
When the Bible Becomes Precious – sometimes we forget the value of the Treasure we see every day
Never Alone: God’s Presence in the Prison Cell – Petr Jasek proves Hebrews 13:5, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
One Body, Many Members: When the Church Suffers Together – reporting on an occasion when the Church stood together in prayer to support a member of our Body
The God of All Comfort: When Martyrdom Leaves Families Behind – in some dark lands, spiritual warfare can be fatal
Passing the Torch: Teaching Faith in the World’s Darkest Places – teaching children about God is risky in North Korea, maybe even a capital crime
Water for a Thirsty Soul: The Desperate Hunger for God’s Word – stories of hope and joy when Bibles reach believers eager to read God’s Word
Here are links to my blog indexes, so please click one and keep reading!
My Books, Workbooks, and Fun Books
Knowing the Unknowable One
Opening the Treasure Chest
Walking Heart-to-Heart with God
Walking Heart-to-Heart with Each Other
Fighting the Good Fight of Faith
Christian Mysteries: Why I Love Them!
List of Some Nonfiction Books You Don’t Want to Miss
Index of Assorted Topics