Did you know that the US government and allies such as Australia, Canada, and the UK are boycotting the Winter Olympics that began on Friday? These countries still sent athletes to compete, but no government officials. Why? Here are some excerpts from a World magazine article:

• The Chinese Communist Party has targeted [China’s Uyghur minority] for imprisonment, forced sterilization, gang rapes, and torture. Early last year, the U.S. State Department labeled the persecution as genocide.
  
  
• A website titled #NoBeijing2022 published an open letter calling on European Union leaders to boycott. In addition to the Uyghur genocide, the letter calls attention to evidence revealing about 1 million Tibetan children are being forced to attend boarding schools, isolated from their families and culture.
  
  
• The most meaningful thing that Christians can do is to pray specifically and fervently for China… The Voice of the Martyrs has started a campaign for people around the world to pray during the Olympics for Chinese Christians, who face oppression, imprisonment, surveillance, and harassment:
  
  
• As the eyes of the world turn toward Beijing and the XXIV Olympic Winter Games, will you join with believers all across the globe to pray for our Christian brothers and sisters suffering persecution at the hands of China’s Communist government?
  
  
• “For followers of Christ, we wake up every morning and say, ‘How can I serve Jesus today?’ and the Communist Party leadership sees that as a direct threat.”

About 3 billion people live in countries where Christians face some form of communist oppression. The atheistic ideology of communism always views Christ’s church as a threat to the Marxist revolution. Let us pray for the gospel to penetrate the hearts of these oppressors.

Blessings in Christ,

Pastor Evan