Christians hope freedom will flourish in Libya

As the end of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s rule in Libya draws near, Christian leaders continue to urge people to pray for the nation.

NATO-backed rebel forces in Libya seized control of much of Tripoli in the last few days after months of brutal war tactics by Gaddafi. The rebels continue to fight for the rest of the capital city.

Christian leaders like Nik Ripken, meanwhile, are praying for stability of a different kind in Libya.

“Often we ask people to pray that governments provide the safety and security necessary for the gospel to spread, such as the early church had under the Roman Empire," said Ripken, who has served 25 years with the International Mission Board and is an expert on the persecuted church in Muslim contexts.

"But when stability is the stability of governments that deny their people even access to Jesus, then that is the worst form of persecution."

Ripken is asking believers worldwide to pray for the kind of stability in Libya where access to Jesus is a basic human right.

Ripken said Christians in the West can help not only by praying for the spread of the gospel in wartorn nations, but also by learning not to be persecutors themselves.

"Pray today that we will not join the persecutors by denying our family, neighbours and friends access to Jesus," Ripken said.

Christians are praying for similar freedoms across the nations affected by the "Arab Spring" and the wave of political protests sweeping North Africa and the Middle East since last December.

Earlier in the week, Arab World Ministries said the change reflected the desire of young people to have more say in the governing of their countries.

It is asking that Christians pray not only for a quick end to the conflict, but that the church grows to be "strong" regardless of what replaces the Gaddafi regime.