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[00:00:00] [applause] [00:00:02] Thank you. [00:00:06] >> Amazing. Well, thank you guys so much [00:00:09] for gathering here today and uh I [00:00:11] believe that what is going to happen [00:00:13] here is going to be historic. Um, [00:00:16] in 2025, as we gather here in freedom, I [00:00:20] want to turn our hearts and attention to [00:00:21] the sobering truth that more Christians [00:00:25] today are facing persecution around the [00:00:27] world than any other time in modern [00:00:29] history. For millions of believers, [00:00:32] faith in Jesus is not a weekend routine [00:00:35] or a spiritual preference. It is a daily [00:00:38] risk. It is costly, courageous. It's a [00:00:41] stand that they choose to take even when [00:00:44] everything around them warns them not [00:00:45] to. [00:00:47] Across the Middle East and North Africa, [00:00:49] Christians are beaten, imprisoned, and [00:00:52] driven from their homes. In parts of [00:00:54] Asia, believers quietly gather in home [00:00:57] churches, knowing a sock a knock on the [00:00:59] door could mean an arrest or even worse. [00:01:02] In nations where Christianity is [00:01:03] considered a threat to the government or [00:01:06] culture, pastors disappear overnight. [00:01:08] Bibles are confiscated. Churches are [00:01:10] burned. Families are torn apart. I have [00:01:13] witnessed this personally traveling [00:01:15] around the world over the last 25 years [00:01:17] investing into the persecuted church. [00:01:19] Whether it has been on the ground in [00:01:21] North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, [00:01:24] Afghanistan, or even in Mosmb beek [00:01:26] earlier this year, I've witnessed the [00:01:29] courage, zeal, and faithfulness [00:01:31] of those standing for Jesus in the most [00:01:33] hostile environments [00:01:36] to the gospel on earth. Some are [00:01:37] targeted by extremist groups, others by [00:01:39] their own communities, many by their own [00:01:41] governments. [00:01:43] Yet the pattern is the same. The world's [00:01:45] most vulnerable Christians stand firm [00:01:47] for Christ even when the cost is [00:01:50] everything. [00:01:52] And as Americans, people who worship [00:01:54] freely, speak freely, gather freely, we [00:01:56] must ask ourselves, what is our [00:01:58] responsibility? Why are we even here in [00:02:00] this room today? What does their [00:02:02] suffering matter to us? And what are we [00:02:04] called to do in response? So I want to [00:02:06] give you three truths, three convictions [00:02:09] uh that make it absolutely necessary we [00:02:12] stand with the persecuted church in [00:02:13] 2025. Number one, we stand with them [00:02:16] because scripture commands us. [00:02:19] >> Right? [00:02:19] >> The Bible does not give us an option of [00:02:22] indifference. [00:02:24] Hebrews 13:3 says, ' Remember those in [00:02:26] prison as if you were with them, not as [00:02:29] outsiders looking in, not as people [00:02:30] observing from a distance, as if we were [00:02:33] in the cell beside them. When Paul was [00:02:35] in change, the early church prayed [00:02:37] earnestly. They didn't scroll past his [00:02:40] letters. They didn't turn their heads. [00:02:42] They interceded. They wept. They acted. [00:02:46] In 2025, the persecuted church is not [00:02:49] just an abstract abstract idea. These [00:02:51] are brothers and sisters. Our family, [00:02:54] the body of Christ is one body. And when [00:02:56] one part suffers, [00:02:58] we are all called to feel it. Number [00:03:01] two, we stand with them because their [00:03:03] faith honors Jesus. [00:03:06] >> I believe that persecuted believers [00:03:08] carry a kind of faith that purifies and [00:03:10] awakens the global church. I know that [00:03:12] happened for me watching what happened [00:03:14] in Nigeria. I don't know about you, but [00:03:16] I was like, am I even a real Christian? [00:03:18] >> Yeah. Right. Their worship has no [00:03:22] production, no stage lights, no social [00:03:24] media applause. It's raw. It's costly. [00:03:26] It's pure. When believers in underground [00:03:29] churches whisper their praises to avoid [00:03:31] detection, when teenagers are expelled [00:03:34] for accepting Christ. When mothers are [00:03:36] disowned for their baptism, when pastors [00:03:39] choose prison over silence. [00:03:42] That kind of faith calls out to us. [00:03:45] >> It stirs us. It challenges the [00:03:48] comfortable Christianity of the West. It [00:03:52] lifts our eyes back to Jesus, the one [00:03:54] who suffered first and who never [00:03:56] promised us a faith without cost. [00:04:00] >> Number three, we stand with them because [00:04:02] our voices in America matter more than [00:04:05] we think. We live in a nation where [00:04:07] speech is free, advocacy is possible, [00:04:10] and faith is still public. We may [00:04:13] disagree on politics, but on this we [00:04:16] must be united. In America, our prayers, [00:04:19] our platforms, our influence, and our [00:04:21] freedoms can open doors that persecuted [00:04:23] believers cannot open for themselves. [00:04:27] We can pressure governments to release [00:04:28] prisoners. [00:04:30] Praise God for that. We can support [00:04:32] ministries that smuggle Bibles and [00:04:34] rescue families. We can tell stories [00:04:36] that otherwise would never be heard. We [00:04:38] can push back against the silence and [00:04:40] apathy. And if we don't speak, who will? [00:04:43] If we don't pray, who will? If the most [00:04:46] free Christians in the world, in the [00:04:48] history of the world, remain quiet, what [00:04:51] hope did the most persecuted Christians [00:04:53] have? [00:04:54] So, what must we do right now in 2025? [00:04:57] First of all, we need to pray, not as a [00:04:59] last resort, but as a first response. [00:05:02] Prayer reaches prison cells. [00:05:05] Prayer strengthens wavering hearts. [00:05:08] Prayer breaks spiritual strongholds that [00:05:10] no government can. Second, we must [00:05:13] amplify their stories. We got to share [00:05:14] them. We got to teach them. We got to [00:05:16] preach them. Let our churches and our [00:05:18] families and our social platforms carry [00:05:21] their voices. Third, we must advocate. [00:05:24] Support organizations doing the work on [00:05:25] the ground. Write to legislators. Show [00:05:28] up like you guys are today. Push for [00:05:31] accountability. Use your influence, [00:05:33] whether big or small, to defend those [00:05:35] who cannot defend themselves. And [00:05:37] finally, we must live with the same [00:05:40] boldness that they have. [00:05:42] >> If believers in hostile nations can [00:05:44] follow Jesus with courage, surely we can [00:05:47] follow him without compromise here at [00:05:49] home. [00:05:50] >> The persecuted church is not asking us [00:05:53] for pity. [00:05:55] They are asking us for partnership. [00:05:57] >> That is good. [00:05:58] >> They're not asking for our fear. They're [00:06:01] asking for our faith [00:06:03] >> peaceful. They are not asking us to feel [00:06:06] guilty for our freedoms, but they're [00:06:08] asking us to use them. [00:06:10] >> Yes. [00:06:10] >> So, in 2025, may we be a people who [00:06:12] stand with the persecuted, who pray with [00:06:15] passion, who advocate with courage, who [00:06:18] speak up, show up, lift up those who [00:06:21] cannot lift themselves. Because the [00:06:23] world may try to silence them, but we [00:06:25] will not. The darkness may try to crush [00:06:27] them, but the light of Christ in them is [00:06:30] unshakable. [00:06:32] >> Yes. And as long as we have breath in [00:06:34] our lungs and freedom in our nation, we [00:06:38] will stand with the persecuted church [00:06:41] >> until every believer in every nation can [00:06:44] worship Jesus freely. [00:06:47] >> Wait a minute. [00:06:48] >> So ladies and gentlemen, is an honor to [00:06:50] introduce a an amazing speaker, an [00:06:53] amazing friend, United States Senator [00:06:56] Josh Holly. He has been just such an [00:06:59] outspoken [00:07:01] voice on the global crisis of religious [00:07:04] persecution. He shined a light on the [00:07:06] suffering of vulnerable faith [00:07:08] communities and defended the right to [00:07:10] worship freely. His advocacy in Congress [00:07:13] has elevated urgent conversations about [00:07:16] human rights, dignity, and the [00:07:17] protection of believers around the [00:07:19] world. What an incredible man of God. [00:07:22] Can we just welcome Senator [00:07:24] [applause and cheering] Josh [00:07:28] >> [applause] [00:07:35] >> That was pretty much. [00:07:36] >> Thank you so much. Thank you, Sean. [00:07:38] Thank you, Gia, for organizing this and [00:07:40] being here today. And thank you to all [00:07:42] of you. What a privilege it is to gather [00:07:44] here in the United States capital and to [00:07:46] proclaim the name of Jesus Christ. [00:07:49] >> Is there any greater witness to the [00:07:50] gospel of Jesus Christ on which this [00:07:52] nation was founded? Let's just go ahead [00:07:54] and start offending people right now. [00:07:56] This nation was founded on the gospel of [00:07:59] Jesus Christ. And is there any greater [00:08:01] witness to that that we can gather here [00:08:02] in this capital in this hall that is the [00:08:05] hall of the people and proclaim proclaim [00:08:08] in freedom that Jesus Christ is Lord. [00:08:11] >> So let's do it. [00:08:13] >> Let's do it. [00:08:16] >> I want to take as my text today, if [00:08:18] you'll allow me, Revelation [00:08:20] 12, verse 11. Here's what it says. And [00:08:24] they have conquered the enemy by the [00:08:25] blood of the lamb [00:08:26] >> and by the word of their testimony. For [00:08:29] they love not their lives even unto [00:08:31] death. [00:08:31] >> That's right. [00:08:32] >> They love not their lives even unto [00:08:34] death. [00:08:35] >> We see here in the Lord's own word, his [00:08:38] testament to the power of the persecuted [00:08:41] church. [00:08:41] >> That he says it is those who are [00:08:43] persecuted who are willing to lay down [00:08:45] their lives for the gospel. It is those [00:08:48] believers whose lives turn the tide of [00:08:50] history. It is those believers whose [00:08:52] blood bears witness to the truth of the [00:08:55] gospel of Jesus Christ. It is those [00:08:57] believers who are we are here to honor [00:08:59] today. You know what does the Lord say? [00:09:01] Psalm 116 I believe it is verse 15. [00:09:03] Precious in the sight of the Lord is the [00:09:05] death of his saints. [00:09:07] >> I want to start today by bearing witness [00:09:09] to the death of his saints. To these [00:09:12] precious believers whose lives here who [00:09:14] they love them not even unto death. They [00:09:16] did not love their lives. They were [00:09:18] willing to lay them down for the truth [00:09:20] of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we're [00:09:22] here first and foremost to bear witness [00:09:25] to that truth and make sure it's not [00:09:26] swept under the rug. It's not forgotten. [00:09:29] It's not overlooked. That this that is [00:09:32] happening now. 380 million Christians [00:09:35] persecuted around the world today. [00:09:38] >> Wow. we here in this place, in this hall [00:09:41] of power, can bear witness to and raise [00:09:43] our voice on behalf of those 380 million [00:09:46] persecuted Christians. [00:09:48] >> That's why we're here. First and last, [00:09:50] [applause] [00:09:51] you know, last year, these numbers are [00:09:53] astounding. Last year, 4,476 [00:09:58] Christians were murdered for their faith [00:10:02] this last year. 4,476 [00:10:06] Christians. Those are just that we know [00:10:07] about that we have the statistics for. [00:10:10] 4,744 [00:10:12] Christians were imprisoned worldwide. [00:10:15] 7,679 [00:10:18] churches were physically attacked [00:10:21] all in 2025. [00:10:24] We see it in country after country. [00:10:25] Nigeria has recently drawn global [00:10:27] attention and has drawn the attention of [00:10:28] our own president. And I applaud [00:10:30] President Trump for standing up for [00:10:32] persecuted Christians. I applaud the [00:10:34] president for putting Nigeria back on [00:10:36] the watch list where it belongs. We need [00:10:38] to call out every nation that is [00:10:40] engaging in the persecution of [00:10:42] Christians. And there are so so many in [00:10:44] China where this past October the the [00:10:46] government there, the totalitarian [00:10:48] secularist, anti-Christian government, [00:10:51] carried out raids on home church after [00:10:53] home church. In the Democratic Republic [00:10:56] of the Congo, there were attacks, [00:10:58] including one in September, that have [00:10:59] killed 70 people at a time. Just one [00:11:02] attack in September killed 70 [00:11:04] Christians. In Syria, church after [00:11:06] church has been suffering. Violence has [00:11:09] been targeted by rising Islamists in [00:11:12] those places. And 11 other states are [00:11:14] currently on our own State Department's [00:11:16] watch list. But here's the truth that [00:11:18] undergurs all of that. All of those [00:11:20] statistics represent Christians who are [00:11:22] willing to suffer on behalf of the [00:11:24] gospel. [00:11:25] >> We must do our part [00:11:27] >> to raise our voice on their behalf. [00:11:29] >> Yes. to witness to them and to give [00:11:32] thanks to the Lord that there are [00:11:33] Christians in these places who are [00:11:34] willing to suffer and to ask ourselves [00:11:37] what is it that we are willing to do for [00:11:39] the persecuted church and what is it we [00:11:41] are willing to do for the gospel of [00:11:42] Jesus Christ around the world and in [00:11:44] this country [00:11:45] >> which brings me to my next point we are [00:11:47] here today to affirm our heritage as a [00:11:50] nation that honors the gospel of Jesus [00:11:52] Christ [00:11:53] >> you know so many people in this country [00:11:55] not only do they want to overlook the [00:11:56] persecution of Christians worldwide not [00:11:58] only do they to silence Christians in [00:12:01] their suffering worldwide. But here in [00:12:03] this country, there are so many who [00:12:04] would say we must not talk anymore about [00:12:07] Christ in public. We must not talk about [00:12:09] our religious faith in the public sphere [00:12:11] in public sphere. If you go to school, [00:12:13] if you go to the workplace, if you come [00:12:15] here to the halls of Congress, you need [00:12:17] to check your faith at the door. Can we [00:12:19] just agree today that that is a lie? [00:12:22] That that is not what the United States [00:12:24] Constitution says. And we will not agree [00:12:26] to be silenced. [00:12:27] >> Yes, sir. We are here [00:12:29] >> to stand for the persecuted church and [00:12:31] to stand for the truth on which this [00:12:34] country was founded. [00:12:35] >> Yes, sir. [00:12:36] >> The liberty that we enjoy as Americans [00:12:38] >> that every American enjoys no matter [00:12:40] what their creed or religious faith that [00:12:43] liberty is founded on is founded on the [00:12:46] gospel of Christ that says Jesus went to [00:12:48] a cross for every person in this room. [00:12:52] >> The gospel that says that there is a [00:12:54] right of conscience. There's only one [00:12:56] person in the world who has the right to [00:12:58] bind your conscience and that is the [00:12:59] sovereign God. No government, no state [00:13:02] authority, no bureaucrat can do that. On [00:13:05] that right of conscience, all of our [00:13:07] other rights depend all of our other [00:13:09] rights flow. So I would just say to [00:13:11] those who in recent years have sent FBI [00:13:14] agents to the homes of Christian [00:13:16] believers in this country [00:13:18] >> who have sent SWAT teams to the homes of [00:13:21] pro-life Christians who have gone out to [00:13:24] abortion centers and have had the [00:13:25] audacity to pray and sing hymns in front [00:13:28] of these abortion centers and for that [00:13:30] crime so-called had the FBI show up with [00:13:33] a SWAT team at their door. I would say [00:13:35] to those who did that, you were the ones [00:13:38] who were committing the crimes. That's [00:13:39] right. [00:13:39] >> To those who sent the power, use the [00:13:42] power of the Department of Justice [00:13:43] against Christians in this country, you [00:13:45] are the one who is violating the United [00:13:47] States Constitution. [clears throat] [00:13:48] Yes, sir. [00:13:48] >> And we want to say clearly and with [00:13:50] firmness that we will stand for our [00:13:53] heritage as a nation of liberty, which [00:13:55] is our heritage as a Christian nation. [00:13:58] >> Amen. [00:13:58] >> And we're here today to reaffirm that [00:14:00] heritage and to claim it again for a new [00:14:02] generation. [00:14:03] >> Yes, sir. [00:14:04] >> And we're also here today to call for [00:14:05] action. I want to again applaud the [00:14:07] president for his leadership on this [00:14:09] issue, for being firm on these countries [00:14:10] that are engaging in outrageous and [00:14:13] heinous abuse of Christians. But it's [00:14:15] time that we do even more. The [00:14:16] conscience of this nation demands it. [00:14:19] >> Amaz [00:14:24] from our founding to our principles to [00:14:26] our history, a nation that is so [00:14:28] thoroughly grounded on the truth of the [00:14:30] gospel. It is incumbent upon us as a [00:14:32] nation to stand up for persecuted [00:14:34] Christians. So I would just say this. We [00:14:36] need to deliver the message to every [00:14:38] other country in this world that if you [00:14:41] engage in the persecution of Christians, [00:14:43] you will receive no support, no aid, no [00:14:46] no conditional uh aid of any kind from [00:14:49] the United States government. [applause] [00:14:51] >> We will cut off your aid. We will cut [00:14:53] off your support. We will cut off [00:14:54] American tax dollars. We will not do [00:14:56] anything to help you. And in fact, you [00:14:58] will have made an enemy of us. This is [00:15:00] our moral witness to the world. [00:15:02] >> Amen. Sir, [00:15:03] >> you know, all these years ago, we just [00:15:04] celebrated Thanksgiving. You know, [00:15:05] Thanksgiving celebrates the arrival of [00:15:07] the pilgrims [00:15:08] >> on our shores. You know, those pilgrims [00:15:10] came fleeing religious persecution. [00:15:12] >> That's right. [00:15:12] >> Just like 380 million of our brothers [00:15:15] and sisters are currently enduring. It's [00:15:16] how this country got its start, [00:15:18] >> right? [00:15:19] >> And you know, a few years after that, in [00:15:20] 1630, another group of religious [00:15:22] pilgrims came to this country, the [00:15:24] Puritans, and before they even got off [00:15:26] of their ships, they famously took an [00:15:29] oath and covenant together. [00:15:30] >> Right. Yes, sir. to witness to the Lord [00:15:32] and to build a holy commonwealth they [00:15:35] said where the truth of the gospel and [00:15:37] the rights of men and women to worship [00:15:39] God would be protected. And they said to [00:15:41] each other, "We shall be as a city set [00:15:42] on a hill." [00:15:43] >> That's right. [00:15:44] >> We are still that city set on a hill [00:15:46] today. [00:15:47] >> It's time we started acting like it. [00:15:49] >> Yes. [00:15:49] >> And we need to say as our witness to the [00:15:51] world that as the city on the hill, we [00:15:54] will have nothing to do with countries [00:15:55] that persecute Christians. Come on. [00:15:57] >> As the city on the hill, our foreign [00:15:58] policy will have no support for [00:16:01] countries that persecute Christians. [00:16:03] That there is a moral element to our [00:16:05] foreign policy. That there is a moral [00:16:07] obligation that we as Americans bear. [00:16:09] And we are willing to bear it. We are [00:16:11] willing to witness to it. And we are [00:16:12] willing to see it through in this. And I [00:16:15] don't know about you, but I am just so [00:16:17] thankful that the Lord has given us the [00:16:20] privilege of living in this time and [00:16:22] living in this country. What a privilege [00:16:23] to live in this country. Our country [00:16:26] needs our witness and our bold stand now [00:16:29] more than ever. Do you agree with that? [00:16:31] >> So, our country needs us to proclaim [00:16:33] again the truths on which we were [00:16:35] founded. That's right. [00:16:36] >> Our country needs us to take a bold [00:16:38] stand for the gospel. We have the great [00:16:40] privilege in this day and at this hour [00:16:42] of reminding our fellow Americans what [00:16:45] makes us Americans today. [00:16:47] >> And it's the truth of the liberty of [00:16:49] every human person created in the image [00:16:51] of Jesus Christ that makes us who we [00:16:53] are. Let's proclaim that boldly now. [00:16:56] Let's stand for the persecuted church. [00:16:58] Let's give voice to persecuted [00:17:00] Christians and let's take a stand [00:17:02] together as Americans to discharge our [00:17:05] moral responsibility to stand for those [00:17:07] who are suffering really on our behalf. [00:17:10] It's such a privilege to be here with [00:17:12] you. Would you would it be all right [00:17:13] with you if we if I just close here in a [00:17:15] word of prayer? Would you support me in [00:17:16] doing that? Join with me. Let's do it. [00:17:18] Lord, we just thank you for this [00:17:19] opportunity to gather together now. We [00:17:21] pray that you would bless the time that [00:17:23] is to come. As we hear from elected [00:17:25] leaders, as we worship together, as we [00:17:27] call out on you, Lord, and as we call on [00:17:29] our government to take further steps to [00:17:31] protect the persecuted church, to [00:17:33] witness to the persecuted church, to [00:17:34] take a stand for the persecuted church. [00:17:36] And Lord, would you give us the courage [00:17:38] here and now to do our part to take a [00:17:41] stand on behalf of your truth? Would we [00:17:43] leave this place galvanized to stand for [00:17:45] the truth of the gospel in our day in [00:17:48] our country? Not to be afraid, not to be [00:17:51] silenced, not to be sidelined, but to [00:17:53] say we will carry the gospel of Jesus [00:17:55] Christ into every sphere into every [00:17:58] corner of our society from our politics [00:18:01] to our schools to our workplaces and [00:18:03] everywhere else. Lord, we will do it in [00:18:05] your name. We will do it with [00:18:06] thankfulness. We will do it with [00:18:08] gratitude because of what you have done [00:18:10] for us. And it's in Jesus name that we [00:18:12] pray. Amen. [00:18:13] >> Thank you so much for having me here [00:18:14] today. God bless you. [applause]