Photo by Oshin Khandelwal on Unsplash

The final night of New Wineskins was dedicated to a theme that cannot be ignored in our generation: the persecuted church. Around the world, countless brothers and sisters face imprisonment, loss of livelihood, exile, and even death because of their faith in Christ. On this last evening together, their stories took center stage, reminding us of what it means to share in both the suffering and the glory of the Gospel.

The evening began in worship. Songs rose with power, and as they did, artists painted scenes reflecting the Holy Spirit’s movement through prayer and song during the week. At the end of the plenary session, the finished canvases were auctioned to support missions, turning art into a direct blessing for the work of the Church.

Woven through the night were the words from 2 Corinthians 4:6–12: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts… But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” These verses reflect the reality that the persecuted church has to live every day; that it is not sustained by its own strength. It is sustained by the surpassing power of God, shining through fragile human lives.

Videos from bishops who could not attend because they are serving in places of danger reminded us of their courage and faithfulness in the face of opposition. Despite civil unrest and severe pressures, the churches continue to gather, preach, baptize, and plant. They are jars of clay, bruised and pressed on every side, yet filled with the treasure of Christ that cannot be extinguished.

Missionaries also came forward in person, but with names and locations kept secret for security. Some spoke of governments hostile to the Gospel. Others spoke of miracles among unreached peoples. Every testimony pointed back to the same truth: the light of Christ shines brightest in darkness. These men and women embody Paul’s words, “afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair.”

For those of us in America, where faith can often be lived with little resistance, these stories landed with conviction. The witness of persecuted believers does not condemn us but calls us. If they can endure prison, exile, or worse, surely we can live more boldly for Christ where we are. Their example urges us to carry the treasure with urgency and love, even in contexts where the risk is far less severe.

The Rev. Carino Casas, Executive Director of Church’s Ministry Among Jewish People (CMJ-USA), brought the focus closer to home. She spoke about the rise of anti-semitism both in the United States and globally, reminding us that alongside this troubling trend, many Jewish people are now exploring or confessing Jesus as Messiah. This is a critical moment. The Church must resist prejudice and remember that Jesus Himself, even in His resurrected body, is Jewish. He is the head of the true Israel, drawing both Jews and Gentiles into one family of God. To harbor hostility against the Jewish people is to wound the very body of Christ.

By the end of the evening, there was a sense of soberness but also hope. We had heard of suffering. We had seen the reality of persecution, yet we had also witnessed the unrelenting power of God, shining in fragile vessels and carrying the Gospel to places we might never go.

As voices rose in worship, it was evident that the persecuted church is not an abstract idea. It is made up of our brothers and sisters from around the world, holding the treasure in jars of clay, but singing in unison together. They carry Christ into the fire and the prison cell, their faith revealing the surpassing power of God, and they brought that faith back here to New Wineskins, to share it with one another.

We are all called not only to remember the persecuted believers but also to live with the same boldness and devotion that they have, wherever we may be. Whether across the ocean or across the street, may we carry the treasure of the Gospel faithfully, so that the light of the knowledge of the glory of God shines into the darkness through us.