14/05/2026
To the Church distant from the Central and Northern Nigeria,
To our brothers and sisters far from Borno State, Plateau State, Kaduna State, Benue State, Yobe State, and every hidden congregation and fellowship where the Name of JESUS CHRIST is whispered through tears.
Grace to you, and peace from GOD our FATHER and from the LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Many of you do not know what it is to hear gunshots while singing hymns.
Many of you do not know what it is to gather for worship not knowing who will return home.
Many of you do not know what it is to bury a husband because he refused to renounce CHRIST.
Many of you do not know what it is to hold a child who asks, “Why did they kill Daddy for going to church?”
But we know.
We know what it is to kneel beside ashes where your sanctuary once stood.
We know what it is to search for familiar faces after an attack.
We know what it is to dig graves with hands still wet with tears.
We know what it is to sing, “It Is Well with My Soul,” while your world is collapsing.
And still we worship. Still we gather. Still we pray.
Still we preach. Still we declare, “JESUS is LORD.”
Beloved, you are undone by our faith.
While many of you in the West, distant from Nigeria pursue comfort and become distracted by baser things, we are proving with our blood that CHRIST is better than life.
When our churches are burned, we become living temples.
When our Bibles are taken, the WORD rises from within our hearts.
When our preachers are killed, the Gospel is preached by widows, by Orphans, by displaced farmers, by ordinary saints whose only sermon is this:
“CHRIST is WORTH EVERYTHING.”
Our tears preach. Our scars preach. Our graves preach.
Our endurance thunders across this nation louder than any conference, crusade, or cathedral.
We are telling all of the world 🌎 that JESUS CHRIST is not a slogan.
Jesus is a treasure worth dying for.
And so you should be ashamed if you have loved convenience more than CHRIST.
You should be ashamed if you have feared insults more than we have faced bullets.
You should be ashamed if you have complained about small discomforts while we cling to CHRIST in the valley of the shadow of death.
And you should be grateful.
Grateful that GOD has raised among your generation men and women who show you what genuine Christianity looks like.
Grateful that our faith calls you to repentance.
Grateful that our steadfastness awakens your sleeping churches.
Your Prayer should be, "LORD, give us Their courage".
"Give us Their conviction".
"Give us their love for CHRIST".
"Give us their willingness to lose everything and still sing".
"Give us hearts that treasure JESUS above houses, lands, reputation, and life itself".
And for us, beloved sufferers, I pray:
May GOD sit with every widow in the silence of the night.
May CHRIST reveal HIMSELF to every orphan who wonders why this happened.
May the HOLY SPIRIT strengthen every Preacher/Minister Afraid.
May angels encamp around every village.
May the fields you fled one day be filled again with songs of harvest and praise.
May the blood of the martyrs become seed.
May those who murdered your loved ones be conquered by the Gospel.
May former persecutors become preachers.
May the same grace that transformed Paul the Apostle visit our enemies.
And when we grow weary, let's remember this:
Every wound will be healed. Every injustice will be answered. Every faithful saint will receive a crown.
The day is coming when no church will burn.
No child will hide in fear. No widow will mourn.
No gun will sound. No terrorist will threaten.
No grave will open except to release the redeemed.
On that day, we will stand before the throne, clothed in white.
And the LORD JESUS HIMSELF will wipe away our tears. HE will show us the scars in HIS hands.
HE will call our suffering, "light and momentary".
HE will place upon our heads the crown of life.
And all Heaven will know that we counted CHRIST worthy.
Until that day, stand firm.
When our knees tremble, let's stand. When our eyes are full of tears, let's stand.
When our voices break, let's stand. When our loved ones are buried, let's stand.
When all else is taken from us, let's stand. Let's stand because CHRIST stood for us. Let's Stand because the tomb is empty. Let's Stand because glory is near.
Let's stand because the LAMB is worthy.
And know this, beloved church in the Nigeria:
We are not forgotten. We are not alone.
We are carried in their prayers. We are honored in their hearts.
We are an example to the whole church in world.
You in the West. You in Europe. You in America. You in Britain. You in Rome. You in Israel. You in safety.
You should kneel before GOD and ask HIM to make you like us.
Faithful. Fearless. Tender. Uncompromising.
Satisfied in CHRIST alone.
Be faithful unto death, and HE will give you the crown of life.
The grace of the LORD JESUS CHRIST be with our spirits until faith becomes sight.
In Jesus name,
Amen.
Your Brother,
Ephraim Tsesar D
