“If the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned… I will require it from the watchman's hand.”
—Ezekiel 33:6, LSB

Dear Fellow Servants of our Sovereign God,

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is seated at the right hand of the Father, from where He rules all nations with a rod of iron (Psalm 2:9, LSB).

I write to you with a heart that is heavy yet resolute. We are living in days of unprecedented moral collapse, where the blood of unborn children cries out from the ground, where the frail and elderly are deemed expendable by legislative decree, and where the gospel itself is increasingly criminalised in the public square.

Just days ago, the Assisted Dying Bill passed its first reading in Parliament. We are witnessing an unblushing affirmation of death as an instrument of policy. The slaughter of the unborn has become the hallmark of “progress,” and now the sanctity of life at its other end is under systematic assault. This is not mere politics—this is open rebellion against the God who gives life.

At the same time, our nation is embracing an Islamic worldview at a pace that should alarm every shepherd of Christ's flock. According to the Pew Research Centre and UK demographic studies, the Muslim population is projected to exceed 50% within 10-15 years. Our government is funding the expansion of Islamic influence, while Christian preachers are being arrested for proclaiming the only message that can save the souls of men (Romans 1:16).

Shall we remain silent while the lampstand is being snuffed out in our land?

“Truth is the most lovely thing; it is the most sparkling diamond in Christ's crown.”
—Thomas Brooks

Too many churches have become consumed with their own empires—attendance figures, budgets, and influence—while our culture hurtles toward judgment. Like the Laodiceans, we have boasted of our wealth and relevance while being blind and naked before the Holy One (Revelation 3:17-18).

Where are the voices of bold, biblical protest? Where are the men who will stand as Athanasius contra mundum—Athanasius against the world?

“The gospel is a fire in the mouth of a faithful minister, and it sets the hearts of hearers aflame.”
—Charles Spurgeon

When Billy Graham preached in Liverpool, the stadium overflowed with people eager to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. In 2017, South African Christians convened in Bloemfontein for a day of prayer that drew nearly two million people to seek the Lord's intervention. Where is our zeal to do likewise? Where is our desperation for God to act?

We say we serve the King of kings—do we believe it? If so, why are we so passive in confronting the sins that are provoking His righteous wrath? The time for silence is over.

I am calling you—my brothers, fellow soldiers, under-shepherds of the Lord's flock—to join me in organising the largest prayer gathering in modern British history. Let us fill a stadium with disciples who have not bowed the knee to cultural Baals. Let us humble ourselves before the living God. Let us repent. Let us plead for the salvation of our nation.

“When God intends great mercy for His people, He first sets them a-praying.”
—Matthew Henry

This is not merely about opposing abortion, euthanasia, or the advance of Islam. This is about exalting the Lord Jesus Christ as the only Name under heaven by which men must be saved (Acts 4:12). We must declare to this nation that our God reigns, that His Word is unbreakable, and that no legislation, ideology, or cultural fad will dethrone Him.

The Apostle Paul said:

“Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”
—1 Corinthians 16:13-14, LSB

Dear brothers, let us act like men. Let us not cower in the day of battle. Let us gather to pray, to weep, to preach, to warn, and to believe that God is still mighty to save.

I am proposing that we convene a day of prayer, to be held as soon as practically possible in a stadium large enough to bear witness to our unity and resolve. We will invite all who love Christ in sincerity—Reformed Baptists, conservative evangelicals, and every believer who holds to the unadulterated Word of God. Together, we will call upon the Lord of Hosts to rend the heavens and come down (Isaiah 64:1).

I also propose that we write a document and a petition, signed by millions of true believers in Christ, to be delivered to No. 10 Downing Street, London, to show this government that true Christianity is not dead in the United Kingdom, and to remind them that there are many in this country who belong to Christ and who will not be silent.

I know there may be those who would quote Philippians 3:20 to me:

“For our citizenship is in heaven…”

And indeed it is. We are not called to be revolutionaries—nor for one second am I proposing that we become so. But we are called as Christ's church to speak the truth of Christ to a godless government and a rebellious people.

Our Lord tells us:

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.”
—Matthew 10:16, LSB

In that same passage He speaks of persecution:

“…when they deliver you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.”
—Matthew 10:19-20, LSB

We are called to take the truth of the gospel of Christ to the world—including those in authority —knowing that our Triune God is with us, leading us, and sustaining us.

Will you stand with me? Will you put your hand to this plough? Will you raise your voice to rally God's people?

If you are willing to labour together for this cause, please contact me directly. Let us strategise, pray, and believe God for a mighty awakening in our generation.

May the Lord grant us the courage of the prophets, the love of Christ, and the conviction that our God is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).

“A minister without boldness is like a smooth file, a blunt knife, a silent trumpet.”
—William Gurnall

Let us be bold, beloved brothers. Let us be found faithful.

In the unshakable hope of our risen Lord,

Francois van Staden Pastor, Great Harwood Christian Fellowship
PastorFrancoisGHCF@gmail.com