The world was taken by surprise by the attacks that took place in Paris on Friday, which left some 130 people dead, and over 350 people injured. In response, multitudes of people and most major organizations took to publicly sharing their responses of grief and solidarity with the French people.
Christian leaders and organizations were no exception in quickly expressing their solidarity through statements online and in social media.
"We echo the words of our brothers and sisters in France who said: "France is not alone! At this time, millions of Christians around the world are praying for our country.' Yes, we are praying for France and Lebanon, and we call on churches around the world to join us," said Efraim Tendero, the secretary general of the World Evangelical Alliance.
"We are with them in deep compassion and prayer," stated the World Council of Churches. "We pray that they may be comforted, by the love and care they have received from those who have now brutally been take away, and by the support and solidarity of others, of their families, and of their neighbours -- whoever or wherever that may be."
Other than prayer, some suggested specific ways that Christians can take the grief and compassion and put them into action.
Mike Evans, the director of Evangile 21, the French branch of The Gospel Coalition, encouraged fellow Christians to "reach out to our Muslim friends and neighbors with acts of kindness but above all with the message of the prince of peace," rather than resorting to "indiscriminate acts of revenge and violence."
In its statement, the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. (PCUSA) expressed its disagreement with governors' and politicians' plans and stances to limit or deny entry into the U.S. for refugees in response to the Paris attacks, and encouraged Christians to "choose welcome, not fear," as its statement was titled.
"The way to end terror is to prove that those who demonize us are wrong," the statement reads. "We are not a heartless secular culture. We must witness to the Gospel with generous hospitality. To hide in fear is a mistake. Fear is the ammunition of terror. Hope is the best defense."
A "witness to the Gospel" was emphasized urgently by many. Mike Evans of Evangile 21 said the violence compels people to realize that "death is suddenly real."
"Questions about evil abound in the face of unimaginable and indiscriminate violence," Evans said. "Now is the time to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ as never before."
"Some rush immediately to political or even ideological reasons behind the acts, but our workers understand the spiritual dimension of darkness in the world and the reality that violence can erupt anywhere and any time," Mark Edworthy, the top strategist in Europe for the Southern Baptist Convention's missions agency, told the Baptist Press.
"Our workers have one driving thought: "Paris needs Jesus.'"
