A text message sent to hundreds of Open Doors supporters, and others unconnected with the organisation, overnight warning of an imminent threat to Christians in Northern Iraq has been labeled as a hoax.

The text message read:

Urgent text from Open Doors: “Christians in Northern Iraq are calling for urgent prayer backing as they’re in great danger – serious threat of beheading of all Christians in a few hours. Please forward this request to your praying friends on behalf of our brothers & sisters in Christ” “The prayer of the righteous man availeth much.” 2014/08/26

Open Doors said on Facebook late last night that the message “is NOT from Open Doors, it is a hoax.

“We have no confirmation of this information, and are currently looking into it.”

Thousands of Christians from around Australia joined in prayer on Saturday for the plight of Christians in Iraq, who are fleeing persecution from the Islamic State (ISIS). There are a number of local fundraising efforts to support the thousands of Christians who are now refugees, including from Open Doors and Bible Society.

Open Doors said that while it does not want to water down in any way the extent of the horror facing Iraq’s Christians, and other minorities, at the hands of the Islamic State, Christians must be discerning about the information they read online.

“There are many distressing events happening in the world today especially in areas like Iraq and Syria,” said an Open Doors spokesperson in an email to Eternity. They said if there’s a particularly urgent situation that Open Doors wants to update supporters on, they’ll do that via social media and their regular ‘Prayer Alert’ email list, not via text message.

“Matthew 24:6 says, ‘You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.’ We must be discerning in gathering our information and take comfort in the fact God knows the truth about exactly what is happening around the world,” the spokesperson said.

The organisation is asking Christians to disregard the text message, but to continue to pray for Christians in Iraq and other parts of the Middle East.