"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness'
sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 5:10 KJV
It's something that many people of faith in North America know about, but have never experienced...
sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 5:10 KJV
It's something that many people of faith in North America know about, but have never experienced...
I'm referring to brutal persecution for those who believe that Messiah Jesus is also Savior and Lord. And how such persecution involves levels of punishment to include severe beatings, imprisonment, starvation, and at times even death.
In North America, we do on occasion hear stories of acts of open persecution being committed against Christians in other lands. But we rarely encountered it ourselves. For some of us, other than hearing an occasional negative remark or somebody giving us a hostile look because we openly proclaim the name of Jesus, if that's all we've ever known, I would not dare to call it persecution. At best, it would be a minor affront.
Besides this, many of us think that when it comes to persecution, it was something which occurred in the days of the first apostles and the early church. But the reality is, according to many reliable sources, one of which is the Voice of the Martyrs organization, is that the number of Christians experiencing brutal persecution today is increasing daily.
In fact, there are many countries where Christianity, evangelism, and openly proclaiming one's faith in Jesus, is prohibited. It's against the law. Even in our present time, there are men and women now in prison for "proselytizing" (encouraging others to join in accepting what practicing Christians believe in). Which is what the Lord Jesus himself asked His followers to do. To go into all the world and "preach" the gospel to everyone (Mark 16:15).
And when it comes to the church here, at the prison, these men have a big heart for our brothers and sisters in other lands who are suffering for their faith. We pray for them regularly, and we weep with them as well. They're not forgotten.
Be it China, Cuba, India, Africa, North Korea, or in any other nation where persecution abounds, we will never stop interceding in their behalf.
The Church needs to remember its beaten and bleeding brethren, and their suffering for the name of Christ. We need to show how much we love them by our prayers.
D.B.
In North America, we do on occasion hear stories of acts of open persecution being committed against Christians in other lands. But we rarely encountered it ourselves. For some of us, other than hearing an occasional negative remark or somebody giving us a hostile look because we openly proclaim the name of Jesus, if that's all we've ever known, I would not dare to call it persecution. At best, it would be a minor affront.
Besides this, many of us think that when it comes to persecution, it was something which occurred in the days of the first apostles and the early church. But the reality is, according to many reliable sources, one of which is the Voice of the Martyrs organization, is that the number of Christians experiencing brutal persecution today is increasing daily.
In fact, there are many countries where Christianity, evangelism, and openly proclaiming one's faith in Jesus, is prohibited. It's against the law. Even in our present time, there are men and women now in prison for "proselytizing" (encouraging others to join in accepting what practicing Christians believe in). Which is what the Lord Jesus himself asked His followers to do. To go into all the world and "preach" the gospel to everyone (Mark 16:15).
And when it comes to the church here, at the prison, these men have a big heart for our brothers and sisters in other lands who are suffering for their faith. We pray for them regularly, and we weep with them as well. They're not forgotten.
Be it China, Cuba, India, Africa, North Korea, or in any other nation where persecution abounds, we will never stop interceding in their behalf.
The Church needs to remember its beaten and bleeding brethren, and their suffering for the name of Christ. We need to show how much we love them by our prayers.
D.B.