A Global Perspective on Persecution

As I surfed The Voice of the Martyers Website I was nauseated by the satanic violence against the Gospel and the brutality of persecution against Christians.  My heart ached as I looked through their map explaining Restricted Nations. At the very least, let us open our eyes to the injustice and persection that our brothers and sisters and enduring by faith.

• Afghanistan is 97.89% Muslim, 0.02% Christian, and "Anyone who acknowledges faith in Christ experiences intense persecution, including death. Persecution normally comes from family members and neighbors, while police and government officials turn a blind eye."
• In Nepal "An extremist group called the Nepal Defense Army... have the stated goal of reestablishing Nepal as a Hindu kingdom by targeting Christians and other non-Hindus."  Their nation is 74.82% Hindu, 16% Buddhist, and 1.89% Christian.
• Uzbekistan is 83.5% Muslim and 1.28% Christian, "This past year, officials cracked down on Christians throughout Uzbekistan. In southeast Uzbekistan, police have campaigned to prevent children from attending worship services. The campaign, which uses the state-controlled mass media, attacks schools and parents who allow children to attend religious 'sects.'"
• Through-out Kuwait, "Only Muslims may become citizens. Foreign Christians have the freedom to live and work in Kuwait, but they must worship in a physical location within their own Christian community. Evangelism to Kuwaitis is forbidden. Kuwaitis who convert to Christianity publicly face harassment and arrest. The government discourages Christianity by providing financial incentives for Muslims."  Kuwait is 87.43% Muslim and 8.17% Christian.
• "Saudi Arabia is the second most repressive nation in the world for Christians. Converts from Islam to Christianity are rare in this nation. Barriers to spreading the gospel are intense. Leaving Islam is punishable by death. Anyone who does mission work or converts a Muslim faces jail, expulsion, lashing, torture or execution. Public non-Muslim worship, even for foreign Christians, is prohibited. Christians are regularly imprisoned or deported, and Christian churches are banned. Saudi Arabia is a main source of funding for madrassas (Islamic religious schools) worldwide, where extremism can breed."
• In Somalia, "Just one percent of Somalis are Christians — most are secret believers. It is difficult to know the exact number of underground churches. Islamic radicals, who have vowed to wipe out all Somali Christians, have murdered many. Persecution has intensified in the past 15 years. Persecutors are family members, clan members, Islamist extremists and local administrators. Distribution of the Somali Bible is possible only in refugee camps and outside the country."

Let us pray for our brothers and sisters in these dark nations!  Oh, that we wouldn't forget them in the comfort and ease of our lives here!

Fear God - not man

Even as I sit in Oxford, Ohio I experience the weight of these dark and demonic words from India:

“[Christianity] is a problem and we will deal with it. We will get all Hindus together, the whole Hindu nation, and whoever stands against the rights of Hindu’s - we will finish them” – Hindu radical

“They want to eradicate the Christians of India. They want to turn this country into a Hindu nation. A goal that extreme Hindu leaders say is worth fighting for…. Hindus have fought for this nation and for their religious rights. India has always been, is, and forever will be a Hindu nation.”

“Conversions and Christianity missionaries are a threat to India” – Hindu radical

Even as I shake, God does not. He knows these men.

Their feet are swift to shed blood;

in their path are ruin and misery,

and the way of peace they have not know.

There is no fear of God before their eyes. (Romans 3:15-18)

I am hungrily amazed as our brothers and sisters in Christ who suffer this extreme persecution respond in Gospel-centered perseverance. God, in His grace, preserves them… resulting in praise and glory and honor today and at the revelation of Jesus Christ. They have not seen Him, yet they love Him. “We may have lost everything, but we will never turn our backs on Christ.” They do not now see Him, yet they believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. “I still have joy and I’m thanking God despite my circumstances.”

These brothers and sisters have joined with Esther in saying, “If I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:16)

They have joined with Paul, who said, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)

So let us say with our Indian brothers and sisters “If we live, we’ll live for Christ. If we die, we’ll die for Christ. Whatever happens, we worship the Lord.” That is their cry, and they are our brothers and sisters. Let us join with them in joyful mourning and fervent prayer as we ask the Lord if we need to do more.

The Heavenly Man

The Heavenly Man
The Remarkable True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun

I picked up The Heavenly Man because I was sick of my endless theological books which can often leave me feeling smarter yet less dependent upon God.  I started reading Yun's story Thursday night and finished it by the next evening, refreshed and awakened (despite not having slept since I read through the night).

Yun was called by God at a young age be a witness 'to the west and south' in a dangerous nation and beyond.  As Yun followed this calling he encountered prolonged imprisonment and extreme torture.  "Yun's testimony is written with blood and tears; his journey has been one that encountered many bitter struggles.  Instead of complaining and grumbling, he learned to tackle all obstacles prayerfully, on his knees with God" said Zhang Rongliang.  God ultimately used Yun to bring Himself great glory as one of China's house church leaders, although it was not without pain and discipline. 

I was greatly challenged by Yun's words,

The people who really suffer are those who never experience God's presence.  The way to have God's presence is by walking through hardship and suffering - the way of the cross.  You may not be beaten or imprisoned for your faith, but I am convinced each Christian will have a cross to bear in his or her life... When you're faced with such trials, the key is not to run from them or fight them, but to embrace them as friends.  When you do this you'll not fail to experience God's presence and help.

Yun cried out for God in the midst of suffering, torture, even slander.  Yun's faith allowed him to rejoice in the most horrific of moments, and he concluded, "The world can do nothing to a Christian who has no fear of man."  Each page of Yun's story challenged me to awake from complacency and Western comforts.  His life is an example of total, prayerful, God glorifying surrender.

"Everyone is this world is a slave.  They're either salves to sin, or slaved to Christ.  Our 'rights' are in the hands of Jesus."