Freedom Isn’t Free
“Remember
them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as
being yourselves also in the body.” - Hebrews 13:3
“Christians in Tanzania have lost churches, homes,
cars and livestock in a series of recent attacks, and some have received
physical injuries.”
“While few
Christians have gone to prison for their faith in recent years, the Cuban
government still mistreats, marginalize and openly oppose Christians,
especially those who live according to their Biblical convictions.”
“On Friday
afternoon, Sept. 21, a mob of several thousand radical Muslims attacked St.
Paul’s Lutheran Church in Mardan City, Pakistan. The attackers, armed with
rifles and kerosene, overwhelmed security guards and broke into the church.
They destroyed Bibles and prayer books, desecrated the altar and set fire to
the church building and several surrounding homes and buildings. … The attack
on the 82-year-old church lasted for five hours. The church staff was able to
flee, but those who lived on the campus lost everything.”
“The few hundred
Christians in Kashmir (India) are increasingly harassed by Muslims. Churches
are often surrounded by Muslims during worship services, and young believers
are constantly watched and threatened. Islamists also circulate hate literature
with a racial undertone against Christians.”
“Pastor Youcef
Nadarkhani was released from (Iran) prison on Saturday, Sept. 8, after
remaining in custody for nearly three years while fighting apostasy charges and
a death sentence. Authorities dropped the apostasy charge and retained only a
charge of evangelizing Muslims.”
“Unidentified
workers, backed by police and civil volunteers, tore down the Holy Trinity
Pentecostal Church in east Moscow (Russia) in the early morning hours of Sept.
6, then accused the pastor of holding an unapproved meeting for the worship
service he led on the grounds of the destroyed church two days later.”
“A pastor
supported by Voice of The Martyrs survived an attack by Muslim extremists on
Friday, Aug. 10, according to VOM contacts. At least seven gunmen entered an
Ekillisiyar Yan’Uwa (Nigeria) (EYN) church compound in Borno state, intending
to kill the pastor, his wife and three children.”
The above statements were taken directly from the Voice of
the Martyrs website at www.persecution.com. While these statements show some of the
persecution Christians feel in other countries each day, it doesn’t show them
all. China, North Korea, Columbia, Belarus,
Philippines, and many, many other countries restrict or forbid Christian
worship. But how much longer until we, “The Land of the
Free”, will undergo persecution? The answer is…we already do.
When a company is harassed because it refuses to allow birth
control to be offered as part of its government-controlled employee benefit
package due to its Christian beliefs, that’s persecution (Hobby Lobby). When a company is defamed by the media and “stars”
because of its Christian stance against homosexuality, that’s persecution
(Chic-Fil-A). A New Mexico photographer was found guilty of discrimination in
our own court systems because she refused to photograph homosexual couples. Gallaudet
University of Washington, DC, punished a tenured
staff member for signing a petition against gay/lesbian marriage. Our own
teachers are not allowed to pray with students, or discuss Biblical topics
without risking their jobs. And finally, a couple in Venice Florida are being
fined $250 a day for holding a Bible Study in their own home, which the city
says is against zoning laws.
Friends, these are just a very few of the incidents where
persecution happens in our own country.
We have lost so much ground in our government system already by not
being the bold fighting Christians we are called to be. Where were we when prayer was taken out of
the schools? Where were we when
alternate lifestyles became approved for media?
Why are we not taking EVERY SINGLE OPPORTUNITY we have to pray in public,
witness in public, and be the Christian voices we are called to be? Have we become ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ? It’s time to take self
inventory.
Do you pray over your meals in public? Why not?
Do you only wear your Christian t-shirts to Christian
events? Why is that?
Do you talk about your church at work to those that aren’t
Christians? Why not?
We’re not meant to simply live in peace among those who
don’t believe. We’re called to be salt,
and when you get salt on a wound – it hurts - but it heals.
God’s word is very clear.
2 Timothy 3:12 says “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be
persecuted.” Jesus Christ Himself warned us when He said in Matthew 5:11 “Blessed are you WHEN they
revile and persecute you, and
say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.” It’s not “IF”, its “WHEN”.
1 Peter 2:23 says of Jesus, “when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when
He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously”. It’s about commitment. Just as Jesus committed Himself to God, who
judges righteously, we must commit ourselves, yes, even to death. If Jesus isn’t worth dying for, who is?
The issue is that we have become people
pleasers instead of God pleasers. We
have locked our lips on issues such as adultery, fornication, abuse,
anti-Christian religions, homosexuality, and the “popular” sins of the world in
order to “fit in” as people would have us to.
We’ve refused to be called radical Christians, which is exactly what God
wants us to be.
Jesus said that to follow Him we must be
able to walk away from mother, father, sister, and brother (Luke 14:26) for His
sake. You have to be committed to Him. And in being committed, others will be saved.
There’s been a lot of talk about the past week’s elections, presidential and
otherwise. But I submit to you that one
man cannot determine the fate of this country if the thousands of Christians
who live in this country will stand as what God has asked them to be.
Our soldiers fight for freedom across this
world for other less fortunate countries, and they protect us from being
overpowered by other nations. But we
have a war within our own national boundaries.
Our soldiers do not have the freedom to fight this war. You don’t have to put on camouflage gear in
the mornings to fight this fight. You
just need to wear the armor of God (Ephesians 6), and stand for the One who
loved you to the grave and beyond.
Pray for your brothers and sisters in
Christ that are suffering across the world.
We are all part of the same body, and if they hurt – we hurt. Pray also for our country and for the rising
up of a new generation of Christians who are not afraid to be bold and be
counted.
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