Christians Being Persecuted

I would like to ask prayer for a missionary family that we support. I cannot give their names, but rest assured they are real people.

You may have seen on the news that the city of Mosul in Northern Iraq's Nineveh province have been being killed and kidnapped. They have burned churches, and executed at least ten people in front of their families.

I received this short e-mail on Saturday: "Please pray! Christians being persecuted in Mosul and Nineveh. Our church burned...We are going to try to make Turkey...were turned away from the US base. A nomadic tribe has offered us safe passage in exchange for medical supplies. Thank God our children are no longer here as we sent them to their grandparents three weeks a go. Please pray in your churches tomorrow."

Its a shame that we in America see it as a challenge to wake up on Sunday mornings to make it to church and consider persecution as someone "talking bad about us." A real shame.

As someone who has worked with missionaries before, let me tell you it is not an easy task. But if you want to truly see the Holy Spirit move, spend a week or two with missionaries. You can find them through your congregations mission board or denominations main web page. They always need extra hands, and they will help you reach them.

In the Middle East, these people are being flogged and beaten for going to church...yet go any way.
They are executed for preaching Jesus to Muslims...yet preach any way.
Their children are forced to attend Madrasas...yet they "un-teach then any way.

Now friend, tell me...Jesus said we would be persecuted for serving Him if we were true servants...are you being persecuted?

Jesus said that the world would hate you because it hated Him first...Does the world hate you?

If you read in the book of Revelations, you will notice that a special place is prepared for those that lose their lives for the Gospel; the Bible calls them martyrs. They are in the presence of the throne of God at all times, and beg Him daily to take vengeance on those that persecuted them and to bless those that helped them.

Which category do you fit in? Made fun of Christians lately? Talked bad about the church down the street? Or do you bless them and support them.

It is not easy being a Christian in America; just look at the two presidential candidates who have suddenly "found Jesus" and the vice-presidential candidate that has been ostracized for attending a church that "speaks in tongues." So we either have a false relationship with Jesus or we are made fun of for truly believing in Him.

But that has no relation to being a Christian elsewhere. Those people in India and Thailand that are tied to a metal post and whipped until they are almost dead would surely trade places with you; they would have loved to be made fun of for believing...yet they continue believing, and you stay in bed so people don't see you going to church?

A real shame...