They hate you because of me - Knowing Christ, following after Him, enjoying an intimate relationship with Him will mean that there will be suffering of some kind in our life. Not because God enjoys putting us through suffering, not because our Father is some sadist, but because the world in which we live and the ruler of this world will recognize Christ's consciousness in us and seek to harm us out of hatred for Christ.
That suffering will take many forms. Some will be derided for their faith. Others will be tortured. Others will be murdered. But one fact remains. God is sufficient in all and will bring good out of evil. Our righteous and holy Father will use it in our lives and make us more like His son, Jesus Christ.
It's easy to forget about the struggles our brothers and sisters face in lands not as free as here in the United States. Of late I've had to step back from it to a degree as you may have noticed if you have been a reader here for some time. The reason is a bit of burnout and frustration at seeing it all happen and not being able to do much of anything.
But today I was reminded of what the cost really is and how important prayer is for our fellow brothers and sisters.
Stacy Harp, of The Right View, has an incredible interview that you must take the time to listen to.
It's with Kevin Turner, a man who has been called the Christian version of Indiana Jones. The ministry the Lord has given him is to the persecuted and lost in dangerous areas of the world. His organization is, SWI: Strategic World Impact.
SWI has ongoing operations in Eritrea/NE Sudan, Pakistan/Afghanistan, and Thailand/Burma. We are committed to an evangelical response in these areas pertaining to relief, medical aid, community health, and physical needs, but our primary goal is to minister to the spiritual needs of people by planting churches where none exist.
Please take the time to listen to this man. You will hear Christ.
On that note, here are a number of items in the news on the web about recent Christian persecution:
AsiaNews reports on the arrest of a bishop in China:
On 11 September, a unit of around 30 policemen scaled the wall of the parish where Mgr Wu Qinjing lives. They took him away without charging him with anything, after mistreating an 80-year-old priest and some sisters. The bishop from the official church had been ordained by Mgr Li Duan without government permission.
The Christian Monitor reports on two incidents in India:
Two places in Madhya Pradesh, both close to each other but in different districts saw violence against the Christian community by members of the Jagran Dharma Seva, a Hindu Fundamentalist Group. The attacks took place when prayer meetings were going on.
WorldNet Daily reports on persecution here in the states:
A military jury today convicted a Navy chaplain of a misdemeanor count of disobeying his commanding officer for wearing his uniform while delivering a prayer "in Jesus' name" at an assembly in front of the White House.
And here is another item from WorldNet Daily which details a pattern of persecution upon pastors in another region of India.
Christian pastors in India's "beautiful country" district in Karnataka state, where the government website highlights a native dance as a "common form of worship," are facing an apparently organized pattern of arrest, destruction of property and beatings for their faith.
The Great Separation continues.
For further information on Christian persecution around the globe the Persecution Blog is a good source.
