How precious is your Christianity to you? What do you consider it to be worth? In this country it's easy to say "I'm a Christian" and just go on waiting to be rewarded when your time for eternity comes. But how would you...how would we fare, if making that statement carried penalties? How many of us could stand up for God in the face of real persecution? Consider these. ...
Present Day Fact! ... An evangelical Christian pastor was assassinated last Friday near the town of San Juan Chamula in Mexico's troubled southern state of Chiapas, while on his way to a prayer service.
Worthy News ... Egypt Arrests 22 Muslim Converts to Christianity. - U.S. Copts Association received several phone calls from the families and friends of over 20 Egyptian Muslim converts to Christianity who have been detained by the Egyptian police since October 20th.
Worthy News ... • Christian Pastor, Lay Leaders Jailed for Subversion in Colombia. - Attorneys of the Association of Christian Lawyers in Colombia have assumed the defense of a pastor and several church lay leaders arrested by security forces near the city of Sincelejo and accused of terrorism.
Worthy News ... • Chinese Christian Xiao's wife notified of charges; Liu investigation ongoing. - Mrs. Gou Qinghui, wife of imprisoned house-church Christian Xiao Biguang, finally received official notification of her husband's arrest at 5 p.m. today. Chinese law states that the families of arrested persons will be notified within 24 hours of arrest; Xiao was arrested September 26.
Worthy News ... • Churches Around The World Observed Day Of Prayer on November 9 for the Persecuted Church. - Many times faith in Jesus results in the ultimate sacrifice - life.
Worthy News ... • One Chinese Christian released, two others face serious charges. - Mrs. Ding Guizhen, a house church Christian in Henan Province, China, was released last Saturday after 15 days of so-called Administrative Detention.
Present Day Fact! ... • Christian Village Suffers Midnight Attack in Indonesia. - Indonesian Christians who have lived in the village of Old Beteleme (Bethlehem), Central Sulawesi, since being displaced by a three-year wave of religious violence, suffered a night-time attack Friday that left two people dead, six missing and 38 houses destroyed.
Worthy News ... • Gospel for Asia broadcaster under house arrest. - Dhoniam, one of Gospel for Asia's radio producers, is under house arrest along with his young family. They are not allowed to contact anyone unless they deny their faith in Christ. This has greatly affected the production of GFA's radio broadcast in the Marwari language, which reaches a potential listening audience of 13 million people in India and Nepal.
Worthy News ... • Attempted Bombings, Assassination Target Indonesian Christians. - In recent weeks, unknown assailants have targeted Christian churches in Indonesia with attempted bombings and bomb threats.
Worthy News ... • Pastor in Vietnam Tortured 'Like Christ on the Cross' - Authorities in Vietnam's Kontum province have found a way to add cruel symbolism to their unwarranted persecution of Christians.
Present Day Fact! ... • More Evangelicals Arrested in Eritrea - Police in the Eritrean capital of Asmara continued the country-wide crackdown against independent Protestant congregations this month, arresting another 12 evangelicals on September 7 while they were meeting in a private house for prayer and worship.
Worthy News ... • Christian held by Egyptian police - Egyptian Christian Bolis Rezek-Allah was pulled off an international flight this afternoon in Cairo, Egypt, and is being held by Egyptian secret police. Rezek-Allah, who had been granted an immigrant visa to Canada, was on the plane to leave Egypt when police arrested him.
This list goes on and on, people. I don't know about you, but I am almost ashamed to call myself a Christian in the face of the sacrifice, torture and death that so many good Christians around the world are going through. They give up family and life and limb to be considered followers of Christ, and here I am, through some great mercy of God, in a land where I can acclaim my Christianity anywhere and anytime I like.
I tell you this: the time is coming that that kind of persecution will be in this land. How many of us will stand as those Christian brothers and sisters over there are standing now? It's time to realize just how precious the right to be called Christian is. If we can do nothing else at the moment, let us pray with all we're worth for all those who already know what it's worth.
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Precious Christianity
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