Persecuted for Christ

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, “A slave is not greater than his master” If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me” (John 15:18-21).

Christians accept the fact that they may be persecuted because of their faith. When persecution is described in America, thoughts of people insulting Christian beliefs, not being able to speak about faith in the workplace, or other inconveniences that tend to be viewed as life altering events. In reality, these “hardships” are light in comparison to what other Christians face throughout the world on a daily basis. Many Christians face imprisonment, torture, and death from nations throughout the world. The persecution of Christians always has and always will be a fact of life as a Christian. Through faith in God and forgiveness, Christians persevere through the hardest of times and grow closer to God.

It can be dangerous to be a Christian in many countries around the world because of the penalty of deviants of religious norms of that country. Many Muslim nations “say” they will protect the rights of religious freedom, but Christians are still persecuted by the government, regardless of the laws that have been put in place. Christians are continuously discriminated against and harassed by citizens and government officials. The same law that “protects” Christians has also been turned around to penalize Christians who are practicing within their country .

When many of these nations claim to encourage and support religious diversity, they often do so under a false image. When a mob of about ten thousand Muslim youth raided and burned three Christian towns located in the Nile Delta northeast of Cairo in 1996, the Egyptian government “helped” by giving each family received a single blanket and the equivalent of $7 for compensation for their losses. The local government has failed to stop further attacks.

Christians who are captured are pressured to reject their faith and adopt the beliefs of the their persecutors. Commonly, Muslims offer money to Christians if they convert to Islam. Reports from Sudan show that Christians are frequently offered food, money, cars, and free travel in exchange for their rejection of their faith in Christ. In the rare cases where Christians denounce their faith, these rewards are almost never received. Not only do the Christians who buckle under the pressure have to deal with the grief of denying their faith, but they also do not receive the promised rewards.

When the method of offering material things fails to deliver the desired results, captors resort to methods of intimidation and force. Examples of this are seen in Egypt where Christians are kidnapped off of the street, and women are raped until they convert to Islam. When the families of these victims confront the Egyptian police, they are simply told to, “forget about their daughters and not to try to get them back” .

The fear that is instilled in people has a long lasting effect. Many practicing Christians in Iraq have stopped going to church out of fear of being attacked by extremist Muslim groups ). Car bombs that targeted five churches in Baghdad resulted in the death of dozens of Christians attending worship . The one place that Christians go to most for comfort and security has become a place to be feared. Despite these fears and dangers, thousands of worshipers still attend church on a daily basis. By showing their steadfast faith through even the hardest of times, Christians can combat their persecutors and witness to others.

The growth of the Church in the presence of great persecution is an amazing testament to the Christian faith. In Laos, it is illegal to evangelize, train pastors, plant churches, or distribute Bibles. Civil servants who are Christian have been fired from their jobs, denied from new jobs, and are rejected from colleges. Despite the social and economic inequalities that are legitimized by the government, the Christian population in Laos continues to grow. Before the Communists took over Laos in 1975, the country had a Christian population of about 15,000 people. Today, this number has been estimated to be between 36,000 and 72,000 people. Michael Fischer states that “efforts of the government to restrict and divide the church may eventually result in increased church growth.”

Christians will know through the Scriptures that Christ will always be with them. The Bible says that Christians will be persecuted just as Christ was. If Christians were of the world, the world would love them, but because Christians are not of this world, the world does not love them. It also tells us that nothing in this world can separate us from the love of Christ.

“Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35-39).

The most difficult part of persecution is not being isolated, captured, tortured, or murdered, but is forgiving persecutors. Forgiving those who have persecuted Christians may be the hardest thing to do, but it reflects the love of Christ, and is a portrayal of how all Christians should be. This part goes against all human instincts and urges, and requires a heart of grace and love.

Corrie ten Boom was a woman persecuted in Holland by Nazis. She was tortured in a concentration camp, and she watched as her entire family was murdered. Years later, she encountered one of the guards that had tortured her at a church service. He had recently become a Christian. When she approached this man and told him who she was, his reply was, “will you forgive me?” It took all of her strength to even move.

As she prayed for wisdom and strength to do what she knew what was right, she stared at the ex-guard’s hand extended in her direction. When she finally gathered the strength to shake his hand, an amazing feeling spread over her body. As tears filled her eyes, she cried, “I forgive you… with all my heart!” She had never known God’s love so intensely as she did then” .

Jesus said, “Forgive them for they know not of what they do.” The Bible commands us to forgive those who persecute us, even though the words “I forgive you” may be the most difficult three words to say . Despite rising awareness, persecution is becoming, “progressively worse, not better”. There are more Christian martyrs in the 21st century than in all other centuries combined .

When five Christians were burned at the steak because of their beliefs, they used their last living moments as a great witness to their persecutors. They faithfully sang psalms to Christ, even as the flames rose above their heads. Witnesses surrounding the blaze wept over their amazing testament.

Jesus hung on a cross and died at the hands of those He came to save. He made the ultimate sacrifice for humanity, and did not waiver through His last moments. Christians should have the same attitude that Christ demonstrated while on Earth, being humble in all circumstances, showing grace, forgiveness, and love, even when this may be the hardest thing to do.