As Christians living in America, we don't have a whole lot to worry about. We have the freedom to believe in what we choose, and not live in constant worry of being hunted down and tortured for calling Jesus our savior. We have very little to fear as well. No fear of death for the sake of God. We don't even have to think about where our next meal is going to come from (except for whether we're going to have steak or chicken for dinner). According to the Voice of the Martyrs, the Bible is illegal in 52 countries (not including hostile nations). The persecution rate since Jesus' time has drastically increased; more people die for their faith in Jesus today than they did during apostolic times. In some Islamic countries, parents kill their children if they become Christians. Daily, Christians refuse to deny Jesus, and because of it they are brutally tortured and killed. I am proud to call those people my brothers and sisters in Christ.
However, I've been a bit concerned about the American church recently. When I look at the Christian population of America, I mostly see a lukewarm church. A church that doesn't really get what being a Christian is all about. I wonder how many people would continue to call Christ their savior if their lives were on the line. Sadly, my guess is not many would. Christianity has become watered down from what it used to be. More and more people just think that Christians are idiots because we don't know how to defend our faith (and we don't let God defend it for us), and since they don't see anything incredible happening (miracles), they conclude that the Christian faith isn't real because it isn't powerful.
This doesn't make sense. As Christians, we serve the most powerful Being of all time. He has the greatest love, mercy, patience, kindness, grace, wisdom, peace…the list goes on for eternity. The Holy Spirit (the God I just described only in spirit form) lives in US, and as a result His power should be shown through US. We should have a growing passion- a burning inside our hearts to follow and serve God. We should be prepared to die for His sake, and not have an ounce of fear about it in us. We should be the craziest, most on fire people in the world. When people see us, they should be blown away by our boldness and our hearts for God. We should be seen as different, set apart from the rest of the world.
Instead, the passion that we found at the beginning of our relationship has withered into apathy. Instead, we are a people full of fear for what will come tomorrow, how to pay for college and where to get a job rather than trusting God with everything. Instead, we are driven by worry and success (ie earning as much money as we can as quickly as possible). Instead, we are an indifferent, lukewarm church. Instead, non-Christians just see normal people living for the same things that everyone else is living for. Drinking, alcohol, premarital sex (a whopping 3% wait until marriage), gambling, addictions- they're just as common within the church as they are outside it. In fact, we indulge in the exact same things that the people of the world do- there's almost no difference from them to us except the fact that we paste a title on our Facebook pages that claims we believe in Christ. No wonder people don't buy our faith and opinions.
Essentially, something has gone wrong. Maybe we're not reading the Bible and interpreting it in a literal sense, because it says that the Lord will spit the lukewarm out of His mouth. Or perhaps we've lost faith and stopped trusting in God to give us the power not to fear, to love unconditionally, to be utterly devoted to Him, to trust and rely on Him. It's most likely something different for each one of us, but whatever it is, I hope we find it and let God fix it.
When people see Christians, I want them to know and experience the God of power. I want us to rely and trust in God alone. I want us to welcome judgment and persecution for Christ's sake. I want to see God's power bring us into one body so that we can be the hands and feet of Christ. My desire is to see change; a revival in our hearts that will change our lives and especially the lives around us. But nothing is going to happen if we don't make some drastic changes in the way we live our lives.
I'll be praying for you all this week!
Mya Grace
Check out the websites below. Try putting yourself in their shoes; they couldn't survive without trusting wholly in God for strength.
will you please give me your source for the Muslims that kill their christian children? I am a little skeptical...
ReplyDeleteSo, are you saying that we should just not worry about college or getting a job? we should let God find us our own job for us? I'm sorry, but there are some wordly things i don't think even the most devout Christian can blow off.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I find it hard to believe that with your life on the line you would choose to die for your faith than have your natural survival instincts kick in.
Anonymous 1: "Jesus Freaks: Martyrs" by DC Talk and the Voice of the Martyrs. It's full of hundreds of real life accounts. I recall reading one that had an account of that happening, but I could be mistaken. Regardless, I do know for a fact that many Muslim families will abandon the other member if he/she converts to Christianity, or even turn them into the government, which would lead to their execution or torture.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 2: I am not worried about college or getting a job. I trust that God will put me exactly where he wants me- whether that's living on the streets, serving Him in Africa, or making millions in a successful business. Worrying about money and education and health just imply that we don't trust God. However, there is a line between trusting God and being lazy. The hardships of this world don't really matter compared to the endless joy and rest that we will experience in Heaven. 2 Corinthians 4: 16-18 "That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever."
Anonymous #2 -
ReplyDeleteYou find it hard to believe. I don't blame you - after all, it seems incredible. But as I am sure you know, thousands and thousands of Christians have done exactly that. If you understand the idea behind Christianity and believe it, the oppositie becomes clear - I find it ludicrous to deny God as my lord for a little more time on this Earth, compared to what comes after.
Extremely well said.
ReplyDeleteRight so Christians are really persecuted the most... definitely not those in the Holocaust. Or other religions that are persecuted far more viscously. And of course Christians haven't killed those of other religions... *cough cough the Holy Crusades*...
ReplyDeleteWould you please point out to me where I said that Christians are persecuted the most? I don't believe I ever said that, and if I did, I definitely didn't mean to. Please try not to twist my words. I also never said that Christians didn't kill people of other religions. They most definitely have, but so have people in almost every religion out there. I'm not condoning it in the slightest. The Crusaders give Christianity a bad name, just as the Taliban gives Islam a bad name. The radical sects of religions do not define the majority of the followers.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all this was awesome Mya! A few comments. Check out history "Anonymous" and you will find out that you are correct, Christianity is not the most persecuted religion in history, it is the second most persecuted religion. The Jews have been persecuted the most. Question though, what other religions have been persecuted more than those two? None have even come close. Also, what in the world is "viscously"? Cough, cough. Earlier "Anonymous", ever hear of Honor Killings? Yes, parents have killed their children for becoming Christians. We don't hear about it a lot, because it doesn't happen very often here in the US. If anyone is interested though you can go to "Saving Rifqa Bary" on facebook. It is a case of a girl from Ohio who had to flee her Muslim family because her father said he would kill her if she did not turn back to Islam. This after friends of her brought her to the school counselor because her arms and legs were covered with bruises due to father and brother beating her on a regular basis. I have been following this case for about a year and a half now, if anyone wants some past articles about it, I can make copies for them! Very inspiring. Lastly to reply to another earlier Anonymous. I would gladly and without hesitation be persecuted and killed for my faith. I also know Mya and I can guarantee you she would as well.
ReplyDeleteProverbs 3:5-6
ReplyDeleteTrust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
this means that in any situation we should be able to trust him with any problem and when we are called to do something from him, we should be able to accept even if it means being persecuted, which I would gladly do to express my faith boldly.
Hey I'm agnostic, but I was born in an Islamic family. Like the first person who commented, I would also like it if you would provide the source to back up your claim that "in some Islamic countries, parents kill their children if the become Christian." This just seems ridiculous, because Jesus is mentioned in the Qur'an several times and Christians and Jews are generally respected by Muslims (they are all Abrahamic religions). At most, a family might be upset that their child abandoned their religion for another (similar to the feeling Christian parents would feel if their child converted to Islam), but killing seems way too extreme.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Arsalan
Arsalan,
ReplyDeleteIt IS extreme, and is difficult to believe. But there's a couple things about it. First, in many areas of the world, religion is the biggest topic of society and the topic around which most conflict revolves. I would venture to say that in terms of the major religions today, Islam probably has the most "extreme" followers. A large percentage of the Middle East is zealously Islamic and, until recently, or still, practices actions that distinguise them as so (the length of men's beards, women not being able to drive, women wearing veils, etc.) As I'm sure you know about your own heritage, Iran itself was very strict, under the administration following the downfall of the Shah. We've all read "Persepolis" in honors comm.
However, I don't believe that Mya was saying most Islamic parents would kill their child in such a scenario. The majority would certainly not, especially in as tolerant a country as America.
I get a chuckle when people ask for sources over the Internet (google being a few seconds away) but I would encourage you to explore the story of Fathima Rifqa Bary and "honor killing".
I agree completely with what Bradley is saying. There are tons of videos by Rifqa Bary on youtube (I also recently posted one of them as my status on facebook), but specifically, I was mentioning a story that I read in "Jesus Freaks: Martyrs" by DC Talk and The Voice of the Martyrs. I'd encourage you to read it to see how heavily persecuted Christians really are.
ReplyDelete- Mya (my mom's computer isn't letting me sign in...)
Bradley,
ReplyDeleteYes, I would agree that Islam probably has the highest percentage of extremist followers. And yes, I am aware that many Islamic countries in the Middle East are run by theocratic governments that enforce Islamic law (Iran included). I appreciate you saying that most Islamic parents would not kill their children in the given scenario. However, one insane parent who threatened to kill their child if he/she converted to Christianity is hardly a "persecution" of Christians. The way that particular sentence was written made it seem as though this was a common or significant occurrence in Islamic countries, which is simply not true. I know that this was not the intention, but I just wanted to point this out because someone may take it the wrong way (and there enough misconceptions about Islam already).
BTW, in regards to the example you gave, there was no evidence found that suggested that the parents threatened there child.
Arsalan
I'm sure I don't have to say this, but let's all just make sure we understand that "highest percentage of extremists" DOES NOT MEAN that a majority of Muslims are extremists.
ReplyDeleteGood point Arsalan. DEAR AUTHORS OF THIS BLOG: Please try to refine your diction, and write cautiously on these issues please. I'm not saying to restrict yourself or your thoughts, I want to hear all of that. I'm just saying that you need to be careful how you phrase things, because minor alterations from your intended meaning can significantly morph how we interpret you. Edit more before you post to avoid these cases.
I'm still a little bitter after the homosexuality post, for example, but I've been told multiple times that you simply phrased things badly and did not mean it the way we interpreted. Avoid such instances, and make sure it does not happen again.
ALSO: Arsalan, and others who use the Anonymous feature, but reveal their name: When choosing your "comment as", right above "anonymous" is "name/url". Please use that, type in your name, and then leave the url field blank. Then rather than appearing as anonymous, you appear as Arsalan or whoever right away. Just makes it easier.
Thanks
Arsalan,
ReplyDeleteThere are actually hundreds of cases out there, Rifqa was one who was brave enough to actually act on her experience despite her fear of being killed. Since when are eye witnesses not a form of proof? I highly doubt that a teenage girl would run around accusing her parents of threatening to kill her if something hadn't happened to induce it first. She also has a brother, who she said on a youtube video would back up her case. And, although it wasn't my direct aim to say that honor killings specifically are a common occurence in Islamic countries, I would argue that they are more common than most think. Actually, I just found a statistic by the UNFPA that says an estimated 5000 women and children are killed per year because they have brought dishonor to their family in some way or another.
i. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor_killing
ii. http://search.unfpa.org/search?q=honor+killings+5000&access=p&entqr=0&getfields=*&output=xml_no_dtd&sort=date%3AD%3AS%3Ad1&client=default_frontend&ud=1&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF-8&proxystylesheet=unfpa&site=default_collection
p. 29 in "Lives together, worlds apart." (2000)
I don't know where else to post this, but I just recently read "Love Wins" by Rob Bell, and I think it would be interesting to read your response(s) to him.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I like his views, haha.
that's so weird because I was just planning on reading that book!
ReplyDelete