Persecuted Christians Light Up the World
By J. Grant Swank Jr. (02/24/07)
Intercede for those tortured.
“Chinese police from Yongfeng township police station in Xiuwu county,
Henan province, raided a Christian meeting in a home in Chencun village.
Eleven Christians were arrested, two were released the next day and nine
remain in jail.
“Police broke into the house, arrested the Christians and interrogated
them at the police station. ‘The police proclaimed the gathering a cultic
and illegal activity,’ China Aid Association said,” per Stacy L. Harp of
Persecution.blog.
Elsewhere: “A North Korean evangelist has been executed for possessing and
distributing a Korean New Testament,” per World Bible Translation Center
at www.wbtc.com. “Persecution of Christians in North Korea is widespread
but few reports are available because of the oppressive situation in the
nation. Those who possess or distribute the Bible are subject to a minimum
sentence of thirteen years imprisonment and a maximum sentence of death.
“According to reports, the simple one-color cover of the New Testament had
become recognizable to the North Korean authorities. WBTC is working to
put the Scriptures into other formats in order to help protect those
putting their lives at risk to spread God's Word to the people of North
Korea.”
In Pavaloor, Kerala State, India on February 10, “a 58-year-old Christian,
S. Stanley was stabbed and killed by rioting youth in front of his house.
Voice of the Martyrs contacts report youths assembled in front of
Stanley’s house shouting blasphemous abuses against Christians.
"The attackers later climbed over the locked gate, entered the house and
stabbed Stanley several times on his back, neck and stomach. His wife was
also assaulted.
“’Where Stanley was martyred has traditionally been an area of India that
has less persecution. The fact that something like this is happening is
further evidence of the worsening climate for Christians in India,’ VOM
contacts working in India said.
“’The persecution in India has risen at an alarming rate, to the point
that it seems we get multiple stories of persecution each week in India. I
encourage American Christians to pray for India and for our brothers and
sisters who are witnessing for Christ there,’ added Todd Nettleton of The
Voice of the Martyrs.”
In the meantime, biblical believers in America are persecuted by
theological liberal apostates. An example is that Christian community
within the Episcopal Church. The unbelieving clergy and laity, especially
practicing homosexuals and their endorsers, have stolen the denomination
>from the biblically devout.
The same must be stated regarding biblical believers in the United
Methodist Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, United Church of
Christ, segments within the Mennonite community, and the Presbyterian
Church (USA). There are areas within Roman Catholicism where
pro-homosexual active parishioners undercut traditional Catholic morality.
Where the whole Bible is preached without compromise — salvation through
God Christ, heaven and hell as real, sanctification by the Holy Spirit,
the Bible as intact divine revelation, and personal accountability at the
Judgment Seat of Christ — apostasy has not been able to make headway.
Persecution therefore is practically nil within these Bible-adhering
congregations.
These believers then stand alongside the persecuted elsewhere around the
planet. Liberal church persons are too absorbed in their devilment to know
how to intercede or care about interceding for the tortured disciples
elsewhere.
In light of wrangling within Christendom, the martyrs’ light still shines
brightly. For instance, “Hua Huidi and his 76-year-old mother were
attacked and wounded by seven police officers while walking near a 2008
Olympic hotel site in Beijing, China,” per CAA.
“Hua, an active house-church member in Beijing, and his mother were kicked
on the ground and later taken to the Olympic Police Station for
questioning. When Hua asked the police to release his sick mother and
explain the legal ground for the detention, he was beaten repeatedly.
While the temperature in Beijing was in the 20s, cold water was poured on
him. He was later taken to a detention center.
“Hua’s family learned that he was sentenced to one month of criminal
detention.
"’Brother Hua is a faithful Christian seeking only to serve the Lord in
accordance with his conscience,” said Todd Nettleton of The Voice of the
Martyrs. ‘The Chinese government says they ensure freedom of religion, but
this case clearly shows the truth. We urge Chinese leaders in Beijing to
release our Christian brother immediately.’”
Considering such commitment to Christ’s cross, how will the
church-members-apostate ever stand a chance for saving their souls for
heaven’s sake? The latter obviously represented the satanic move
threatening genuine Christianity. The true disciples of this century are
those abiding alongside biblical truth — those persecuted and those
interceding for the persecuted.
“Shahzad and Saraj Bashir, 18 and 20 years old respectively, escaped
bondage and torture at the hands of their brick kiln owner. Shazad and
Saraj told a VOM worker in Pakistan, the brick kiln owner had kidnapped
them and kept them in a secret location where they were tortured and
beaten in an attempt to force them to convert from Christianity to Islam.
“’When Shahzad and Saraj refused to convert, the brick kiln owner took
them away. He put them in a small empty room with a mud floor without a
bed, chair or mattress. He kept them there for a month. He gave them food
once a day and beat them with a stick when they refused to convert back to
Islam. He also threw acid on their arms, but they remained true to their
Christ,” the VOM worker said.
“When Shahzad’s family started working on the kiln, they were paid between
200 to 300 rupees for one thousand bricks. After a month the owner stopped
paying them, but instead told Shahzad’s family they owed him 45,000 rupees
($744). ‘What angered the brick kiln owner more were the prayer meetings
conducted by Pastor Emmanuel. Christians attended the prayer meetings and
refused converting to Islam,”’ the worker added.
“Throughout Shahzad and Saraj’s captivity, they prayed daily and asked God
to rescue them and He did.
“’On November 15 when they discovered the door was open, they bowed before
God and thanked Him for the miracle and then escaped,’ the worker said.
The brothers ran for eight days, without food, until they reunited with
their family.
“The brothers are still fearful of the kiln owner and have moved from the
area close to the brick kiln. The owner is still looking for Shahzad and
Saraj to repay their debt.”
On another front, “the government in Burma (Myanmar) is trying to abolish
Christianity. An internal government document laid the foundation for
abolishing Christianity and that anyone caught evangelizing would be
arrested.
"The striking thing about this article was the spirit of Christians living
under these stringent conditions. They are strong, on fire for God and
they continue to spread the gospel.
“Just like other restricted nations, Burma gives the impression of freedom
of religion, but in practice, Christians are persecuted, churches are shut
down and the government restricts the number of Bibles imported. The
printing of Bibles and Christian literature is also restricted,” per
Mary-Sue Leigh.
“In the midst of the government crackdown, I was blessed to read about
believers who are evangelizing, even though it is against the law,
visiting Buddhist villages and sharing the love of Jesus.
"For these precious Christians, persecution is an unavoidable reality. A
Christian quoted in the article said, ‘We will press on despite the risk
of hostile crowds or government arrest, but God gives us strength deep
inside and boldness to move forward.’”
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