Picture if you can a young lady named “Mary” (not her real name). Her countenance radiates the presence of Christ. She has a sweet smile, an abiding joy, and a thick accent denoting that she originates from another country.
Some few years ago Mary experienced the most thrilling day of her life. She was miraculously and mercifully drawn to salvation through Jesus Christ. God repeats this same scene all over the globe every day. Even as I write this, somebody is being saved somewhere. Each salvation is a miracle story in and of itself.
Mary’s story really just begins there. See, Mary grew up in a Muslim country. When her father found out she had been converted to Christianity, he tried to kill her. I am not talking about killing figuratively. I am talking about literally. She had to run for her life.
Think about the horror of being greeted by murderous threats and actions from your father all in response to surrendering your life to Jesus Christ. Think about having no safe place to run. Ponder being in danger everywhere you turn. Paul knew what this felt like. [II Cor 11:26] “I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers from false brethren;”
Mary found herself running for her life. She fled from her father, her family, home, friends, and eventually from her town and country. She now resides in the United States all because she trusted Christ as her Savior. Mary has come to grips with the truth found in [II Tim 3:12], “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
We don’t know a great deal about the persecuted church here in the States. We take it for granted to attend church, to fellowship with other Christians, to have access to the Bible, and to openly and freely express our faith to other family members or friends without reservation. We are blessed and do not even realize this.
There are multitudes of believers serving Christ in other cultures who pay a high price for their faith. They live in constant danger and under constant threat of arrest or being killed for their relationship with Jesus. Families are ripped apart as husbands and wives are physically and violently separated. Houses are burned down. Fingernails are plucked out. Burning sticks are pressed against flesh leaving severe burns. Backs and legs are beaten mercilessly. Family members are shot, beheaded, and chased down like wild game. All of this as a result simply for being servants of Jesus Christ.
What do we know about this? We live and serve Christ casually, half- heartedly, and lukewarmly oblivious to the high cost to followers of Jesus around the world like Mary. How we need to remember the freedoms we have in Christ and our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world.
There are thousands upon thousands of persecuted believers around the world. How will God reward their faith? How honored is He when they stand in the midst of intense suffering for Him? In contrast, what does the Lord think when we waffle back and forth in our service? What does He feel when He sees our hypocrisy at worst and our inconsistency at best? Does He ever grieve when we go days on end without giving Him any time for private devotions? The words of Jesus haunt me, “To whom much is given much is required.” Surely this could be applied to the church of the United States.
FBC Seminole is blessed. We have God’s word first and foremost. We have adequate facilities. We have been blessed financially. God has assembled a great ministerial staff here. We have seen growth. What we have seen little of is persecution. The only persecution I have to endure is if someone gets upset because I preached too long or did not operate according to protocol in decision making. I have never been threatened with my life or for the safety of my family.
Mary spends her time now telling her story to those who will listen. She is working hard to establish “safe houses” in a neighboring country to her native land where believers, whether they be individuals or whole families, can find refuge from the persecution and persecutors.
Won’t you take some time to pray for Mary and others like her? Won’t you repent of the sinful attitude we have in our over self-indulgence in far too many churches in this nation.
It pains me that while I have spent so much of my time running to God and enjoying fellowship with Him and the love and support of this congregation, people like Mary have been running toward God and for their lives away from danger. I don’t know that I can help but I must be willing. At the least I can pray. At the most I can go putting myself in harms way as well. Lord, show me what to do.
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