Witnesses of Christ

Mark 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
Romans 10:15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”
Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
In Laos, a pastor and elders of a house church were arrested, imprisoned and tortured for celebrating a Christmas service. Persecution of believers in Christ in Laos, as well as in many other countries like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Russia and Iran is ruthless and implacable. In these countries, the church of Christ is, for the most part, an underground church. It is underground for the most part because, as oppressive as these countries are when it comes to belief in Christ, the true way of salvation, the faithful carry on with God’s commandment to be a public witness of Christ the Savior, and to preach the gospel to as many people as possible whenever the opportunity arises.
Last year in Laos, it is estimated that 900 people came to faith in Christ. These new believers were baptized as the public sign of their new birth in Christ and their confession, the baptisms being done in the presence of the congregation of the saints. Yet, before a confessing Christian can be baptized, he or she must fill the following conditions:
1. He or she must be aware of, and accept the fact that, they could loose their job for their confession of faith.
2. He or she must be aware of, and accept the fact that, their children will not receive an education because of their witness for Christ.
3. He or she must be aware of, and accept the fact that, very likely, they will be imprisoned for their allegiance to Christ.
If the believer is willing to risk his or her own job, housing, social standing, his or her own family, all the way to his or her own life, then they are welcome and baptized into the family of the faithful, into the household of God.
This is the power of God, residing in ordinary people who confess their sin and Christ as their Savior, who confess that they need a Savior in order to be reconciled to God, and that without forgiveness of sin and salvation from eternal damnation, there is no hope whatsoever. Here is the power of God, expressed and manifested in so many ordinary people, so many of them humble, so many of them not very educated, who receive the Spirit of God and so are enabled to deny themselves, take up their cross and follow the Christ no matter the cost. Here is the power of God, being understood by these ordinary people in Laos and so many other places that their lives are not their own, that the reason for their existence is not for them to do what they want, have what they want and live in material comfort and convenience. The power of God in them compels them to proclaim Him who redeemed them, who Himself gave His own life and blood for them, so that they may be called sons and daughters of God. The power of God in them rises above fear and defies the authorities that seek to silence the witness of Christ, these brothers and sisters knowing that, in God, they possess everything that is far, far better than anything this sinful world can ever offer. They glorify God as they publicly confess and reflect Christ, as they are rounded up at their house churches while in sacred worship and taken away, as they are thrown into filthy prison cells, tortured and executed, for they fully understand that, even as their blood is spilled and their life extinguished from this world, the witness of Christ shall never pass away, for it is written: “Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but my Word shall never pass away.” Believers in Christ in Laos and so many other perilous places witness in their lives and in their deaths, for it is written: “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.”
Oh, here in America, we are so soft and flabby, comfortable in our air conditioned church buildings with state of the art video and audio systems, while in countries without freedom, the saints offer to the LORD their own homes as places of worship for the congregation, a true sacrifice to God, given the risk this entails. We neglect the reading of our precious Bible, let alone the study of it, while in other countries the mere possession of a Bible carries with it the death penalty. We do not bother to tell others of the good news of forgiveness and salvation because we do not really consider this to be that important, and we figure that somebody else can do that, while in countries were the government has tried to put a muzzle on the truth, believers open their mouths for the confession of the faith and the witness to Christ, fully understanding the great and eternal importance and implications of doing so. Because of the freedoms enjoyed in America, we have a demanding, even an angry, attitude, concerning what we consider our absolute right to worship and share the gospel with unbelievers, while in countries where followers of Christ are beaten and abused, the gospel of salvation is spread in humility and in submission to the absolute sovereignty of God the creator, whose invincible power is manifested as He touches the heart of a person and transforms him or her from a dead spirit to an eternally living spirit in Christ, where God dwells. See how the power of God provides for His saints in these opressive countries. In the midst of dictatorship, imprisonment, torture and death, the saints gather and worship, baptize and proclaim the gospel to all.
There is no doubt that the true faith of Christ is under attack in America. These are darkening times for the true believers, while the false churches remain unmolested, for they simply tow the politically correct line.
The future belongs to the LORD. Every true believer in America asks himself or herself the question, “If the time ever came in this country, would I be like those believers in China, Egypt, Laos and other places?” We can only pray our loving Father that we would be, that we would be willing to give up everything, even our lives, for Christ, who gave absolutely everything for us. In the meantime, to my brothers and sisters in Christ I say, Let us all keep on keeping on. Let us persevere in the service of the King, reflecting Him in the way we live and preaching the gospel, the good news of salvation, with all gentleness, wisdom and humility, as the power of God touches lives, transforms minds and grants eternal life to those He wills. Let us engage in much prayer, much praise and adoration, and petitions for those precious and beloved brothers and sisters who face all manner of terrors and death for the sake of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May our LORD Almighty continue to guide us and instruct us, to pour His power and His blessing on us for patience, courage, faithfulness and perseverance, in the name and for the sake of Jesus I pray, Amen.
Zoraida

Posted: