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The Persecuted Church
Persecution comes in many forms and shapes throughout the world, from being ridiculed in a public school in the United States for saying a prayer over lunch, to being stoned to death on the streets of a village in India for handing out simple gospel tracts. Those who have the courage and dedication to take a stand for their faith in Jesus Christ will suffer. The Bible says, "all those who desire to live godly shall suffer." In the United States we do not know much of that suffering. There are isolated cases here and there where Christians have been physically abused or arrested for their stand, but the majority of the persecution here is limited to ridicule and denial of rights.
This however, is far from the case in regions such as Asia, the Middle East,
and Northern Africa. These regions consist of many religions such as Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Animism. Within each of these regions are multiple
other religious groups. In these parts of the world Christians are routinely
beaten, tortured, and murdered for their witness of Jesus Christ. It is not
uncommon for the Christian who is arrested to come home mentally and
physically abused only to find everything they possessed either destroyed or
confiscated, and their house vandalized if not burned to the ground.
On top of all this, once such a person has been "marked" by their government they are known as an enemy to the state, and as such are open prey to continued harassment as well as deprivation of a livelihood.
"When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice saying, 'how long, O Lord, Holy and True, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?' Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed." Revelation 6:9-11
You can vindicate the blood of the martyrs!
The way to vindicate the blood of the martyrs is not through retaliation and
violence. It is to see that the cause for which they shed their blood and
tears is continued and brought to fruition. You can pray for native missionaries
in these persecuted lands, you can write to them and encourage them, and you
can support them with your finances. All of these will help the cause of
Christ for which they willingly suffer to carry on and bring forth the fruit
of the travail of their souls, and of the Lamb of God Himself.