A Sober Pause
This past week gave many of us a sober pause. A gunman entered a writing class (why that class?) at a junior college in Oregon to gun down several people. But, before he killed some by shooting them in the back of the head (execution style?) he asked them to identify their religion. The Christians present in that situation went home to heaven that day to see Jesus face to face.
Past Stories
All my life, I have heard of stories like this coming out of other countries – like old Rome, China, or Russia, or somewhere in the Middle East or other. We have all heard stories about a group of Christians gathered in a home to worship when a loud bang on the door commanded:
“OPEN UP!”
They did to find a couple of soldiers with guns.
You have probably heard such tales, too. And other stories, like Christians killed by lions in Rome, or burning at the stakes, going to death camps (with Jewish brethren during WWII), enduring terrible conditions in prisons during our time, and countless other forms of torture and death.
But it all happened somewhere else.
Are We Ready?
We’ve heard for some time that persecution is coming to the United States. I think we can know now that it is not coming. It’s arrived.
Nowadays, we are witnesses to Christians losing their rights, losing their jobs, going to jail, and now losing their lives – right here and present day, in our country – the land of the free and the brave.
Are we prepared? Are we ready? We’ve heard the preachers warn us for years. It’s here.
Our Savior promises to be with us. All the time, no matter what. This is our comfort, our confidence and our courage.
Future
Should such a time as Oregon come for me, I do hope that I exercise the freedom our Constitution guarantees us and act bravely to stand strong for my Savior, too, as those valiant Oregon Americans have done. How about you?
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” II Timothy 3:12.
“Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching” II Timothy 4:2.
Great article!