Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

persecution

Suicide Mission

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There are places in the world today where following Jesus is basically a suicide mission. To follow Christ may mean losing your job, your home, and your children. It is not uncommon for families to react violently when one of their own gives their life to Jesus. Every day I read stories of new believers who are beaten and thrown out of their homes because of their decision to give their lives to Jesus.

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In many cultures, the family is the center of all things, and to leave the family religion brings great disgrace not only on the one leaving but on the ones they leave behind. It takes great faith and courage to follow Jesus in many countries. As their brothers and sisters in Christ, it is essential we lift these people in prayer every day.

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Willing to Die

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Are you willing to die for your faith? Have you ever even considered it? Would you hold fast to Jesus if someone had a knife to your throat demanding you choose to deny Christ or die? While it seems like an extreme scenario to many of us, thousands (perhaps millions) of believers live with this as their reality every day. Recently I learned before you can become a member of the church in Iran, you must sign a paper agreeing to lose your property, be thrown in jail, and die for your faith.

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Photo by Melanie Wasser on Unsplash

If that sounds radical, consider the Church in Iran is one of the fastest growing evangelical communities in the world. The Church is expanding because they are willing to die. Contrast this with the Western church which is shrinking perhaps more than any other reason because we are not willing to die.

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All Crown, No Cross

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Regular readers know I love the teachings of A.W. Tozer. I love the way he pulled no punches and possessed deep insight into the character of God. It’s uncanny how often his writing seems so relevant for today, but in truth was mostly written fifty or more years ago. Here’s something from him which I read recently: “There is something better than being comfortable, and the followers of Christ ought to find it out-the poor, soft, overstuffed Christians of our time ought to find it out!

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image © Elina Leonova via Fotolia

There is something better than being comfortable! We… have forgotten altogether that there is such a thing as discipline and suffering.” Along the same lines, he also wrote,” We do not want the cross. We are more interested in the crown.” To put it in simple terms, one could say Christians are “all crown, no cross”.

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Remember the Persecuted

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This is a topic I revisit every so often, but probably not often enough. We need to remember the persecuted around the world. Every day while we enjoy the comforts and freedom of our lives, our brothers and sisters in Christ are facing unspeakable torture and persecution. Throughout the New Testament, Paul urged all believers to be united as one (Ephesians 4:1-16). Jesus prayed His followers would be as close as He and His Father are (John 17:21).

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image © cunaplus via Fotolia

To be united, to stand as one, we must continuously pray for and identify with our fellow believers around the world. Allow me to throw down a challenge to you in the form of a question: how much time are you spending in prayer for our brothers and sisters in chains?

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A Day of Gratitude

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Gratitude,Thanksgiving,persecution,Matthew 8:20,Mark 13:12-13,John 16:33,discouragement,selfishnessimage © Marek – Fotolia

There is no better cure for discouragement than gratitude. We often become so consumed with our personal problems that we lose sight of all the blessings in our life. Taking the time to reflect on all that we have can be a remarkably healing and refreshing exercise. Remembering what God has done for us empowers us to face the next challenge. We who profess to be followers of Jesus have no excuse to feel hopeless and unworthy. The Creator of the entire universe and everything in it – including you – sacrificed His own life to prove how important you are to Him. He created you, and He died for you. If you can think of nothing else for which you are grateful, then just start with those two facts!

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