Most of us read the story of the 21 Egyptian Christians abducted in Libya. An Islamic State video showed about 12 of them beheaded, and almost certainly all were killed.
We’re not surprised.
- Jesus told us to wait for persecution.
- Teaching his disciples that the unbelievers would hate us as they did (John 15:18-20).
Jesus predicted that some of them would kill us, thinking they were offering a service to God (John 16:2).
Although most of us will not lose our lives in the name of Christ, we should not be surprised if this happens. We must all be ready to give our lives for Christ. “If someone comes to me and doesn’t hate their father, their mother, their wife, their children, their brothers and sisters, and even their own life, can’t they be my disciple?(Luke 14:26).
We are more than winners
Jesus calls us to be faithful to death to receive the crown of life (Revelation 2. 10).
Jesus also calls us to rejoice when we are persecuted, for it is a great honor to die for our Lord and Savior, and our reward will far exceed our sufferings (Matthew 5:10-12; Acts 5:41). We may be frightened and frightened by such a possibility, concerned that we do not have the strength to suffer and do not have the strength in ourselves, but God promises to be with us in fire and water (Isaiah 43:2), and promises to give us the grace to endure the hardest. “God can make you abound in all grace, so that, always having, in all, great presumption, abound in all good deeds?(2 Corinthians 9: 8).
By dying in the name of Christ, by not loving our own life even through death, we are not losers, but winners; we are not defeated by evil. On the contrary, are we more than winners? (Romans 8. 37; Revelation 12. 11) Those who are killed in the name of Christ are resurrected and reign with Jesus Christ (Revelation 20. 4).
We cry with those who cry
Paul says, “Is living Christ, and dying a gain?(Philippians 1:21). However, the problem is not simplistic and life is not easy. We mourn with those who do (Romans 12. 15). Paul said that if Epaphrodite had died, would he have felt sadness for sadness?(Philippians 2:27) Sadness fills the hearts of those who remain.
We pray for our enemies and also for our suffering brothers and sisters.
We need a special grace to pray for the salvation of those who have done it wrong.
We also pray for our brothers and sisters who suffer throughout the world; We ask Allaah to grant you joy, strength, and perseverance to endure to the end.
We pray that God will protect you and support your church
We pray for God’s righteous judgment
At the same time, like the martyrs under the altar of Revelation 6: 9-11, we cry out to ourselves: “How long, Sovereign Lord? When are you going to act righteously towards this world? When are you going to justify your saints and judge the wicked by your great name?
The day of judgment is approaching, the day when everything will adjust. In the meantime, God calls many more to be his children, even among those who persecute us. We praise God both for his saving love and for his righteous judgment, and we pray, “See, Lord Jesus?(Revelation 22:20).
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The killers claimed the atrocity was “a message signed in blood to the nation of the cross. ” We created the Facebook cover below to declare on social media our faith in Him, who was faithful until death and death on the cross.
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