Persecution
Acts 21:27-36
Key
Verse:
“The
whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all
directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and
immediately the gates were shut (Acts 21:30).”
At
times Christians want to connect to Paul's persecution by seeing the
hardships we face as persecution. The first time I realized this, I
was in my 20s. The Church was a multicultural church. The Sunday
school class included Anglo, African American, Hispanic, and
Cambodian people. A man stood up and began to talk about how
persecuted Christians are here in the US. There in the pew behind him
was a Cambodian man who watched as his wife and children were killed
for their faith, having himself barely escaping Cambodia with his own
life. There has never been a point in my life during which I have
feared for my life because I believed in Jesus. Persecution is real.
People are imprisoned, tortured and killed because they believe in
Jesus Christ. Christians all over the world suffer for their faith.
But to say that the inconveniences we experience here in the US is
persecution, minimizes the experience of Christians who are being
persecuted. Instead of connecting with Paul's persecutions by
claiming to be so ourselves, we should spend time praying for
Christians around the world whose lives are daily in danger because
of their belief in Jesus Christ.
Prayer:
Lord,
God, there are people who are at this moment in prison for their
faith, there are Christians who keep their Bible hidden and who
worship in secret for fear of retribution if the wrong person
discovered their faith. Do not let their belief in you falter because
of the danger and the fear, instead let their faith remain strong.
Lord Jesus, keep these people safe, blind the eyes of officials who
are searching for them. Surround them and their families with a hedge
of protection. Give them your strength and your peace in the midst of
it all. Amen
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