It's time for that Friday feature again, only today, this one is going to be a pretty deep and heavy entry. Following through my Facebook and Twitter accounts, one thing jumped out at me in both of them. Several links and articles entered my feed about eight Christians in ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) who were crucified because they refused to renounce their faith in Jesus. While many of the specific details aren't fully known right now (such as if they were killed prior to crucifiction or not), it still speaks to the real persecution that happens in this world to those who bear the name of Jesus.
I do not, in any way, want to demean the sacrifice that these men made for their faith and their Savior, and so I'm not going to ask you the question on how you would respond in their place. Truly, I do believe that it is God who gives the strength to endure if persecution and death are the path that our faith leads us down, and it's not anything that we can know prior to actually facing it. God gives the strength and endurance as He sees fit, and as is needed. We simply cannot know that ahead of time.
However, when we hear news of events such as this, it probably should have an impact on us, and on how we talk with others about matters of our faith as we live our lives. When our brothers or sisters truly do die and meet their Savior, it often puts what we endure into a bit of a different perspective. It shows us that we may not be facing the ultimate brand of persecution. Yes, what we may face is still real, and still presents its challenges, and isn't to be taken lightly, but it also seems to pale in comparison to what many of our brothers and sisters in Jesus face.
So the question for today is, how will you respond when others ask you what you think or make of such a story as this? Are you going to simply write it off as something that happened in a strange country far away, treating it as though it has little impact on you? When they ask, how will your faith be demonstrated in what you say? That's the one of which I'm asking how you would respond.
I do not, in any way, want to demean the sacrifice that these men made for their faith and their Savior, and so I'm not going to ask you the question on how you would respond in their place. Truly, I do believe that it is God who gives the strength to endure if persecution and death are the path that our faith leads us down, and it's not anything that we can know prior to actually facing it. God gives the strength and endurance as He sees fit, and as is needed. We simply cannot know that ahead of time.
However, when we hear news of events such as this, it probably should have an impact on us, and on how we talk with others about matters of our faith as we live our lives. When our brothers or sisters truly do die and meet their Savior, it often puts what we endure into a bit of a different perspective. It shows us that we may not be facing the ultimate brand of persecution. Yes, what we may face is still real, and still presents its challenges, and isn't to be taken lightly, but it also seems to pale in comparison to what many of our brothers and sisters in Jesus face.
So the question for today is, how will you respond when others ask you what you think or make of such a story as this? Are you going to simply write it off as something that happened in a strange country far away, treating it as though it has little impact on you? When they ask, how will your faith be demonstrated in what you say? That's the one of which I'm asking how you would respond.
This is so hard. I agree with everything you wrote. I think I would respond "I am so sorry for what happened to these people. I pray they didn't suffer too much. I pray I would be as faithful and strong as they were in their situation. I pray for their loved ones. And I pray that GOD protects all Christians in all lands".
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