Just a Vapor

You don’t see that headline very often, and for good reason – it just doesn’t happen. However, Christians are persecuted all over the world simply for what they believe.

Christian churches are being ordered closed and those who are steadfast in the faith are losing homes, families and jobs as the cost of being Christian in Pakistan is rising, according to new reports from the Voice of the Martyrs and others. Even the death penalty soon could be a possibility.

The Voice of the Martyrs said, however, Christians are remaining faithful under the persecution, and are in need of prayer.

Relying on eyewitness accounts from 40 recent refugees who fled to South Korea via China, the commission says North Korea has created a reign of terror to crush any religious belief that might challenge the god-like authority of leader Kim Jong Il.

The mere possession of a Bible can bring a death sentence, while attending a secret underground church service can result in gruesome public executions.

One eyewitness told commission investigators he witnessed five Christian church leaders being executed by being run over by a steamroller in front of a crowd of spectators.

Hindus have confronted a group of Christian evangelists, forcing them into a nearby village temple to perform a ritual to “reconvert” them to the Hindu religion, according to a new report from the Voice of the Martyrs which is documenting some of the increasing persecution by Hindus around the world.

While this most recent physical attack was reported by VOM sources inside the Indian state of Orissa, other attacks – albeit verbal – also have reached into the United States.

WND recently reported that Hindus have been launching a series of attacks against Christian organizations dedicated to promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

A report from the Hindu American Foundation accused a long list of Christian organizations, including some providing aid in India, of promoting hatred.

I don’t write much about Christian persecution around the world, but I really should. We are hated and maligned around the world for the sake of Jesus Christ. If it isn’t the Muslims in Pakistan, it’s the Atheists in North Korea, or the Hindus in India. I have never heard a single story in recent history of anyone being harmed physically for their lack of faith in Christ. Atheists scream that they are persecuted in America, but they are given more freedom here than anywhere that their religion raigns supreme. Muslims build mosques all over the Western World, but forbid Churches from being built or expanded in their own home countries. Hindus are often viewed as quite peaceful people – despite their disregard for those in a lower status in their caste system – but are often just as violent as Muslims.

Christians, on the other hand, have been building hospitals in India. They have been providing food for the poor in the Horn of Africa. They have been adopting children from China. What’s the catch? Usually there isn’t one, but sometimes they ask that those they help listen to them share the Love and Gospel of Jesus Christ. No one is forced to convert. People still get help if they reject the Gospel.

Pray for the persecuted, and come quickly Lord Jesus!