There are still places in this world where Christians are killed simply for being Christians. They wake up every day knowing they might die today. "There are more Christian martyrs today than there were in 100AD- the days of the Roman Empire. According to a study done at Regent University, there were close to 156,000 Christians martyred around the world in 1998. An estimated 164,000 will be martyred in 1999."-Jesus Freaks Stories of Those Who Stood for Jesus: The Ultimate Jesus Freaks- written by dc Talk and The Voice of the Martyrs copyright 1999.
A Christian prisoner in Cuba was asked to sign a statement containing charges
against fellow Christians that would lead to their arrest. He said, "The chain keeps me from signing this."
The Communist officer protested, "But you are not in chains!"
"I am," said the Christian, "I am bound by the chain of witnesses who throughout the centuries gave their lives for Jesus Christ. I am a link in this chain. I will not break it."
-- Richard Wurmbrand In the Face of Surrender: Over 200 Challenging and Inspiring Stories of Overcomers copyright 1998.
Hebrews 12:1 says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perserverance the race marked out for us."
Sometimes it can be lonely being a Christian. We are often ostracized by our
community because we choose not to participate in certain things. We may also be ostracized by our peer group simply because we aren’t exactly like them. Take for instace the guy at the office who doesn’t want to go to the neighborhood bar after work. He prefers to go home to his wife and family. His buddies at work call him “whipped”or “on a short leash.” They make snide comments about his wife and about him. Or the teenager who doesn’t go out drinking and carousing with the other kids on Saturday night. She chooses instead to attend a Bible study or just stay home and spend time with her family. Her friends call her a prude and treat her like an outcast. It takes courage to stand up and be set apart in the name of Christ. But take heart gentle souls, we are not alone. Paul reminds us that there are millions who have gone before us, even to the point of death.
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