We often think of Christian martyrdom as something that ended during the Roman Empire. It did not. There are still martyrs for Jesus today. Please pray for Nadarkhani. Please pray that God will spare his life, and that God will use him to preach the gospel to Iranians and others. Easter is next week, and many of us will be busy with church and family. But let us remember Nadarkhani and all the other Christians around the world who face ostracism, imprisonment, torture, and death for their faith.
Thank you for the reminder, Leslie. I get caught up in what I consider my "trials and tribulations" but they are nothing compared with what people like Youcef have to face in other lands. The blood of martyrs always makes for fertile ground for others to come truly to Jesus. I'm praying with you on this. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Susan. I definitely need to be reminded that there are still martyrs in the world today. I routinely complain about the fact that Jill and I are having a hard time finding a church with good small groups! Yes, small groups are important, but I should probably thank God a lot more often for the fact that I can read the Bible whenever I like and that I can attend church and share my faith without fear of the local authorities. This truly is a great country in many respects.
ReplyDeleteThe poor church and the persecuted church were 2 out of the 7 that had nothing bad said about them in the 7 letters to 7 churches (Revelation chs 2-3) I would say martyrs fall under category of persecuted church, wouldn't you?
DeleteAbsolutely.
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