According to this CatholicCulture.org article, "Afghan authorities have detained over 20 of the nation’s Christians after Abdul Sattar Khawasi, a deputy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s National Assembly, called for the execution of converts to Christianity".How horrifying. Yet, we Christians should not be surprised by this. Jesus himself warned us that days such as these would come:
Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ', and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.
"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Matthew 24: 4-14
How, then, should we respond? First, if you are enjoying the blessing of being able to practice the faith of your choosing in peace and free from fear, lift up your hearts in thanksgiving. Take every possible opportunity to strengthen your faith, for tomorrow things may change. And while you enjoy this freedom, lift up your heart in prayer for those who cannot:
Please pray for Christians around the world who face persecution for their faith.
Pray that all nations will allow its citizens to worship in freedom.
Pray for God's protection for those striving to be faithful to Him.
Ask our Lord to grant them - and all of us - courage to face the days ahead.
Pray for the families of those who are suffering.
And pray for our Church, that each of us who is part of the Body of Christ will be able to "stand firm to the end".
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I do believe the birth pains are upon us. Thank for this reminder to prepare. I think we may face persecution in the future. I'm trying to memorize as much scripture as I can so I can carry it with me no matter what happens.
ReplyDeleteWe may need to go underground again; fortunately the church does not consist of our buildings, although the loss of the Vatican and its treasures will be terrible.
ReplyDeleteDave