30 Ways Christians are Persecuted

 Often, we feel as though we are faced with the world's problems and we wonder why God would cause us to "suffer". Please do read the following article and compare whether you are REALLY suffering.


Let me give you a little abridgment of the sufferings of some of the early Christians, “of whom the world was not worthy.”

1. In the reign of Hadrian the emperor, there were ten thousand Christians crowned with a crowns of thorns, thrust into the sides with sharp lances, and then crucified.
2. Others were so whipped, that their entrails were seen, and afterwards they were thrown upon sharp shells, and then upon sharp nails and thorns. And after all this cruelty, they were thrown to wild beasts to be devoured.
3. Multitudes were banished.
4. Others were pulled apart with wild horses.
5. Some were beaten and racked with bars of iron.
6. Others were cast into loathsome dungeons.
7. Some were burnt in the fire.
8. Others were knocked down and had their brains beaten out with staves and clubs.
9. Some were pricked in their faces and eyes with sharp reeds.
10. Others were stoned to death with stones, as Stephen was.
11. Some were dashed in pieces against millstones.
12. Others had their teeth dashed out of their jaws, and their joints broken.
13. Some were cast down from very high places.
14. Others were beheaded.
15. Some were tormented with razors.
16. Others were slain with the sword.
17. Some were run through with pikes.
18. Others were driven into the wilderness, where they wandered up and down, suffering hunger and cold, and where they were exposed to the fury both of wild beasts, and also to the rage of the barbarous Arabians.
19. Some fled into caves, which their persecutors crammed up with stones, and there they died.
20. Others were trodden to death by the people.
21. Some were hanged on gibbets with a slow fire under them.
22. Others were cast into the sea and drowned.
23. Some were slain by being thrown in mines.
24. Others were hanged by the feet, and choked with the smoke of a small fire, their legs being first broken.
25. Some were covered with oil, and then roasted with a soft fire.
26. Others were hung by one hand, that they might feel the weight of their whole bodies scorching and broiling over burning coals.
27. Some were shot through with arrows, and afterwards thrown into stinking prisons.
28. Others were stripped stark naked, and thrown out in cold, frosty nights; and burnt the next day.
29. In Syria, a company of Christian virgins were stripped stark naked to be scorned by the multitude, then shaved, and then torn in pieces and devoured by beasts.
30. Lastly, many women had the joints of their bodies pulled from another, and their flesh and sides clawed with talons of wild beasts to the bones, and their breasts seared with torches until they died.
And thus you have an account of thirty different ways by which the precious sons and daughters of God have formerly been afflicted, tormented, and destroyed! What heart of stone can read over this list with dry eyes? And now tell me, sirs, whether your sufferings are worth a naming in that day, wherein the sufferings of the precious servants of God in the primitive times are spoken of? Oh, no! Well then, take heed of making molehills mountains, and of crying out, “Is there any sorrow compared to my sorrow; or any sufferings compared to my sufferings?”

by Thomas Brooks (independentbaptist.com)

Day 16: What Matters Most

I Corinthians 13:3 –

“And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.”

I John 1:6 –

“And this is love; that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from beginning, ye should walk in it.”

Life is all about love. Because God is love, to love is the most important lesson in life because through love, we become more like Christ. That is why love is the foundation of God’s commandments. Learning to love unselfishly is not an easy task. It contradicts with our self-centered nature; that is why we are given our whole life-time to learn it.

God wants us to love everyone, but He is more particular about us learning how to love the ones in His family. This because God wants His family to be known for its love more than anything else; love cannot be learned in isolation. It is learned through close fellowship with other believers to develop the skill of loving. You have to be around people – irritating, imperfect, frustrating people. Through fellowship we learn three important truths.

The best use of love

As a Christian, love is the most important part of your life. Hence, it should be you priority, primary objective and greatest ambition. Why?

Life without love is really worthless

People often act as though relationships are something to be squeezed into our schedule. Everyone always talks about finding time; finding time for family, school work, friends, going to church, reading the Bible … everything! This gives the impression that relationships are just a part of our lives along with other tasks. But God says that relationships are what life is all about.

Four of the Ten Commandments deal with our relationship to God while the other six relate to our relationships with others. All in all, they are all about relationships. Our first purpose on earth is to love God, and to love others is the second purpose of our lives.

Busyness is the greatest enemy of relationships. We become preoccupied with living, doing our work, paying bills and accomplishing goals as if these tasks are the point of life. They are not. The point of life is learning to love – God and people.

Love will last forever

God tells us to make love our top priority because it is eternal.

 I Corinthians 13:13 - And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Love leaves a legacy. How you treat people is the most enduring impact you can leave on earth, not your wealth or accomplishments. When people come to their last moments on earth, they do not ask to be surrounded by their money, or trophies, or diplomas; they ask for people – their loved ones. Because in your final moments we realize that relationships are what life is all about. Wisdom is learning the truth sooner, rather than later. Don’t wait till your deathbed to figure out what really matters and what does not.

We will be evaluated on our love

God measures spiritual maturity by the quality of our relationships with others. When we get to Heaven, we leave everything behind, we only take our character.

“Oh Lord, my Sovereign God,

Whether I get anything done today,

I want to make sure that I spend time

Loving you and loving people

Because that’s what life is all about.

I do not want to waste this day.”

The importance of things can be measured by how much time we are willing to invest in them. The more time we give to something reveals its importance and value to us.

Time is the most precious gift because you only have a set amount of it. When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portaion of your life that you’ll never get back. Your time is your life, that’s why it is the greatest gift you can give someone. It’s not enough to just say relationships are important; we must prove it by investing time in them. Words alone are worthless.

Relationships take time and effort, and the best way to spell love is “T-I-M-E”

The essences of love are not what we think or do or provide for others, but how much we give of ourselves. Men, in particular do not understand this often. Many say, “ I don’t understand my wife and kids. I provide everything they need. What more could they want?”  Time. They want your eyes, your ears, your attention, your presence, your focus – your time. Nothing can take the place of that.

Relationships are what

Life is all about

The greatest gift you can give

Someone is your time

 You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving. Love means giving up your preferences, comfort, goals, security, money, energy or time for the benefit of someone else.

Now is the best time to express love because you don’t know how long you will have the opportunity. Circumstances change. People die. Children grow up. You don’t even have a guarantee of tomorrow.

Knowing that one day you will stand before God, here are some questions to consider: how will you explain those times when projects or things were more important to you than people? Who do you need to start spending time with? What do you need to cut out of your schedule to make that possible? What sacrifices do you need to make?

The best use of life is love. The best expression of love is time. The best time to love is now.

Point to ponder: life is all about love

Verse: Galatians 5:14

Question to consider: Honestly, are relationships my first priority? How can I ensure that they are?

Purpose #2 Day 15: I was formed for God’s family

Hebrews 2:10

1 John 3:1

The second part of my purpose is that I was created by God to be a part of His family. When we place our faith in Christ, God becomes our Father, we become His children, other believers become our brothers and sisters, and the church becomes our spiritual family. The family of God includes all believes in the past, the present, and the future.

Every human being was created by God, but not everyone is a child God. The only way to be a part of God’s family is by becoming a member of God’s family by your second birth. The invitation to be part of God’s family is universal, but there is one condition: faith in Jesus.

Our spiritual family is even more important than your physical family because it will last forever. Our families on earth are God’s gift to us, but they are temporary and fragile, often broken, by divorce, distance, growing old, and inevitably, death. Our spiritual family on the other hand – your relationship with other believers – will continue throughout eternity. It is a much stronger union, a more permanent bond, than blood relationships.

At that very moment I was born into the family of God, I received the family name, the family likeness, family privileges, family intimate access, and the family inheritance! Family inheritance includes being with God forever, to be completely changed to be like Christ, to be free from all pain, death and suffering, to be rewarded and reassigned positions of service and we will get to share in Christ’s glory.

Your spiritual family is even more important than your physical family because it will last forever

Baptism is also important. It is a public statement that identifies you with the body of Christ. Your baptism declared your faith, shares Christ’s burial and resurrection, symbolizes your death to your old life, and announced your new life in Christ. It is also a celebration of your inclusion in God’s family. Baptism doesn’t make you a member of God’s family; only faith in Christ does, baptism shows you are part of God’s family. It is a visible reminder of an inward commitment you made in your heart.

God is proud of you when you make that personal decision to be a part of His family, and also when you make the decision to be baptised to show that you are part of His family. So whenever you feel unimportant, unloved, or insecure, remember to whom you belong to.

 

Being included in God’s

Family is the highest honor

And the greatest privilege you

Will ever receive

Point to ponder: I was formed for God’s family

Verse: Ephesians 1:5

Question to Consider: How can I start treating other believers like members of my own family?

Day 14: When God seems distant

Isaiah 8: 17 –

“And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth His face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for Him.”

God is real. No matter how I feel.                                                                  

When we are placed in a happy situation it is easier to praise God, to worship Him and to thank Him when we have good health, friends, family, shelter and food. But circumstances aren’t always pleasant. How do we worship God when things change, when you are no longer in that happy situation and when God seems a million miles away?

The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of pain, thanking God during a trial, trusting Him when tempted, surrendering while suffering, and loving Him when He seems distant.

Friendships are often tested by separation and silence; you are divided by physical distance of you are unable to talk. In your friendship with God, you won’t always feel close to Him.

“Any relationship involves times of closeness and times of distance, and in a relationship with God, no matter how intimate, the pendulum will swing from one side to the other.” Philip Yancey

This is when worship gets difficult.

To mature your friendship, God will test it with periods of seeming separation-times when it feels as if he has abandoned of forgotten you. God feels a million miles away. Some describe this period as days of spiritual dryness, doubt, and estrangement from God as “the dark night of the soul.” Henri Nouwen called them “the ministry of absence” A.W. Tozer called them “the ministry of the night.” Others refer it to “the winter of the heart.”

Often as you read throughout the Book of Psalms you will find David asking God; “Why have you forsaken me? Why do you ignore my cries for help? Why do you seem so distant?” But God had never really left David. God promised that “He will never leave us, nor forsake us” that is not the same as “you will always feel my presence”. That’s why regardless of us being in tune, sometimes we find that God is missing in action from our lives and we often wonder what we did wrong. But a friendship is a two-way thing, and sometimes you just have to distance yourself from everyone and your real friends are the ones that will come to you regardless of you being distant. That is the test of friendship, real friends prove themselves. Throughout this “winter of the heart”, be reminded that God is testing you to see whether you really meant what you said when you could feel His presence; and whether you will stay true to your words and your love for Him, even though He seems so distant from you.

“You wake up one morning and all your spiritual feelings are gone. You pray, but nothing happens. You rebuke the devil, but it doesn’t change everything. You go thorough spiritual exercises … you have your friends to pray for … you confess every sin, you can imagine, then go around asking for forgiveness of everyone you know. You fast … still nothing. You begin to wonder how long this spiritual gloom might last. Days? Weeks? Months? Will it ever end? It feels as if your prayers simply bounce off the ceiling. In utter desperation, you cry out, ‘What’s the matter with me?’” (Floyd McClung)

But the truth is, there is nothing wrong with you! It is a normal part of testing and maturing in your relationship with God. Every Christian goes through this at least once, and usually several times. It is painful, confusing and upsetting, but it is absolutely vital for the development of your faith. Take Job for example. Even when he could not feel the presence of God, nor could he see, he still hung on to hope that God was with him.

When God seems distant, we often think its because we did something wrong; that He is angry with us, or disciplining us for some sin. But often this feeling of abandonment from God has nothing to do with sin. It is a test of faith – one we all must face to prove our love for God: will we love, trust, obey and worship God when He cannot seem to be found in our lives?

The most common mistake Christian’s make in worship today is seeking an experience rather than seeking God. They look for a feeling, and if it happens they conclude that they worshiped. But in fact, God removes our feelings so we don’t depend on them.

During the early stages of our Christian walk, God gives much confirmation of His presence through emotions, He often answers the most immature and self-centred prayers. But as we grow in faith, He weans us of these dependencies.

God’s omnipresence and the manifestation of  His presence are two different things. One is a fact, and the other is a feeling. God is always present, even when we cannot feel Him, and His presence is too profound to be measured by emotion. Yes, God does want us to sense His presences, but He is  more concerned about us trusting Him; especially when cannot feel Him. Faith pleases God, not feelings.

The situations that stretch our faith are the ones when life seems to be falling apart and God is nowhere to be found. This happened to Job. In a single day he lost EVERYTHING – this family, business, health and wealth; and the most discouraging part is that throughout chapter 1-37, God said nothing. How do you praise God when you don’t understand the things that are happening in your life, why they are happening and all the while God is silent? How do you stay connected in a crisis without communication? How do you keep your eyes on Jesus when they’re full of tears?

Or will we be like Job:

“… Naked I came out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” Job 1:21

In times like these, tell God exactly how you feel; pour out your hopelessness to God and unload every emotion to God. God is a great God and He can surely handle all your questions and emotions. Admitting our hopelessness is a statement of faith, because we believe in God, we believe that HE will listen to us and we believe that God will allow us to share with Him our deepest feelings and secrets and dreams and HE would still love us.

We must remind ourselves of God’s unchanging nature, regardless of our circumstances and how we feel. The eternal truth about God is that He is love, He loves you and He is with you; He knows what you are going through, he cares about you and he has a good plan for your life.

“Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light.” (V. Raymond Edman)

While Job’s life fell apart He praised God for:

·         Being good and loving

·         Being all-powerful

·         Noticing every detail of his life

·         Being in control

·         A plan that will save his life

·         Saving him

God keeps His promises.  Circumstances don’t change God’s character. When you feel abandoned by God yet trust Him regardless of your feelings, you worship Him in the deepest way.

We must remember all that God has already done. Often we feel God has not done much, but God sent His Son to die on the cross for us! Unfortunately we forget the cruel details of the agonizing sacrifice God made on our behalf. Familiarity breeds complacency. Before Christ’s crucifixion, the Son of God was stripped naked, beaten until almost unrecognizable, whipped, scorned and mocked, crowned with thorns and spit on contemptuously. Abused and ridiculed by heartless men, He was treated worse than an animal. Then, nearly unconscious from blood loss, He was forced to drag a cumbersome cross up a hill, was nailed to it, and was left to die the slow, excruciating torture of death by crucifixion. When His blood drained out, hecklers stood by and shouted insults, making fun of Hid pain and challenging His claim to be God.

Next, Jesus took all of mankind’s sin and guilt on Himself, God looked away from that ugly sight, and Jesus cried out in total desperation, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” Jesus could have saved Himself – but then He would not have saved you.

Words cannot describe the darkness of that moment. Why did God allow and endure such evil mistreatment? Why? So we could be spared from eternity in hell, and so we could share in His glory forever.

Jesus gave up everything so I have everything. He died so that I could live forever. That alone is worth all my continual praise and thanks. Never again should I have to wonder that I have to be thankful for.

Point to ponder: God is real, no matter how I feel

Verse:

Hebrews 13:5 – “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

Question to consider: How can I stay focused on God’s presence, especially when He feels distant?