Dear Church Family,

One of the biggest lessons pressed upon my heart this fall has been a growing awareness of the persecuted church in the world. My heart has been touched in two significant ways:

1) These men and women who are being persecuted through imprisonment, violence, mistreatment, and even martyrdom are my/our brothers and sisters in Christ. Thus their struggles are our struggles through our spiritual connection in the body of Christ. “And if one mem-ber suffers, all the members suffer with it…” (1 Cor. 12:26a).

My education about our persecuted brothers and sisters has been greatly enhanced by the ministry of Voice of the Martyrs. You can request their free magazine online (persecution.com), and this ministry will carry you into the lives and struggles of the church in restricted and hostile areas of this world.

2) Also, we need to learn from the persecuted church because it is my opinion that the church in the U.S. will soon see some level of restrictions. In our country, the leaders and decision-makers in politics, business, education, and entertainment are increasingly aligning with international attempts to address environmental, economic and regional disputes. The problem (which is as old as the spirit of rebellion at Babel in Gen. 11) is that all of these efforts are completely dependent upon puny man and in prideful opposition to the plans and ways of God.
As our country aligns with these godless movements, we can expect opposition to the teaching of the Word of God, especially on matters involving the sin of homosexuality and adherence to the Biblical truths of marriage and family. Thus, my message is for believers to set our minds now on standing on the truths of God’s Word at all costs.

To remind us of the struggles of the persecuted church, we have added a line to our Wednesday night pray-er sheet: “Remember to pray for our brothers and sisters living under persecution worldwide.” This will be in keeping with an important teaching of the Word of God: “Remember the prisoners as if chained with them–those who are mistreated–since you yourselves are in the body also” (Hebrews 12:2).

In Christian love,
Bro. John