As part of the body of Christ living in a free country, perhaps some of us are unaware of how blessed we truly are...to be free to worship our Lord and Saviour without fear. There are those in many countries who are doing the Lord's will according to His commandment Mark 16:15-16; He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."

Many of these brothers and sisters in the Lord are under severe persecution, being jailed, tortured, and put to death for their faith in Christ Jesus. They have heard the good news of the free gift of salvation in Christ, and have made the choice to spread the Word of God, rather than deny Him. Because of their faith and commitment, many of these beautiful members of our family in Christ are suffering.

It is our obligation and privilege to pray unceasingly for those who are in chains for His name's sake. We must pray for His grace, for without grace, these cannot stand in the face of persecution. Pray also that the Lord would soften the hearts of their oppressers, that He would remove the scales from their eyes and open their ears to the Truth.



The Apostle Paul in Chains

Philippians 1:12-14; "Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happend to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard, and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly."

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Persecution Prophecied

It is my own personal belief that Christ is soon to return, and as His word tells us, as the end draws near, His people will be jailed, tortured, and put to death, not only in foreign countries, but in our own as well. More and more we see that mankind is removing God from society, such as prayer being illegal in our classrooms, Christmas carols removed from school programs, indeed the word "Christmas" is in some schools being replaced with the word "Winterfest" for fear of being politically incorrect. As we near the end of the century, people are becoming more accepting of the very things that God warns us not to become involved with. I.E.: Idol worship, sexual promiscuity, homosexuality, abortion, racism, occultic activity (tarot cards, palm reading, psychics, witchcraft, satanism)and the list goes on. Jesus prophecied that all these things would come to pass shortly before His return , and that His people would be persecuted for their faith in Him.
Matthew 24:9-13; "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put 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."

Jesus Himself warns us in His word, this WILL happen. In fact, it IS HAPPENING NOW. Over 167,000 Christians were murdered last year strictly because they refused to deny their Lord and Saviour. By the year 2010, the number will rise, and in all likelihood, will reach 1/4 million. These are NOT statistics, these are PEOPLE. These are the beloved children of God. These are YOUR FAMILY in Christ.



The Dream from the Lord

Recently the Lord spoke to me in a dream. In this dream I was being chased by many angry people. Soon I was cornered against a smooth rock wall, and they had me surrounded by lions. The lions were very thin, starving to death. Although I knew they were about to tear me to pieces, I recall feeling pity for them. I turned, and attempted to climb the wall. I got a few feet up, and could see the wall was covered in occult symbols, and I could climb no higher. I turned, and looking down I could see one of the lions beneath me. I reached down and petted him, and he responded as would a dog. I suddenly felt no fear, and jumped down, walking amongst the lions. There ended the dream.
I prayed, asking the Lord for the meaning behind the dream, and proceeded to read Daniel. I was given the interpretation two days later during worship in church. It is as follows: Being chased by the angry people represents the persecution of the body of Christ. The starving lions are symbolic of the persecutors who are starving for the Word of God. The smooth stone wall covered with occult symbols is idol worship and false religion. Reaching out to the starving lion was indicative of reaching out to the persecutors in prayer and in the love of God. The passive response of the lions was God shutting the mouth of the enemy, and giving us ability to preach His word to those who so desperately need it...the very ones who persecute the children of God. PRAY FOR THEM.



A Final Word...

So remember each day in your prayers to lift up our brothers and sisters all over the world who are in chains for Christ. And when the time comes, and it becomes illegal for us to gather and worship our God...STAND FIRM to the end and you will be saved! Do not let fear come between you and your God. Pray for strength and His grace to see you through...and pray for the body of Christ. Above all do not forget to pray for the very ones who persecute God's people. It is my prayer that we could all be like Paul, and sing praise and worship to our God and Saviour even under the worst circumstances. GLORY TO GOD!



The Voice of the Martyrs
"Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering."

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