
I do not know how many of you get or have read the Christian publication “Voice of the Martyrs”. We receive this rather short magazine on a month-by-month basis. Each time I get it I am completely captivated, and I must admit humbled, by the stories that are provided within its pages. These stories convey the unbelievable faith shown by our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world. The faith of these believers is being displayed in places where the government and general populous are filled with hatred towards Christianity. Their faithfulness and commitment to the sharing of God’s Word and the spreading of the Gospel, in the midst this kind of persecution, is beyond my mind’s comprehension. The people featured in the various stories are on fire for the Lord and there is no doubt the Holy Spirit is carrying out some amazing Christ-centered ministry in their lives.
As Christians here in the United States, we are definitely not subjected to the harsh and barbaric treatment our fellow brothers and sisters in places like North Korea, China, and parts of Africa are being exposed to. I have to believe that the saints, who are enduring such evil and vile attacks, know what it means to pick up their crosses and follow Jesus! Many have taken on the belief that the Apostle Paul proclaimed, “Whether I live or whether I die I am in Christ”. For these children of God, as with Paul, either way it is a win/win outcome.
What a wonderful and powerful witness we are given by those saints, who are willing stand firmly on the foundation of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, while at the same time being ostracized by their families, imprisoned, tortured, and even put to death. If Jesus was willing to give His all, His very life for us, I pray we might also if called upon be willing to give our all for Him. Pastor McCarty