“Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart” (Psalm 32:10, 11).

In the sixteenth century, King Philip II took a hard line against those who would try to interpret Scripture for themselves. Anyone found studying the Bible during this time was hanged, burned at the stake, drowned, torn in pieces, or buried alive.

John the Baptist announced publically that the Kingdom of God was near. He preached repentance and proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom. When John was imprisoned, Jesus, who also announced publically at his baptism that the Kingdom was near, began his public ministry by preaching repentance and the coming of the Kingdom (see Matt. 3:1–12, Mark 1:14, 4:11). Arthur Glasser explains that Jesus was saying that the Kingdom was now accessible to those who would submit to the rule of God. When Jesus began to call disciples, he clearly indicated that involvement in the Kingdom of God would include public proclamation and evangelism.

“For me the issue has been settled. The Lord called me to reach out to my people and I have to. So whether they are killing me, I will still love them with the love of God. I do not see them as my enemies because they killed my son. I have forgiven them because they do not have Christ and that is all they can think at their level.”

Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, the founder of The Voice of the Martyrs, shared this story in his book, Alone With God, a book of sermons composed while Richard was in prison:

What can a country boy, a city girl and a prison convict have in common?

“The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the sea.” (Psalms 93:4).

A few weeks ago in our staff chapel service, the speaker reminded us again that “our work matters on behalf of the persecuted church.” When you work in a Christian organization, it’s easy to get caught up in your day-to-day tasks and forget about the big picture of the work you are contributing to. We try to do the tasks we’re given with excellence, but it can be easy to forget why we are doing them.

It was Sunday, and the congregation of Grace Sonmin Church in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, had gathered for their weekly worship service. Even though their country was now free from oppressive Communist rule, radical Muslims still blatantly opposed the church. The oppression had simply changed hands from one terrorist authority to another.

“If Abu wanted to be a Christian, he’d have to do it somewhere else. We surrounded his house, ready to force him out and burn it.