Faith In The Fire

[Tom8907]

I read about an amazing podcast from Barnabas Aid- title is my post name, it features the UK spoken word artist Joshua Luke Smith and his experience on a trip to visit our Nigerian brothers and sisters in Christ.

He will now have the God given urge to share the struggles of the persecuted church with the Western church- during his trip he was shocked at the struggle many Christian Nigerians face and humbled by their resilience through these difficulties.

He will now have a memory I think will be etched on his mind all his days- when reading the word may feel dry and feel repititive, when he becomes discouraged, when he becomes old (if Christ doesn't return before then) and even on his deathbed.

The memory in question- he met a Christian lady in Nigeria whose husband was killed by extremists, after talking to Joshua about this, out of the blue, she sang. It was the costliest song he had ever heard- despite her circumstances the widow sang a song of praise and worship, a song of God's faithfulness, his goodness and his presence.... and her children joined in.

I know Joshua will never forget this trip- the different sights and different culture the second he touched down into Nigeria, the Nigerian church sharing their struggles with him and as he took the plane back to the UK the memory that will be forever entrenched- the strong presence of God he felt around the widow who burst into a song of praise with her children.

 

[stevevw]

This is both beautiful and tragic. That Christians are suffering like this in this day and age. But also the example these people are giving of true faith being put into action even to the point of dying for Christ.

I have been reading about the early church which was also under persecution. Around the beginning of the 1st century and into the 2nd before Constantine made Christianity legal.

There are many stories of galant and couragous Christians, servants, women, and leaders fed to lions, staked, cruficed, hacked to death. Never renouncing their faith. Causing the pagan Romans to stop and pause at who was the Christ they were dying for.

This actually did not deminish the church but made it grow even greater until it became the religion of the very Empire that was trying to end it. We need great Christians like this in the west. Though we are not ujnder as much threat there is a growing threat and Christians need to stand courageous and clear in a world thats going to hell.

 

[Tom8907]

This is both beautiful and tragic. That Christians are suffering like this in this day and age. But also the example these people are giving of true faith being put into action even to the point of dying for Christ.

I have been reading about the early church which was also under persecution. Around the beginning of the 1st century and into the 2nd before Constantine made Christianity legal.

There are many stories of galant and couragous Christians, servants, women, and leaders fed to lions, staked, cruficed, hacked to death. Never renouncing their faith. Causing the pagan Romans to stop and pause at who was the Christ they were dying for.

This actually did not deminish the church but made it grow even greater until it became the religion of the very Empire that was trying to end it. We need great Christians like this in the west. Though we are not ujnder as much threat there is a growing threat and Christians need to stand courageous and clear in a world thats going to hell.

Amen, it also shows the power of the Gospel!