Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them, and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body. Hebrews 13:3
Some of the most disturbing images ever posted on the Internet are of Islamic radicals, usually masked, hacking the bodies of little children to pieces with big swords. Most of us can’t look at such horrible sights, and none of us can understand the mentality behind those who could be so brutal and evil. The only ‘crimes’ for which these children are suffering is that of being members of a Christian family, or of a family that has membership in a so-called Christian religious organization. Such pictures, and the stories behind them, remind us of the satanic nature of the Muslim religion. We need to remember that although the vast majority of Muslims would never stoop to such wickedness, those of them who do are the ones following the teaching of their prophet Mohammed. Don’t believe the blatant lies of those who declare that Islam is a religion of peace. It is not and never has been; it is a religion of brutality, of hatred, of repression, and intolerance. And today, it is the reason why Christians are enduring slaughter, brutal torture, and slavery in our world. And our text today calls on us to remember them.
We remember the suffering Christians because they need our prayers. For many of them, there is little else we can do for them because they are hidden behind the ugly curtain of Islam. We are certainly not aware of their pathetic situations, because the news media refuses to report, or even acknowledge, the suffering for fear of being branded as Islamophobic. So, repressive Islamic nations can ply their vile Sharia law with impunity. Word of all that is going on is scarce, but it is getting out through Christian sources. Our hands are tied in terms of being able to go and fight for the suffering saints, or to try to deliver them from their suffering. So we remember them in prayer. We make ourselves informed about them, so that we might pray intelligently for these poor people. As our text declares, they are bound, but God has not forgotten them, and neither should we.
We also need to remember that those enduring persecution and martyrdom could well be us. We tend to forget that, because of the freedoms that are prevalent in our land. Such horrors could never happen here, we assume. But it is a false assumption. Someone once declared – very accurately – that more Christians were killed for their faith in the 20th century than in all previous nineteen centuries combined. And the pace of persecution has only increased in the 21st century. The borders of Communist persecution of Christians may not have increased, but the borders of Islamic repression have expanded rapidly. Many western nations, particularly in Europe, have large and growing enclaves that are under strict Sharia law control and where Christians are routinely tortured. Like ours, those countries are supposed to be free from such persecution. Like them, we could easily slip into the same evil domination. If we remember this, we will appreciate the freedoms that we have, and will keep ourselves aware of the danger that is on its way.
Many of God’s dear people are in need of us today, to pray for them and to spread the word of their plight. Remember to pray, and remember to watch. – Jim MacIntosh