Not Worthy of Them

I don't like looking at the cover of today's issue. I'd prefer to think about new church buildings, hot burned ones, cheerful Christians, not suffering ones; prosperity, not pain. But as much as we'd like to avoid the uncomfortable topic of persecution, God's Word won't allow us that luxury.

The honor roll of faith in Hebrews 11 describes heroes who "conquered kingdoms . . . shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword." But it also tells about faithful heroes who "were tortured," who "faced jeers and flogging," who "were chained and put in prison," and others who were "destitute, persecuted and mistreated" (vv. 33-37). Then the Scripture adds this touching commentary: "the world was not worthy of them" (Hebrews 11:38).

No, the world was not worthy of them, those brave souls who gave their lives rather than deny their Lord. And to forget about them is to compound the loss.

Today, 25 years after the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion, many Christians observe Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, which reminds us how our Creator values human life, from the preborn infant to the elderly and the weak. It's also a good time to remember courageous brothers and sisters who died for their faith in the past, as well as those who currently face persecution in many parts of the world.

The facts. Harassment of Christians today is far worse than many imagine. According to the International Bulletin of Missionary Research (January, 1997), an estimated 160,000 believers died for their faith during 1996. Ralph Kinney Bennett, Assistant Managing Editor of Reader's Digest and an elder at Manor Woods Church of Christ in Rockville, Maryland, wrote a startling expose of worldwide persecution ("The Global War on Christians," Reader's Digest, August, 1997) in which he documented numerous atrocities: Chinese believers sentenced to "re-education camps" for attending prayer meetings or Bible classes, Sudanese women and children sold into slavery to Muslim masters. According to Nina Shea, director of the Puebla Program on Religious Freedom, "We are not talking about mere discrimination, but real persecution—torture, enslavement, rape, imprisonment, forcible separation of children from parents."

The feelings. How do you feel when you read facts like these? Angry? Appalled? Heartbroken? Sympathetic? For many, there's also a deep sense of frustration and powerlessness. How can we help suffering Christians in faraway parts of the world? We can pray—for the persecuted, for the persecutors (Matthew 5:44), and for the government officials whose decisions could create healthier environments for godliness (1 Timothy 2:2). And we can support missionaries who dare to risk their lives for the sake of the gospel, as Priscilla and Aquila did (Romans 16:4).

The faith. As a whole, American Christians have a lot to learn about the hard edge of faith. When we become informed about the plight of the persecuted church, we'll understand better what it means that when "one part of the body suffers, every part suffers with it" (1 Corinthians 12:26). We'll learn to "remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering" (Hebrews 13:3).

And perhaps along the way, we'll learn from God's suffering saints the price of faith in an unworthy world.