Elsewhere-Christians Are Dying!

While we North American Christians worry about our retirement portfolio, or whether there will be enough snow to go skiing this weekend, who will be the next American Idol or if they will be playing my favorite songs in church Sunday, Christians in other parts of the world are losing their lives for the crime of being a believer in Jesus.

Muslims are rampaging against Christians in Ethiopia—that’s nothing new. This has been going on for some time. Last October in the town of Henno, Islamic leaders urged Muslims in the area to kill full-time Christian evangelists. The situation has reached such intensity that Christian leaders are in fear and moving in pairs to ward off attacks. Local Muslim authorities failed to take action against the Muslim attackers,” according to persecution.org.

January 5 when Christian Ajja Delge—a father of five-- was killed by an unknown person in the town of Kofele. His body was found in a nearby jungle the following day," Voice of the Martyrs said.

Shortly after the murder, Muslim militants burned the homes of three Christian families. "All of the family belongings were burned." "At last report, the police have not investigated the incident or taken any action to bring the arsonists to justice."

In a separate case, ten Christian youths have also been living in a church building as they "were chased from their homes after their families threatened to execute them for converting from Islam," three months ago.

In 2005, Christians were being murdered and of course the Muslim authorities refused to take any action against the murderers. To read the details makes your blood boil but I can’t leave you on that note. The story concludes with the following:

Again according to persecution.org in the following weeks, many Muslims denounced the actions taken against the Christians. To express their disgust, Muslims refused to go to Mosques. In fact, forty-seven key leaders became Christians and renounced Islam stating, “If Islam means killing innocent brothers and sisters – we do not want to follow it!”

The notion of real persecution is totally foreign to us living in the protection of the United States. If I read the Scriptures right, it will not always be that way. Honestly from my vantage point, I am not too optimistic that the Church will shine in that day. But there will be shining stars as those who truly love the Lord will endure to the end. I just hope I am ready.