Persecuted for the Gospel

Every day, somewhere in the world, Christians are still being persecuted greatly. Some are cast into prison for preaching the gospel. Some are exiled to labor camps, never to be seen again. And some will pay the ultimate price for their faith and give their lives for the Lord. You might think that this can’t happen to you, not here in the United States of America. Don’t be fooled, it can happen even here.

Judge Roy Moore was the Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. But because of religious persecution against Christians, he is no longer a member of the Alabama Supreme Court, and there’s a good chance that he will no longer be allowed to practice law at all. Why? It all resulted from his stand for Christ by refusing to remove a statue of the Ten Commandments from a public building in Alabama. The freedom of religion is no longer a freedom for Christians and any of us could face similar persecution anytime that someone wants to come against us for our testimony in Christ.

On April 20, 1999, our nation was shocked by the massacre of high school students at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Many people believe that the two students who did the shooting were specifically targeting Christians. Not all those killed or injured were Christian but many were.

One eyewitness said, "I saw them shoot a girl because she was praying to God."

It is known as fact that at least three of those targeted for death were devout Christians.

At one point the terrorists asked a roomful of trapped and panicked students if there were any Christians present. One brave young woman named Cassie Bernall, who was only 17, stood and declared her faith in Christ. The killer smiled and then shot her dead. Cassie never expected to die for her faith, but when the time came, that’s what she did.

John Tomlin was a 16-year old who attended church with his family every Sunday. He had recently completed a missions trip into Mexico, witnessing and working for the Lord. He had even helped do build a house for a poor family who had been living in a shack. He was killed because he confessed Christ as his Lord and stood for his belief.

Rachel Scott, only 17, had thought about graduating early to travel with a Christian drama team and become a missionary or work with troubled young people. She let her light shine everywhere she went. On this fateful day, her faith and love for Jesus was recognized, and she was rewarded for her confession of faith with a bullet that took her life. Today she is with the Lord that she loved so much, killed for her testimony in Christ.

A lady in Houston, Texas was ordered by local police to stop handing out gospel tracts to children who knocked on her door during Halloween. Officers informed her that such activity is illegal (not true), and that she would be arrested if she continued.

Raymond Raines, a Pentecostal, was in the 4th Grade. He always bowed his head to say “Grace” before he would eat his lunch. He was told that it was illegal to pray and will placed in detention to force him to stop. He had to go to a private school to escape religious persecution.

Two girls in middle school were told that their Bibles are "garbage." The teacher threw the Bibles into the trashcan, and took the girls to the principal’s office. Three students at the same school had schoolbooks with the Ten Commandments on the covers. School officials threw the book covers into the trash, saying that the Ten Commandments are "hate speech."

A federal judge in Texas ruled that any student who uses the word "Jesus" during the school’s graduation ceremonies would be arrested and sent to jail.

The question is, “How much do you love Jesus? What will you do in the face of persecution?