April 28, 2025

THE STAND

Subject: PERSECUTION

Take up your cross, my cross, and follow:

ME: OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.

So, if you become a Christian, and you should and I pray that you are, you have one promise from our Lord of what is to come, and that is:

PERSECUTION.

Of course there is joy, rejoicing, grace, bliss, faith, hope, strength, and so much more when you join forces with, become a disciple of, and fall in love with:

JESUS CHRIST.

But, there comes with all these positives, the negative of:

PERSECUTION.

For the most part, the world hates Christianity. Secularists disavow and dislike anything about Jesus. And that leaves secular governments to crack down on Christians, Christianity, and the belief and practice thereof.

Take China for example. The Chinese Communist Dictator Xi Jinping has tightened his grip on religious activities in the world’s second most populous country. The Chinese Communist Party announced last week that starting May 1, foreign missionaries will be prohibited from sharing their faith or preaching, as well as establishing religious organizations. So, if you are Christian in China, you cannot testify about your faith and belief in Jesus Christ.

Nor can you preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Nor can you establish congregations, churches, or any type of religious Christian organization in China. That to me is simply unbelievable and unacceptable, and it will be for so many Christians in China. Nothing will prevent them from sharing and testifying, nothing. And many will become martyrs, jailed, or even killed-executed for their faith. They will gladly, willingly, and lovingly take up their cross, lay their all on the altar, and count themselves blessed if martyrdom happens, and as a result, they go to their eternal reward. China and the Chinese Communist Party are absolutely brutal.

The Chinese Communist Party wants to SINICIZE all religion in China. That is, whatever the Communist Party determines religion to be, will be the only one in China. After May 1, 2025, there will be new regulations, a greater crack-down on all religions, but especially Christianity and persecution will be the new normal.

We often think of Russia as the main enemy of the United States. Traditionally, that nation has been just that. But today, the number one threat to democracy and America, is none other than the second most populous country in the world:

CHINA.

It is becoming a superpower and its military strength, army, navy, marines, and special forces grow every day and becomes the number one threat to America and the world over. It is a nation to be reckoned with and it will be used by the forces of evil to challenge every nation in the world. Small wonder that, whatever we the people may think of the means used by President Trump, he stands up against China knowing this incredible threat which begins with democracy, freedom of speech, the practice of religion, subterfuge and infiltration, spying in America and other countries, none of which will be tolerated by the Trump administration.

And the same thing happens in Egypt. We hear little about persecution of Christianity in Egypt, but it exists in large measure. Christians face daily discrimination, harsh restrictions, and constant pressure to hide their faith. And in the world at large, it is estimated that 1 in 7 Christians face harassment, violence, or even death, and in Africa the number of Christians enduring constant PERSECUTION is one in five.

PERSECUTION of Christians who have given their entire lives to Jesus Christ is on the rise everywhere as both scripture and our Lord, prophesied. Soon, it will be worldwide and in every nation. Are we ready, are you ready, true believer in Jesus Christ, to face that persecution? The Apostle Paul was beheaded because of his Christian faith. The disciple, Peter, was crucified. James was murdered. John was ostracized to Patmos. The early church, especially under Roman dictator Nero, experienced aggressive persecution. It began at the time of our Lord, and it will continue until the rapture.

Are you ready? Ready to lay your all on the altar, and take up the cross of Jesus Christ and stand for Him and your faith when persecution comes at you, are you? I do hope so, for it is a decision none of us have had to make in America, not really, even though there is indeed mild persecution. But the day will come when mild is replaced by aggressive. Then and only then, will you know the strength of your faith and the extent to which you really believe in Jesus Christ.

And the same thing now exists in Australia, AUSTRALIA NO LESS! In NEW SOUTH WALES (NSW), newly enacted legislation allows prayer or expression of any religious belief if and only if it is not directed to changing or suppressing an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity. If any would pray in that way that is a crime and punishable by imprisonment. In practice, this law would criminalize anyone who said a prayerful word with regard to sexual orientation or gender. REPENT of such, and off to jail you go.

And more, everywhere, and persecution has only just begun. Again, when you are faced with that, aggressively or even passively, are you ready to stand, resist, and to accept persecution, even criminal penalties for your faith, are you?

Thankfully however, the younger generation begins more so to TURN TOWARDS RELIGION. That is a first start, but sooner or later, that TURN we do hope turns to Christianity and to the person of Jesus Christ. The very respectful research firm BARNA has found in a nationwide survey that 77% of American teens are interested and even motivated to “continue learning about Jesus throughout the rest of their lives.” That at least is a start but by no means the end. Remarkably 52% of the younger generation said they are very interested in knowing more about Jesus. May it be so.

There seems to be, said Barna, an openness and curiosity about spiritual matters among today’s teens and young adults, a good thing, but only a start. Many of America’s young know the futility of the woke generation and its so-called principles, and hunger for something more, much more. They can only find that in Jesus Christ and I hope they continue to search until such time as HE is found. We the believer should thank God that there is now an openness to Christianity and truth which has not existed for years, and revival is on the horizon. All of that is happening in spite of persecution, in spite of the secular, godless governments which somehow have gotten control as witnessed by what is happening in China, Australia, Egypt, and many other nations. The love of Jesus Christ is the most powerful force on this earth, and it should be our prayer that our teens, our younger generation, in our beloved America finds and experiences that love, and no matter the persecution which may come, and it will, continue searching until they find the ultimate answer:

HIM,

OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.