Praying for Enemies

 I was thinking tonight about how it seems that those of us who are active on social media and those who follow the news seem to gravitate toward hearing and reading things that are outrageous.

Granted, this world seems to not always realize when things going on are outrageous.  The crazy things seem to be quite common, accepted, and even praised by many.

We should find evil offensive, and we should see heresy and false doctrine for what it is.  

The problem is that it is so easy to start seeing the craziness as entertaining or horrifying like watching a bad car wreck without any care about the eternal souls of those involved.

I'm not here to attack my friends or be scolding.  I'm sure I'm no better than others.

I did think that it would be a good idea to think a moment on the fact that the people involved have eternal souls.  They may seem to espouse evil or seemingly insane ideas, but nonetheless they need to be prayed for.  They need the Gospel, and even if they aren't on your contact list or able to be directly contacted...perhaps you (or even just I myself) should remember to pray more often for the people whose names stand out to me.

Christ loved and died for enemies like we once were.  Do I love enemies enough to pray for them?  Sometimes.  Do I pity them, or do I just write them off like they don't matter?  

It's something to think about.

A Pastoral Perspective on Suicide & a Testimony of Christian Persecution

Suicide - A Pastoral Perspective

Don Green addressed suicide in a recent message. 
If you've known someone who has taken his or her own life or are thinking it might be a way out of your trials as a Christian...please listen to the message HERE.
(One disclaimer...I wouldn't categorize people as being animals as it sounded like was being said at one point, but he did make it clear people were different.)

When Faced with Death Through Persecution

I have read online how some Christians in China are being watched and imprisoned in recent times.

Many years ago I used to listen to people in the U.S. Congress speaking of the persecution and slave labor in China, and it led me to care about what was going on...so much so that I included related crafts for a Sunday School class of children that I helped with.

They were crafts that encouraged kids to pray for the persecuted there besides the unreached in other places (which my Dad did radio spots about).

Some people don't realize how bad a communistic government can be.

We get concerned in the U.S. about people trying to push socialism, anarchy, anti-God immorality, etc., It is eye opening to hear testimonies of others who have faced evil and worse suffering as believers in Christ.  

We have the testimonies of those who suffered in Biblical times in Scripture (best on it).

Then people can read Foxe's Book of Martyrs.

Then we can listen to people from more recent times up to this very year that we are living in.

It is an encouragement to know that God will bring about justice for those who suffered and who were martyred for the sake of Christ.

God can bring about good for true Christians even out of terrible evil. 

We know that, but it worthwhile for us to listen to the testimonies of Christians who have gone through what we may one day face.

Will we have the courage to stand for our faith when faced with beatings that could end in physical death?

Will we flee like the disciples did the first time when they arrested Jesus?

Will we deny our Lord like Peter?

Will we trust God no matter the consequences?

I am not a courageous person, but let us pray for each other in times of testing as Christians.

Please listen to this testimony.

I don't see this guy (Daniel Wong) listed on the current faculty at the school, but he was listed there in the past at least.