By now everyone has heard the news that 21 Coptic Christians from Egypt were captured in Libya and beheaded by ISIS/ISIL because of their faith. How can we say with certainty that this is the reason they were beheaded?
“A scrolling caption in the video referred to the hostages as ‘People of the cross, followers of the hostile Egyptian Church’.
“Speaking in English, a fighter from the group said the beheadings were revenge for ‘Muslim women persecuted by Coptic crusaders in Egypt’.”1
That makes it clear that they were beheaded for their belief in Jesus Christ. Now the question is, how should we respond? As a church we need to pray for our truly persecuted brethren around the globe.
30 Now I appeal to you, brothers, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to join with me in fervent prayers to God on my behalf.31 Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea, that the gift I am bringing to Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 and that, by God’s will, I may come to you with joy and be refreshed together with you. (Romans 15 HCSB)
As a nation we need to recognize that God ordains governments to keep order and justice in the world.
11 “And to the house of the king of Judah say this: ‘Hear the word of the Lord! 12 House of David, this is what the Lord says:
Administer justice every morning,
and rescue the victim of robbery
from the hand of his oppressor,
or My anger will flare up like fire
and burn unquenchably
because of their evil deeds.
(Jeremiah 21 HCSB)
As American Christians we must recognize that we still have the ability to take part in the governing of our nation by voting for people who will represent us in government with our Biblical world view. We must also write our representatives and let them know our views and demand they govern accordingly. Because:
We remain a nation that has been blessed by God with great freedom and great strength. We must not forget that these blessings remain ours only as long as we use them for God's purposes.
Many Christians get upset with me when I say the church in North America is not suffering persecution but merely being inconvenienced. As I consider what happened to these brothers in Christ, I stand by this conviction. How can I say any different? The scars of their martyrdom add to their rewards in heaven.
I pray that God will give me the conviction to pray for the truly persecuted and the courage to stand up and defend those that cannot defend themselves. May the Holy Spirit give me discernment to follow His lead as the signs of His return continue to increase. And may He find me working towards advancing His Kingdom and bringing glory to His name the very moment He returns or brings me home.
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1http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2015/02/isil-video-execution-egyptian-christian-hostages-libya-150215193050277.html
