"Some were baptized and some were threatened..."

I received an email this week and the first line read: 

"Some were baptized and some were threatened..."   

What would you do if your family stormed into your home and threatened to hurt you if you didn't stop going to worship services and Bible studies?  What if they told you that if you believe in God they would no longer call you family, you'd be disowned? What if they grabbed your Bible and tore it up standing right in front of you? How would your react?   What would you do?  This is exactly what happens everyday in other countries, but believe it or not it happens right here in America... in Prattville.

I have some friends who are missionaries in another part of the world where freedom of religion isn't a way of life. They recently told of three ladies who were to be baptized on May 5th; two of them were able to walk through the baptismal waters; one wasn't allowed. This one was threatened by her family and told she could not go through with her plans. Her family took her Bible and tore it up in front of her.  She is discouraged, sad and heart-broken. She needs our prayers.

Fly across the seas and come home where we live. It's a world where we have the freedom to go to church, read our Bibles, share the Word of Christ with others and get baptized. (at least for now!) But you know what's crazy? People choose not to! These two ladies who were baptized held on to their faith, and they dreamed of the day they wouldn't have to fear what family and friends would do, and ultimately waited 10 years to be baptized. They waited all those years because they hoped that one day they wouldn't have to feared what would happen to them if they followed through in believer's baptism.  You know what's really crazy? There are people in the church today, in America, in Alabama, who call themselves followers of Christ, who won't walk an aisle to be baptized. Why? Because they fear people looking at them. Hard to believe huh? It blows my mind! My daughter accepted Christ in the fourth grade, she knew the next step was to join the church and be baptized. She tells her story like this;  one minute I was standing there and the next minute I was walking down the aisle. It was like God just pushed me out of the pew and started me in the right direction. (mom's paraphrase).  She, at the young age of 10, felt the Holy Spirit and allowed Him to move her.  My pastor says often, God always calls people to make public decisions. Jesus tells us if we're ashamed of Him, He will be ashamed of us.  Our decision to follow Christ is a personal one, but not a private one.

As I sat thinking about this one woman my heart became so heavy. All she wants to do is live for Jesus, love Him openly and follow His example. I then think of the bullying she has received at the hands of her own family and I'm horrified. Believe it or not, that same thing happens in America; it happens in Prattville. I wonder how we would handle what she has been through?  What would we do if our copy of God's Word was taken and ripped up right in front of us?  Would we even notice it was gone? Would our relationship w/ Jesus be strong enough to get us through? Would we be able to recall scripture and Bible truths that would encourage us and help us hold on? Or would we give in and give up to the hate and the lies and the bullies? Would we fight or take the easy way out?

Maybe you haven't been threatened or bullied about your faith, but if you are intentionally trying to live like Christ everyday, it will be noticed and you will be called out.  That is scriptural, we will be persecuted for our faith. Are you a fighter?

The lady who was threatened needs our prayers; prayers for strength to follow her heart and God's leading. My friends need our prayers because they are doing this amazing thing, putting their lives in danger to spread God's love and Word in a place that is filled with hate. Our prayers need to lift them up and ask for them to have courage to continue and stand up to the those who do not believe and love as Jesus loved. You don't need to know their names to pray for them. God knows exactly who they are. 

A positive to hold on to... What the bullies don't know is this - we don't have to hold a Bible in our hand to know the Word of God!  Scripture in Psalm 119 tells us to "hide His Word in our hearts..."  there it will live forever!

I'm a fighter, what about you?