This death threat was uttered from an Iranian judge spoken to an underground Believer in Iran as quoted in the latest Voice of the Martyrs publication (2009 Special Issue page 8).
It got me thinking about the difference between those who become Christians in nations where it means a death sentence, and those who become Christians in the West. It raised the following questions for me:
– What if we were faced with the same proclamation that this judge gave to this man?
– How would we react in this same situation?
– Are we prepared to face this possible life or death situation?
– If Christianity was made illegal tomorrow and we were brought before a court for the crime of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence in the average life of an American Believer to convict them?
Tough questions, but questions we may one day have to face no matter what comfortable, prosperous, and secure nation we live in today.
Christ Alone Wyoming 
I have a feeling that if we faced the death penalty for being a Christian, we would be very Very VERY sure in our minds and hearts that Christ is the only way to be with God. We would be more circumspect in some ways, but more assured of our faith in others. The church would be made up of 80% true believers and 20% not so sure or not at all, instead of the other way around.
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I think maybe you need to rehtink the wording on that last question. You said:
Would there be enough evidence? Absolutely! IF they were an actual believer, no question. Now, if you’re speaking of a mere professer of the faith, that’s another story.
Rom 8:17 “and if children, then heirs–heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. ”
Php 1:29 “For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, ”
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Sorry, but I must say to ‘wbmoore’ this:
No! the church is NOT made up of ‘80%’ true believers! Theree is only ONE church, the body of Christ, and it is made up of 100% true believers! 🙂
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I would hope that the judge would tell me that there is no need for a trial; that because I was picked up in the streets witnessing and proclaiming the gospel that my case was a slam dunk and there would be no need to waste the money to try me.
And 5ptsalt is correct; the church is made up of 100% true believers!
Remember wbmoore…there are tares among the wheat
and goats among the sheep.
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5ptsalt,
🙂 Good catch. Perhaps I should have said ‘community of Christ’ or assembly.
WayneDawg,
Oh don’t I know it! It just saddens me to see so many people in western society filling church roles with so little evidence of faith.
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Tough questions indeed. I am afraid that the majority of “professing” believers in our nation would fall away overnight.
It’s easy to be a Christian in America as it costs you nothing. However, in many countries around the world it costs everything. Frankly, most are just not willing to pay the price.
How do I arrive at that conclusion? Look at how ineffective the church in America has become. We are to be salt and light, yet the decay of our nation continues unabated. Abortion continues at a horrific rate; Christians now vote for officials, not because of righteousness, but so we can be comfortable. How we could put a man in office who supports the wholesale slaughter of the unborn is beyond me. Finally, the church in America is on the decline, declining in attendance, in affluence and in power to effect change. One cannot deny the impotence of the church in America.
How do we change the situation? One person at a time. It starts with me. Am I willing to pay the price? Am I willing to suffer shame for His Name? Am I willing to surrender all to serve Him? I want to, desperately, by the power He gives.
Then it starts with you…
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The question (for all of us, including me) is,
If you were arrested, and charged with being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
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Hey,
Check out the latest happening over here in the UK. A nurse has been suspended and threatened with the sack because she offered to pray for a 79 year old elderly lady she cared for.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1134508/Nurse-suspended-offering-pray-patient-lifted-wave-support.html
thought you guys might want to comment on it. I have over at my blog http://www.reformedpilgrim.wordpress.com.
hhhmmmmm, yet only a few days previously a mob of 3,000 muslims chased 30 Police officers in central London in the name of Allah over the trouble in Gaza.
Ominous signs here in the UK indeed.
R.P.
R.P.
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The signs are just getting worse in England. While we lived there, a Christian man was passing out tracks and a homosexual came and assaulted him. The Christian man was put in jail because the police said the Christian man disrupted the peace by passing out tracks. The government in England has been trying to pass a law that says that preaching Jesus is the only way is a hate crime. It’s coming here to America, folks, so we’d all better wake up and smell the coffee!
Even people who claim to be Christians and go to church, hate to be shown the truth. A lot of times they do their own style of persecution so if it’s already in the church. How can we expect otherwise?
I would hope there would be plenty of evidence to have me put to death.
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I am a published Christian Apologist based in India. It has been good to visit your blog.
Unless democratic governments increase worldwide, Christians are going to face more difficult times. We need to pray earnestly.
Johnson C. Philip, PhD (Physics)
India
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Being in a democracy does not guarantee the freedom to speak the Gospel or to teach the Bible. People are arrested on pretexts to stop them from preaching the word, while others are passing laws to make it illegal (in the name of diversity) to speak about certain sins the Bible warns us against.
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wbmoore February 3, 2009 at 4:56 am
5ptsalt,
🙂 Good catch. Perhaps I should have said ‘community of Christ’ or assembly.
WayneDawg,
Oh don’t I know it! It just saddens me to see so many people in western society filling church roles with so little evidence of faith.
Not only only in our Western society but the world at large to many people in the Body of Christ, or pertend to be act like the world. In Christ under grace but maybe we need to use the letter of the law. The Ten Commanments
I enrolled in Master of Biblical Studies at Trinity Graduate School of Theology
and paid in full in 2008, sent in my course work to be graded. No One has ever returned my grades to me let alone, sent an email stating why I have not received any grades. It must be a spam. What would Jesus do ?
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