And labor, working with our own hands; being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it. -I Corinthians 4:12
Every Sunday I do something at East Bristol Baptist Church that I fear many of us take for granted. I stand in the sanctuary, read from the Bible, and then preach to those gathered about faith in Jesus Christ. Throughout the week I meet with people in their homes, in the hospital, and on the street, and I speak openly with them about matters related to Christianity. If I wanted to do so I could go to the most public and populated places in the Tri-cities area and proclaim to anyone who would listen what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Here in America I am free to express my beliefs candidly and I do so without fear of arrest or imprisonment.
The same cannot be said of countless other believers around the world. If they preach or pray in public they risk being harassed, beaten, thrown in jail, or maybe even killed. This is not hearsay or rumor, but is based upon eyewitness accounts and interviews with those involved. Consider the account of a missionary in India named Omprakash. According to Alpha International Ministries this Christian missionary was conducting a worship service when a group of militant Hindus attacked their small congregation. The building was completely ransacked, Bible-themed posters were torn down, scripture verses and anything remotely Christian were taken out and burned. Omprakash and his wife were arrested and taken to a police station where they faced a tirade of false accusations of bribing people in order to get them to convert to Christianity. At one point false witnesses were produced to testify against them. Despite their pleas of innocence, they were taken into custody in order to appease an angry mob that had gathered. Criminal charges were filed against them along with a summons issued for a future hearing in court.
This account is by no means an isolated incident. Alpha Ministries reports numerous other cases of persecution against Christians in India. There is Pastor Gamit who was thrown from the roof of his residence and suffered a shattered ankle. Pastor A.K. had acid thrown on his face and body because he was praying. Pastors Ramanbhai and Jose were severely beaten, their arms and legs broken in several places. In spite of all this, these courageous believers continue to spread the good news of the Gospel.
