That bugged me all day, and was the first thought I had when I woke this morning.
Americans have become so comfortable in their Christianity...in just being American...that we've forgotten what a conviction is. The history of our belief has been full of persecution and martyrdom. In nearly every other country in the world, Christians still die for their faith. Tertillian wrote in his Apologeticum that the blood of martyrs is the seed of the church. Because this is God, the one true God that we worship, faith does not shrink in the face of persecution--it grows.
So I challenge Christians everywhere to pray for the martyrs who are losing their lives in the Middle East, for the families who are losing loved ones, and for those who fear for their lives every day. Let's not forget them. Also to strengthen the love in our hearts and increase our understanding for them, here's some further reading:
And consider a donation to one of the ministries that were created specifically to help the persecuted church:
Open Doors USA or The Voice of the Martyrs
