2 Timothy 1:8 –
So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News.
Think about Christianity today and then. Paul is being persecuted for his belief in Jesus being the Messiah. Today we practice our faith without fear of persecution or imprisonment. Sure many may dismiss us as living in a fantasy, but we will not sit in prison for these thoughts, or will we? Today there is a Christian pastor in Iran facing death for apostasy against Islam. It’s an interesting argument, since the man says he could never have dismissed Islam since he was never a practicing Muslim
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All in the same, a man may die because of his faith in Jesus. What would you do? Would you accept sitting in jail for your faith, would you die for it? Sure it’s easy to say when you are reading this in the comfort of our society, but how about in the pastor’s shoes in Iran? Would you publically renounce your belief’s to save your life? Or would you die maintaining your faith in Jesus? Again this question is easier to answer hypothetically than actually.
I pray this pastor life is spared and the international community rises up to save this man’s life. I personally could not say what I would do in his place. Most likely my response would be save my butt, get out of there and then recant. But how would God view that? Would I be spat out as “lukewarm” or would God understand? I don’t think we understand the dangers that are still in this world for Christians, we have just become isolated protected society. We need to understand that our life may be lost for God’s ultimate glory and to never back down from our faith.