At what cost?

Acts 7:55 “But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently toward heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.”

“Christianity’s message stands at odds with the world’s mindset.” John Piper

Persecution. The very word sounds harsh and ugly. It evokes images of men burned at the stake, of babies taken from their mothers, of Christians being thrown to the lions, of brave pastors tortured until they renounced their faith. We know that such things happened centuries ago. But surely no one is ever persecuted for their faith today, right? Open Doors Ministry reports: Christian persecution is higher today than at any other time in modern history:

1) 260 Million: In the top 50 World Watch List countries alone, 260 million Christians in the world experience high levels of persecution for their choice to follow Christ.

2) 1 in 9: Christians worldwide experience high levels of persecution.

3) 6%: The rise in the number of Christians in the top 50 countries on the 2020 World Watch List (WWL) who experience high levels of persecution.

Sunday we will take a look at persecution in history as well as today. We will also look to the Scriptures about how a believer should respond to such attacks. This is the last of the Beatitudes so don’t miss this one! See you Sunday –

Pastor Mike

“Seducers are more dangerous enemies to the church than persecutors.” Matthew Henry