Lord, I know by reading the book of Acts that in the first century Jewish Christians were driven from Jerusalem into Asia Minor and were horribly persecuted. Some were stoned (Steven), some were imprisoned and crucified (Peter), or beheaded (Paul), some were fed to lions, some were skinned alive (History of Nero’s reign), and at the least some were beaten and put out of their homes to fend for themselves. Christianity was not against Roman law as it was considered a sect of Judaism so Christians were not hunted down. Sadly most persecution came from the Jews. In Roman law, the husband/ Father was the law of the family. He could beat and/or abandon the wife and children. If he did, their only refuge was the church.
Lord, when You left this world, you commanded Christians to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. Unfortunately, they did not immediately obey, and had to be driven by persecution into all of the known world. Then they did preach the Gospel and it spread like wildfire.
Lord, although there American missionaries all over the world now, are we to fall into the same kind of persecution because as individuals we have failed to evangelize in our own neighborhoods and towns as You have commanded? I believe so. Christians are quickly being considered “Enemies of the State” because we stand against abortion, homosexuality, strict governmental control of our lives, and stand for Marriage between a man and a woman. The ONLY hope for America is the Gospel. Help us all; Lord to be willingly obedient in spreading Your Word!
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