Great
Joy in Tribulation
Last night I sat down
to read our monthly magazine from Voice of the Martyrs http://www.persecution.com/.
It is very inspiring because there are
personal stories and photographs of people from all over the
world who are living under tyrannical dictatorships and are
still joyously following Christ. I am reminded of the Bible
verse that says, "My brethren, count it all joy when you
fall into various trials" (James 1:2). That is something
that we in America find hard to comprehend or even believe. How
can people "count it all joy?"
The story that
interested me the most was one about the Hmong people who live
in Southeast Asia. The Hmong tribe are a people scattered
through at least three nations, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
Many of them are Christians, and more are coming to Christ all
the time. They have their own language, and never had a Bible in
their language until about five to 10 years ago. Workers
associated with Voice of the Martyrs carry in Bibles and
supplies to these people any way they can.
In Vietnam most of the
Hmong live in the north part of the country. However, the
persecution in the north is so bad that thousands are migrating
to the southern highland forests. Actually, I should say that
thousands are being driven out of their homes and forced to
migrate southward. Many of the Christians have been beaten,
tortured, imprisoned, and some even beaten to death, yet they
have not turned away from Christ.
Recently in a village
in one of the provinces of Vietnam their meeting place was
destroyed and the police erected an idol and an altar of their
traditional god and told the people that if any of them would
bow down before the idol and give up Christ, they would be left
alone. If not, they would be beaten and imprisoned. The police
gave them until the following morning to make their choice. In
the morning the police found the altar had been torn down and
its pieces scattered in the jungle, and the idol was destroyed.
When the villagers were called together to give an account, a
pastor stepped forward and said that he would rather die than
deny his God. The police proceeded to beat the pastor to death
and burn and destroy many of the people's homes. Some were
hauled off to jail. Still, no one turned away from Christ.
Many of the remaining
people are now in the south of the country living in tents in
the forested highlands. To them such a life is preferable to
giving up their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. They have an
understanding that we have lost in this country: the toil and
pain of this life are temporary; eternity is with God and
Christ.
The Hmong truly counted
it all joy when they were tested. Jesus said, "He who loves
father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who
loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he
who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of
Me" (Matthew 10:37-38).
It's easy to look at
these words of Jesus and wonder how it is even possible to
endure such a thing, but we often forget that Jesus sent another
Comforter, the Holy Spirit, in order to give us the strength,
the joy, the mind that make it possible to go through anything
and count it all joy.
Christ gives the
strength. Learn to call on Him for everything as the Hmong
Christians have done.
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