Dear Friend of the Persecuted Church—

 “And they [the saints] overcame him [the accuser of the brethren] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”
                                                            Revelation 12:11

Over the last two weeks we have discussed what the blood of the Lamb and the word of the believer’s testimony mean in overcoming.  This week we conclude by talking about the element that infuses power in the overcomer.

Overcoming, in this spiritual sense, starts with the blood of Christ—the redemption of grace applied to the believer’s life.  It continues with a testimony, the believer’s individual story of God’s faithfulness.  But when a believer shares that testimony, attracting the animosity of the forces of evil, life can get very dangerous.  Every believer is faced with the choice between this life or the next.

They Loved Not Their Lives

“When the love of life stood in competition with their loyalty to Christ...their love to their own lives was overcome by stronger affections of another nature.”  (Matthew Henry)

Persecuted believers worldwide know the competition that exists between love of this life and loyalty to Christ.  Sometimes it is unmistakable.  The believer, on his knees, with a gun to his head, who is told to renounce Christ or die, must choose one or the other.

Often the choice is far less blatant.  Believers in hostile countries risk their safety every time that they proclaim the name of Christ.  They cannot love their security and follow Christ at the same time.  But if you think about it, this is the same choice that every believer faces in following Jesus Christ.  His wisdom is foolishness to the world, and each time we identify with Him we risk ridicule, scorn, and rejection.

Sacrificing Temporal for Eternal

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” (Jim Elliot)

So many of the things that we value are completely temporal.  Even important things, like reputations, safety, and even survival have no eternal value on their own.  These things are only valuable as they are dedicated to an eternal cause.

Dedicating the things that we value requires placing them on the altar of sacrifice.  If we keep them, they are worthless; it is only as we give them up that they gain eternal significance.

That is true no matter what it is we are called to give.  You and I may never be called to take a bullet for the gospel, as many are, but we are called to sacrifice our lives nonetheless.  We are called to live without loving our lives, so that whatever the sacrifice may be, we will place it on the altar of eternal significance. 

We can learn from the examples of the persecuted Body of Christ.  Even more than that, though, we can sacrifice our time to pray for them!  Truly, your prayers have eternal significance; let us overcome in intercession today.

Yours for the Body of Christ,

Gabriel J. Waddell
Executive Director

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This Week in the Persecuted Church

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