But I Don't Like The Music

I saw a blog with the heading “Christian children face many challenges.”

Sure they do.

Like, Which Christian tunes should I download? Do we have to have the same Youth Pastor this year? Sunday School is boring. What if my professor laughs at me?

Christian young people are not alone. Adults are also hard pressed on every side.

Our Pastor is old fashioned. Our Pastor is too much into young people. Or we whine, “But I don't like the music.”

It's tough here in North America. Pfft!

If I have to hear one more prayer thanking God that we can worship without fear of persecution I just might throw something.

We NEED persecution! We need to actually think about what it means to follow Jesus.

When the Church first began, and spread like a wild-fire, and even today where the Gospel of Jesus seems unstoppable, it's in those countries where to confess Jesus as Lord means your job, your family and your life are on the line – daily!

In those countries where being a Christian is considered just a little bit this side of treason, prison is a real possibility for you and your relatives. In fact there is a good chance your Pastor disappeared months ago.

Following Jesus in China, or India or any country dominated by Islam means that you are seen as a destabilizing force in the country. In these countries where persecution is real and tangible, real character transformations takes place. To be a follower of Jesus in those countries means that you have a crystal clear understanding of Jesus' comment, “Pick up your cross daily, and follow Me.” In countries where Christianity is booming, there are no casual fans of Jesus, no fancy Churches, no squabbles about sound systems.

As Christian martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.”