Text:\u00a0 Hebrews 13: 3<\/p>\n
Remember those in prison as if you were there fellow prisoners and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.<\/i><\/p>\n
You are not far away, my friends.\u00a0 You are not.\u00a0\u00a0 If you are a Christian, you will suffer.\u00a0 That is the gospel.\u00a0 So, pray for the brother and sister around the world, for the suffering around the world, because one day you will need them, you need their voice.\u00a0 I know they will be there praying for you when the times comes.<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n
This is the time of the year when we take a closer look at what God\u2019s Word says about the last things, the end times. \u00a0Our Lord Jesus teaches us what to expect as His Day draws near.\u00a0 We won\u2019t try to talk about it all today.\u00a0 Instead I would like to focus on one thing Jesus tells us to expect in these last days.<\/p>\n
Jesus teaches us that following him means a cross.\u00a0 Not just a cross to remember his suffering and death for us all. \u00a0Not just a cross where He redeemed us from death for life with God. \u00a0But another cross.\u00a0 A cross of suffering that comes with following Jesus and confessing his name in this world.<\/p>\n
The apostle Paul wrote to young pastor Timothy: everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted\u2026(2Timothy 3:12)<\/span> In our land that cross is not usually not very heavy.\u00a0 Someone avoids us or makes a snide remark about our faith.\u00a0 That\u2019s a cross, yes, but not much of one.\u00a0 So we might get the impression that it\u2019s like that everywhere in the world. \u00a0Hardly!\u00a0\u00a0 In much of the world, to follow Christ brings a heavy cross for many of our brothers and sisters.\u00a0 For example, I just read that some Christians in Iran were given 60 lashes just for drinking communion wine in the Lord\u2019s Supper. \u00a0There are places where following Jesus brings persecution.<\/p>\n Well one of those places is Syria.\u00a0 The news says little about the plight of Christians there.\u00a0 They are caught between a ruthless dictator and jihadist warriors who see themselves fighting a holy war to reclaim the land for Islam.\u00a0 If their country falls into the hands of those radicals, the Christians know they will be given three choices: convert to Islam, leave the country or die.<\/p>\n Well God\u2019s word directs us this morning to think about our brothers and sisters in such place.\u00a0 The Lord calls us to remember them.\u00a0 To let our hearts go out to them. To let our prayers ascend to heaven for them.\u00a0 REMEMBER THOSE THAT SUFFER FOR THE NAME\u00a0 OF JESUS IN SYRIA.<\/b>\u00a0 Here I\u2019d like to share a few stories to help us understand.\u00a0 I took them from a publication called the Voice of the Martyrs.<\/p>\n REMEMBER THOSE THAT SUFFER FOR THE NAME OF JESUS \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/b>Many Christians have fled Syria.\u00a0 It\u2019s easy to understand why.\u00a0 But many others remained.\u00a0 Some because they have nowhere else to go.\u00a0 Yet others have stayed because they believe God wants them to stay and be a light in a very dark place.<\/p>\n Samer and Liena serve a church that is boldly reaching out even as the violence worsens.\u00a0 It was not an easy decision for them to stay in Syria. A church offered to sponsor their move to Europe and pay for the children\u2019s schooling.\u00a0 But after much prayer, they decided to stay.<\/p>\n They speak of how difficult their decision was.\u00a0 Muslim terrorists have been coming from other countries.\u00a0 They are saying, they will kill everyone who does not believe as they do.\u00a0 Samer and Liena prayed and prayed that the Lord guide them. Stay or go?\u00a0 Finally, it became clear. They would stay in Syria, no matter what.\u00a0 They would persevere in Christ.<\/b><\/p>\n One night their neighborhood was heavily shelled by mortars.\u00a0 The family huddled in the front room of their home.\u00a0 Liena\u00a0 pointed to the front door.\u00a0 She told the children, One day God may allow someone from those terrorist people to come in this door.\u00a0 They will have a big beard and very threatening faces. Maybe they will have swords.\u00a0 They will put their swords on our necks, and you may see some blood.\u00a0 They will hurt us. We will have pain, but don\u2019t worry about this pain.\u00a0 We will close our eyes and open them again in heaven, and we will be with Jesus, singing with the angels.<\/i><\/b>\u00a0 Just tell these people, \u2018I forgive you and Jesus loves you.\u2019<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/b>God did not call their family home that night.\u00a0 Instead <\/b>Samer and Liena remain as lights for Christ in Syria.\u00a0 They continue to proclaim the dying love of our risen Savior.\u00a0 They also want to help their fellow Christians around the world understand what Christians are suffering in Syria. So we can pray for them.\u00a0 Will you? Will you remember them?<\/p>\n Many Americans have seen pictures of the terrible destruction in Syria\u2019s cities.\u00a0 We\u2019ve heard about the terrible loss of life and the use of chemical weapons. Many fear that one of the earliest Christian peoples might be killed or driven from the land.<\/p>\n But little does the news report that Christian churches, suffering churches<\/b>, continue to hold up the living Lord Jesus against that Syrian backdrop of death.\u00a0 Some of those churches have even grown with new people and more services with standing room only.<\/p>\n There are also many stories of Muslims brought to faith in Jesus.\u00a0 A rebel soldier came to the door of one church.\u00a0 The people feared he had come to kill them.\u00a0 He sat down inside, listened to the sermon and confessed Christ.<\/p>\n In one area, more than 70 Muslim families have turned to Christ where there were not many Christians. Then there was the former mullah who witnessed Muslim radicals from different sects kill each other while shouting Allah is great.\u00a0 He then visited a church and learned about a God who doesn\u2019t demand killing, but rather sacrificed his own Son for our sake. His heart was changed.<\/p>\n When one Muslim comes to Christ it is a big thing and everyone rejoices.\u00a0 But we\u2019re not talking about one here and one there.\u00a0 Hundreds, maybe even thousands of Muslims are coming to know Christ.<\/p>\n Yet the civil war continues. Bombs continue to fall.\u00a0 Parents cry over their dead children. Children cry over their dead parents.\u00a0\u00a0 Some have fled to refugee camps where they have nothing.\u00a0 One man described it this way.\u00a0 The war is like a knife in the heart of the church. No human can stand that suffering.\u00a0 But there is God\u2019s presence. I can see Christ in the midst of darkness<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/p>\n So remember those that suffer in the name of Jesus<\/b>.\u00a0 Pray for them.\u00a0 Pray for an end to the violence.\u00a0 Pray that God protect his people.\u00a0 And pray that more Muslims may see Islam for what it is and find forgiveness and life in Christ.<\/p>\n Finally let me tell you about a man named Boutros.\u00a0 Boutros is determined to reach out with Jesus.<\/b> Every day, he gathers a load of Bibles and goes shop to shop in Damascus.\u00a0 Once there he shares the story of Jesus.\u00a0 He is often kicked out but he refuses to be discouraged.\u00a0 For some welcome the good news he shares. And think.\u00a0 This is in a place that if you enter the streets you may not be seen again.\u00a0 Even his pastor warned Boutros.\u00a0 \u2018There is kidnapping. There is torturing. The extremists are cutting Christians into pieces.\u2019<\/p>\n One evening in 2012, Boutros wife called their pastor.\u00a0 He was not home.\u00a0 The pastor feared for Boutros.\u00a0 He called the secret police but they said they did not have him.\u00a0 They did. They had stopped him and asked what he was doing.\u00a0 Handing out Bibles. They told him to stop but he walked to another street and started again.\u00a0 The secret police arrested him.\u00a0 They put a black bag over his head and took him away. They interrogated him again and again but did nothing more than yell and curse at him.\u00a0 Then finally someone asked what he had<\/p>\n done. I was just giving out Bibles.\u00a0 Boutros then shared the gospel with the man.\u00a0 Touched by Boutro\u2019s words, the chief interrogator stopped it, gave him his phone number and told him to call if he had any other problems with the secret police.<\/p>\n So what did Boutros do the next day. You guessed it.\u00a0 He packed his bag with Bibles and headed out once more to share the good news. You see, unlike you and me, Boutros is not waiting for the perfect time to share the gospel. He knows that the time is always now.\u00a0 As Paul wrote, Now is the appointed time, now is the day of salvation<\/span>.\u00a0 But understand.\u00a0 The danger is very real for Boutros and other like him. \u00a0If the radicals get hold of him he really could be cut to pieces.<\/p>\n So remember Boutros in your prayers. Remember those that suffer for the name of Jesus. \u00a0Pray for them and us.\u00a0 Pray like those early Christians in the book of Acts. Pray not that God take away all our crosses of suffering.\u00a0 But that he make us bold to share the love and life of Christ with this dying world.\u00a0 Amen.<\/p>\n You are not far away, my friends.\u00a0 You are not. \u00a0If you are a Christian, you will suffer.\u00a0 That is the gospel.\u00a0 So, pray for the brother and sister around the world, for the suffering around the world, because one day you will need them, you need their voice.\u00a0 I know they will be there praying for you when the times comes.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Text:\u00a0 Hebrews 13: 3 Remember those in prison as if you were there fellow prisoners and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. You are not far away, my friends.\u00a0 You are not.\u00a0\u00a0 If you are a Christian, you will suffer.\u00a0 That is the gospel.\u00a0 So, pray for the brother and sister around the world, for the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=487"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":488,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487\/revisions\/488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/b>I. A Syrian family that perseveres in Christ
\nII. Suffering churches that reach out with Christ
\nIII.\u00a0 A Syrian brother determined to share Christ<\/p>\n