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Sermon Illustrations: Persecution

Do people treat you like dirt? God took a lump of dirt and transformed it into a man.

It had started just like any Sunday. Pastor Cecep Sanabuki led the service at his church, and then travelled with his friend Berty to the airport. Cecep was on his way to attend Bible College classes. Upon arrival at the airport, however, they discovered that all flights had been cancelled due to a security alert. The two men headed for home on their motorbike. Not long into their journey, they came across a roadblock. Berty tried to reason with the gang of extremists, but to no avail. The mob began to beat him, pulled out his teeth, and eventually cut his throat. Pastor Cecep was also tortured. His charred body was found on a beach two days later, with many deep stab wounds. Open Doors letter March 2005 - article on Indonesia.

Nicholas Ridley (1500 - 1555) had been condemned to death for his faith. The night before, his brother offered to stay with him in prison. Ridley said that he planned to sleep as well as usual. The next day he encouraged another Christian who was being executed. "Be of good heart, brother, for God will either assuage the fury of the flame, or else strengthen us to abide it." They knelt and prayed next to the stake, talked briefly, then were burned.

Nero lit his gardens by wrapping Christians in pitch and setting them alight. He sewed others into animal skins and set his dogs onto them to tear them apart. Others were tortured on the rack or scraped with pincers. Molten lead poured on them, red hot brass plates fixed to the tenderest parts of their bodies, their eyes were torn out, parts of their bodies cut off and roasted in front of them, hands and feet burned while cold water was poured on them to increase the pain.¹

A Christian came to Tertullian because of a decision he had to make. "What can I do?" he asked. "I must live!" "Must you?" replied Tertullian.²

1,000 are laying down their lives for the faith every day. Derek Prince quoting David Barrett author of the Christian Encyclopaedia

Su Kim's teacher promised her a special prize. "After your parents go to bed tonight, if you can find a black book at home, bring it to school tomorrow. But don't tell anyone." She was excited about the possibility of winning a prize, and looked diligently. Su Kim found a book - a Bible - and the next day took it to her teacher. But when she returned home from school her parents were gone. They'd been arrested by the North Korean police. Their crime was owning a Bible. After a frightening night home alone Su Kim became a state orphan.

1 Barclay, William Daily Study Bible: Vol 1 - Matt 1-10 p 112
2 Barclay, William Daily Study Bible: Vol 1 - Matt 1-10 p 111