BY JACK WARD
One in seven Christians is persecuted worldwide. In 2025, 4,849 Christians were martyred for simply trying to go to church or have a Bible in a Muslim or communist nation.
The top 10 nations for Christian persecution are North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan, Eritrea, Syria, Nigeria, Pakistan, Libya and Iran. Notice all of these are Muslim nations, except for North Korea, which is communist.
Galatians 6:7-9: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
The threat of persecution and even death would certainly discourage a Christian. There are brave Christians all over the world who are not discouraged from serving Christ even with the threat of death. You probably will not be called upon to lay down your life for Christ, but what else does it take to discourage you? Hurt feelings, a bad week at work, an argument with your kids? Are you just too tired? Just not feeling it lately?
Don’t give up serving Christ. It will be worth it all.
Andre Crouch passed away in 2015 at the age of 72. He wrote many Christian classic songs. He wrote many to encourage us in the faith. And he wrote boldly about the cross and the salvation that Jesus purchased for us by His shed blood. Something you may not know about Andre Crouch is that he was a man of many illnesses. Sickness racked his body. But he never quit singing, playing and writing for the Lord. He was singing for the Lord the week he died. He has encouraged many.
There is coming a time when we will reap what we have sown in this life. If you give up planting, you will never reap a harvest. But the harvest will come if you sow the good seed of Jesus Christ. When you sow the seed of trusting in Christ alone, you reap salvation and peace with Him. When you sow reading and studying God’s word, you reap wisdom for life. And when you sow time in your prayer closet, you reap strength and power for living.
How could a sport that is played on Sunday, a supposed day of worship for a so-called Christian nation, become the No. 1 sport in America? That should tell you all you need to know about the church in that country.
In China you can lose your government benefits if you are a Christian. How many in America would be willing to lose their government benefits for Christ?
It has been said, “Those who have the least to lose from following Christ give the least to Him. Those who have the most to lose are the ones who give the most for Christ.”
Listen to Pastor Jack’s sermons every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. on 98.9 WSIP FM. Check out the Tomahawk Missionary Baptist Church Facebook page and our website at tomahawkmbc.com.