Persecution

Persecution 

Be Faithful, even to the point of death.  Revelation 2:10

After reading The Insanity of God: A True story of Faith Resurrected by Nik Ripken (pseudonym) and Gregg Lewis it made me think about the way I have been and am persecuted in my own faith.  At times, it has hurt…but mostly just my feelings. 

This book is about a man, Nik Ripken, who describes his journey of faith from the beginning of being born again until today.  He sets off on a journey to Somalia, while his family resided in Kenya, to help a nation that seemed like it could not be helped both physically and spiritually.  Persecution was so strong that he often asked God how faith could grow in a place like that.  After six years and the death of one of his three sons he heads back to Kentucky to mourn and spiritually recover.  Nik and his wife Ruth were spurred on by the Holy Spirit to explore other countries and how their faith survives persecution.  He often prayed for persecution to stop.

The stories from numerous interviews revealed that spiritual growth does occur despite danger, imprisonment, and death among believers under persecution.  Nik asked one man in an interview why they did not share their stories of persecution as he watched his own faith grow from their stories.  The man replied, “Do you tell stories of how the sun comes up every morning?”  It was just their way of daily life and why would they tell a “normal” story. 

Christians in the West have not experienced the hardcore persecution described in this book.  I think about when I was made fun of, shunned or blatantly told to leave my faith out of things.  Again, my feelings were hurt.  Never have I feared being imprisoned, physically harmed, thrown out of my house and town or killed.  I have plenty of Bibles in all kinds of versions.  Christians in the countries described in this book have to hide their Bibles, if they have one.  One part in the book Nik witnesses a group of leaders ripping apart a Bible so every leader could at least have one book of the Bible to teach from. 

Among Ripken’s many revelations, he realized without persecution there would be no faith.  Christians are promised persecution.  Ripken said that mature Christians do not ask for persecution to stop, but the strength to endure.  This book increased my faith and comes highly recommended!

Warmly,

Jill