People of the cross

The World has just gone into a new phase of evil. To this day and age, all kinds of evil existed - murder, rape, incest, torture, violence, riot, everything. With the insanely gruesome murder of 21 Egyptian Christians at the hands of a stateless, faceless group of cowards, what has then changed? In each of our living rooms, we are witnesses to the persecution. We cannot turn our head or mute our iPod, for the evil has now crossed oceans and reached our home. People may say that once upon a time, the hunted were hunters. But that does not justify the current spell of evil. It is another matter of fact that those who persecuted may never see the doors of the very place they desired to go, after their own eventual death.

As a Christian, what must be my response to the evil that seems to percolate into our homes, and eat into our existence. Should I respond with anger? Should I respond with prayer, with lobbying and cries for arms and ammunition and more war? I will leave that to the arm chair critics, and the rulers and leaders of the world. For the ordinary human being out there, let me frame a brief response that may help them take these visuals with  courage, hope and peace.

1. Our hope: The book of Revelations in the Bible is portrayed as a series of prophecies on the direction this world will take, when God decides to eventually take back the fallen world. A verse in that book offers me peace and solace, and unexpectedly some hope. Let me share it with you.

"...and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." Revelations 20:4

Is Bible talking about people like those 21 Egyptian Christians who were beheaded for being "people of the Cross"? I would like to think it is - and if so, it offers me incredible peace deep within to know that their souls are with Jesus and they will live and reign with Christ a thousand years. Their blood, which was seen mixing with the waters of the sea, is washed by the blameless, sinless blood of Jesus and their reward is an eternity with their creator.

2. Our response: One of Jesus' greatest commands carries great importance in this era. Matthew 5:43-44 says "You have heard that it was said, 'you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy."But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.…".

Although it is easy for me to say this, having never faced persecution, this is what we must resolve to do. In our immediate context, while we may be tempted to show some bitterness or anger at our neighbors who believe in other world views, we must resist it wholeheartedly, for that is what Jesus commands us to do. 

Famous scholar Nabeel Qureshi puts it down quite well - "We need a call to action, not more sentiment. Our brothers are dying. This world needs the Gospel. What will you do? Our brothers died for Jesus because they lived for Jesus. We are at risk of doing neither, a fate far worse than theirs." I believe that this call to action comes through compassionate giving, service and more love.