Despite all the help I've given to persecuted Christians, I've always found that I'm the one who's been helped the most. Their faith has - again and again - helped me find my own again. We'll never experience full Christian discipleship if we aren't persecuted or if we aren't praying for, praying with, and living alongside those who are.
Jesus' forgiveness of our sins is the single most impactful part of the gospel, and when we forgive others who sin against us we're shining his light most brilliantly. Every act of forgiveness brings a touch of Heaven to Earth, and it makes the gospel look as otherworldly and supernatural as it is. Forgiveness is constructed in the DNA of the persecuted.
When a terrorist or a government official demands that you deny Jesus, they're demanding you exchange your belief in him for something else. In America, we don't need a terrorist or autocrat to make any such demands. We do it to ourselves all the time with whatever we value above Jesus; whatever pseudo god we put our faith in.
I believe God gives us special grace to help us in moments of persecution. But I also believe he often uses his own words deposited in our hearts. We "must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."
Forgiveness is constructed in the DNA of the persecuted. One Egyptian pastor this spring delivered a sermon titled, "A Message to Those Who Kill Us." In it he quoted Jesus, declaring the fact that the church would refuse to hate the terrorists, but would instead forgive them, pray for them, and love them. This is one of the reasons why so many terrorists are coming to Jesus.
