Are You Comfortable With Persecution?

Note: This month's article is on the serious issues of persecution. Please know that I have worked diligently at not writing graphic details of the events that took place at Columbine High School, but I have included links to news articles and factual information about that day. Please have your parent's permission before reading.



Many years ago on April 20th, 1999 we heard of the fatal massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado.

You may have heard about Miss Rachel Scott, the young Christian girl who was shot multiple times, then killed after she was asked by the gun man ,"Do you believe in God?" to which she replied, "You know I do."

Most Christians don’t think of America as a place that suffers persecution, yet on that fateful day we saw it unfold before our very eyes. After Miss Rachel’s parents heard the tapes of the gunmen speaking about their daughter, they were convinced that she was targeted for her faith in Christ.

After Miss Rachel’s death her parents began to read her journals and found that their daughter seemed to have a sort of premonition about her death one day being over her faith. Millions of Christians realized that we do indeed suffer from persecution right here in the United States.

Something that we desperately need to understand is that those two young men who attacked Columbine High School that day had a thought life of death for quite some time before they committed their crime.

Maybe you have never felt ‘persecuted’ for your faith such as Miss Rachel did, but perhaps you’ve had ‘friends’ who have shunned you for your Christians standards to avoid sin. Miss Rachel certainly suffered from social persecution long before she died for her faith. Miss Rachel believed in being kind to others and had a goal to end prejudice in her community. Miss Rachel wrote an essay on her thoughts and desires to make a difference in her community. Friends and relatives began 'Rachel’s Challenge' in what I believe to be an attempt to bring honor to their daughter’s desires to change her nation. You can join Miss Rachel’s Challenge here.

Perhaps you don’t attend a public school and are living comfortably in a Christian School or in the safety of your own home, being educated by those who love you the most, yet that doesn’t change the fact that there are Christian teens that need your prayers.

Your generation IS the next generation of this world. Should the Lord tarry His coming, you will be an adult living in this world with the teens that are your age right now. What kind of future do you want to have for yourself and for your family? Do you understand the importance of making an impact on your generation NOW? Do you currently pray for your generation?

I believe that if Miss Rachel had a chance to grow up that she would’ve become a phenomenal lady. What she wrote in her journal shows the intensity of her love for our Saviour and she had a fervent spirit of fulfilling her relationship with Christ by sharing about His Word and salvation message to those around her.

Do you pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ who are currently suffering persecution in other countries? Miss Amanda shares an inspiring interview between her and a gentleman from VOM, Voice of the Martyrs, in her article in The Daily Newsroom. When was the last time you shared the Gospel with someone and saw them trust Christ as their savior? Miss Monica June shares some important tips on sharing the Gospel at her column The Faith Factor.

Let’s not be comfortable in our faith. Jesus did not sit in the comfort of a home simply enjoying life, He taught daily to everyone he came in contact with. Certainly there are safety measures that a teen needs to follow when sharing their faith with others, yet we must educate ourselves on how to share our faith. Most of us live in countries where we DO have the freedom of speech and we should be taking advantage of that while we still can.

We have brothers and sisters in the faith who are daily persecuted for spreading the news of Christ’s salvation and yet we sit in the comfort of our homes and rarely speak to those standing in line at the store. I’m thankful that someone spoke to me about Jesus’s death on the cross and how much he loves me. I am glad to know that the woman who shared the Gospel with me didn’t cower under the fear of bringing it up. We have nothing to fear when sharing the salvation message with those around us. Although the Scott Family misses their sweet Miss Rachel very much, they are proud of her for being bold in her faith and the impact her life and death brought to Americans has grown to reach many for the cause of Christ. I pray your life is one that reaches beyond boundaries in order to save a lost soul.