WORSHIPING GOD DESPITE CHINESE PERSECUTION
At the end of last month, about one hundred and fifty police officers descended upon the church service of a group of Protestant Christians in northeastern China. Some two hundred of the people were arrested and put on buses, and their fate is unknown as of this writing. The church is affiliated with the SOLA Network, which is working to spread the good news of Jesus Christ through both local churches and digital media platforms. The church’s beliefs were not sanctioned by the Chinese state, and it comes at a time of increased persecution, when the government under Xi Jinping has been cracking down on Christians. Locals became suspicious after noticing a strange car parked outside the gathering place the night before. But everyone was surprised at the number of officers who were sent. “Even when they arrest criminals, we have never seen so many police officers,” one witness said.
WORSHIPING GOD DESPITE BABYLONIAN PERSECUTION
The prophet Daniel, though a captive and a slave, was known for worshiping the God of the Jews. His enemies sought to use this fact to remove him from his favored position in the court of King Darius. They tricked Darius into passing a law whose aim was to make Daniel’s worship a criminal offense punishable by death. But even knowing this edict, Daniel threw open the windows and openly prayed toward Jerusalem. He didn’t know whether God would save him or not, but his love for God overruled his concern for his own life.
Questions
- How do you think you would do in a country where expressing your faith was a crime?
- When have you or someone you know been the target of a plot or persecution?
- What were Darius’s options when he realized what was going to happen to Daniel?
