Members of a Body - Part 1

I have attended the same church since I was ten years old; Temple is pretty much my only church 'experience.' Because of this, it is relatively easy for me to forget that there is a whole world of other Christians outside of my little bubble called Temple Baptist Church.
Thankfully, our church has always tried to be very conscious of the church as a whole. We have been very involved in missions and are constantly reminded of our missionaries and their churches. But it is still hard to picture a church outside of my own church body.
Last month I had the opportunity to visit two good churches: Sovereign Grace Church and Bethlehem Baptist Church. It was an awesome experience for three reasons.
1. I got to learn some new songs! Both churches sang songs that I had never heard before. I love to worship through singing and so it was really cool to learn some new ones.
2. Both churches had much bigger congregations than Temple. This was really neat because I was surrounded by a huge group of brothers and sisters in Christ I never knew existed. I just kept thinking, 'These are people I will spend all eternity with!' The entire service felt like a warm-up for when we will spend all of our time in worship to our Lord together.
3. Last but not least, both churches were full of unfamiliar people. I was enabled to easily worship with nothing else on my mind. I wasn't thinking about all the people I needed to talk to, I didn't need to check on anything, there were no fires for me to put out and no checklist for me to complete. I was able to just sit back and worship and it was so nice!
All in all, it was a hugely encouraging experience for me. It enabled me to take a few steps back and look at the big picture more clearly than I ever had before. It reminded me that there are real people out there I don't ever realize exist who are walking in the same faith, pursuing the same goal, and running in the same race as I am. Throughout all the thoughts that this train of thought provoked, the most prominent were those of the persecuted church.
If you don't already get the Voice of the Martyr Magazine, you should. Its absolutely free but its contents are priceless. The VOM ministry works to provide relief to the persecuted church around the globe and to promote awareness of the persecuted church to the non-persecuted church. The magazine will keep you updated on current happenings so that your prayers can be focused and purposeful. It also provides you with opportunities to write letters and/or sign petitions regarding our persecuted brothers and sisters.
Another way I like to keep the persecuted church in mind is by reading the Jesus Freaks books. There are two of them now that VOM put together along with D.C. Talk. Both books are a collection of true stories of people who stood firm in their faith through unspeakable persecutions. Most of the stories end with the people ultimately sacrificing their lives in order not to deny their faith. The stories are usually very short; almost all are between one and three pages long.
I am going to share some of these stories with you over the next few Mondays. I am doing this for several reasons. First, I think it is really important for us to remember the fact that we are not alone. It is so easy for us to get wrapped up in our own comfortable lives and forget that there are people out there dying for their faith every day. We can't just shut this truth out, we have to keep it in our minds. It will inevitably steer us to a more sober life and hopefully embolden us to share the gospel as never before as we read of people who shared the gospel and were then killed because of it. What is the worst that will happen to us? We may get laughed at.
Second, I believe that we have a responsibility to these Christians. We have the responsibility to lift them up daily in our prayers. We have the responsibility to pray that they would remain strong in their faith. We have the responsibility to pray for family members left behind. We have the responsibility to pray for strength for these people.
Finally, it should make you passionate for your faith. Whenever I find myself struggling for joy, I read some of these stories. You cannot read these stories and remain cold-hearted. It reminds you that there is more to our life than changing diapers, picking up toys, and washing dishes. We are part of the body of Christ and our faith is worth suffering and dying for!
Please join me in the next several weeks as we remember the persecuted church. Let us keep our brothers and sisters in prayer and use their examples to furthur us in our own walks of faith.