Five Minute Friday again!! Once a week I join a party of women who write for five minutes on one word...no editing!!! Today's word is QUIET.
Go:
Churches in America really have it easy. We come to church in nice cars, wearing nice clothes, each carrying our own Bible. We enjoy laughter and fellowship before and after church, we sing loudly to the Lord, some of us even use drums. Our pastors preach using a microphone so all can hear. Quiet is what we try to keep our kids while the pastor is talking. Many of us do not associate quiet with church.
However, there are churches all around the world who need to be quiet. They need to keep their numbers low...as low as 24 or fewer people. They arrive separately and try not to draw attention to themselves. They do not carry their own Bibles, they instead consider themselves living Bibles; as they have to memorize the Bible in order to have daily access to it. If they were sing out loudly as we do, they could draw the attention of those who oppose their church. They can be arrested for having church. So quiet is something they know.
The Christians in these closed countries do not openly flaunt their religion, yet they do not keep totally quiet. They are risking their lives to spread the gospel. Yet, sometimes we who can be vocal about our faith, with no fear of death, keep too quiet.
So as you attend your church this week, keep in mind those who are having a more quiet worship experience. Remember what they are risking. Let us not keep quiet about our faith, or quiet about the persecution that is happening to our brothers and sisters around the world!
This was a poignant reminder that American Christians are not the only kind. That the quiet we long for is a punishment of sorts to others. Thank you for this hard-to-read but beautiful reminder.
ReplyDeleteI will be praying for the persecuted church today. Thank you!
ReplyDeletePraying.
ReplyDeleteSuch a good reminder.
ReplyDelete