Freedom of Mind

Yesterday was a wonderful day in th Lord.  We were able to travel to a nearby villiage where a person had repented a year ago and see how he or she was growing in the Lord.  We were pleasantly surprised to find this person truly repentant and following the Lord.  The biggest problem that we have encountered here both for the lost and for the saved is the overwhelming fear of the people.  They are not afraid of God, or the Bible.  They are afraid of what the community will do to them if they are caught practicing such things.  It sounds so much like the book of Acts when Peter and John were persecuted for their faith.  And as they stood before the Sanhedrin for judgment they responded; "Is it better for us to obey God or obey men."  And they rejoiced when they were beaten for the name of Christ.  The hardest thing for people to realize is the power that comes in the times of persecution.  I do believe these are lessons we will all learn as we approach the coming of Christ. 

I believe one of the greatest commodities we have in the US is our freedom of thought and expression.  We can openly talk, share, and feel without worry of ridicule, imprisionment, or even death. This is the way  of life over here.  If you go against the grain of society, you are sqaushed like a bug.  The community in some ways polices itself lest the government step in and do it for them.  So it is a very fearful and closed minded place, not only to the gospel, but to any kind of new thought or idea.  I believe this is one of the reasons that Americans are misjudged as being arrigant and loud when we go to other countries.  We don't understand the lack of expression, or even the lack of thought that the rest of the world just is not allowed to have.  To ask someone to bold in their faith is this part of the world is synonomus with taking a beating or going to prision.  I know this first hand now as I lay in my bed at night know that at any moment the door could be smashed in and we all be arrested for our faith.  Even then it is somewhat different for me as I would begin to yell out "American! American!"  This could be an advantage or disadvantage depending on the arresting party.  But I would still feel like I had recourse to take and people would begin looking for me.  No one would look for these people.  No one would come to their aide.  They would just simply become another martre for the cause of Christ.  The sad thing is, I beleive that is exactly what needs to happen for the enterance of the good news in this place.  It is a high price to pay.  But someone will have to pay it. Praise God that Jesus was willing to pay this high price to bring the gospel to this lost and dieing world.