“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10). I recently heard about a church here in Germany that was deliberating whether to set up a table with flyers and Gospel tracts in a downtown shopping district. In the country once known as the Land of Luther, but where today only some seven percent of the population go to church regularly, it is possible that someone might pick up one of those tracts and read for the very first time that our Lord took upon Himself the sins of the world, including their own. And so, that church council pondered that low-key and innocuous way of spreading the Good News. As was shared with me, one of the council members had reservations about participating in that activity and being seen in public. What about Peter, who—after denying Jesus three times—was strengthened in his faith after our Lord’s resurrection and years later was crucified for his confession? What about our many Persian parishioners who grew up in a Muslim country, but who were called by Jesus and today boldly wear a cross around their necks—even though many of them still live in refugee camps largely populated by Muslims often hostile to converts? Or what about the graphic confession of the man from Iran—with his awesome tattoo, in which the arm of Christ hanging on the cross grows into his own hand (see image)? May the Lord strengthen the faith of those of us who might be afraid to confess Him, and may we realize that, as counterintuitive as it may seem, to be persecuted for your faith is—in the grand scheme of things—to be blessed.
The Tiews in Germany 