If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? The truth is, many of us are scared to really answer this question. There's a lot of individuals out there that wear the name of "Christian", but they only practice it when "the right people are around". What would happen if somebody secretly put up cameras in your house? Followed you around? Tried their hardest to find evidence of your Christianity? I have a scenario that I want us all to consider:
Let's say the year is 2098 and the world has united under one "World Government". They've grown tired of the "Jesus talk", the "Jesus activity", and they want it to stop. "All Christians are to be arrested!" they demand. Cops are scouring through every neighborhood, looking through every house, for any evidence of Christians. In a small town that hasn't been searched yet, lives a young man by the name of John. When John was 9 he lost both his parents in a car crash and was taken in by his uncle.
The passing of his parents was pretty hard for him to deal with. Obviously it's not easy for a boy to lose both his parents (at the same time), but it hurt John more because his parents crashed while they were on his way to pick him up from his after-school program. In a way he almost felt like it was his fault. Although he was very young, he was exceptionally smart. He knew all about God because of his parents. They taught him a lot, and he even read the Bible on his own so that he could learn even more.
John's favorite verse was Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." John didn't know why he lost his parents, or why he had to endure so much pain as a result of it. He did know this: that God had a plan for him.
While John was growing up with his uncle (his uncle wasn't a Christian), he kept his faith in God strong. Many times his uncle criticized him for believing in a "God". "If God existed, then why would he let my sister, YOUR MOTHER, die?!?!" This was a question that John's uncle continually asked him. John didn't have much to say to him, but he always read his verse. It helped calm him down.
As John got older he heard the news of the "World Government" thinking about capturing Christians and persecuting them. He knew that in the Bible it mentioned that things of the sort would come, but he didn't really think that he would be alive for it. Before he knew it, the time indeed came. His uncle did everything he could to protect his only nephew. He didn't want the authorities to know about his Christianity.
The day came when a friend of John's uncle came over for dinner. The three of them sat at the table together and began to chose from the great selection of food that was in front of them. John's uncle was a former chef of a well-known restaurant and he always liked to cook big for dinner. John did his regular routine: he bowed his head and thanked God for the food. The visitor couldn't believe his eyes and ran out the house, grabbed his cell phone and dialed the hot-line that was advertised: there was a reward for reporting Christians.
In an instant, cops flooded the neighborhood. John was overwhelmed and a little scared. His uncle was furious. He couldn't believe that his nephew would be so dumb to do his "Christian stuff" right in front of somebody from outside the house. "What's your name?" A police officer shouted. "I'm John, John English." "There was a call stating that there's a young man at this house who is a Christian, you're the only young one here, SO ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN!?"
- TO BE CONTINUED
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