The Secret Meeting of the Saints
Christians under persecution throughout time have gone to great measures to grant us the religious freedoms that we have today. We are going to take a step into a world that others still live in so we can gain a deeper appreciation for our religious freedom!
Christians under persecution throughout time have gone to great measures to grant us the religious freedoms that we have today. We are going to take a step into a world that others still live in so we can gain a deeper appreciation for our religious freedom!
As you all know our government opposes any Christian meetings, and the fact that we are Christian all together. That has not stopped us yet and will not stop us now. We take refuge in the fact that God is with us and all other Christians all over the world.
Southern Sudan
Believers are often under fire — literally. Islamic armies from the north bomb churches and pastors’ homes. Some radical Muslims believe that their god wants them to kill infidels — their name for non-Muslims — in a holy war.
Malaysia
A young Malay girl caused a national uproar when she announced she was marrying a Christian boy. Her shocked family kept her confined for more than a month, forcing her to listen to Islamic teachers who warned her about infidels. Muslim leaders all over the country condemned her. The Malaysian government proposed a bill recommending harsh punishment for converts to Christianity — all of this over one girl’s decision!
Southern Sudan
Believers are often under fire — literally. Islamic armies from the north bomb churches and pastors’ homes. Some radical Muslims believe that their god wants them to kill infidels — their name for non-Muslims — in a holy war.
Malaysia
A young Malay girl caused a national uproar when she announced she was marrying a Christian boy. Her shocked family kept her confined for more than a month, forcing her to listen to Islamic teachers who warned her about infidels. Muslim leaders all over the country condemned her. The Malaysian government proposed a bill recommending harsh punishment for converts to Christianity — all of this over one girl’s decision!
China
"They hung me up across an iron gate, then they yanked open the gate and my whole body lifted until my chest nearly split in two. I hung like that for 4 hours."
That is how Peter Xu Yongze, the founder of one of
the largest religious movements in China, described his treatment during one of five jail sentences on account of his belief in Christianity.
Southeast Asia
Linh was a 15-year-old girl living in Southeast Asia. She loved Jesus and her family. She went to church, where she led a youth Bible group. She attended high school, played the keyboard and dealt with other “normal” things in life.
But she also had bigger worries. Once, the police took Linh out of school for several days. For hours each day, they kept her in a room at the police station and asked her questions. She wasn’t given any food. They wanted to know about her friends in the youth group, about her church and about her Christian faith. “Why do you waste this time?” Linh asked. “You know what we do. We do good things. We train youth not to be alcoholics and commit crimes.” After a while, they gave up interrogating her and sent her back to school. But Linh didn’t relax. She’d been questioned before and knew that she could be again at any time.
Christians have to meet secretly in homes and forests — and yes, sometimes underground. They rarely are able to worship in a large building with a cross and steeple. If you were a believer in Linh’s country, you’d always have to be ready to talk to the police. And if you talked about Jesus in school, you wouldn’t make many friends.
It’s scary. It’s real. It’s the Underground Church.
Don’t miss the Secret Meeting of the Saints
· Special Guest Speaker: Xenn Seah
· February 1st
· 8 p.m.
Upstairs Sunday School Classroom
"They hung me up across an iron gate, then they yanked open the gate and my whole body lifted until my chest nearly split in two. I hung like that for 4 hours."
That is how Peter Xu Yongze, the founder of one of
the largest religious movements in China, described his treatment during one of five jail sentences on account of his belief in Christianity.
Southeast Asia
Linh was a 15-year-old girl living in Southeast Asia. She loved Jesus and her family. She went to church, where she led a youth Bible group. She attended high school, played the keyboard and dealt with other “normal” things in life.
But she also had bigger worries. Once, the police took Linh out of school for several days. For hours each day, they kept her in a room at the police station and asked her questions. She wasn’t given any food. They wanted to know about her friends in the youth group, about her church and about her Christian faith. “Why do you waste this time?” Linh asked. “You know what we do. We do good things. We train youth not to be alcoholics and commit crimes.” After a while, they gave up interrogating her and sent her back to school. But Linh didn’t relax. She’d been questioned before and knew that she could be again at any time.
Christians have to meet secretly in homes and forests — and yes, sometimes underground. They rarely are able to worship in a large building with a cross and steeple. If you were a believer in Linh’s country, you’d always have to be ready to talk to the police. And if you talked about Jesus in school, you wouldn’t make many friends.
It’s scary. It’s real. It’s the Underground Church.
Don’t miss the Secret Meeting of the Saints
· Special Guest Speaker: Xenn Seah
· February 1st
· 8 p.m.
Upstairs Sunday School Classroom
