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In Luke 6, in a passage that could be described as a modified Sermon on the Mount, we find Jesus teaching these valuable principles:
20 Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: "Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh.
22 Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man's sake.

Jesus taught us to be prepared - that will be a concept related by a guest on today's Meeting House, who shares about how she was strengthened by the Lord even before she encountered a tragedy. In an age in which Christians are being ridiculed and we find that there are those who want to silence our voice, we can go the Word, we can draw strength from the Scriptures, and be fortified by God's holy presence - He provides what we need in order to face opposition.  And, even if this is not a season of trial, we can get ready for when the next one comes.

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In the midst of a world where a hostility toward Christianity can be found, we can continue to draw near to God and remember those who are suffering for His name. 1st Peter 3 provides encouragement:
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."
13 And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?
14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. "And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled."

In 2014, in the nation of Nigeria, the terrorist group Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls from a boarding school in the city of Chibok.  According to The Christian Post: "Some of the schoolgirls fled soon after the mass abduction in 2014, while others were released as part of a deal with the Nigerian government in 2016. Dozens more were released in 2017 as part of a prisoner exchange."

That leaves more than 100 girls who have not been released.  But there is hope.

One of the young ladies came home recently, according to that article, which reports that Halima Ali Maiyanga has escaped and returned home - she was kidnapped at the age of 15, meaning she's now 22. The article quotes from her brother:

“Halima was in tears. She told us she was with the military and needed some clothes because she had nothing,” her brother, Muhammad Maiyanga, who spoke to Halima on the phone, told The Wall Street Journal. “We never thought we’d see her again.”

The Journal article said that she had escaped during a military operation against Boko Haram in the northeast part of the country, and it reported that Halima's older sister had been released back in 2017, along with an infant son, who had been fathered in a "forced marriage."

The article notes that Boko Haram had kidnapped almost 350 boys last month from a school; thankfully, all were rescued.  The Post states that "Boko Haram grooms the boys it captures to become terrorists. Save the Persecuted Christians Executive Director, Dede Laugesen, had told The Christian Post that in some cases, the group forces children as young as 8 years old to execute Christians.

Meanwhile, Leah Sharibu, who was abducted along with over 100 other girls back in 2018 in Dapchi has not been heard from recently. There have been varying reports, most from around a year ago, that she was still alive, but information about her whereabouts seems to be scant.  Those captured with her were released, but she was not due to her refusal to convert to Islam because of her Christian faith.

The plight of Nigerian Christians remind us that there are sections of the world where persecution of Christians is rampant.  In China, that is extended to other religious minorities, such as the Muslim Uyghur people.  We can find that when the dominant worldview is hostile to those who do not accept the minority faith practice, those that do not "tow the line" face prison and even death.  We certainly need to pray and act as God gives leadership. 

We live in dangerous times, and the pressure on Christians to be less bold for the name of Christ could be turned up a bit.  We have to be prepared - after all, Jesus said that the person who wishes to live a godly life will be persecuted.  But, we can count it as an honor to be chosen to face opposition due to our faith.  We know the pressure may come, but we know God has given us the resources to continue to live and stand for Him.