Being a Christian in the Face of Terror

TERRORWe live in a world of Terror, and it is on the rise. In recent weeks, we’ve all been horrified by the mass crucifixions of Christians in Iraq and their children being beheaded. These last two weeks, the sophisticated terror group ISIS has released two videos of American journalists being beheaded. But the real death toll of captured international journalists dying at the hands of ISIS numbers somewhere around 70.The threat may seem a long way away, but it’s become more real and present at home. We now know that there are hundreds of American born terrorists who are fighting for ISIS in Syria and Iraq, which means they are successfully recruiting terrorists right here. Our own Homeland Security announced on Tuesday that there are thousands of missing internationals on American soil who came by way of student visas but have since disappeared (most 9-11 terrorists were here on student visas). Other government reports are focused on terror group infiltration among those crossing our southern border.Early Thursday morning this last week, an ISIS sympathizer who claims to be one of them, was arrested right here in Chicago after driving through the city with an ISIS flag on display. He led police on a high speed chase and when finally subdued, he made bomb threats and jeered law enforcement officers, claiming that his terror group was already among us.But none of this is new.It’s new to us. Most of us have enjoyed relative security. We’ve been lulled to sleep with our comfort and economic prosperity. But millions of people around the world have been living in terror. It’s an often cited fact that more Christians were put to death for their faith in the last fifty years than the nearly 2,000 previous years of Christianity combined. Terror has been used as an instrument of evil since sin first infiltrated the human race. In fact, it was through a Roman tool of Terror that our founder himself was crucified. Crucifixion then, as now, was an instrument of Terror.How do we respond?We could cower in fear, be consumed with hatred, or swear ourselves to vengeance.Or we could live a life of faith, recognizing that the answer is not found in this world’s solutions. We could proclaim the Gospel message with our lives and words and look for the day when Jesus will set everything straight. We can rest on his reminder, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world."I’m not saying that we should do nothing. Of course, we should do all we can to squelch evil, right wrongs and promote peace. But for followers of Jesus, we have a Gospel to share and a mission to accomplish, to rescue as many as we can with the promise of forgiveness, salvation and eternal life in Christ. And we have eternity to look forward to. An eternity that will be free of terror, and all other effects of sin, while filled with the captivating delight of living in person with God himself.We may face the temporal fate that our brothers and sisters around the world have experienced. But if we are ushered into eternity that way, may we bring many with us, never abandoning the expectation and trust that we have in Jesus.

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