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CHILDREN IN CHAINS |
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Over twenty students were rescued from an Islamic school in Chittagong, Bangladesh, where they had been chained and subjected to barbaric torture. The students, all under age 14, apparently were not excelling in their study of the Arabic language and memorization of the Koran. One 11-year-old boy had been at the school for only two weeks before being bound to other classmates and forced to carry a section of a steel railroad tie. "I did not complete my lessons and for this I had been given punishment of fetters for at least one month," recounted Atual Haq. Although the police reported that this was an isolated incident and the principal and teacher are now in custody, there have been similar reports of children being chained at Koranic schools in Pakistan and Sudan. At many such schools, the Koran is the only subject taught, and only in Arabic a language foreign to many areas. |
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As more and more nations embrace pure Islamic rule, we can expect similar treatment of those who fall behind in their "studies." Children in Sudanese Islamic schools are forced to drink the water left from washing their dirty chalkboards. They are told that this will "assist them in memorizing the Koran." Only when a child is able to recite the entire Koran will he graduate from the school. This often takes up to nine years. Some who are unwilling to memorize may be held there and never graduate. Radical Islamic teachers have set out to ensure strict adherence to Islamic rule and cultivate students who will follow the Koran's teachings with unquestioning obedience. They are being trained for jihad holy war. While it is their physical bodies that may be bound, it is the souls of these children that the Muslim teachers desire. Pray for these children. Pray that their hearts would remain soft and not be hardened by jihad, that they not become the next generation of those who would persecute Christians. Pray that they would come to know the Lord Jesus Christ who "sets the captives free." Pray for Christians living in these areas, that they may be able to witness to their Muslim neighbors.
To die for the Lord
"The believers continue meeting secretly in homes, fearing public gatherings as squads have been sent out to harass, persecute, and arrest anyone who professes to be a follower of Christ. Their homes are invaded and destroyed, possessions confiscated. Many in the church are even molested. The persecution doesn't come from a small band of terrorist or fanatical religious zealots, but from the government itself. Where can the Christians go? Who will offer assistance when an entire country publicly seeks to humiliate them and even bring an end to their very existence? As the believers prepare for their Easter celebrations, word comes that one of the leaders has been taken into custody. Without a trial or even an opportunity for public appeal, he is brought into an execution cell where many a life has ceased. Perhaps he was offered freedom simply for denying Christ or signing a statement of confession and returning to his religion of birth. We have no record of his opportunity for escape but we can only imagine how the blood-stained floor and walls must have cried out...his blood mingling with the blood of others who had refused to deny their faith and courageously faced the executioner as he prepared to take another life. The believers are overwhelmed at the swiftness of the execution and the increased persecution. Even more alarming is the public acceptance of such brutality. The very souls they have been called to evangelize are pleased with the government's decision to execute their pastor. There is no tolerance for those who call themselves Christians. |
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Another church leader is taken into custody and promised the same fate as his co-worker. To ensure that no one comes to his rescue, two soldiers stand on guard within his small cell. Each is bound to the wrist of the prisoner. Two additional guards are ordered to stand watch outside the cell. Instead of an immediate execution like the first, he is held in custody until after the Easter celebration when he is to be executed publicly. The Christians gather on behalf of their imprisoned pastor and begin in fervent prayer, beseeching God to deliver him from such a fate. Word spreads throughout the region and within a matter of hours, thousands have committed themselves to prayer. Late into the night before his scheduled execution, the condemned man receives a visitor an angel of the Lord..."
The preceding story dramatizes the events leading up to the Apostle Peter's miraculous release from prison. Although we do not know all the details surrounding this historic event, Acts chapter 12 clearly states how the Christians committed themselves to fervent prayer for their beloved leader. And even though God had allowed James to be put to death, He chose to break Peter's chains and return him to the believers, encouraging them in their devotion during these difficult times of persecution. |
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The Book of Acts Continues...
On Sunday, March 30, thousands of churches throughout the free world openly celebrated Christ's resurrection. How many of these churches took a moment to remember those who have given their lives for their testimony of Jesus Christ, or prayed for our brothers and sisters who, like the Apostle Peter, are imprisoned for their faith and even awaiting execution? In Matthew 10:34,36, Jesus said that He did not come to bring peace on earth but rather a sword, and that a man's enemies shall be members of his own household. |
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