The World’s Most Persecuted People

When I preach at church or make posts on social media, I don’t expect violent, physical attacks from those who disagree with me.

Sadly that is not the case in other parts of the world, where people risk their lives when they meet for church and when they say they worship Jesus.

Today more than 350 million Christians live under serious persecution for their faith, which makes Christianity the world’s most persecuted religion.

In the West, we usually don’t get physically attacked for saying we follow Jesus, but nonetheless the persecution of Christians is getting stronger and stronger.

Even though 44% of Aussies associated with Christianity in the last census, our faith is far from mainstream.

Yet, Jesus told his followers that this is what we should expect.

Speaking to his closest friends on the night before he died, he said:

“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.” (John 15:18-19)

Jesus’ words clash with society, now more than ever, which means that those who love his words should expect to be hated by the world.

So, if you want to follow Jesus, then it’s harder than ever to sit on the fence.

If you follow Jesus, you’ll be hated by the world… so make your choice.

But the good news is that after Jesus returned to heaven, he sent his Holy Spirit to be an advocate for his followers, and to help his followers speak powerfully about Jesus.

That’s why our church wants everyone to know about Jesus, even if it’s unpopular.

Because the reason the world wants to silence Jesus is because he’s got something very important to say.

JODIE McNEILL