Happy Independence Day

Greetings from the Trinity Radio Club! We pray that your Independence Day holiday has been filled with happiness and fun. The reason we celebrate this day is important. On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. It was this document that set our country on the road to the Revolutionary War and after years of battle, independence from Great Britain.

“When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” (USHistory.org)

The men who wrote this document and signed it, were also signing their own death warrants. They were willing to put their lives, as well as their family’s lives, at risk for something greater than themselves. They were willing to die for a cause.

How Strong is Your Faith?

As Christians, we sometimes face decisions that can have similar consequences. We’ve heard of numerous times when killers have targeted people because of their faith. Religion has been persecuted for millennia and will be until the end of time.

In Revelation, persecution is at the forefront.

“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.” – Revelation 2:10  (BibleGateway.com)

Do you think your faith is strong enough to survive the adversity that may come your way? No one can answer that question until it happens (and we pray it doesn’t). But while we’ve seen many instances of persecution, we’ve also seen many instances of people standing up for their faith. They haven’t wavered in the face of imminent death.

Examples of Persecution

At Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, on October 1, 2015, a murder who held great disdain for religion killed 9 innocent people. Reportedly he asked his victims, “Are you a Christian?” He demanded if they were Christian they should stand up. When they did, he reportedly said, “Good, because you’re a Christian, you are going to see God in just about one second.” He then proceeded to shoot each of them in the head. (nypost.com)

Bassem Herz Attalhah loved the church and was a man of prayer and worship. He was from and lived in Egypt. He was also a Christian. On his way home from his business one night, three attackers stopped him and asked him, “Are you Christian?”. The 27-year-old husband and father of five didn’t hesitate to answer. “Yes, I am Christian,” he told his attackers and then immediately proclaimed his faith a second time in a loud voice: “Yes, I am Christian.” He was summarily executed. Because of their faith, Bassem and hundreds of other Coptic Christians were killed. (Opendoorusa.org)

These are but a couple of examples. This is happening every day all over the world. The question still stands, “Is your faith strong enough to face death?”

Faith is All You Need

We pray that it never comes to this. Our prayer is we never have to go through another revolutionary war. And we pray that we are never put into a situation that is life and death. Finally we pray that if we are put in that situation,  our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and the knowledge that through His death, we will be in heaven with Him when we leave this earthly life, will give us the strength to proclaim our faith.

We wish you a safe and wonderful rest of the summer. God’s blessings to you and your family.