Persecution Spotlight: India

DISCLAIMER: This video is intense at times. If you aren't prepared to handle a video that YouTube makes sure you're 18 to watch, don't watch this.



This video was shared with me by my friend Daniela in Florida, and goes hand-in-hand with what I saw at David Platt's Secret Church service last Friday.

In India, Hindu extremists have been violently attacking Muslims for centuries. These two religious groups have been at it since 711 A.D., which is a really long time for those of you keeping score. If you want to see a good example of how that conflict has been playing out, watch the first 30 minutes of Slumdog Millionaire. However, in recent years, the Hindu extremists have turned some of the attention to the growing Christian minority.

Despite "having a freedom of religion" law in their governmental system, the Hindu majority has a tight grip on the nation and is giving more and more pressure on Christian groups.

Christian brothers and sisters, this goes right along with what I discussed in my latest post, which can be found below. The passion that the early church had for Christ isn't dead; it's alive in India. It's alive in places where the church is being beaten, burned, tourtured and killed. It's alive, and we need to do three things:

A) Learn from them. They are passionate about Christ, to the point of death. Would you be willing to die for Christ? Would we be Christians if it were illegal to be so? These are questions that need to be asked of ourselves (myself included).

B) Be thankful for what we have. In the Western world, we have carpeted churches, Christian bookstores, and worship CDs all over the place. These Christians are lucky to keep their lives, and maybe a Bible (or even part of one). We need to thank God daily for the blessings we have.

C) Pray for them. This is the biggest one. We need to pray for their effectiveness in spreading the Gospel. We need to pray for them to have strength. We need to pray for them to build each other up. We need to pray that they continue living for Christ, and that they never bend to the adversary that is Satan.

For more information on persecution in India, please go to: http://www.persecution.net/india.htm

At the Bottom of Your Receipt

I work at Kroger, as I may have mentioned on here before. It can be a joyful experience at times; others, it's a nightmare. The public can drive a man to madness, it's true. And as a member of the retail business, I am assigned a number of seemingly meaningless tasks that I must perform when bagging groceries, running a cash register, or working the customer service desk. One such task is the pushing of the Kroger 1-2-3 Rewards Mastercard.

This card is a credit card offered to Kroger Plus members after they have shopped at their friendly Kroger store a certain, and unknown, number of times. A prompt will pop up on the screen of the cashier's keyboard, reminding the cashier to prompt the customer about this offer. Information about the card is on the bottom of the customer's receipt. There are two ways to present this information:

-Option A: Excited. Passionate. On fire. "By the way, customer, you happen to qualify for a new Kroger 1-2-3 Rewards Mastercard. In addition to having your Kroger card on the back, this card will help you out with your shopping. It allows for an additional five cents off of each gallon when filling up at our Kroger fuel station, which we all need now that gas prices are going up and up, huh? Also, in addition to your normal savings, you can save even more money at Kroger. After accumulating a certain number of points, you will be sent cash voucher checks with rebates of five, ten, even twenty dollars to use in store. After you collect a few of these, which takes very little time, you can bring them into the store and use them to save money on your groceries. Any more information is available at the bottom of your receipt, including how to easily sign up for this card. Thank you for shopping with us here at Kroger, and we hope to see you again."

-Option B: Listless. Uncaring. Forced. "Hey, there's some info about a Kroger Mastercard at the bottom of your receipt. If you're interested, and I'm sure you aren't, it's down there. Thanks."

This forked road of options is one that all cashiers must come to multiple times a shift: do we care enough about this card and this company to legitimatelly try to sell this card, or will we halfway do it? Usually, the latter option is the preferred method of attack. It's easier. It shows less devotion, but more devotion would be weird; who wants to be a Kroger freak? Unfortunately, this very attitude is often carried over to our feelings and methods of sharing God's truth with others.

Think about it: we as Christians typically will take the easy road out when it comes to sharing His Gospel with others. Sometimes that means saying as little as possible to make our conscience feel like we "shared the Gospel." Sometimes it means saying nothing. This is a troubling attitude that many, if not all, Christians must face at some point. Do we really care about His message? Are we too worried about saving face and not being a "God freak" to say anything? Not to mention, it takes work to share! We have to find a way to express our faith in a conversation, make it creative enough to resonate with the person, and find a way to not go overboard. I'm tired thinking about it. Does God really expect us to try as hard as we can to spread His good news?

After Christ drove out demons from him, a man in Luke 8 went crazy for Christ:

"And off he went, proclaiming throughout the town all that Jesus had done for him." -Luke 8:39b, HCSB

This kind of reaction was not uncommon of people who Christ touched. Often times, Christ even had to make sure they didn't tell people what He had done, just so a riot or something wouldn't begin. The disciples of Christ took things even further in Acts:

Pretty soon after Christ's death and resurrection, the local religious leaders in Jerusalem made it illegal to speak of the good news of Christ. This did not deter the disciples; it only made them go stronger. Peter and John were arrested after "provoking the people" with the word of Christ. In the time before they got arrested, many people came to know Christ (Acts 4:4). In Acts 13, we see that the disciples were facing persecution in Antioch (Ant-E-ock) and yet they still shared the Gospel until they were run out of town. So then, in chapter 14, we see them going to Iconium (have fun saying that) and getting run out of town for speaking "in such a way that a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed (Acts 14:1)."

You see, the early Christians were completely enthralled in Christ. He was their life. Everything they did revolved around him. Look at the early church as described in Acts 4:32, where it says "they held everything in common." Clearly, this isn't saying that they have literally everything in common: Peter was a fisherman redneck, and Matthew was a number-cruncher. Guarantee they didn't have the same interests in pastimes. Yet, they had everything in common because Christ was their everything. Everything in their world revolved around Christ and His mission for their lives. If everything in your life revolves around Christ, you have everything in common with another who is equalled as obsessed with Christ. This is a level of passion I desire to obtain. That's the kind of Christ follower I wish so badly to be, and I would venture to say that should be how you want to be, also.

Are you so passionate about Christ that you refuse to take the easy way out of His plan for your life? Are you willing to talk to anyone about the greatness of the Savior of the world, or will you talk about Him as if he were nothing to you? Do you genuinely care about the advancement of the Gospel, or do you genuinely care about the advancement of your coolness?

Radical Together

This is the "trailer" for David Platt's new book, Radical Together. If the book is as intense as this video...wow.

unChristian, Part Six: Judgmental

Luke have several friends who are, well, colorful. Luke has met these people at various places: work, college, high school. They may have multi-colored hair, tattoos, facial piercings, or other "different" physical features. They may be a bit rough around the edges, with some less desirable habits and less desirable language. They may not be interested in "cool" things or dress how "everyone else" does. Yet, they are his friends. He cares about them. They talk, hang out, whatever. Yet, Luke is not super stoked about inviting them to a church with him, be it his own or another one.

This lack of interest isn't that Luke thinks they would turn him down; they might, but that isn't holding him back. Instead, it is the attitude of people in churches that scares him. If he were to bring his friend with blue, streaky hair or his friend with a nose ring or that plays computer games eighteen hours a day or his friend with tats all over their arms, would the church members accept them? Would the church welcome them with open arms, or be appalled at their miserable fashion sense? Would the mohawked kid be a new friend, or a freak to gossip about? Sadly, this is a legitimate set of questions. Church, we have a problem.

Luke is not real, as in I am not sharing a direct story. Instead, Luke represents many young Christians in the United States, and around the world, who are concerned about the attitudes of the Church. Not that young people are perfect; in fact, youth groups can be the most intense shark tanks of vicious judgmentalism in the churches. Churches in general, though, are seen as places full of judgmental people, and I can't say that I disagree.


Think about it: if a person different from you came to your church, would you welcome them? What about all of Luke's friends I listed earlier? What about a person who is wealthier than you? Poorer? A different race than you? An individual with different political views? What about the girl that is pregnant out of wedlock, or the gangsta drug dealer? Are these people going to be met from you at the door, or will you turn your back?

These are hard questions. We do not naturally gravitate to people who are vastly different than us. There's a reason we have the friends that we have; we have things in common with them. Yet, we have a lot more in common with those different than us than we may think. We are all sinners. We all live in a fallen world full of temptations. We all have regrets. We all have no ability to save ourselves. We all need the grace and love of Christ to survive the punishment we deserve for our rebellion against the Father.

"23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." -Romans 3:23, HCSB


Observe: Paul said "all." He did not say anything about "only some" have fallen short. We all did.

"19 Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 20 Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age." -Matthew 28:19-20, The Message Bible

Observe: Jesus said "everyone you meet." Other versions say "all nations." He doesn't say anything about "the people you meet who have things in common with you" or "the nations that are like you." He said to tell everyone about Jesus.

"6 God opposes arrogant people, but he is kind to humble people.” -James 4:6, God's Word Translation

Observe: you ain't too cool to befriend anyone. James is quoting a passage from Proverbs, saying that God doesn't like arrogant people. Fact is, you aren't too cool for anything.


This is the final unChristian post, and it is really a wrap-up of sorts. We are supposed to love everyone, and not judge them. It's God's job to judge the world, not ours. The fact is that Christ came to Earth in order to save us from our screw-ups. We are rebellious people. We go against God, but out of His love we have been offered the chance to fulfill our purpose in life: to worship and praise God through everything we do. One of the best ways we can do that is by loving the people He made, and welcoming them into His Church. This love of others, if done to it's full potential, will allow us to overcome all of these unChristian attitudes.

Hypocritical? No more. Conversion-obsessed? Gone. Antihomosexual? Not here. Sheltered? No way Jose. Too political? Nah. Judgmental? Least of all.

Who are we, Christians, to be any of these things? It's by grace that we got to come to Christ; who are we to act like we're special because of it?! I say let's open the doors to all those people that no one else accepts. Let's be the refuge for the weak, the poor, the outcast. Let's be the ones that, when all else fails, will love anyone. Will you join me in this passion to love every human on earth?

We often get caught up in correcting their sins, and not loving them. Yes, we need to tell them where they are headed the wrong way, but that should be done out of our love, not out of our superiority. There's a way to help people with their sins and still not be unChristian. It's called love.

I leave you with the last verse of Todd Agnew's song, My Jesus. If this doesn't make you think, nothing will.

Cause my Jesus would never be accepted in my church
The blood and dirt on His feet might stain the carpet
But He reaches for the hurting and despises the proud
I think He'd prefer Beale St. to the stained glass crowd
And I know that He can hear me if I cry out loud

unChristian, Part Five: Too Political

Hello, my name is Bryan Watts. I am a follower of Christ, and I get my news from CNN and NPR. Consider the minds of the far right blown.

Now, I also get my news from Fox News at times, but to be honest, that particular channel irritates me. Why is that? They are so unbelievably biased, I have come to the conclusion that they quit trying to seem "fair and balanced." Is CNN fair? No. Is NPR balanced? No. However, I feel that CNN does the most even job of reporting, if one must pick a favorite.

Why have I gone into this? I began discussing news channels because today's topic is all about politics, particularly Christians and their supposed right-wing extremism. Now, I'm not going to go into detail of my political opinions, although I am well-informed on the issues and I try to research each candidate that is running for a major office. This, I believe, is the duty of all men and women that vote. If you don't know what the candidate stands for, how can you expect them to represent you? I will say now that, if I had a label, they would probably call me "independent" or "moderately conservative." I, however, do not campaign for any one party or politician (with the exception of when my close friend from high school ran for city council. That was cool.).

The fact is that churches, if one can call them churches, like Westboro Baptist Church (yes, this is two mentions of them in this series) and other extremists have given Christians a bad name in the arena of politics. Also, the presence of professing Christians like George W. Bush, Mike Hucabee, and others have given the GOP a strong "Christian vote."

Christians are viewed as a people obsessed with getting their chosen leaders into the office, in order to "save the country." While I will not say whether or not the US needs saving, I will say that it is good for Christians to have a healthy involvement in politics. Yes, Christians should vote for someone who has Bibical principles. Yes, Christians should be well informed on the candidates. Yes, Christians should vote. Some big differences loom, however:

- Politically reliant v Spiritually reliant: I cannot tell you how many people have told me how doomed the United States is now that Barack Obama is president. Many people, lots being professing Christians, have told me that the country will be a socialist nation, and soon. The entire world may collapse now that Dub-yah isn't president, and a Democrat is holding down the Oval Office. Here's the thing: the world doesn't revolve around the Oval Office; it revolves around our Lord.

"21 Haven’t you heard? Don’t you understand? Are you deaf to the words of God— the words He gave before the world began? Are you so ignorant? 22 God sits above the circle of the earth. The people below seem like grasshoppers to him! He spreads out the heavens like a curtain and makes his tent from them." -Isaiah 40:21-22, NLT

To God, Barack Obama is a grasshopper. George Bush is a grasshopper. You, me: we're all grasshoppers. God sits above the Earth, and spreads the heavens out like a curtain. And we are worried because a certain party controls the White House... who cares?! God is in control. He runs this show, and the world is doomed when He lets it happen, not because of a man's election to office.

- Poor loser v Great lover: For some reason, when a person one disagrees with takes office, one gets downright hateful. I have heard some terrible things said about George Bush and Barack Obama. No one from "the other side" seems to have any respect for the winner from "the enemy." This runs completely against what we are told by Christ, to love our neighbor as ourself. Also:

"The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for 2 rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. 3 This is the way our Savior God wants us to live." -1 Timothy 2:1-3, MSG

Clearly, Paul wants us to pray for our governement. I don't see any place in this chapter, or in the Bible, where Paul says, "Pray for those people you agree with them on abortion and the Iraq War; curse the other one and hope for their bitter end." Negative, homie. Instead, we are urged, encouraged, and all but commanded to pray for our leaders. This was written to Timothy while Timothy was in Ephesus. Do you think the church in Ephesus agreed with the leaders of the local government? No! Christians across the globe were being persecuted for their faith! Dying, jail, you name it. These government leaders probably treated the church like second-class citizens, and yet Paul says to pray for them. It's insane, but that's exactly what Christian love is supposed to be. Insane. Crazy. Out there, unrated, off-the-charts love. Even for political opponents.

It's not bad to know about politics. In fact, it's good that Christians are involved; how else will the maximum amount of Godly influence reach the world, if the leaders aren't God-loving and God-fearing men? Politics become an issue when we allow them to outshine God in our lives. Are you more known for your passion towards Christ and His glory, or the GOP and its glory?

I mirror Paul in his plea: pray for our leaders. Pray for the president. Pray for the vice president. Pray for the Senate, the House, the Supreme Court, the military, the president's Cabinet, the mayor of your town, and even the local school superintendant. Our world's leaders cannot do their jobs to the best possible way if they don't have God's guidance. Let us as a group not be known as hardcore politicans, and instead for a group known for being on our knees, praying that God guides our leaders.

unChristian, Part Four: Sheltered

"Christians enjoy being in their own community. The more they seclude themselves, the less they can function in the real world. So many Christians are caught in the Christian 'bubble.'" -Jonathan, age 22 (from unChristian)

I normally open an unChristian post with a life experience or something, but to be honest, Jonathan summed this viewpoint up perfectly. Christians seem to be stuck in this concept that "huddling up" is the correct way to live the Christian life. They go to church a few times a week, listen to Christian music, go to lunch with their Christian friends, go to Christian schools, and all around do anything to "avoid temptation." This viewpoint is dangerous, and quite common.

The fact is that we are not called to huddle. The disciples, after Jesus ascended in the first part of Acts 1, they spent a time where they were huddled. They stayed together, not sure what to do from there. So they just stayed up together. Then, in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit paid the guys a visit, and perceived craziness ensued. The disciples all of a sudden were able to speak all kinds of different languages, Peter (the guy who denied Christ, remember?) preaches a sermon, and:

"41 So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about 3,000 people were added to them." -Acts 2:41, HCSB

WHAT?! THREE THOUSAND?! Can I point out that a group of twelve huddlers, within a day, became a mission-minded mega church? Does anyone else find this to be incredibly amazing?

Now, the response some may have is: "Bryan, the disciples were overcome with the Holy Spirit, and they started speaking different languages." Guess what? If you are a Christian, the Spirit is within you already!

"11 And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through His Spirit who lives in you." -Romans 8:11, HCSB

But does the bringing of our mortal bodies to life through the Spirit make us speak languages? No. However, we are not without our own gifts. The Spirit equips us with ways to do amazing things for Christ.

"7 To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the benefit of all. 8 For one person is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, and another the message of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another performance of miracles, to another prophecy, and to another discernment of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 It is one and the same Spirit, distributing as he decides to each person, who produces all these things." -1 Corinthians 12:7-11, NET

We each get our own set of gifts, made custom to accompany our personality to make us most affective to reach people with the Truth of Christ. As we are told by Christ to go to everyone with the good news (Matthew 28:18b-20), we must stop being huddled. But the disciples aren't the best example of not being huddled.

"9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: although He was rich, for your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich." -2 Corinthians 8:9, HCSB

I was told that verse yesterday, and it couldn't fit better. Jesus could have stayed huddled in Heaven. He was without any temptation there, hanging out with the Father and the Spirit. Yet, instead of remaining there, He came to Earth. Why? The same reason we must refuse to huddle up and go; He came to spread the news of how to come to a saving relationship with God, and that is the message we are commissioned to take to the masses.

Are you willing to follow Christ and the disciples and take the good news of Christ to the world, or are you afraid to act? Will you be challenged to move, or remain huddled up like a coward? I know that is a really blunt way to ask that, but I really want you to think: are you scared, or will you go?