Christian Discussion Group discussion
Persecuted for Christ
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Omg. Thanks you for almost making me cry,Red.
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I cannot believe these things are happening all over the world....why must people be persecuted for sharing a love anyone could have?
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These stories are truly unbelievible! I can't believe what these girls went through! It is awful the things people will do to you if you believe in christ! I have heard alot of sotries of muslims killing christians. (mostly from my dad who doesn't trust muslims at all)
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happy Leap Day BTW
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Like many teen girls, Maria wanted adventure. She thought a boyfriend and the FARC (an anti-government guerrilla group) could provide it. Though her parents had stressed living for Christ, Maria longed for experiences outside of her small village.
So Maria rebelled against her Christian parents and, like other restless Colombian youth, she and her boyfriend ran away and joined the gang of guerrillas. It wasn’t long, though, before Maria knew she’d made a bad decision. This was anything but adventure!
Sheer Misery
Guerrilla life was horrific. Maria was in constant danger. Where was the romance she had dreamed of? And the “adventure” of being on the road with her boyfriend quickly transformed into sheer nightmare. Three months after they joined the guerrillas, her boyfriend was dead.
Maria was stuck.
The guerrillas, who carried out acts of war and terrorism against the government, didn’t let people leave easily.
Why didn’t I listen to my parents? she thought. I can’t believe the bad choices I’ve made simply because I was selfish and thinking of myself. Maria longed for her family. She missed the Christian faith she was brought up with and yearned for God. But she knew better than to show weakness in front of the guerrillas, so she tried desperately to maintain a brave front.
Maria’s mom and dad continued to pray for her—in spite of the fact that she’d run away and completely rebelled against everything they’d taught her. But through the prayers, Maria was still forced to fight with the guerrillas. She was mandated to participate in a war she didn’t even believe in. While most teen girls were loading songs onto iPods, Maria was loading guns. Other girls around the world were deciding which nail polish to use, and Maria was making decisions that concerned life and death.
How Could it Get Any Worse?
As unthinkable as her life was, Maria was about to experience more physical pain than she’d ever endured. As the fighting continued, she lost one of her legs. The pain was torturous. The guerrillas allowed her to have surgery, but they wouldn’t allow her to take any medication to stop the pain. So Maria had to endure an indescribably agonizing operation—awake.
The guerrillas didn’t give her long to recover and forced her to continue fighting with them, but one day during prolonged combat, the guerrillas fled and left her behind. She couldn’t run away with just one leg.
Maria was eventually rescued by a group of Christians who lovingly took care of her. The first thing she did after her rescue was ask God for forgiveness. She then called her parents and asked for their forgiveness. She also relayed an important message for her younger brothers and sisters: “Tell them not to rebel like I did,” she said.
A Hopeful Future
Maria later got a job working for a radio station that broadcasts Christian messages into guerrilla areas. The Voice of the Martyrs helped her get an artificial leg. She’s now married to a Christian and is following the Lord. She and her husband are going to have a baby.
Maria is now living an upside down life. She shares her faith through the radio show and is excited about all God is doing in her life. She knows first-hand what disobedience costs. Maria is sold-out to God and excited about walking with Him . . . even if it’s only with one real leg.
Please pray for Maria, her marriage and her ministry. Pray for the youth who are still trapped in guerrilla life. Pray for missionaries who work in Colombia that they may spread the word of God successfully. Pray especially that radio stations in Colombia will reach guerrillas and that they will turn to Christ.
If Maria can live an upside down life of obedience to Christ with one leg, imagine what you can do in obedience to Christ with two legs!
The Rescue of Azra Bibi
Twenty-year-old Azra Bibi was born in the Malik Saleem brick kiln. Her family were slaves, and they were the only Christians in this Muslim community. They spent each day doing backbreaking labor making hundreds of bricks.
“I am not educated. I liked to watch the other children going to school. I wanted to be a teacher of the Word of God, but my mother only earned $1.14 per day. My father died, and we lived hand to mouth. One day I decided to help my mother. ‘Mom, can you teach me how to make a brick?’ I asked. I was 7 years old when I made my first brick.
“Between the two of us, we made 1,000 bricks a day. On Fridays, my mother and I used to go to the market to buy our daily household items. Sometimes I could buy clips for my hair.
“The kiln owner wouldn’t allow us to go to church, so my mother always told the owner that we were going to see our relatives. I liked hearing about the miracles of Jesus. Although we couldn’t sneak to church every Sunday, each morning and evening my mother and I would pray. We sang worship songs from cassette tapes.”
The Worship Songs
“The neighbors never liked it when we played the worship songs and many times tried to stop us. My mother refused their efforts to convert us to Islam. She said, ‘I have Jesus in my heart, and there’s no need to believe anything else.’ ”
One day Azra’s mother asked her to help make bread. They went outside to the community oven and saw Mai Jana, an old Muslim woman who also used the oven. “When she saw us,” Azra says, “she became very aggressive and said, ‘You Christian dogs take your flour and get away from here.’ ”
Mai Jana began beating Azra’s mother, and other women joined in. “They beat my mother so badly, she started bleeding, and they also beat me. We were both wearing a small cross which the Muslim ladies snatched from our necks,” Azra remembers.
“Some Muslim men showed up and took us to the office of Malik Saleem Khokhat, the brick kiln owner. He was furious and locked us in a room.”
Azra and her mother cried, hugged each other and prayed. About 10 p.m. that night, Azra’s mother was taken away and never came back. “I was locked in the room for 10 days. My mother’s friend was allowed to bring me food, and then she told me the horrible news that my mother’s body had been chopped into pieces and burned in the kiln. I wept and prayed.”
Locked in Another Room
Two days later, Muhammad Akram, one of the men who tortured and killed Azra’s mother, took Azra to another place and locked her in a room of a big home. There was an armed security guard present.
“Muhammad is a 70-year-old man,” Azra says. “He came into my room and made advances toward me. I cried and prayed for him to stop, but I was violated. After he left , I prayed, ‘Oh Lord, it is good if You call me home; at least I will see You. I want to come to You.’ I wanted to die.
“Muhammad came into my room often and tried to convert me to Islam. Each time, I’d look at him and say, ‘My God is an alive God. How can I leave the alive God and accept your faith?’ He decided to force me to marry him. The kiln owner set the date for May 26.”
Answered Prayers
Azra prayed night and day, pleading with God to send her an angel who could release her from the bondage.
Seven months later, God answered her prayers. A local pastor approached the kiln owner with $1,100 (U.S.)—how much it would cost to buy Azra’s freedom. The kiln owner accepted the money, beat the pastor and released Azra on May 25—the day before her wedding was supposed to happen.
A Christian man from Voice of the Martyrs took Azra to his home, and he and his wife treated her just like a daughter. “The next day,” Azra says, “I met some of those who helped rescue me—a man and two young girls. I hugged them, and we all cried together. The next morning I went to their house, where I was warmly welcomed. They put me in a room where I slept without fear. I was finally free!
“After lunch they took me to the market. The girls helped me pick out clothes, shoes, a bag, a towel, soap, toothpaste and many things I needed. Although I have no brothers or sisters, God has provided me with a great family. May God bless them and encourage them to do more and more for His Kingdom,” Azra says.
Common Ground
Both of these girls—though unknown to each other—share a common commitment. Because of their current obedience to Christ, they’re living a lifestyle that seems upside down to others in their villages. Those around her expected that Azra would renounce her faith in God and choose to worship Allah for an easy lifestyle. To choose the opposite—and to be persecuted for her faith—seemed crazy. Ridiculous. Foolish. Upside down. Maria learned the hard way what disobedience to God can cost a person. Instead of turning her back on Him, she is now living upside down.
Both Azra and Maria now know the truth: Those who choose Christ—those who determine to live upside down—will inherit eternal life. And that means someday they’ll be living forever in a perfect, right-side-up, glorious heavenly Kingdom with their Creator, Savior, Father, Rescuer, God!
Both of these stories are used with permission of Voice of the Martyrs, www.persecution.com.