The church [building] in shambles

If you know our work with the Voice of the Martyrs Canada, you know we're involved in writing and publishing the weekly email called the Persecution & Prayer Alert. Jim writes it, the editing team in Ontario spiffs it up, and I find hopefully meaningful pictures. These reports are sent to people's inboxes (subscribe here) and are placed on the website, VOMCanada.com.

Some of the pictures are, of course, difficult to see - to say the least. It's especially in those moments that I pray for those who are going through that suffering, for the friends and family that are wralking with them, and for our staff members who travel to look the suffering brothers and sisters in the eyes and convince them that they are not alone. 

That small part I play - selecting the images - can be a challenge sometimes. Often, no image is available. At other times, people quite honestly don't want to see what crosses our screens. We often discuss with each other, "Would showing this be helpful?" How do you provide a visual representation of the never-ending confrontation from those who oppose the gospel? Do we provide graphic scenes of those who have been violently slaughtered? Maybe I should search for images of people crying. Protests work. Perhaps I should use images of buildings left in complete ruins. 

Teaching children faithfulness.
Photo: VOMC

I've used most of these, but there are times when I've been able to choose images that simply remind us what it means to be faithful; scenes that loudly proclaim the triumphant Christ in a setting that is all but glamourous. 

It was an email for September 5, 2024. Once again, I was trying to find an accurate picture - and was reminded of a woman who shows us that faithfulness in the heart of destruction. She's teaching Sunday School to boys and girls in a building that people have tried to destroy; people who have assumed that if they can just break down bricks, wood, and glass, they can rid themselves of those annoying Christians who say that Jesus Christ is the only way to perfect peace. What they have not yet noticed is that the Church does not consist of this temporary "stuff." The Church is built with hearts who have surrendered themselves to Christ, built on Him, the Chief Cornerstone. 

They thought the Church was in shambles. No, dear enemies for whom Christ died, we are not ruined. We are the Church. Christ is victorious. His Spirit lives within us. Destroy our buildings. Lambast us in the media. Remove our basic human rights. Tear our human dignity to shreds. Try your level best to discourage, distract, and silence us. The Church will prevail because He is our conquering King, and will be for all eternity. Many of our buildings are in shambles. The Church marches on in victory!