Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
-Matthew 26:31

On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus quoted the prophet Zechariah (13:7), to his disciples and said; “For it is written, I will strike the Shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered”.  Jesus was showing His followers that He was the Messianic fulfilment of the Old Testament passage.  Since the time of Jesus’ crucifixion Christians, and specifically pastors and leaders in the church, especially in hostile areas suffer persecution.  I share the following story:

In October of 1996, a Cuban, newly married and freshly graduated from the seminary, arrived in a mountain town that was said to be an extremely difficult mission field. A place where the Gospel was not allowed.  In his first 5 years, Joel was arrested 17 times, faced prison, and on-going intimidation. He and his family had hard experiences at all levels, but God always provided victories.  By the time they moved in July 2008, they had planted 25 churches led by trained pastors serving more than 6000 Christians.  Among those churches was a church in an ammunition factory.  It is still active today.

As I read that story, I asked myself how do these Christian leaders stand so firm in their faith?  We might be tempted to speculate that their faithfulness is something God grants for a specific time and place, and that it does not apply to our own situation or locale.  That conclusion, my friends, is simply a convenient excuse for our lack of resolve to remain faithful at any cost.  We must spur on to serve faithfully wherever our Lord should place us; in spite of the evil acts of others who are opposed to the message of Jesus Christ.

May each of us always walk in faith and faithfulness no matter the costs.  Walk toward the Light of Jesus, for in Him, there is no darkness at all.