Courage for Your Faith
Dear Friends,
Charlie Kirk has passed his baton on to the next generation of believers. May they run their race with great zeal, faithfulness, holiness, maturity and integrity – all to the glory of God!
Matthew 5:10-12 (NASU)
“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you
because of Me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great…”
1 Thessalonians 3:3-4 (TLB)
…you know that such troubles are a part of God’s plan for us Christians. Even while we were still with
you we warned you ahead of time that suffering would soon come—and it did.
2 Timothy 3:12
In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted…
Philippians 1:21
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Pastor Josef Tson was one of the most well-known Christian leaders in Romania during Nicolae Ceausescu’s brutal Communist dictatorship. When faith in Christ was outlawed, he refused to hide. He preached boldly and openly, knowing that imprisonment or death would likely follow.
For six months, the secret police interrogated him daily, threatening his life. Yet Pastor Tson later testified: “During the time I was expecting to be crushed by the Romanian secret police interrogators, God became more real to me than ever before or after in my life. It is difficult to put into words the experience I had with God at that time.”
Years earlier, while studying theology at Oxford, friends had warned him not to return home. “If you’re arrested, what hope do you have of being a preacher?” they asked. But God reminded him of Matthew 10:16: “I send you out as sheep among wolves.” Tson realized that although sheep seem powerless against wolves, Jesus still sends His people—and expects them to succeed in their mission.
Eventually, Pastor Tson was arrested. But instead of fear, he met his interrogators with unshakable confidence:
“Your supreme weapon is killing. Mine is dying. My sermons are already all over the country on tapes. If you kill me, people will say, ‘This must be true. This man sealed his words with his blood.’ My voice will be ten times louder in death. So go ahead and kill me—I win the supreme victory.”
The officer, stunned, sent him home!
Pastor Tson’s story reminds us that the Christian life is not about avoiding suffering—it’s about glorifying Christ in life or in death. The world’s greatest threat is death, but for the believer, death has already been conquered by Jesus Christ. That’s why Paul could say with confidence: “We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).
If we live, we live to preach Christ. If we die, we testify with our blood that He is worth everything. Either way, Christ is glorified—and that is the supreme victory.
May we all have the courage and boldness of Pastor Josef Tson – not shrinking back in fear – but moving forward in the Lord’s will, as the Kingdom of Heaven is forcefully advancing. Whether in life or in death, we cannot lose, because we serve Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
May the Lord richly bless you and your family with His peace and presence.
Pastor Paul