Save America Ministries

Chuck Crismier: It's June 29th and Christians around the world will pause to observe the day of the Christian martyr. Why? Well, church tradition marks this as the date the Apostle Paul was beheaded outside of Rome.

While history often highlights prominent men who laid down their lives for the gospel, there's another deeply convicting lineage of faith, and that is the legacy of Christian women who refused to deny their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And so today on Viewpoint, we take a look at a few of those. And we also take a look at the dynamics of what is taking place with regard to persecution around the world and up close and personal, yes, even in the 21st century. Then we'll go back to the 20th century, then we'll look at the all the centuries since Christ and try to take a look at the broader dimension of persecution. I'm glad that you've joined us. It's conversation as always with ever-increasing conviction, talk that transforms.

And why did Jesus say, "Blessed are those who are persecuted? Persecuted for righteousness' sake." Why did he say that? Well, he said, "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." And indeed, if that be true, then we should be interested in this subject of persecution. We should. We don't want to hear about it, but we should hear about it. And the whole idea about being a martyr, well, it just doesn't fit in American thinking today. It doesn't because we're addicted to feeling comfortable. We're addicted to feeling comfortable.

And on Wednesday, we're going to be doing a special program, not concerning martyrdom, but concerning this issue of the domain, the dominion of the pursuit of comfort that is keeping us from fulfilling God's purposes in our lives. When comfort, the pursuit of comfort, supersedes the pursuit of the purposes that God has for us, it becomes a problem for us. And we're going to have an interview, a special interview with one of the ongoing authors, contributors to the Epoch Times, who is going to be joining us here on Viewpoint on Wednesday to talk about the amazing problem that we have in America with an addiction, a virtual addiction to comfort.

So, I hope you'll join us on Viewpoint Wednesday to talk about that because it is very, a very serious issue. It's so serious, but it actually affects what we hear from the pulpits in America. It actually affects whether or not we hear teaching or preaching to prepare people for persecution. Why? Because pastors don't want to talk about it. Why don't they want to talk about it? Because Americans demand comfort. That's why. And if they don't get comfort or a message of comfort, then they're not going to continue to attend the church, they're not going to continue to tithe, they're not going to contribute to the building project, and therefore the pastors won't talk about things that don't lead to comfort in people's lives.

There's nothing wrong with comfort in and of itself, but God wants to, what shall we say, upend the comfortable. He wants to comfort those that are troubled, but he also wants to upend the comfortable and those who shouldn't be lollygagging around in our pursuit of comfort when indeed God has a higher calling for us. So, all that having been said as we introduce our program here today, June 29th, the day of the Christian martyr.

The word martyr actually refers to a witness. It's a witness. And so martyrdom is the, what shall we say, the ultimate witness for Christ. I remember back a number of years ago in the Columbine situation, the high school there in Colorado, where a young lady was confronted by a couple of guys, renegade guys, who were running through the school with guns. And they asked her specifically, "Are you a Christian?" Well, she knew exactly what was going to happen, but she didn't deny Christ. Here she was a teenager and she said, "Yes, I'm a Christian," knowing that she was going to lose her life instantly, and that's exactly what happened. That's exactly what happened.

So, here's a question that I have for you as we launch into the program more deeply here today. What would you do if you were faced with such a thing as that young lady a few years ago in the Columbine High School? What would you do? Well, let me ask you another question. Do you have children? Do you have school-aged children? What would they do if they were confronted by such a situation, which they very well could be, given all the violence that takes place assaulting America's schools today?

What would they do? Have you done anything to prepare them for such an eventuality? Do they even know what Jesus said? That if you refuse to deny me before men, then I will deny you before my Father which is in heaven. Are they cognizant of that passage? Those are the words of Jesus. Now, you won't hear them spoken from many pulpits here today in America. You certainly won't hear them spoken in our youth groups around the country in churches because it doesn't cater to feeling comfortable. It doesn't cater to making people feel good and jump up and down and celebrate their faith.

But in reality, faith isn't so much something to be celebrated as to be lived out. To be lived out in spirit and in truth. And so we have to ask ourselves the question: where do I, where does my family fit with regard to preparation for these kinds of eventualities? Now, you may not think that those kind of eventualities are very likely in this country, but they're happening in different ways.

For instance, if you're told that you have your own private business, and you're told that you have to support the practice of homosexuality in order to continue that business in the town in which you're doing business, what are you going to do? What are you going to do? Are you going to capitulate or are you going to stand for that which you understand to be true from God's viewpoint? It's all about what you might call the cost of discipleship. The cost of discipleship.

And we think discipleship is teaching people all about the doctrine of our churches or catechism-kind of things where we teach people about certain doctrines of the church and so on. Friends, that is just rudimentary discipleship. That's informational discipleship. But the kind of discipleship that we should be engaged in is that which prepares professing Christians to live courageously in times like these. In times like these. And to be doers of the word and not just hearers only. To make decisions that are always in accordance with the word, will, and ways of God.

So discipleship from Jesus' viewpoint was teaching people to obey everything that God commanded. That's what he said right there in Matthew chapter 28, the so-called verses on the Great Commission. The Great Commission is not about evangelism per se. It's about teaching people to obey God. Bringing them into an understanding of what it means to follow Jesus with a whole heart. We used to sing songs: "Follow, I will follow Jesus, everywhere you go, everywhere I go." Really? Is that really true or do we just like the music?

Today we're going to take a look at this a little more deeply and I'm glad that you've joined us. It's conversation as always with ever-increasing conviction, talk that transforms. And when we get back, I'm going to present a very special opportunity to you. I hope you'll stay tuned.

Welcome back to Viewpoint, I'm Chuck Crismier and I want to share with you another opportunity that you have now to participate in discipleship. In preparing other people and using the tools of provided by this ministry to do so. In about two weeks, two and a half weeks, my 12th book will come off the press. It's called "The Power to Overcome: How to Live Victoriously in These Trying Times." How to live victoriously in these trying times. The Power to Overcome.

Don't you think we need that? Don't you think we need a depth of encouragement and strengthening in that regard and to know what it is we have to overcome? A lot of people hear about "well, we got to be overcomers", but overcome what? What is it that we have to overcome? And this book will lead you through this in such a way that it's going to be challenging and encouraging by the way. It's true discipleship for professing Christians at whatever level. Whether you've been a Christian for five days or five years or 50 years, this book is going to encourage and strengthen you and anyone who reads it.

So, the book is going to be available to you to be able to provide to your friends and relatives and neighbors and pastors and so on. And here's how it goes. Just like we did the persecution project two years ago, now we're going to do the overcomers project. The overcomers project. And for your gift of $250 to Save America Ministries, we will provide 10 books to you. We're not selling them to you. You're making a donation to Save America Ministries and we're going to provide 10 books for your $250 donation to you for you to give out to those in your sphere of influence.

And so you might be asking, "okay, well who might that be?" It might start with those in your closest proximity. Maybe your kids, maybe other relatives, maybe your friends, maybe your pastor, maybe somebody that you work with. Be asking the Lord for the opportunity to give this book out because their future may depend upon it. The Power to Overcome. Because did you know that Jesus says in the Book of Revelation eight times "to him that overcometh, to him that overcometh, to him that overcometh". All the promises to those who overcome. So what does that mean? Are you an overcomer?

So here's what we'd like for you to do. You can go to our website this evening. Hopefully, it's supposed to be put up on our website here today. The opportunity to enlist in that program. Or you can give us a call at 1-800-SAVE-USA and say "I want to be part of the Overcomers Project". Or you can write to us at Save America Ministries, send your check for $250 and say that you know, I would like to be part of the Overcomers Project and would you please provide 10 books of this book that's just about to come out. You will receive the first books that come out. The first books that come out.

So I hope that you'll join us in that effort because people say "well, what can I do? What do you want me to do? What would God have me to do?" Well, it's one thing to listen. It's one thing to listen and tell other people about the program, but how about doing something? How about taking some positive action to actually lead in discipleship somebody else, even by providing a book that will do just that in these difficult times that we live?

Now, for those of you who, as many did during the persecution project, would like to do more than 10 books, for every $250 that you donate to Save America Ministries specifically allocated to the Overcomers Project, we will provide another 10 copies of the book to you. Whether that ends up being 20, 40, 50, whatever it means to you. And obviously, the more the better because that way we can get the message out more quickly to others and you will have the opportunity to be God's hand extended, you see, to others in your sphere of influence.

So, enough said on that. You can go to the website saveus.org after the program and it should be up there. Or give us a call at 1-800-SAVE-USA or write to us at Save America Ministries, provide what you want, what do you want to enlist for, 10 books or 20 books or whatever it is, and respond accordingly. Okay. Enough said about that.

Remember June 29th is the day of the Christian martyr. Why? Well, it's said that because historically it's believed that the Apostle Paul was beheaded on June 29th by Rome. So let's talk a little bit about this matter of persecution right now. Because you see, because persecution is rising all the more so we need to have an understanding about how to be an overcomer.

Because people who, shall we say, default in their faith when it comes to persecution, intense persecution, are not going to be overcomers. And if they're not overcomers, they're not going to receive perhaps the salvation that God promises. Because Jesus himself said, "If you deny me before men, I will also deny you before my Father which is in heaven." This is a matter of true faith. This is not a matter of saying "I have faith." No, it's a matter of being faithful people. It's a matter of truly loving Jesus with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and then acting accordingly no matter what the circumstances.

Now, in America, we don't understand that very much, but we're understanding it more and more as economic pressures are being put on Christians through godless governments and cities around the country. Intense persecution and desperation can cause many people to deny their faith as fear and survival instincts can overwhelm their conviction. However, on the other side, history also shows that suffering often strengthens the faith of others, leading to remarkable perseverance rather than surrender. In other words, it may be the greatest testimony that one has.

I think concerning the five men who back in the 1950s were ministering to the Auca Indians down in Ecuador, I believe it was. And they went down in their small plane and they were missionaries. They were dedicated. Wonderful Christian young men dedicated to passing on the gospel. And here they were among some very violent people down there. They didn't have a clue what was going to happen to them, but they found out. They were speared to death.

Well, that ended up being a worldwide testimony. One of them, Elisabeth Elliot, a surviving spouse, ended up being a spokesperson for them and for the Kingdom of God, translating what happened there all over the world in ways that would never have happened had those young men not been martyred. See, we don't quite understand how God works and why he works the way he does. We just don't understand that.

Why is it that every one of the apostles suffered martyrdom, except perhaps John and he was banished to the Isle of Patmos? Why is it that Jesus would allow that? We ask the question "why, why would God allow suffering?" Well, a lot of times he allows suffering because of the testimony, the witness that is being brought, particularly with regard to persecution. I'm not saying that God runs around causing people to develop ALS or various horrible diseases and so on or cancer in order to give a testimony. I'm not saying that. But through those things and how we handle them can be a massive testimony.

Now, there is a real warning concerning falling away. The Bible talks about it very clearly. Don't like to talk about it. There were some theological camps that are major theological camps that refuse to talk about it. They say if you fall away, then you never were a Christian. Well, that idea, that thought is just totally contrary to what the Bible says. Totally contrary to what Jesus said. But it's a way to excuse and try to build a fortress around a doctrinal concept that isn't biblical.

If we don't believe that we can fall away, then why should we be concerned about persecution? Oh well. Why all the warnings about persecution? Why all the warnings about a deliberate rejection of staying faithful to your faith? Church history and many faith leaders observe that persecution often has a purifying effect on the whole community. While just nominal or surface-level believers may fall away, those who remain exhibit a deeper reliance on God, viewing suffering as an opportunity to demonstrate the authenticity of their convictions.

So ultimately, while the pressure of desperation causes many to abandon their beliefs, it also serves as a catalyst for others to deepen their spiritual endurance. So you see, many fall away when their faith is tested, but those who truly love the Lord will persevere and emerge with their faith tested. So faith has to be tested, and that partly is part of the cost of discipleship. You will be tested, your faith must be tested, otherwise you don't even know whether you really are faithful. To be faithful means you respond faithfully in the face of a test to your faith. That's what it means.

So if you were forced by someone to deny Christ under some sort of situation, whether a gun to your head or how about having your children taken away? You're training your child in the way of the Lord, they said "no, can't do that anymore, they belong to us, they belong to the state." Now what are you going to do? Are you going to deny Christ in order to hold on to your kids? What are you going to do? These are the kinds of situations that people are facing all over the world, friends. They just are. And Jesus said persecution will intensify as we draw closer and closer to the time of his return.

So that's why I wrote the book "When Persecution Comes: Preparing Hearts for Perilous Times". And I hope if you don't have a copy of the book, you need to get it. You need to get the book. Why? Because every single one of us needs to be prepared and encouraged and strengthened in situations in areas where in reality, as Christians in this country, we are seriously unprepared. Just unprepared. Why? Well, American ministry has for at least 60 years now focused largely on marketing the gospel rather than the complete message of the gospel.

The message has to be sweet to the ears rather than searching the heart. So in reality, we've kind of concluded you can't sell suffering. Therefore, the cost of discipleship rarely if ever hits either the ears or hearts of professing Christian believers or those unbelievers they purport to reach through well-programmed marketing that's always exclusive of what it really means to be a disciple. Pretty amazing.

So, we have talked over the past several weeks, showing you what happened for instance with the mega church movement. How the mega church movement grew. What was at the root of it? Well, at the root of it was the failure to truly make disciples to prepare them to be strong in the Lord and the power of his might. It was the marketing of the faith, making people comfortable, selling them something that made them feel good rather than be strong in the Lord.

Pastor H.B. Charles was delivering his 2023 closing address to thousands of Southern Baptist Convention pastors and gave all the pastors a powerfully prophetic hint. Here's what he said. He drove home the words of Christ for the Beatitudes. He said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Now why did he do that? Because he knew that the pastors were not properly preparing the people in one of the largest denominations in this country, not in the world but in this country.

Supposedly the strongest evangelical denomination, he knew that the pastors were not fully preparing the people to be prepared for difficult times. And he also knew that the pastors themselves weren't prepared to be persecuted by the very people they were addressing if they told them the truth about what Jesus said. That's why he gave such a strong message.

So his message was clear: persecution is a given, not just for pastors but for all who live godly in Christ Jesus. So count yourself blessed if and when you're persecuted for righteousness' sake and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven.

So we have to consciously and courageously prepare those God has placed in our care, whether we're pastors or whether we're parents. It doesn't matter. Or maybe you're a small group leader. Nobody escapes the responsibility to prepare, right? So in the book "When Persecution Comes", there's an entire chapter addressed to pastors and leaders called "Preaching Discipleship's Cost". It helps pastors, inspires pastors to know how to deal with these issues when in fact the spirit of our age mitigates against that kind of thing because it's all about making people comfortable.

It's like when Oprah Winfrey went into Joel Osteen's church there in Houston and came away saying, jumping up and down, saying what a wonderful meeting, what a wonderful service it was, she felt no condemnation, she felt no conviction, everything was so encouraging, everything was so wonderful and made you feel good and so on. Well, that's not the primary reason why we go to church. The purpose of going to church is to be strengthened in your faith. It's to be encouraged, to be corrected in righteousness. That's what the Bible says.

We don't go to church to save people from their sins. We go to church to be strengthened as believers. Then having been strengthened as believers, we go out from there into the mission field where every single one of us becomes a missionary. That's the purpose of the church gathered. The church scattered is when we go out and bring them in and then we bring them to a knowledge of the Lord and salvation, and then we bring them into the church gathered to be strengthened, to be discipled, to be corrected in righteousness, to be encouraged by the body of Christ.

We've gotten it all backwards and then we have such weak professing Christians and they're not prepared. Just not prepared. So in order to help parents and families and fathers in this regard, right in the heart of my book "When Persecution Comes: Preparing Hearts for Perilous Times" are three chapters, one called "Dear Parents, Prepare or Despair", parenting to prepare for coming, yes, accelerating persecutions. Both a calling and a profound challenge. So that chapter helps parents to understand what a parent is to do, how we're to see this matter of persecution with regard to raising our kids.

Then another chapter called "Fathering in Fearful Times". Fathers have the premier responsibility for preparing their kids. We're supposed to be the leaders. We're supposed to be the ones that the kids respect, you see, to take a strong stand in our homes. We're supposed to be the head and the leaders of our homes. When we fail, what is the Lord going to say when we fail to prepare our kids and then they collapse because they have not been prepared to be strong in the Lord and the power of his might. I'm not talking about taking them to church.

That's just really a substitute, it's like delegating your responsibility as a father to some church body or to some pastor or some youth leader. That is not biblical. That is not biblical. "Fathering in Fearful Times", it helps fathers to understand what to do, how to go about it. Then I also wrote a book called "Hearts of the Fathers: Leaving a Legacy That Lasts". That also would help fathers in that regard. You see, this ministry is geared not to information but to transformation.

The whole Bible is not for information's sake, it's for transformation's sake. The information is necessary, but the purpose of the information is for transformation. In other words, life change. Like one person said years ago when we early on when we started this program, you just can't listen to Viewpoint long and not be changed. So I hope that as you've listened to Viewpoint, there have been areas in which perhaps the Holy Spirit has spoken to your heart, "you know, that's something that I need to do, that's something I need to respond to." Many people have done that with regard to their marriages, for instance, with regard to their training of their children, with regard to how they've dealt with forgiveness and so on, or the lack thereof.

So it's very practical, very, very practical. And so this book "When Persecution Comes" is very practical and it's a $25 book. It's yours for, I think it's 22 or 20 dollars on our website saveus.org. You can check it out there, saveus.org. Get a copy because it's going to be a wonderful tool. You're going to find out within the next five years how important it is. Oh yeah, you really are. You really are. And then again, with regard to the book "The Power to Overcome". You see, that is like a sequel to "When Persecution Comes" because it deals much more broadly with the things that we have to overcome.

We don't want to be that person. We want to be courageous and strong in the Lord and the power of his might. We want to put on the whole armor of God. What does that look like? That's what that book's going to help you to understand. What does it really look like? What does it mean? Where are these attacks coming from? Is everything an attack of the devil? No, but we certainly talk about the devil in ways perhaps you have never thought of. How about the flesh? The Bible portrays the flesh as one of the principal areas of our concern, should be, but the flesh has dominion in America today.

The whole culture is based on the flesh, and the flesh leads to corruption. How are we doing in that regard? Are we overcoming or are we being overcome? So the world, the flesh, and the devil, all of those things are being dealt with in that book in ways that perhaps you have never, ever thought of. So it's going to be of great importance to you, to your friends, to your relatives, to everyone that you care for. You are going to be God's hand extended when you participate in the Overcomers Project.

Again, if you're just tuning in, that means that for every $250 that you donate to Save America Ministries exclusively dedicated to the Overcomers Project—you have to specify that so we know what you're talking about—you will receive 10 copies of the new book that's going to be coming out in about three weeks. In about three weeks. And you're going to get the first books, and then you can be preparing. Ask the Lord who should receive, who will best respond, who could best use these books, and then trust the Holy Spirit to give you direction, right?

So you go to the website saveus.org, make your commitment that way so we can get your name and address down and your phone number and so on. And then also you can give us a call, 1-800-SAVE-USA, indicate you want to be part of the Overcomers Project and how many rounds of 10 books you want to donate for. Or you can write to us at Save America Ministries, send a check, indicate it's for the Overcomers Project, and I think you're not going to be disappointed, friends. This is a big deal, it really is. A very big deal. It's preparing the way of the Lord for his final hour. In other words, we're not messing around, we're taking God seriously, we're taking Jesus seriously, we're taking what the apostles said seriously, and assisting, helping, facilitating God's people for being successful, for being true to their faith.

The word emunah, a Hebrew word commonly translated as faith or belief, actually means steadfast trust, loyalty, faithfulness, and obedience along the line of what we say we believe. The same is true with the word pistis. It's a whole different idea than what we as Western Christians think about faith and belief. God wants us to be doers of the word, friends. Faithful in every respect. We'll be right back.

Perpetua or Perpetua was a 22-year-old noblewoman martyred in ancient Carthage, that's like modern-day Tunisia, in AD 203. So the second century. But she was far from alone. Across centuries and continents and cultures, bold and godly women have faced their persecutors with unshakable faith that can inspire every one of us. So here we are on June 29th, the day that across the world is called the Day of the Christian Martyr. Martyr meaning witness, the ultimate kind of witness, giving your life for the gospel, giving your life without denying Christ in the face of persecution. Who choose Christ over their own life.

So here's this young woman, Perpetua or Perpetua, 22 years old. A young mother with a nursing infant when the Roman officials arrested her for refusing to worship Rome's false gods. Her father begged her to recant for the sake of her baby, but when asked at her trial "Are you a Christian?", she just simply replied, "I am a Christian." In other words, she didn't mess around. She knew what that was going to mean. She was led into the Roman arena, she was attacked, being thrown to the ground, she calmly adjusted her tunic to protect her modesty and requested a pin to fix her disheveled hair. In Roman culture, loose hair was a sign of mourning, and Perpetua wanted it known that she was not mourning but rather joyfully prepared to meet her Creator.

Ultimately, she guided the trembling sword of the gladiator to her own throat. And her martyrdom inspired the church in Carthage to thrive and follow Christ at any cost. What would you have done, Mom, Grandma? What would you have done? Let's suppose that some group, maybe Muslims, maybe communists, who knows, some hateful group that hates Christians, lots of them in our country today, got a hold of one of your kids and said, "Look, if you don't deny Christ, your kid is going the way of all flesh instantly." And they're holding a gun or holding a sword, holding a knife to slit their throats, whatever. What would you do?

This is the kind of thing that Jesus warned about when he said that if you love your family, any member of your family more than me, you're not worthy to be called my disciple. We don't understand that kind of thinking today because everything has been so comfortable in the United States, but it's not that way around the world. Lizzie Atwater in the summer of 1900, when the Boxer Rebellion claimed the lives of more than 32,000 Christians in China, she was among them. A missionary who was pregnant when soldiers dragged her and ten others out to be hacked to death. And her legacy, Lizzie, lives on through her final letter home where she calmly wrote, "Dear ones, I long for a sight of your dear faces, but I fear we shall not meet on earth. I am preparing for the end very quietly and calmly. The Lord is wonderfully near and he will not fail me." And then she was hacked to death. What would you do?

These are very important questions. They're rhetorical questions that demand an answer in our own minds and hearts. Esther John was born in British-ruled India. She accepted Christ as a teenager after attending a Christian school. When her family later moved to Pakistan and tried to force her into a Muslim marriage, she fled to another city where she found a missionary who provided her with a Bible and a job working in an orphanage. After completed Bible training, she moved to a town in Pakistan where she lived with American Presbyterian missionaries. She took up evangelism among rural women, teaching them the scriptures and working alongside them in the fields before she was killed.

There was no investigation into her death, but she is remembered today as likely the first recorded martyr in Pakistan after the country gained independence from India. She's remembered today and we're remembering her this very moment. In other words, her death is a witness to standing firm for Christ. Rocío Pino was known throughout her Colombian community for sharing the gospel with everyone she met. Her boldness drew the unwanted attention of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Late one night, two guerrilla fighters knocked on her door under the pretense of needing mechanical help.

While her husband stepped away to assist, the men questioned Rocío about her identity. Once they confirmed it was Rocío, they shot her three times and fled, leaving her husband and daughter to watch her take her final breath. Rocío knew the risks of the Great Commission, yet she chose obedience over safety. You see, these are the kinds of illustrations or stories, real-life stories. And we see how they reverberate all the way from the 2nd century all the way to the 20th century and to the 21st century.

So how about the 21st century? Well, estimates of the 21st-century Christian martyrs range from about 5,000 to 100,000 deaths annually, depending on how martyrdom is defined. Approximately 1.6 million Christians are estimated to have died for their faith globally since the year 2000. Open Doors Watch List tracks faith-related killings in the 50 most dangerous countries, reporting an average of 5,000 deaths per year globally. They note that over 90% of these targeted killings occur in sub-Saharan Africa.

Researchers estimate that roughly 90 to 100 thousand Christians are killed annually in this century, friends. The first 25 years of this century, 90 to 100 thousand Christians every year. Every year. How is it that they are killed for their faith? They know the dangers, they understand the dangers, and they accept the dangers. Do we? If you knew that there was a 10 or 15, maybe a 20% chance that going to church on any particular day would likely result in an attack upon you, maybe burning your church down with you inside or attacking you as you went or as you came away, would you go?

Most Americans wouldn't. You know why, how we know that? Because they're more concerned about going to their kids' ball games than they are going to church. They have comfort in their minds, not Christ. The Easter Project reports concerning persecuted church statistics. They say more than 70 million Christians had been martyred in the course of history. I believe it's a lot more than that. In fact, the Catholic Church has martyred perhaps as many as 60 million. More than half were martyred in the 20th century under communist and fascist government.

By 2013, more than 450,000 Syrian Christians had fled their homes during two years of war and persecution. That was reported in the New York Times, by the way. Roughly 200 Afghan Christians were martyred in 2000 by Taliban and other insurgents. Roughly 100 Saudi Christians were martyred in 2000. 800,000 Christians were targeted for their faith and martyred by the Democratic Republic of Congo between 1998 and 2007. Roughly 50,000 Christians were martyred during the North-South Sudan violence that officially ended in 2003. By January 2017, Boko Haram in Nigeria had destroyed more than 900 churches in the northeast of Nigeria alone.

It goes on and on. On and on. There is an attack on the church every 40 hours in India now. So it's not just in Africa, it's through the Middle East, it's everywhere. And it's growing. There's a reason why just this weekend, the King of England, King Charles, has taken on a new title. He is no longer the Defender of the Faith and the Church of England. No, he is now the official Defender of Faiths, and particularly because of the assault of Islam that is persecuting Christians and the whole nation of England.

And they've capitulated. They've capitulated to the persecution. That's the place, friends, our mother country. That's the place where King George was leading when George Washington led us in the Revolutionary War and the very place from which the Puritans and the Pilgrims migrated in order to find a place that didn't compel them to worship the state church. And now the so-called state church isn't even revered anymore in England. The King of England now, his title is changed. He's no longer Defender of the Faith but of Faiths. Whatever. As long as we can try to get along, we've allowed the Muslims to come in and take over, even though they're persecuting, they're demanding that we conform to their word, their will, and their ways under Sharia law, which requires persecution of anyone that resists. But now they're capitulating formally.

And in many respects, there are those in this country just in the last couple of days. Articles have come out showing that the Democrat Party itself has become profoundly anti-Christian. Admitting it's become profoundly anti-Christian. You think that doesn't result in different forms of persecution? Friends, if you don't understand this, you're blind in one eye and refuse to see out of the other. I hope you'll get a copy of the book "When Persecution Comes: Preparing Hearts for Perilous Times". It's on the website saveus.org, call us 1-800-SAVE-USA, write to us at Save America Ministries, become a partner, friends. One of the ways you can become a partner is getting part of the Overcomers Project that we've talked about now this is the third time here on the program today. I hope you'll do that. God bless, be a blessing, and let's be strong in the Lord and the power of his might.