I have something very heavy to share with you this morning, very heavy and very personal… To set up the story let me give you a little background.

My husband's brother & sister-in-law lived in Turkey for 7 or 8 years and founded and pastored a church there.  They came home 4 or 5 years ago for my sister-in-law's health.  When they got to the city they pastored in, there were only 300 Christians in a city of 5 million people.  When they left, their church alone had around 300 Christians in it and they had helped found a sister church for the Turkish natives that was around the same size.  The year they arrived in Turkey, 26 people were martyred for being Christians — this in a country that has full "religious freedom" built into their laws.

A couple years before they left, their sister church was illegally raided by law enforcement officers with submachine guns.  Every adult over 18 was taken at gunpoint to their "terrorist" prison, leaving infants, toddlers and children all alone.  All of this was illegal and the adults were eventually released 24 hours later, with no charges filed.  The act was illegal, but the judges didn't have the police officers arrested because the police would have had the judges killed in retaliation.

This year, on April 18th, 2007, 3 men in the city of Malatya,Turkey, Tilman Geske, Necati Aydin, and Uguar Yuksel, were brutally, horribly tortured for 4 hours and finally, mercifully had their throats slit.  All because they were "terrorists" who preached the message that Jesus Christ loves the Turkish people.  One of these men was a Turkish pastor who had converted from Islam and was a dear friend of my brother-in-law.  The two of them had acted together in an Easter play where Necati had portrayed Jesus.

We received a letter from the Protestant Church of Smyrna with all of the horrible details, and the incredible grace with which the church is handling the painful loss.  Unlike most in the culture that they are surrounded with, they have vocally and openly forgiven the 10 young men (under 20 years of age) who committed the barbaric acts.  They have beautifully exemplified the character of Christ in the face of such brutality and ugliness.  To quote from the letter about Necati's funeral (our brother's friend) "Boldly the believers took their stand at Necati's funeral, facing the risks of being seen publicly and likewise becoming targets.  As expeced, the anti-terror police attended and videotaped everyone attending the funeral for their future use… In an act that hit front pages in the largest newspapers in Turkey.  Susanne Tilman in a television interview expressed her forgiveness.   She did not want revenge, she told reports.  'Oh God, forgive them for they know not what they do,' she said, wholeheartedly agreeing with the words of Christ on Calvary"

"In a country where blood-for-blood revenge is as normal as breathing, many, many reports have come to the attention of the church of how this comment of Susanne Tilman has changed lives.  One columnest wrote of her comment, 'She said in one sentence what 1000 missionaries in 1000 years could never do.'"

The letter concludes with these paragraphs "Please pray for the Church in Turkey. 'Don't pray against persecution, pray for perseverence, urges Pastor Fikret Bocek.'  The Church is better having lost our brothers; the fruit in our lives, the renewed faith, the burning desire to spread the gospel to quench more darkness in Malatya… all these are not to be regretted.  Pray that we stand strong against external opposition and especially pray that we stand strong against internal struggles with sin, our true debilitating weakness.

How strong is your faith?  What if such sacrifice were required to openly maintain your faith?  Would you step back into the shadows or out into the open as these amazing believers have done… sobering thoughts for the sobering times we live in.  There are many religions in this world that have very different views on life, God and how to believe, and yet peacefully coexist together.  But there is one significant segment of one religion that hates you and me enough to do to us what has been done to these dear brothers.  Would your faith be strong enough to stand in the face of such evil? If not, ask the Lord to help you grow stronger — He loves to answer such prayers!

If any of you would like to have me email a copy of the entire 6 page letter from the Church of Smyrna, please leave your email address in the comments section (look below this post and click on the word "comments") and I will email it to you.  The church in Turkey has requested that this information be sent as far and as wide as possible, so it is with their permission.

Audrey Jeanne Roberts