What Christian Can Learn From Syrian Protestor

WASHINGTON DC (US) - In the face of terror, the number of Syrian protestors grows daily. This occurs even though more than 2,000 of their unarmed comrades have been murdered and many thousands of them have been tortured and imprisoned (helped by an Iranian regime that gunned down its own protestors in 2009). Though they risk their lives for doing so, they keep pouring out into the streets.

For example, on Thursday evening, Syrian forces commanders issued orders for mass executions of protestors in Hama, a north Syrian city. Hundreds of people were pulled from the street, lined up, and shot. Yet, even with this kind of barbaric brutality, the protest movement continues to grow, indicating it has reached the point of no return.

Certainly, their example of endurance in the face of powerful persecution has grabbed the world. For example, Russia's envoy to NATO accused the Western alliance of planning an invasion of Syria to establish a beachhead for attacking Iran.

In addition, Turkey's foreign minister is scheduled to bring a "tough" message to Assad when he arrives in Damascus. However, while Turkey gives Assad an ultimatum, Iran warns Turkey.

Turkey's ultimatum implied military action if Assad does not cease from his brutal killings of protestors. But Iran warned Turkey not to get involved, or else. In the meantime, the king of Saudi Arabia issued a cease and desist order to Assad, "or else!"

On the other hand, while demonstrating strong influence in the post-Saddam Hussein government, Iran has pressured Iraq to give the Syrian regime $10 billion. Not only does this show how far into the Iraqi regime Iran has sunk its claws, but it also illustrates the concern the Ahmadinejad regime (of Iran) has regarding the possibility of the fall of Syria's government. If the current Syrian regime falls, there will be adverse affects with other terror entities in the Middle East, including Hamas, Hizbullah, and, yes, Iran.

So much appears to hang in the balance, because of the courage of these Syrian protestors. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces keep killing them; yet, their numbers grow all the more. This is why they will overcome. Due to courageously pursuing a greater path, these unarmed protesters will conquer Assad's terrorist regime and bring it down.

This example of the Syrian protestors should be a powerful exhortation to believers in Jesus Christ. After all, these Syrians are willing to risk their lives for freedom here and now—for a cause that, in light of eternity, is very short-lived. They are willing to endure while staring at great persecution. Christians ought to look at that example and say to themselves, "If the Syrians are willing to so courageously give themselves for a worldly cause, how much more should we courageously give ourselves to Christ for a cause that lasts forever!"

To each of us who has believed in Jesus for our eternal destiny, He has issued this call: "If anyone desires to follow Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me" (Matthew 16:23). What is this call? It is an exhortation to follow in the footsteps of Christ, knowing that His path led Him to a cross, where He experienced persecution, suffering, shame, and even abandonment by those who had been close to Him.

To follow Him is to willingly take that same path. That is underscored by Jesus' admonition to take up a cross; for the cross in that day represented shame, suffering, and rejection by even the religious world—or, we should say, especially the religious world.

To follow in this way, one needs to "deny himself." That is, one needs to make the daily (even hourly) choice to defer the gratification of our wants and "needs" in order to faithfully follow the path pioneered by our Lord. But it is easier to do so when Jesus promises great, eternal reward for doing so (cf. Matthew 16:27; also, Revelation 2:25-27; 3:21; etc.).

Thus, this is a call to courageous denial and suffering for the sake of Christ, but it is for an eternal cause. Not only is it a call to an eternal cause, it has eternal benefits associated with it.

Knowing our Lord as we do, we realize we can trust Him to make it well worth any sacrifice on our part. That is not a promise the Syrian protestors can hang onto for pursuing their path. After all, Jesus did not say: "Protest your wicked government, and I will greatly reward you, as a result."

Yet, we can gain much from their courageous examples to us. Hopefully, as we observe their willingness to suffer for a temporal cause, we will be challenged to courageously suffer for pursuing the path of an eternal cause—keeping in mind that Jesus promised to make it all worth it forever!(CP Blogs)