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STANDING FIRM/SUFFERING

China's constitution allows citizens to believe in God, but does not guarantee the opportunity to put those beliefs into practice. The Open Doors organization reports that recently a group of children made a huge impact on government officials.

According to a Chinese teacher, the children were taken into custody when officials raided a Sunday School meeting. Security Bureau officers confiscated incriminating evidence and herded the children into a van. As the van headed to the police station the children started singing. When they arrived, they marched bravely into the interrogation room still singing, "In the name of Jesus, we have the victory."

The police interrogator threatened the children, telling them they would have to write "I do not believe in Jesus" one hundred times. Instead of cowering under the threats, the children wrote, "I believe in Jesus today. I will believe in Jesus tomorrow. I will believe in Jesus forever."

Officials were not prepared for a strong stand from children, and decided to call the parents into the police station. They told the parents they would release the children only if the parents said they were not Christians. Since many of the parents were not believers, they affirmed they did not believe and took their children home. When one widowed woman came to pick up her twin sons, she refused to deny Jesus.

Officials told her that if she did not deny Jesus, they would not release her sons. She responded by telling the police. "Well, I guess you will just have to keep them because without Jesus, there would be no way for me to take care of them!" Since the frustrated authorities had not expected such strong resistance, they told the woman to take her boys and leave, which she did.

—www.saWorship.com (Open Doors USA). Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

1 Peter 5:9-10 (NKJV) "Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. [10] But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you."

Police in Cincinnati and other cities are being joined in their fight against crime by a new breed of superhero.  In Cincinnati, the new hero calls himself Shadow Hare. He wears a mask and cape to conceal his identity. The only clues Hare will give are that he is 21 years old, and comes from the city of Milford.  Hare claims his calling is to fight crime and injustice where he finds it, because of an abusive background.

Shadow Hare heads of a group of people called the “Allegiance of Heroes.” The group communicates with each through online forums.  The crime fighters often pair up to patrol the streets.  They admit the job can be dangerous. Shadow Hare suffered a dislocated shoulder once while trying to help a woman who was under attack. Though the authorities don’t take the heroes seriously, Shadow Hare and his friends continue to fight crime and make citizen’s arrests. Shadow Hare says, “We help enforce the law by doing what we can in legal standards, so we carry handcuffs, pepper spray, all the legal weapons. We will intervene on crimes if there is one happening in front of us.” Hare adds, “My message to Cincinnati is that there is still hope and all we have to do is stand together.”  

--‘Shadow Hare’ Among Nationwide Group of Superheroes,  http://www.wlwt.com/cnn-news/19305002/detail.html;   April 30, 2009 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and  Jim Sandell

1 Corinthians 15:58 (HCSB) Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.