A few days ago, I was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed; that’s when I was struck by the news of the 21 Christian Egyptians who were beheaded by ISIS. With Egypt’s struggling economy, specifically in the past few years after the Egyptian Revolution, These men traveled to Libya pursuing job opportunities in the oil fields so that they can help provide for themselves and their families back in Egypt. Sadly, they were kidnapped in Libya and later murdered in a brutal way by ISIS. The Reason? Simply because they were “The People of the Cross.”
Growing up in Egypt myself and realizing that this could have been my story if I was still living there, I was grieved. I felt so much anger and pain; Pain for the mothers and fathers, pain for the young men that died too soon, and anger for this great injustice.
I started a conversation with God that goes something like, “How should I respond to this as a true follower of Jesus?” I believe that as Christians, we must act on injustice with the following responses:
1. Pray: This seems obvious and it can even feel like a “passive” or an “easy” response. But as a believer, I am reminded that there is nothing more powerful than speaking to the King who rules the nations. If I do the three other steps and skip this one, I am in danger of leaning on my own strength and warring against flesh and blood rather than having God war for me against the powers of the dark (Eph. 6:12) which is an invitation to failure and even destruction. We are not only called to pray alone but to intentionally spend time with other believers to lift our voice (Heb. 10:25).
2. Give: As believers, when we are faced with social injustice, we need to talk to God and see if He puts it on our hearts to give; giving can be money, effort and time. Of course, we are not all called to give to every single social justice issue that arises. However, it is important to take a moment and weigh if there is an opportunity to give and how to respond to it (Prov. 3:27). The dollar has a value that is hard for us to understand unless we have lived in a third-world country. Simply $1000 can feed a family of four for a whole year in Egypt. So giving, even if it’s small, can make all the difference (Matt. 25:35-39)
3. Vote: This can sound like a turn-off for many Christians. Some Christians feel that a statement like this pressures believers to vote one way or another; that is not the point. In order to see justice in our land and the world, we must be active about voting for candidates who fight for justice and righteousness. By choosing not to vote, whether for local or national elections, we are silencing our voice that can protect the orphans, widows, unborn, poor and persecuted (Deut. 1:13).
4. Raise Awareness: Our generation has a unique opportunity that didn’t exist for thousands of years: social media. In the past, the only voices that shifted cultures were those of politicians, the wealthy and celebrities. However, social media is bringing many “average Joes” into influence. We all have an opportunity to write blogs, create videos and share what matters on Facebook and Twitter. As believers, we must remember that we are in the world but not of it. So, let’s let our light shine on social media. Let’s not settle with photo posts of coffee cups and selfies and status updates of celebrities; let’s be a voice to the voiceless and be a light of hope that shines with justice and mercy (Matt. 5:16)
After deciding to follow those four ways in response of injustice, I decided to create a short video for a campaign that will provide 100 percent of the money to the direct families of the beheaded men (less the fees GoFundMe charges) so that we can help them with their lives’ expenses especially after the loss of the men that were a source (if not the only one) of income to their homes.
As those families are going through so much pain and as the nation of Egypt is mourning the loss. Let’s be the light! Let’s pray, give, vote and raise awareness!
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