I'm in agreement with biblereader and Brother Tim.
Has anyone read any of the articles posted by the Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) about persecuted Christians - these are things that are happening in the world NOW. True, VOM doesn't use the KJV Bible - but they do report on the plentiful suffering of steadfast Christian believers in: China, India, Africa, Pakistan, Iran, Mexico, Cuba, Columbia, Belarus, North Korea, Indonesia, Malyasia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq... need I go on?
Most recently, they reported on 2750 faithful Christians in Nigeria being brutally murdered by Muslims. There are Christians in these countries where the majority are NOT Christian - and the countries are run by Shariah Law (Islamic Law), like in Nigeria, suffer tremendous persecution. They suffer beatings, torture, imprisonment, damage to their homes (often they are torched and burnt to the ground) along with their Bibles and sometimes with the occupants!
I think we tend to think of this as "over there" and we are "over here" - and safe. Well, we may be at this time - but things tend to change very quickly. And laws are now being passed in the USA making it almost a CRIME to be a Christian - or at least making punishment of some Christian activities a crime. How can police in San Diego, CA - yes, right in the USA - knock on doors and demand answers to private questions about what they are doing in their own home? And if they answer affirmatively to having Bible studies, saying Amen, reading Scripture from a Bible - then that is "breaking a law"!
Think about underground churches all over the world. Do you know how very PRECIOUS a Bible is to a Chinese Christian? They are only allowed to attend "state-run" (and controlled) churches. These are not true Christian churches and they are not allowed to choose the Bible they want to use. It has to be sanctioned and printed by the state! Often they have to sneak out a Bible, perhaps buried in the floor and read under the covers with a flashlight at night. If they're caught reading a Bible, the punishment could be severe. Imagine how inifinitely PRECIOUS a Bible is to such a person!
A Christian lawyer is currently being held in China for representing Christians. He has been tortured with electrical shocks all over his body (including his private area) until he was writhing on the floor in pain! His family - his wife and young children - left alone without a man to defend them, have been abused and threatened. They finally had to escape to asylum in the USA. But now they fear that he is being punished for them escaping as well. They have have not heard from him. This is not a first capture for him. He has been brutally beaten and tortured in the past. He will NOT renouce his faith and continues to stand for other Christians.
WOW! How many of us would do that in the face of torture? Think about it! Your Lord and Saviour was brutally scourged, spat upon, nailed to a cross, and left to die an excruciatingly painful death. How much do we let that sink in and realize what he did for OUR sins? How much would we be willing to suffer for HIM?
You can check out VOM -
www.persecution.com and click on the tab "Restricted Nations" and see how many countries are not as fortunate as we are here. Read the stories of Christians who have stood firm in their faith!
Jassy