The Power of the Cross Will Triumph Over Evil
The Palm Sunday attacks that killed at least 43 people at two churches in Egypt are expected to spur religious freedom advocates to demand that Egyptian President el-Sisi do more to protect the Christian community.
Just last week, el-Sisi met with President Trump in Washington. Leaders in Congress hoped President Trump would encourage Egypt's leader to do more to prevent more attacks against Egypt's churches, but there's been no word affirming those hopes.
Earlier this month, scores of Middle East experts, including author Joel Rosenberg, had an off-the-record meeting with el-Sisi.
Rosenberg told CBN News that while Muslim-Christian relations and the need to protect Christian communities did not come up at that meeting, he will be pressing those issues in the future.
"Now that we have a relationship, we're going to be encouraging him to protect Christians as well as being a force for reconciliation in Egypt and in the region," he said.
Human rights groups say if the world does not stand up and demand an end to atrocities against Christians and other religious minorities they are likely to continue. Christians in Egypt have been calling on their presiden to provide greater security against Islamic radicals.
However, while international pressure and military action against ISIS may be critical to protecting one of the world's oldest Christian communities, believers in Egypt are putting their hope in their faith, which has endured persecution for centuries.
"It's the power of the cross that really makes a difference and really triumphs," CBN Middle East Bureau Chief Chris Mitchell says.
Mitchell spoke with a church worker in Egypt who told him that even as Christians are outraged and grieving after the attacks, they are finding strength not just to keep the faith, but to live it out by forgiving their attackers.
"It's the hope and the resurrection that really gives the grace to our brothers and sisters there in Egypt to forgive their attackers," he said. "That's sort of what Palm Sunday is all about, it's what Easter, in one week is all about, the hope that they have, not in this world, but they hope in the coming world and in the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ."
"They do the same thing in Egypt, it's just what Christians have done throughout the centuries, forgiving your enemies, loving your enemies."
Mitchell says he had a revelation about the power of the cross on a recent visit to the Iraqi Christian town of Qaraqosh, which had been occupied by ISIS for about two years. He recalls how very cross in the town had been damaged or defaced.
"To me it pointed out that it's really the cross of Jesus Christ that's the enemy of ISIS, the enemy of our souls, and I think that's the lesson for today, it's the power of the cross of Jesus Christ that can triumph over evil."
And, he told the story of an ISIS soldier in Europe who was sent to spy on a church in order to create a plan to attack it. However, the church's love and concern for him changed his heart and he became a fellow-believer in Christ.
"Forgiveness and showing your enemies love really can change hearts," Mitchell said.
