Christian evangelist shot while street preaching. Turn away from the life that's led you nowhere.
Turn away from that life that's led you into depression, addiction and turn to Jesus
Christ. Paul Sanchez works nearby and says when Schmidt was out preaching, some people drove by
screaming and cursing at him. The slurry of everything, really I mean hateful comments,
people yelling at him, just get off the street. All sorts of mean things. Sanchez never imagined
things would escalate especially since he says Schmidt never confronted anyone or responded to
the mean comments. Just before service, yeah, Larry Dettman was at services here last night
when the pastor announced what happened. Minutes later, the pastor ran off to the hospital to check
on Schmidt. Hans Schmidt is 26 years of age, married with two children. He's an outreach
director at the Pentecostal church at Glendale. Now on November 15th 2023 Hans Schmidt was shot
while street preaching. As Hans remains in a critical condition fighting for his life,
his mother and sister along with her four children has moved to Phoenix from Hawaii to be by his side
and to help the family. So we want to pray for this family for God to bring a miracle and we
also want to bring awareness of the fact that this is happening in the United States. Though as of
today we don't see the suspects or the motives identified but as Christians we know that being
active outspoken Christian in America is no longer perfectly safe. This person was preaching on the
streets you know we have in our church, we go to the schools every Tuesday as well as we would do
street evangelism and imagine this preacher, pastor, a leader would go to do that and not
come back home alive. In 2022, advocacy group open doors said that that at least 360 million
Christians experienced high levels of persecution and discrimination. That's 20 million higher than
in 2021. Not only this Christian evangelist but people around the world are experiencing
persecution, experiencing attacks, experiencing even death. Christians killed for their faith rose
to 5,898 in 2022. That's up from 4,761 in 2021. Afghanistan, North Korea, Somalia, Libya and Yemen
saw the highest rates of persecution globally. Persecution includes instances of intimidation,
disinformation, stereotyping, legal threats and attacks on places of worship. Persecution is the
practice of oppressing someone on the account of their religion faith or nationality. As
Christians, we get persecuted for the Lord and a lot of times for the way we live because we preach
Jesus or because we live loyal to Jesus, we can experience persecution. Now in light of this story
that I have alluded in the beginning and we will have links below where you can help to contribute
to the family but I want to ask you to pray for this family and I want to ask if the Lord puts on
your heart to give toward them to help them as they go through this very difficult season but
I want for us to take a lesson as Christians in regards to persecution and suffering from Jesus.
As Christians, we must not use force to spread the gospel. You know we can get persecuted, we can
even get killed for Jesus but we were not given the permission to do that to other people. To
persecute, intimidate, discriminate and hurt other people to convert them to Christ. The second thing
I want to highlight is persecution for our faith comes from four sources. Religion, government,
our own family and the society. The third thing I want to highlight is persecution tests one's faith
and it exposes world's real stand toward Jesus's movement. One of the reasons why
persecution happens, intimidation, name calling, being fired from a job, being physically abused,
verbally abused is because it exposes that the world's stance toward Jesus's movement is evil and
at the same time, it tests our faith. Number four, persecution is foretold by Jesus. It's promised
that we will experience persecution. Dr Michael Brown as well as with Dr Greg Keener in their
book, not afraid of antichrist said, 'Tribulation is the normal experience of believers in this age,
not experiencing affliction is a blessed exception that we should enjoy when we have it but we should
not count on it as if it were our right in Christ. We should always be ready to suffer
for Christ and always be ready for Christ's return.' These are strong words. I remember
actually I was on a vacation when I was reading this book and it brought this sharp reality to the
fact that experiencing affliction is actually normal experience. Experiencing tribulation,
experiencing persecution is a normal experience and skipping that is not something that we have
a right for. We're not entitled to it and we have to keep that in mind and we have to be
ready to suffer for Jesus and be ready for His return. This is not a comfortable message. It's
not exciting message and many of you probably will not say Amen to that but it's a promise
that Jesus gives us that we will be like lambs among lions. The fifth thing about persecution,
Christian discrimination, name calling and all of the stuff that we experience is the devil is the
main cause of persecution according to Revelation 2:9, Revelation 2:3 and Revelation 12:3-8. Also if
you will see 2 Timothy 3:11 and 12. Now we do know that persecution happens from people who
don't follow Jesus but who excites them for that, who motivates them to that, who gives them the
passion, the drive, the excitement to commit these murders, deaths, hurts, it's the devil. He's the
author of death. He's the author who tries to hurt God by hurting other people. He pushes people to
commit these atrocities. Number six, persecution is a means of a blessing. Matthew 5:10 and 12,
Jesus says, Blessed are are you when you are persecuted. For great is your reward in heaven
because these things happen to other people. You're not the only one. You're not necessarily
special because this has been happening since the killing of Abel. The first family experienced this
persecution where one son attacked another son over the matters of religion. One's sacrifice was
accepted, the other one's was not and he murdered him. He killed him and we see this all throughout
the Bible. Joseph being persecuted. We see the Jewish people being persecuted in Egypt. We see
prophets being killed, prophets being thrown into dungeons, being sawn into two. People experiencing
heavy attacks. Jezebel killing prophets of God. Now the Bible is not a negative book even in the
negative situations, it tells us to look upwards to God. Look upwards to our reward and to take
courage while going through tribulation. Our Savior was killed, martyred, falsely accused,
beaten and betrayed and He tells us, Blessed are you when you are persecuted. You know it's
bad when we are persecuted for bad things but we should take pride as Christians when we are
persecuted for godliness, following Jesus. Apostles the Bible says, they rejoiced when
they experienced some level of physical attack for their faith in Christ. Now humanly speaking,
that's not possible but the Holy Spirit comforts us in our afflictions and gives us the ability to
rejoice in the midst of difficult trials that we endure for Christ. Number seven,
God delivers us from persecution but usually He delivers us through persecution. Now I also want
to mention there are many instances in the Bible where God supernaturally delivered protected and
provided in the midst of persecution. He broke people out of prisons. He caused earthquakes and
the things that evil people meant for evil, God turned them around for good but I wish every story
had that happy ending, it did not and it does not. Many times God delivers us through persecution,
highlighting our faith, making us a testament to the people around us who witness our trial and see
us faithful to God in the midst of it and God uses that to extend, expand His kingdom and glorify His
name in the midst of most difficult seasons of our own life. Number eight. Our life ought not to
be dearer to us than Jesus's life was to Him. The apostles and martyrs acted on this principle. You
know I remember my great-grandfather who sat in jail for the cause of Christ. I remember stories
from my parents as they followed Jesus, being mocked, ridiculed, made fun of and it wasn't easy
but they were taught not only to enjoy life, they were taught how to endure suffering. They were
taught not just to be snowflakes that melt when things get hard but to be soldiers that persevere
when things get difficult. What gave them this courage? Well the courage comes from our own
Savior. Jesus we follow, He was mutilated, hurt, physically abused for our sake and He told us that
His disciples will experience similar things in this world. Now may I remind you Jesus's disciples
did experience those things. Matthew suffered martyrdom by being slain with a sword at a distant
city of Ethiopia. Mark was killed at Alexandria after being cruelly dragged through the streets
of that city. Luke was hanged upon the olive tree in the classic land of Greece. John was put into
cauldron of boiling oil but escaped death in a miraculous manner and was afterwards banished to
Patmos. He's the only one out of the 12 disciples who did not get killed but miraculously survived
but still spent his time as banished person at the island of Patmos. Peter was crucified at Rome with
his head downward. James the greater was beheaded at Jerusalem. James the less was thrown from the
lofty pinnacle of the temple and then then beaten to death with the fuller's club. Bartholomew was
flayed alive. Andrew was bound to a cross whence he preached to his persecutors until he died.
Thomas was ran through the body with a lance in East Indies. Jude not Judas but Jude was shot
to death with arrows. Matthias was first stoned and then beheaded. Barnabas of the Gentiles was
stoned to death at Salonica. Paul after various tortures and persecutions was at length beheaded
at Rome by Emperor Nero. Judas who didn't die as a murderer, he died by suicide. Our Savior lived
with this motto that His life wasn't dear to Him but what mattered is to live for God. We all going
to die. Some of us will die at old age. Some of us will die at a younger age. Some of us will die
normal death. Some of us will die from sickness. We shouldn't fear death, we should fear God. I
want to encourage you today whatever struggles you're enduring for the cause of Jesus, whatever
persecution that you enduring, don't give up, don't quit. Expect God's supernatural intervention
but also anticipate His power and grace right in the middle of the challenges that accompany your
life because of your commitment to Jesus. I also want us to keep Schmidt's family. Let's pray for
them, for their church as well as for the children that God will bring His grace and His intervention
and miracles in this season in their life. Thank you for watching this video and as always,
don't forget to subscribe, like this video, share this with other people so that other people can
be encouraged to persevere and not to give up or deny Jesus when life gets hard, until next time.