THE CHURCH CAN STILL STRIKE FEAR
In 1988, Wally Magdangal was pastoring an underground church in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He was a Filipino lay pastor of Christian foreign workers wishing to gather for worship. In 1992, soon after the conclusion of the Gulf War, the house church had grown to over three hundred worshipers, the largest church in the country.
The Saudi government became alarmed at the impact the church was having, and Wally was arrested. While he was in prison, Wally was tortured, abused and eventually charged with blaspheming Muhammad and Islam. He was tried before the Saudi Arabian High Court and was sentenced to death by public hanging, scheduled to take place on Christmas Day 1992.
Throughout his terrible ordeal, Wally refused to renounce his faith in Jesus Christ. Outcries from several foreign governments and agencies, including President Fidel Ramos of the Philippines, Amnesty International, and members of the U.S. Congress were made on behalf of Wally to the Saudi government. And then, just a few hours before his scheduled execution, Wally Magdangal miraculously was granted a reprieve. The Saudi government decided to deport him to the Philippines instead.
Today, Wally is itinerant preacher, sharing how the Lord delivered him from persecution. So, perhaps for some in America, the church seems to be irrelevant, but it can still strike fear into the enemies of the Gospel!
(Source: from a sermon by Ajai Prakash, "Dare to Take a Stand!" 7/18/08)