Revival at a cost

I walked up to the teacher’s desk after class and threw my project assignment onto it.
“I’m sorry Mr. wright, I can’t do this project.”
Mr. Wright took off his reading glasses and carefully set them on the desk, deliberately waiting before saying a word. “Why?”
I hesitated “For my own conscience. I can’t advocate something that I know with every fiber of my being is wrong.”
“Maria, I can’t un-assign this. You’re my best student, I know you can write a convincing presentation.”
“That’s precisely the problem. I’m a very convincing writer, and people my age will adopt any belief that flies their way. I refuse to plant atheistic ideas in innocent, gullible minds.”
“You speak as if you weren’t one of them.”
“I’m not one of them! What separates me from them is the fact that I know what I believe! I know that what I believe is true, and if my writing convinces those people that I’m wrong… then I want nothing to do with it.” I was deadly calm. 
He sighed “Your only alternative is to take a zero on the presentation.”
“Okay, I’m willing to pay that price for the sake of truth.”
I calmly walked out of the classroom, Leaving fear and doubt behind. I could do this!

Months passed as the nation fell into chaos. a sense of impending doom crowded my senses. Four months after my stand in English class America fell under dictatorship. Schools were infiltrated by government officials. Select teacher were thrown out because of “insufficient training”. Heavy security was placed on organizations such as schools…. and churches. Before long Christians were being repressed and persecuted. 

Six months to the day another English Project landed on my desk. Mr. Wright had been thrown out and replaced with a scary looking government approved teacher. I quickly flipped through the project instructions. In short, write an 8 page persuasive essay on why God doesn’t exist. This was the most blatantly atheistic project I’d ever been assigned. 
Summoning every ounce of courage and beseeching God for strength, I walked the long walk up to the front of the class. Like before I threw the project onto the desk, only this time I was in front of 27 of my peers. 
“No.” Said I.
“Why?” Said He.
“Because there is a God, and no matter how much brainwashing you do, you cannot wash that truth from my mind.” Turning from him I yelled to the class “There is a God!!!!” security officers flooded the room to drag me away. All the way to the front courtyard I screamed “No! In all these things I am more than a conqueror in Christ who loves me! For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither height nor depth, not anything else in all of creation will be able to separate me from the love of God.” They tied my hands to the flag pole. as I began the 23rd Psalm. “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want,” Teachers and students were gathering around. “He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters,” More officers trooped in. “He restores my soul, He guides me in paths of righteousness. for his name’s sake.” The officers formed a circle around me…”Even though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death…” The officers aimed their guns at my heart. “I will fear no evil, for you are with me….”
My last word was cut off as 12 bullets entered my heart. 
“Your rod and your staff comfort me.” A voice from the crowd continued my recitation.”You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” More voices joined in. “You anoint my head with oil.” Over half of the crowd joined in. “”My cup over-flows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord FOREVER!” The last word was screamed with the force of a football field full of people. The racket drew the rest of the students. A football player threw back his head and yelled 
“Who do you serve!?”
A thousand fists punched the air and as many voices chanted “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.”
“Who do you serve?!?!?!”
Another wave of cries swept through the courtyard. The officers shot randomly into the crowd. Siren’s could faintly be heard over the sound of thousands of teens committing their lives to Christ.
Armed forces arrived.

1000 young Christians and new believers died that day for the sake of the cross. All because I took a stand and said “no”. My sacrifice led to an avalanche of commitments to God. In addition to my fellow classmates, massive numbers of people around the world accepted the truth through the media because of a martyr. American’s began to band together and revolt against the government. To most it was more then just a religion or a bandwagon to hop on, to them it was a lifestyle. A few years later the dictator was over-thrown and the church took on feeding the poor and hungry. America truly united under God. 

One act of obedience caused an avalanche of reactions. Did I know that my stand would trigger one of the biggest revolutions in history? No, But God did. People are now trying their best to reach every person in the whole world with the joy and love and peace that comes with God. They are scrambling to reach every person before He returns.
(End)