Matthew 10:32-33
32Every one therefore who shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven. 33But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven.
Scripture Testimony Index stories for this passage
Believers in Nanyang were crucified on the walls of their churches, some were chained to horses or vehicles and dragged to their death, a pastor lifted up in a crane and made to crash back to the ground and die. For all of these people, their crime was the same: they refused to deny Jesus Christ as their Lord and personal Savior.
Maryam and Marziyeh still did not denounce their faith while in prison and faced with death threats, they experienced God at work.
Rev. Ting was arrested and brought before a magistrate who asked to know if he was a Christian. "Yes", was his simple reply and for that response, he was beaten and asked the same question again and his reply was still, "yes". Even as he neared death's door and was eventually imprisoned, Ting held on to his faith; he did not deny the Lord—instead he became a witness for Christ in prison!
Bob Fu's aged father, who was himself a Christian, got arrested and was tortured for his refusal to do the bidding of the government. His church was broken up and he was refused baptism at the government-sanctioned church, but when asked if he will deny Jesus because of his sufferings, his answer was an emphatic no!
Even with a sword to his neck, Abu waa determined to not denounce the Lord Jesus or to accept any other God as being above him!
When some believers were sent to prison for "reeducation", they were subjected to extreme cruelty in an attempt to break them and have them deny Jesus. And while some did, for Zhang Rongliang and three others, Jesus was all they had. Denying the One who will never deny them was not an option.
Chu was told – after already suffering the indignity of a needless beating for the same reason – that his scholarly degree will be revoked unless he denied Jesus. But to this threat, the valiant Christian declared, "...Jesus has greater glory in store for me than any earthly degree".
Two believers who were arrested at a prayer meeting were beaten and imprisoned. After a while they were given a choice to recant their faith and be free, but no, they flatly refused, choosing to be in chains instead. Eventually they were released, but they did not compromise their faith!
When four leaders of the Cambodian church imprisoned for their faith, Chhirc Taing who was on the outside led the valiant effort, in addition to prayers, to get them released. Not minding the danger he was exposing himself to, he besieged the authorities daily until his brothers were released
Despite the severe and repeated beatings he had to endure from his own family, Ahmed resolved to not deny the Jesus. Even threats about death could not deter Ahmed; he was not afraid to die for the truth he had discovered.
However hard his persecutors tried, Wong refused to deny his Lord and bow to an idol. Even after he thrown into the river to drown, his first words upon regaining consciousness after being saved from the water was, “You say, idol; but I say, Lord Jesus.”
Two young men boldly accepted the consequences and made their faith and baptism public to their unbelieving families. Though they were persecuted, they stood for their newfound faith.
Twelve-year-old Nana courageously stood firm; refusing to deny His Lord despite the threats from his witchdoctor father. Even when the father made good his threats, Nana still didn't budge; Jesus was everything to him.