Pastor Felt Hand of God Touching His Wounds, Removing All Pain After Getting Beaten Nearly to Death in Mexico
Pastor Alonso of Mexico still vividly remembers the time when he was beaten black and blue by a group of people in his community who did not share his faith.
Speaking to Open Doors USA, Alonso said it happened sometime in 2013 when a large group of men and women from their community in Oaxaca, Mexico came to his house and beat him nearly to death. They also forced him to leave his own home, destroyed the church he had built, and took all his possessions, including his land and cattle.
When they were beating him, he said he thought of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr who was stoned to death for his faith.
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"Up to that moment, I never thought I could live what I had preached. But God showed me that it is not about preaching and talking about the gospel but about living it and putting it into practice," Alonso said.
Despite the intense pain he felt as a result of the beating, Alonso said he felt joy in his heart.
"I praise the Lord because I know He was with me the whole time. I never felt abandoned. I clearly felt the hand of God touching my wounds and removing all pain," he said.
Not content with beating him, the villagers saw to it that he spent time in jail. There, in his cell, he again felt God's presence, which he described as "so real and strong."
After three days in jail, Alonso was released on the condition that he would "voluntarily" leave the community. He and his family were forbidden from returning home. They now live in a town just outside the state capital.
Last year, Fox News reported that Evangelical Christians in Mexico are facing mounting persecution from followers of a hybrid faith who demand submission to their customs and traditions.
Christians have been attacked, beaten and even banished from their villages, according to the charity group International Christian Concern (ICC).
Their tormentors are known as the synchretists, who consider themselves Christian but practice a blend of mythologies, faiths and traditions.
"They will try to force them to convert, and if they refuse, they are banned from their villages, unable to live with or see their families," said Nate Lance, advocacy manager for the ICC. "When they refuse to recant their faith, they are expelled from the community."
It is highly ironic that even though Mexico is known as a predominantly Christian nation, with Christians numbering some 120 million out of the country's total population of 122.3 million people, Christians are still facing persecution, according to Open Doors USA.
As such, Mexico ranks 41st on the charity's World Watch list of the top 50 countries in the world where Christians suffer from persecution.
