After his church was attacked and vandalised by a group of Muslim extremists, this pastor responded by following what Exodus 14:14 instructed him to do. That Bible verse states, "The Lord shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace."
Pastor Matta (full name withheld for security reasons) did just that: He held his peace by refusing to press charges against the accused and even forgiving them for what they had done to his church in Turkey, according to Christian Aid Mission.
"During the trial, the judge asked me whether I am pressing charges or not," Pastor Matta said. "I replied, 'I'm not pressing charges because the Lord asked me to forgive.'
"The judge waited for some seconds and asked again, "You're not even asking for the damages they caused with the broken windows and the camera?' I replied, 'No, I don't want to; the only thing I want is it to be known that we are not bad people.'"
The surprised judge then ruled that even though the pastor is not pressing charges, it was his duty as judge to try the accused for causing harm to a place of worship.
The Muslim extremists had damaged the windows and a security camera of the pastor's rented church. The attackers were reportedly angered by the rising number of Muslims turning their backs on their faith and embracing Jesus with the guidance of the church, located in the Black Sea region of Turkey.
But if the church raiders thought their action would scare people from going to the church, the opposite happened. News of their attack and the church's response quickly spread throughout the region, prompting many to visit the church.
"We praise God because after this attack good reports for us were published in many papers, and some officials came to visit us," Pastor Matta said.
The pastor revealed that Muslims are accepting Jesus at a dramatic rate, drawn by the love and compassion shown by Christians.
He shared that Christian refugees who have fled from Iraq have come to his church, all telling tales of loss and grief and the barbarity of ISIS militants who have been persecuting Christians in the territories they have occupied.
Pastor Matta said all that he could tell refugees were the words of Jesus Christ Himself: "You shall love even your enemies."
