But what about you? As you learn of this man's trials and shake your head and wish it weren't true you have a choice to make.

Will you let him suffer alone?

It was the shame of that early church that at Paul's first answer no man stood with him. He said so himself. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with him and strengthened him!

I wonder though - and I ask it with sorrow: Will we in years to come have to hang our heads in shame that we, too, let one of God's valiant stand alone?

How many of you believe the church should be gathering, and yet for one reason or another you aren't. Some of you are elders. Others are pastors. You know what is right, and yet for reasons of expedience you don't do it. And so the government is allowed to make an example of a lone man and his congregation.

But what if other ministers came out of hiding and stood with him? What if our reformed churches who knew better began to gather? That's all we need to do. Say "enough" and open the doors. They can't put us all in jail!

So, my question to you is simple. We are soldiers who have been enlisted in Christ's army. We have a faithful Captain who goes before us. And we have our comrades in 'arms'. We have our fellow labourers even as Paul had his. So the question is, whose side are we on? Will we stand with our Captain and for our brothers? Will we join the fight or hunker down in safety?

You cannot hear me, but I ask it with pleading voice: Where are the valiant? Where are the men? Where is that manliness of old. Who - after all - is on the Lord's side?

- author Anonymous