encouragement in the face of opposition

Exodus 1:12 - "But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel."

even in the days of israel's slavery in egypt, opposition caused growth. we see this throughout history, in that both israel and the church multiplied and spread under presecution. this is why i sometimes pray for the removal of our great freedoms in the u.s. in the same breath that i praise God for them, in order that His church might grow and be purified here; that like the martyrs of old and those around the globe, we would need to seriously consider our faith and what it means to us.