Sunday, November 8th is the designated International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. The subject of "persecution" is often sidelined because it is not "seeker-friendly"; but the Scriptures are very clear that "everyone who wants to lead a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." 2 Timothy 3:12 The story of how the founders of the Salvation Army were treated.
"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the Power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed – always carrying about in the body the dying of the LORD JESUS, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the Life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh." 2 Corinthians 4: 7-11
"Remember the prisoners as if chained with them – those who are mistreated – since you yourselves are in the body also." Hebrews 13:3
Sunday, November 8th is the designated International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. The subject of "persecution" is often sidelined because it is not "seeker-friendly"; but the Scriptures are very clear that "everyone who wants to lead a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." 2 Timothy 3:12
Conditions in the country of England during the 1800's were horrible. Not only was poverty rampant, but it was common practise for desperate men to publicly sell their own daughters and wives into slavery.
It was during this time that we read about a family whose church refused to let them bring poor people from the neighborhood area into the church building. And so this rejected Christian family began to conduct services in a rented dance hall. Men, women and children from the highways and byways filled the hall to over-flowing. Clergymen from the surrounding area would secretly come to sit in on the meetings and weep as they observed the outcasts of society wonderfully transformed through the ministry of this family who had dared to "cross the streets" and present Jesus.
Thousands of drunks, prostitutes, and those living in rags were won to Christ. As the ministry grew, their followers were attacked by huge mobs using stones and clubs while the police looked the other way.
Who might this family have been? It was the family of William and Catherine Booth, founders of the Salvation Army.
It was only toward the end of William Booth's life that the English churches began to reach out and "cross the street". The social actions of Christians, along with the Gospel from ground-breakers like the Booths and John Wesley before them, built a spiritual army that helped to save England from a bloody revolution like the one that caused great loss of lives in France. (And this spiritual army continued to grow under William Wilburforce's determined life-long and ultimately successful crusade to abolish slavery)
There is a two-fold question for each of us this morning: Do I expect and am I prepared to suffer persectution for my Faith?
Jesus Christ was careful to prepare his Disciples: "These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And, these things they will do to you, because they have not known the Father nor Me. But, these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them." The Apostle John warned, "Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you" I John 3:13 and Jesus said, "If the world hates you, you know that it hated ME before it hated you." John 15:18 We must expect to be persecuted and be prepared.
Another question arises: Will God Bless Righteous Suffering? Jesus answers this question in Luke 6:22-23: "Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!! For indeed your reward is great in Heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets."
We should not be ashamed or embarrassed should we be persecuted. Peter says, "Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter." I Peter 4:16 We must follow the example of Christ if we should suffer for HIM: "But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps." I Peter 2: 20-21
How do we prepare for persecution? I think firstly, that we should understand it to be normal, the regularly assigned lot to men, women, and children of Faith. Peter says, "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as some strange thing happening to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His Glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the Name of Christ, Blessed are you, for the Spirit of Glory and of God rests upon you. On their part HE is blasphemed, but on your part HE is Glorified." I Peter 4: 12-14
How do we prepare for persecution? We strengthen ourselves through the teaching of the Word of God: "Jesus said to those Jews who believed in Him (and to ourselves as well): 'If you abide in MY Word, you are My Disciples indeed. And shall know the Truth and and the Truth shall make you free.'" John 8: 31,32 Not only do we abide in Christ's WORD, we abide in HIM. He says, "Abide in ME, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in ME." John 15:4 The sap from the vine (Christ) will help us and give us the courage we need.
How do we prepare for persecution? By submitting daily to the Holy Spirit: "Be ye filled with the Spirit, and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by Whom you were sealed for the Day of Redemption…And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." Ephesians 4: 30, 32, 33
Finally, I think we prepare for persecution by resting in the Will of God. Paul exhorts us in Ephesians 5:18: "do not be unwise, but understand what the Will of the Lord is." The author of Hebrews says, "There remains therefore a "rest" for the people of God. For he who has entered His Rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest , lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience." Hebrews 4: 9-11
When we (ourselves) suffer bullying, marginalization, discrimination, or persecution on account of our Faith in Christ, how do we react? Do we strive with great effort to rise above or defeat persecution in our own strength? Do we take defensive measures to avoid persecution at any cost? Do we embrace "victimhood" and give up in despair?
OR, do we, as the Apostle Paul did, acknowledge that we are as weak and fragile as a "jar of clay, as an earthen vessel" and then look to the Lord for Divine Strength, Who promises that we shall "mount up with wings like eagles, shall run and not be weary, shall walk and not faint" as we trust in His Promise that "His Grace is sufficient". Will we say, as Paul did, "When I am weak, then I am strong, for Christ's power rests on me"?
When our own Christian brethren are suffering for Christ on account of discrimination or persecution, what is our reaction? Do we abandon the persecuted for political or economic gain or for 'keeping up appearances'? Do we shut our eyes and ears to avoid exposure to a burden we have no wish to share? Do we cover up (or keep hidden) the reality that Christianity involves "cross-bearing" ( "Whoever does not bear his cross and come after ME cannot be my disciple") because it frightens us and offends others?
Or, do we give helps, in words, deeds to Christ's least of these – those hungry, the strangers, those needing clothing and those imprisoned? Do we, out of love for one another "carry each others' burdens, and so fulfill the Law of Christ"? Do we help those who struggle by praying for them? Do we remember those in prison and those being mistreated as if they were "we"? Do we promise never to abandon our persecuted brethren for any reason? GOD never abandons the persecuted. May we never abandon them while God gives us breath.
In conclusion, the Bible tells us that there are rewards for suffering persecution: "Therefore, we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are ETERNAL." 2 Corinthians 4: 16-18 We are "…children of God, and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be Glorified together."
Paul tells us to "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say, rejoice!" and Peter says, "Rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His Glory is Revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the Name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of Glory and of God rests upon you."
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we thank You for the privilege of suffering for God's Glory. We sense that our times are ones that are spiraling into an era of greater persecution of your children. And so, we would "humble ourselves under Thy Mighty Hand," knowing that "you will exalt us in due time as we cast all of our care upon You, knowing that You care for us." Father, we would be sober, vigilant, knowing that our adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. We would resist him, being steadfast in the Faith, knowing that our same sufferings are experienced by your other children all over this earth. We would remember the Persecuted Church, knowing that we ourselves, "who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution."May our eyes be continually on Thee and on the "Crown of Righteousness that our LORD will one day give to all who have loved His appearing". in Jesus' Name – Amen.
Side note and opinion of how it seems to happen:
‘Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.’
When power reaches some level of critical mass, the natural move of those in power is to gain a monopoly – eliminate any contrasting competition.
We’re seeing it now in the area of healthcare. Rather than admit to a series of escalating political policies that have so greatly failed financially and deal with it on that basis, those on the left are instead attempting to rescue the intrusion and substantial involvement in healthcare, Medicare and Medicaid, by assimilating the private methods so that they can then be in a position to cut services for all.
We may see a similar approach with investments and pensions being absorbed into the failed social security debacle.
I believe these demonstrate what happens when a government gets in the business of ideology. There is a natural move to eliminate competition as has happened in communist, Muslim and every other ideology-based system of governing. We see large scale exclusion already now in larger public groups; media, sciences, academia, entertainment, publishing, and evidence through many court rulings, retail business practices, and even within the Republican Party.
Religion that brings about lifestyle change in individuals that is based on fundamental principles that are in contrast to group-controlled ideology is real competition. The objection to that lifestyle comes from within human nature; pride, inability to admit mistaken attempts and failure, and is heightened by the contrast.
It also just naturally follows the current secular philosophy of pragmatism; abandonment of principle (such as constitutional authority and limitations of government) for solutions that ‘kick the ball down the road’ and fix a public symptom while ignoring the disease – Johnson’s attempt to end poverty for example.
Another disturbing observation is of those who are at least hardcore liberals (those to the left of them no longer seem to hide Marxism any longer these days – they’ve all ‘outed’ themselves); they are ‘true believers.’
That’s the only way to make sense of positions taken for example by Jews who defend Obama currently. He’s blatantly for the Palestinian cause and my Jewish friends don’t deny that position and all seem to say in some fashion that Israel has to compromise, ‘make a deal.’ They deny the obvious fact that making any kind of deal that they’re suggesting will probably eliminate Israel’s existence. They give up their heritage and religious beliefs for what has now become a higher cause – the new religion of the left.
We are most certainly competition, a large target, and it has to get worse. Unlike the AMA and AARP most recently, we cannot be paid off to go along. One good thing I suppose is that there is no middle ground any longer. In order to live a Christian life, if it doesn’t already, it most certainly will require supernatural enablement.
I know of the histories of Persecuted Faiths. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ("The Mormons").
Before I committed myself to actually live it, and be converted in my heart, I read all I could about every Christian Faith that has suffered persecution… The Salvation Army is a stand-out, and of course, there was the infamous Extermination Order signed by Missouri Governor Lilburn W. Boggs on October 27, 1838, directed that the Mormons be driven from the state or exterminated, mostly because of the Church's support for the abolition of slavery.
Since past presidents of the Church have said it could happen again, one would be foolish not to consider it. Of course, one can never be sure he'll "endure until the end", but if a man has had witness of the Truth, he understands that the time here is an eyeblink, and then we are judged on how we held to that Truth by a Loving Heavenly Father who is just.
It stands to reason that if this time, this mere 100 yrs of life here, are an eyeblink in our Soul's life, then whether we live or die matters not, just how we comport ourselves during that time. If we call The Christ "Our Master", He has given us our orders, and anyone can read what they are, its in the Bible, (…and for us LDS, The Book of Mormon — which presents the same concepts in a different way).
We are to treat each man as our brother: love them and help them. We are, in extremes, to defend ourselves… but not look for trouble. We were made in the Image of The Creator of The Universe, and should treat ourselves and each other with the respect that engenders, indeed, necessitates from the Children so created.
For the life of me, I cannot understand what a person could find offensive about that.