Dear Fellow Children of God,
I was listening to Christian radio recently and heard
lyrics to a song that asked the question, “When
did it become against the rules to speak your name out loud in school?” So, are those lyrics exaggerating the
situation in our culture today? Well, last
year while teaching Confirmation students about Christian witnessing, I asked
the students in our class what happens when they told others in school that
they believed in Jesus. A couple of
students said, “We’re not allowed to talk about Jesus in school.” I suggested they probably didn’t totally
understand the rules in school. But, their perception of the rule was that
Jesus is not to be mentioned.
Unfortunately many around the world are facing
persecution of a much more violent kind.
The same day I heard that song I read a magazine article entitled, “The
Deadly Sting of Persecution.” The
article recounted the shooting of 15 Christians in Egypt this past summer. It talked about gruesome beheadings in the Middle
East. The article also told the account
of a suicide bomber in a Christian church in Nigeria, and of much more persecution
of people who believe in Jesus.
All those events occurred across an ocean. But, recently a troubled man shot fellow
students at Umpaua Community College in Roseburg, OR. According to reports, if students denied
Christian faith they were shot in a limb.
If they confessed faith in Jesus, they were shot in the head. That happened in America!
Having lived in a time when faith in Jesus and the
Christian church were often at the center of our society, Christians can be
shocked and amazed that such events are happening. Many thought that persecution ended thousands
of years ago. But, such wishful thinking
is in error.
We
shouldn’t be surprised when persecution arises.
Jesus tells his disciples, “Remember
the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they
persecuted me, they will persecute you also. . .” (John
15:20) And, we hear in the book
of Acts how Stephen (Acts 7) and James (Acts 12) were put to death for their
faith in Jesus. Other references to the
cost of following Jesus are found throughout the New Testament.
The early history of God’s church is full of stories of
people who were tortured and martyred as they chose to remain true to God. Then, in the Middle Ages, people like John
Wycliffe, John Hus, and Martin Luther faced persecution and the threat of death
for confessing Jesus. And in 1957 an
American missionary, Jim Elliot, was killed in the Amazon as he worked to bring
God’s love to the Auca tribe of Ecuador.
So, persecution is not just a thing of the past, it is
all around us in the world today. How
should Christians face trials that come as we follow Jesus? Scripture gives some real direction. First, remember Jesus himself. We are
following one who loved us enough to die for us. Paul wrote, “God demonstrates his own love for us
in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) If we remember that Jesus died to save us, that helps us face our trials.
Second,
we should not be surprised. Rather, we
should be prepared to struggle for the privilege to share Jesus. Peter tells his readers to “rejoice to
participate in the sufferings of Christ.” (1 Peter 4:13) But, first, even knowing persecution is
coming, Peter calls the church to be prepared, “But in your hearts set apart Christ
as Lord. Always be prepared to give
an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you
have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
(1 Peter 3:15)
Third,
we need to encourage one another. We
need to listen to, comfort, stand by, and help those who are suffering for
their faith. That is why worship and
Bible classes are so important. Paul
tells the Thessalonians about preparing for the end, “Therefore encourage one
another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (1
Thessalonians 5:11)
Finally, Jesus calls us to pray about the trials that
will come our way. We pray so that we
are strong enough to endure. We pray for
each other. We pray so that God will
deliver us, in this life and eternally. “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be
able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand
before the Son of Man."
(Luke 21:36)
Speaking about persecution of Christians might seem alarmist. But, when persecution is actually happening
all around the world, and to a lesser extent is occurring right here in our own
midst, speaking about persecution is just dealing with reality. And, when I hear a song and read two articles
on the topic of Christian persecution on the same day, it is time that we consider
this very real issue.
A Child of God, Praying for all facing persecution because
of faith in Jesus,
Pastor Jonathan
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ABOUT
‘THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR’ - I am sending these e-mail messages,
hopefully weekly, to all St. John members and friends whose e-mails I
have. (I am regularly adding new names of friends and members – in case
you are just receiving this e-mail for the first time.) However, if you
don’t want to receive this e-mail, please let me know, and I’ll gladly leave
your name off my list for this message.
****
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