Words for a Time of Persecution

Words for a Time of Persecution

by | Aug 9, 2015 | Problems, The Church & the World

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“… persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:9).

The apostle Paul knew a few things about being persecuted for one’s faith.   After turning from his role as persecutor of the Church, Paul was himself frequently attacked and assaulted for his beliefs and teaching.   The harassment was not just verbal. The apostle tells us he was physically beaten numerous times and that “Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes” (2 Timothy 2:9). He was even, on one occasion, stoned and then dragged away and left for dead (Acts 14:19).

It was not only the leaders of the early Church who underwent persecution, of course.  In his epistles to the Thessalonians, Paul provides an example of a whole congregation that was experiencing  persecution:  “… you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 1:6 ESV). “This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering” (2 Thessalonians 1:5 ESV).  We don’t know all the details of how the Thessalonian Christians were being treated by those around them, but it is clear that they were facing discomfort and persecution.  

But Paul doesn’t just commend  these people as an example of those who are persecuted for their faith; he helps them realize where much of the spirit of persecution comes from, and he also offers them hope.  Notice what he told them: “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one” (2 Thessalonians 3:3 NIV).  In saying this, Paul foreshadows God’s help to persecuted Christians through the ages – stressing the fact that God either strengthens or protects his people, depending on his will, and sometimes he does both. Paul found this frequently. Sometimes he was rescued (2 Timothy 3:11) and sometimes he was not (2 Timothy 2:9, 2 Timothy 4:6-8).  

We have only to look around the world today to see that many – possibly the majority of – Christians are still living in some degree of discomfort in terms of societal or official pressure and persecution. Many are suffering intense persecution, and God still protects his people or strengthens them to endure. But why do some suffer and some escape? The testimony of history and current events both show that God works despite the persecution of his followers. It is in times and places of persecution that Christianity grows the most – both numerically and spiritually.  Not only does persecution and societal lack of approval help believers grow closer to God, but also it often gives them unique opportunities to be a better light to others. 

It is no coincidence that Paul told the Thessalonians that they were a  model to all the believers in the surrounding areas (1 Thessalonians 1:7-8).  The persecuted Thessalonians were, he tells us, especially effective in spreading the gospel  throughout their surrounding region (vs. 8) through their “work produced by faith,” their “labor prompted by love,” and their “endurance inspired by hope …” (vs.3). As a result, the Thessalonian Christians were both a powerful witness to other believers and to those outside the Faith.

Paradoxical as it may seem, Paul  reminds us that the more uncomfortable it becomes to be a Christian, the more Christian committed Christians become.  Nevertheless, we need to pray for the persecuted.  Pray for the persecuted Church!

We recommend Jonathan Petersen’s excellent article on this topic on the BibleGateway.org site here. 

The Ultimate Search and Rescue

The Ultimate Search and Rescue

by | Aug 6, 2015 | Discipleship

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Scripture:  “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”  Luke 19:10

Something to think about:  Modern day search and rescue operations, such as those mounted by Coast Guard, Mountain Rescue, or other hazardous terrain rescue teams,  are organized  to aid people who are in distress or imminent danger.  In all cases, of course, the rescuers have to be committed both to search effectively and then to affect a rescue.

It is a fundamental aspect of Christian belief that God did not just announce a rescue option for those who might wish to respond, but that the Son of God came to actively seek out those needing help (all of us!).  The life and death of Christ was the ultimate search and rescue operation as it sought every human being who ever lived or will yet live, and also provided the possibility of rescue from the danger of eternal death.  

But the search and rescue story does not end there. Jesus specifically commissioned his disciples to continue his work and we, as Christians, must remember that we are also in the search and rescue business by virtue of our calling.   People often ask themselves and others “What are you looking for in life?” But for the Christian the question is not “what,” but whom.  We are called to follow in the steps of the One who came to seek and save, and we must all ask ourselves occasionally: “How much prayer, effort, support and involvement are we putting into search and rescue work?”
The God of the Eleventh Hour

The God of the Eleventh Hour

by | Aug 1, 2015 | God

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“…The LORD will be … strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate” (Isaiah 28:5-6).

Sometimes we don’t see God because we give up looking for him before we should. The verse quoted above from Isaiah has always been one of my favorites.  It reminds us that even if God does not come through till the last minute, he will be there before it is too late.  Isaiah’s words reflect a situation in which warriors defending their city are beaten back to the its very gates, but who are then given strength to turn the tide of battle right at their own doors. That’s an “eleventh hour” rescue by an “eleventh hour” God!

Isaiah’s point is that we must not give up even if the battle goes on. We must not give up too soon.  It’s a principle we see throughout the Bible.  One of the most famous examples is seen in the story of King Saul, when Israel was  under attack by the Philistines and the prophet Samuel told him to go to the area of Gilgal and to wait there seven days till Samuel  arrived to offer  sacrifices and ask God’s help (1 Samuel 10:8).  But as time passed, Saul’s faith, like that of his men, began to falter:  

“Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering. Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived …” (1 Samuel 13:7-10).

The account indicates that Saul had not waited the full seven days as instructed, but waited only till the time was almost up – to the eleventh hour of the sixth day – which is when God’s representative Samuel arrived.  Saul’s disobedience in being unwilling to wait past the eleventh hour, till the last minute (as well as usurping the position of the priests and prophets), cost him his kingship (1 Samuel 13:13-14).

We see many other examples of this principle of the arrival of God’s intervention at the eleventh hour in the Bible. It appears from God’s test of Abraham (Genesis 22:1-12) to Paul’s last minute rescue (Acts 21:31-36).  There is nothing automatic about God’s intervention in situations, of course. He will intervene if it is his will, and he may intervene at any time if he chooses to do so. But the point is that once we have determined we will trust God for the outcome of any situation, we should not give up too soon.

As Christians we may sometimes get discouraged by events in our own lives and those of family and friends, let alone conditions throughout the world. But it is part of coming to see how God acts in our lives and in history itself to understand that God will indeed sometimes wait till the very last minute to intervene or to act in some way. But even if it is at the “eleventh hour,” if God acts, he never acts too late. More often than not, the question is not really one of “Will God act in time?” but “Will we give up too soon?”