Spiritual Persecution

You can listen to the podcast here.

Today we observe the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted church or IDOP. 100 million of our Christian brothers and sisters around the world are persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. Why does God allow persecution? Why is the church growing fastest in countries where persecution is most severe?

The book of Acts opens with the very last moments of Christ’s physical presence on earth. Jesus gave His apostles one last instruction to witness to the city of Jerusalem, the area of Judea and Samaria and even to the ends of the earth and then Jesus was, “lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” (Acts 1:9) And so the apostles did just that. The early church was growing by huge numbers. Peter preached his very first message at Pentecost where 3000 souls recognized Jesus as the Messiah. Those 3000 people didn’t know any better and so they began, “continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42)

Over the next couple of chapters in Acts we see something extraordinary take place. Opposition began to grow against this loving bunch of guys that walked and lived by faith in a passionate, authentic way. Peter had just healed the lame man and he, the lame man, and the apostles went together to Herod’s temple and find themselves inundated by the people in the portico of Solomon. Peter gives his second message where 5000 men were saved. The priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees were, “greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.” (Acts 4:2) As a result, these religious leaders toss Peter and his colleagues into jail. They hold a trial and question Peter as to what authority he had to speak of such things. Peter lays it on them by answering the question of the ages by concluding that, “There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given my men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) The apostles were released with the warning that they would not preach in the name of Jesus again.

A short while later, perhaps the next day or two, we find Peter and the apostles back at the portico of Solomon teaching in the name of Jesus, the very thing they were told not to do. Back to jail they go for the night, but this night would be different. An angel of the Lord opens the gates of the prison and tells them to go back to the temple and teach the whole message of this life. They arrived back at the temple about daybreak and began to teach. That brings us to our passage in Acts 5:27-42. I hope you’ll take the time to read this great passage.

To be sure, biblical persecution results because of our position in Christ. For those of us that follow Jesus, can we expect persecution? 2 Tim. 3:12 says, “Indeed all who desire to live godly will be persecuted.” While we may not suffer the same type of persecution here as in those top 50 countries, I think our persecution may take a different form. Satan is our enemy, our adversary and he knows and understands how things work. Our enemy can use most anything as a trip wire to get our focus away from God. Satan is not so concerned with lost people. He seeks to destroy you, to deceive you, to discourage you. Why? When people watch us, we serve as an example of Jesus Christ in the flesh. We are not Christ, but we have His DNA. While I believe the tortuous persecution will come to these United States, for now religious persecution is not tolerated . . . unless you’re a Christian. The church has taken a defensive position and has fallen back on her heals under cultural screams of intolerance and judgment. In America I believe we are spiritually persecuted. We’re told by society how we’re supposed to act and many Christians have become introverted in their faith. We become unwitting pawns in Satan’s plan.

The enemy of Jesus Christ is real. I think one of the top attacks of the enemy is confusing us with things that aren’t bad in themselves, but they misprioritze life even if for a moment. How does he do this? He attacks us. He is on the offensive. He attacks our marriages, one of the principle foundations of society. He attacks relationships pitting friends against friends. He leads us to think about ourselves rather than others. We are deceived about the truth because we form opinions of  the Bible without ever looking at the Bible. When C4 first started in 2007, our leadership was committed to keeping things simple. Some of us were particularly weary of church busyness so we committed to not have activities and things every day or night of the week. Christians were so busy with church activities that there wasn’t an abundance of time to do actual ministry. Now it seems that we’re too busy for church. We have the freedom to worship the One and only true God and yet we fall in the trap of our enemy. We’ve bought the lie that we can have casual, shallow associations with believers. We’ve bought the lie that we don’t need the fellowship the early believers had. They were together continuously and we find it nearly impossible to spend an hour or two a week with believers.

I think we’re persecuted with the mind games of the devil. At least our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world can see the tools Satan uses against them. Those that oppress and persecute are visible. The enemy can be seen. Christians are fighting among themselves and attacking one another when Satan is the enemy! The world desperately needs to see the power of God that was evident in Peter’s life in us. The world needs to see that we’re confident in Christ, that we’re bold in Christ, and most of all that we’re loving in Christ. After the disciples were flogged in Acts 5:40, we come to vs. 41-42:

“So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”

In their time of greatest need, they continued in what they knew; they were not deterred. The time we’re supposed to draw close to Christ, we actually withdraw and blame God for abandoning us in our time of need. The principles of prayer, trust, hope that once grounded us in faith are cast aside and traded for doubt, anxiety, and fear.

These all fall right into our enemy’s plan. Shifting the focus from God to ourselves and we’re lost in a sea of despair with no way out. Will you allow your circumstances to control your faith? Or will you allow the power of Christ to shine in your life regardless of what’s going on? We often ask the question, if faced with adversity, would you deny Christ? That’s a difficult question to answer and probably the wrong one to ask. Maybe a better question is, if faced with life, would you deny Christ? Isn’t that, in essence, what we do when we abandon the fundamental principles of the faith?

A Time for Reflection

Check out the podcast for this message.

Last week Jonah expressed great joy over the provision of a castor oil plant that provided him some shade in the hot Assyrian sun. That joy turned to despair as God appointed a worm that destroyed the plant. That was followed by a scorching east wind carrying small particles of sand that blew with such force that Jonah begged God to let him die. Quite the range of mood swings. There is one final conversation that God initiates with Jonah. Let’s see what God says.

Jonah 4:9-11 tells us, “Then God said to Jonah, “Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “I have good reason to be angry, even to death.” Then the LORD said, “You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight. Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?”

The first thing you notice is God’s incredible patience. Hey Jonah, just one last question to think about. “Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?” God is affording Jonah another opportunity to look at things from a kingdom mindset. I don’t think God is using His mighty voice. I think He’s asking in a very soft, tender sounding voice because He still wants Jonah to get it. Pro. 15:1 tells us that, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” You want to diffuse a difficult situation quickly?    Speak softly and tenderly. It really works. Try it with your spouse, your family, friends, and co-workers.

“Do you have good reason to be angry?” Jonah said, “I have good reason to be angry, even to death.” How angry is that? No doubt the heat and scorching wind played a part in Jonah speaking before thinking. If only Jonah would have thought about the question for just a second. There’s got to be something more here than tremendous grief and sorrow over the death of a plant. Is that really the issue here or is there more going on? What kind of man are you that you would despair to the point of death over a plant? In Jonah’s mind, he was absolutely justified regardless of what anyone says, regardless of what the Word says, regardless of what God says. His mind was made up and no amount of reasonable dialogue could change what he thought.

God provides a very solid argument for agreeing with Him even though He doesn’t need to. The gentleness of God’s voice diminishes in v. 10 when He says, “You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight.” Jonah has some misplaced emotion. He has compassion for a plant that he had nothing to do with. He didn’t put a seed in the ground and lovingly care for the plant. He didn’t water it; he didn’t do anything for it. The plant is an inanimate object and when it dies, Jonah wants to die. He still doesn’t get it. The real issue isn’t the plant; the real issue is that Jonah is still wallowing in his great anger thinking of Nineveh’s turning from wickedness. God’s doing what He can to make Jonah realize that his priorities are whacked. Jonah had no compassion on Nineveh. His rationale? Nineveh was wicked and we judge him for his lack of love. Yet, don’t we do the same thing? All compassion goes out the door when we mention names like: Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, Moammar Khadafy, and Adolf Hitler. We have no compassion when we think of the unknown person that killed Jon Benet Ramsay, or what we believe is the unjust not guilty verdict for Casey Anthony. None when we think of the unsolved disappearance of Natalee Holloway we get angry and demand justice. When we hear of death row inmates repenting we are skeptical. We feel like Jonah and we justify our feelings by concluding they deserve death, not life. When this is our attitude, we don’t fully grasp God’s grace. If God’s grace is sufficient for you and for me, then why isn’t it sufficient for someone as despicable as Bin Laden, or Hitler? When we look at humanity from God’s perspective, from a Kingdom perspective, our attitude should change. We are the receiver’s of God’s grace – unmerited favor: we are granted what we do not deserve. We are also recipients of God’s mercy – we don’t get what we do deserve.

God does have justification for what He does. God’s last recorded question goes unanswered when He asks, “Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?” It’s a very thought provoking question. If God exercises His grace and mercy on one person, why not on another? On one nation, why not another? Jonah had compassion on a plant. He cared for that plant deeply enough that when it died, he wanted to die. Jonah had an opportunity to express compassion on God’s highest creation and would not. Nineveh repented and Jonah still concluded they did not deserve God’s mercy, they deserved God’s judgment. God’s question captures the whole purpose for this book. It’s never too late to repent. No matter what a city or country has done, it’s never too late. The issue is God’s grace and mercy. It’s seen throughout the book. Jonah disobeyed the call to go to Nineveh. God’s grace resulted in a second call. Jonah deserved to die in the sea. God’s mercy resulted in a fish. Jonah deserved to bake in the sun. God’s mercy resulted in a plant. Nineveh deserved judgment for their wickedness. God’s grace sent them a prophet.

God’s desire for humanity is salvation, not destruction. He’ll do what He can to provide that salvation as long as His creation does its part. We have the responsibility to carry the message of hope – the message of salvation to people that deserve death yet God loves the world so much that He willingly gave His only begotten Son. Each person must respond to that message of hope – that’s our part of the equation. God wants Jonah to feel how He feels for Nineveh. Jonah has the capacity for compassion. He showed it to the sailors on the ship. He showed it for the plant. God loves the people in Nineveh, just like He loves the people of Jerusalem and Galilee. He also loves the people Pyongyang, Kabul, Riyadh, Mogadishu, Tehran, Malé, Tashkent, Sanaá, Bagdad, and Islamabad. What is significant about these cities? They are the capital cities of the top ten countries on Open Doors world watch list where it is most difficult to be a Christ follower. In 8 of these top 10 countries, Islam is the predominant faith.

God has compassion on these places and wants those people to hear and respond to the life changing message of Jesus Christ. God tells Jonah that, “There are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right hand and left hand.” The number is probably the entire population of the city. The exact meaning of the phrase “do not know the difference between their right hand and left hand” is not definitively known. It might refer to the Ninevite’s inability to distinguish between various religions. During this time period, there was monotheism, polytheism, atheism, idolatry, and the Assyrians were known for worshiping the constellations. It might refer to the helplessness of the people or their pitifulness. The best understanding would be that God is referring to a morally and ethically naïve group of people. The people are not innocent, but it conveys the idea that they just don’t know any better. When told the truth, they responded so they at least recognized their evil ways and did something about it. At best, this group of people is in the infancy of their Christian walk of faith. “As well as many animals” likely indicates that even God’s creatures that walk, fly, and crawl about the earth as well as the fish of the seas have a higher place than plants do. God is still the Teacher. It seems that this book ends suddenly and somewhat strangely. We don’t know what Jonah’s response was, if any. Did Jonah hear? Did Jonah care?

We leave Jonah to wallow in his self pity for being the instrument God used to accomplish the greatest mission trip ever recorded. Salvation comes to every person in Nineveh. No one can ever resent the grace of God that is shown to another person. We are all undeserving of it. Today we are left to wonder if we, God’s people, will have any compassion for a lost world. The choice is ours. What becomes of Nineveh? Do they live happily ever after? Next week, we’ll look at the rest of the story.

One Hope

You can listen to the podcast here.

Today we observe the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Over 100 million of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world suffer persecution on a routine basis. For them it is a part of their walk of faith – a part of life. How are we to respond to them as we live in America, as we sit here in the safety and comfort of C4?

In John 13:34-35 Jesus gave His disciples something new. He said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” We are to love with a specific kind of love. Jesus is clear that people who are followers of Him must love the way He loves. Jesus loves us so much that He was willing to die for us that we might live. That love knows no boundaries. It’s not dependent upon what you or I do – it is unconditional. We have been called to, challenged to, commanded to love one another the way Jesus loves us. This command though, is not limited to just the people here at C4, not just here in St. Marys, not just here in the United States. We are called to love one another – brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world because we are united by faith, united by the blood of Jesus Christ. What does that mean practically speaking? Is love just a feeling? Or does it mean action? How do we obey this command today?  I’m glad you asked. Today we are going to look at 3 ways to obey this command as they relate to the persecuted church.

“The Battle is Real”

The battle is real. One of the best things you can do to love your brother or sister in Christ is to pray for them. I assume that most of the people in this room are in the regular habit of praying for each other. I want to challenge you with this question: how are you praying for your brothers and sisters? Do you pray for God to improve their circumstances, or do you pray for God to transform their hearts? We can and should pray for physical problems and circumstances, but the emphasis should always be on spiritual strength and transformation amidst the circumstances and trials of life. Are you thinking, “If I only had a pattern to go by, I could be more effective in my prayer life.” You’re in luck. Let’s see how Paul prayed. I encourage you to take a look at the great examples found in Eph.1:15-19, Phil. 1:9-11, Col. 1:9-14, and 2 Thes. 1:11-12. Now that’s how you pray with power! These are focused prayers – focused on Jesus providing what you need to walk and live in Him and for Him regardless of what’s happening around you, regardless of what’s happening to you. This is how we should be praying for one another – not a laundry list of what we want God to do for us, but how we can live in His power and glorify Him in our circumstances.

Here’s what I want you to do. Using one of the passages we just read, pray right now for our brothers and sisters in the persecuted church.

“Identity”

They are not alone. Romans 15:1-2 says, “Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification.” Paul is not talking about physical strength, but spiritual strength. Part of our responsibility as Christians is to use our spiritual gifts to help one another grow to be like Christ. Take a look at Eph. 4:11-16. This is a healthy church body. Everyone in the body is growing to serve the body. This is what a healthy church looks like. Each of us must be committed to helping others grow in Christ.  But what about our brothers and sisters who are persecuted for simply believing that Jesus is the Christ? What can we do to help them? When I think of what has meant the most to me in my walk with Christ, what has helped me the most to grow more and more like Christ is my Bible. If we can get a copy of God’s Word into the hands of those people that are persecuted for their faith, they could reap the benefits of hope, of encouragement, of edification. Paul goes on in Rom. 15:3-4 to say, “For even Christ did not please Himself ; but as it is written, “the reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” How are they going to be able to identify false prophets, false religions without their own Bible? Right now, God’s Spirit is moving and people are coming to know Jesus Christ in countries that are most oppressive, but so many of them don’t have their own Bible. If we could get the teaching of the prophets and the Apostles into their hands, imagine what could happen. Col. 1:28 says, “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.” This is how we grow baby Christians into mature Christians. Teach them the Word of God. We can put God’s Word into the hands or our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. Col. 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” How can that happen if they don’t have a copy of the Bible? Read 2 Tim.3:10-17. These believers must be equipped. Equipped means furnished or supplied with whatever is necessary to live for Jesus. We need to give them the Word of God so that they can be strengthened by it to help them endure their suffering. Where would you and I be without the comfort and strength we find in the Bible? We can love them by giving them their own Bible.

“Give Hope to a Persecuted Christian.”

Take a moment right now and pray that God would supply every persecuted Christian with their own copy of His Word.

We can love one another by meeting the physical needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Gal. 6:10 says, “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.” Do you know anyone in our church body that has a need? One way you can obey the great commandment of Jesus Christ is to meet that need. Think about your church family. Is there someone who has a need? Make it your goal to meet that need. There is a group of people in this world that are hungry, thirsty, homeless, naked, sick and in prison because they are followers of Christ. They are the persecuted church. We have a responsibility to take care of people who are in need because they follow Christ. They are needy because they are determined to hold on to Jesus and will not let go, no matter the consequences. In most cases, if they would deny Christ, their sufferings in this world would cease, they would be left alone, their problems would mostly disappear. We are their family. We have a duty to help them. What’s happening in the world today? In Somalia, a Christian convert from Islam was beheaded. In Egypt, a mob of 3000 hard line Muslims burned a church building then looted and burned nearby Christian homes. In Indonesia a suicide bomber detonated eight pipe bombs outside of a church during services. In the Philippines, a local pastor was shot six times and killed inside his own home. Days earlier he has shared the Gospel with Muslim parents at a school and asked for prayers for his protection. In Columbia, rebel groups ordered churches to stop holding Bible studies or evangelistic meetings. In Pakistan, a Christian mother of five was raped by two Muslim men and area Islamists threatened harm to her family if charges weren’t dropped. In Nigeria, Christian traders in a local market place were ordered to recite verses from the Koran. If unable to do so, they were shot and killed. These events occurred just during the month of September. Just last month, the State Department reported there is not a single church or Christian school in Afghanistan. 1 John 3:16-18 says, “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.” Loving one another is the most basic and fundamental command of Jesus Christ. This is what our life should be about. Heb. 13-1-3 says, “Let love of the brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.”

I encourage you to include our brothers and sisters in Christ in your daily prayer time. Pray for their strength, their encouragement, their perseverance.

Would you take a moment right now and pray silently for them? Take a look at one final passage: Matt. 25:31-40.