Addressing Persecution

I have given careful thought to what I am writing, but I realize that I still run the risk of being misunderstood. There is no way that one can address the full breadth of something that is so vital to the Church in one response, so I will trust that those with hearts to understand will have ears to hear.

We all should be very much aware of the suffering, torture, and martyrdom of our brothers and sisters around the world. Our hearts must continually be broken and contrite and filled with love and compassion which moves us as our Lord is moved. I regularly receive a magazine titled Blessed Are the Martyrs. I have posted a map in our church building that points out those parts of the world where there is persecution. This past Sunday I ministered about a young woman being tortured in Pakistan because she would not renounce Jesus Christ. I minister with intent to bring more awareness, love, and compassion toward them, and we regularly pray for those being persecuted. I cannot properly address this issue without stating that unless the Church repents and unifies in faith, with Christ formed within, this type of thing will only spread all over the earth and eventually to the United States.

Awareness, love, and compassion should and will move all true and mature disciples to action. But what type of action must prayerfully be considered. If we are to be the salt and light that the Church Jesus is building is intended to be, then we must look to Jesus and His Word to guide us in all matters. There are things to learn from Esther and others, but we need to take a closer look at how Jesus and His immediate followers handled any and all things and, in this case, specifically the matter of persecution.

Thank God that in parts of the world Christians have freedom to vote and voice their opinions. But we must be careful of letting our prime examples come from outside the written Word. One could write countless books about how people, including Christians, have stood up for people who have been oppressed. William Wilberforce has received a lot of attention in the last few years, and I have been touched by his dedication to changing things that were not as they should be. But I see a potential danger. The danger is that Christians start to rely more on our political freedom and taking action than we do on our rights and responsibilities as children of God. We forget that we are primarily citizens of another kingdom, and we begin to focus on our human rights and abilities and act accordingly. The recent movie about Wilberforce is a prime example. I enjoyed the movie and encourage all to see it, but I caution you to watch with wisdom and discernment. There is very little, if anything, presented in the movie to reveal how Wilberforce and those close to him spent years seeking God and crying out in prayers, supplications, and intercessions. The movie projects a message that is intended to influence Christians in a certain direction. If we go in that direction without fully understanding all that was involved prior, we run the risk of taking actions that may even bring positive change, but, in the long run, will not have been in line with Jesus Christ, His Word, and His kingdom.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a great man of God. If you have never read The Cost of Discipleship, please do so soon. I am in the midst of watching an account of His life. He was a very special person, but there is the possibility that he, to whatever degree, moved from God's ways to man's ways. Whenever that happens, it will not work in the long run. A little leaven always leavens the whole lump. It may even solve an immediate problem or situation, but it is a hindrance to God's plan overall. We need to constantly seek the counsel of the Lord, and anything we hear must line up with the Word rightly divided. Joshua and David were great men of God, but both made the mistake of taking action without seeking the counsel of God.

The problem is that we look more at the ways men, even Christian men, have done things than how Jesus did things and how He teaches us in His Word to address issues. We often rightly see these people as Christians who accomplished great things, but we overlook that sometimes they did not stay in line with the Word, and/or we miss some vital things that they did. We begin to emulate them and advocate and promote their methods as the pattern to follow. In the case of Wilberforce, his political action was emphasized over how much and how deeply he was seeking God. We train people to be political action agents rather than disciples of Jesus Christ. There is a difference in being a political action agent and being a disciple who may participate in political activities where he or she has the freedom to do so. Not all disciples can or will be involved in political activities, but there are plenty of biblical things that all disciples can and should be involved in. The things that all should be involved in are where we are falling short. Let your voice cry out and be heard, but first let it be to God. Just imagine the Church crying out in unison, and what would take place in the heavens and on the earth because of it. Let's major on the majors and keep everything in perspective.

I am in no way suggesting that you not vote and be involved as God leads and freedom allows, but I am saying let's be careful and make sure that we are doing things God's way because only God's way brings about His will. We can point out our successes and the successes of others, but, in the end, they will be hindrances unless they were in the center of God's will.

Let's take advantage of all the ways that we are free to help people, and let's include those ways that are left when these other ways are no longer available. The loss of political freedoms will become a reality in the West, specifically in the United States, if we do not wake up and unite in faith with the purpose of always doing things God's way. We have to get our hearts right, and we have to get our message right. We must preach and live the things of Jesus, and we must preach and live the message that Jesus Himself preached. Paul sums up his message twice in the last chapter of Acts. Ask the Lord to give us ministers who are consistently doing the same, and then watch the body of Christ really go to work.