This article is about persecution, and it inspired me to write my own thoughts about this subject.
The main focus of the article is that American Christians are not ready for the persecution that is coming our way. I don’t think anybody could ever be ready for some of the horrible things that have happened to Christians over the last 2000 years, but it did raise a question in my own spirit; am I ready to be persecuted for the sake of Jesus Christ?
The bible tells that we are practically guaranteed to face persecution for our confession of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. This doesn’t mean we are all going to be martyrs, but it does let us know that we are not going to be loved very much by the world. It would almost seem that something might be wrong with you if you are loved by the world. The enemy hates God, and he hates us for being made in God’s image. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, He dwells within us, and the demonic forces in the world know it. That’s another topic, but it does relate to the persecution that we face.
My concern is with Americans. Our society (it can also apply to other societies not in America) has become so comfortable with our Christianity. We have been protected, and we have lived in a Christian bubble. We acknowledge all the “feel good” messages of the bible, but we tend to ignore the harsh realities. We even tend to forget the price that many of the apostles paid for us to have the Gospel that we have. Meanwhile, in many countries around the world Christians are still being slaughtered for their beliefs!
No one wants to think about that, because it might make us realize how weak our faith is. Who wants to be faced with the inconvenient reality that someday we may have to accept the death penalty for our beliefs?
If someone held an axe to your neck and told you to deny Christ, would you do it, or would you stand firm in your faith? Of course we all say that we would never deny Christ, but do you know that there are actually people who will? Take a moment to seriously think about your faith, and how much you are willing to give up for the sake of our Heavenly Father.
It’s very humbling, isn’t it? I’ve asked myself the same question that I am posing, and the answer surprised. I decided to ask God to give me so much passion and love for Him that nothing could ever make me deny Him. That passion is growing, and I can say a little more confidently now that I would die for Him.
Don’t be afraid to question your faith. When you admit your weaknesses you are able to ask God for strength. Don’t you agree that it is better to be honest with yourself, even when the truth hurts, than to live in darkness?
Ironically, I heard something on the radio this morning about persecution coming to America and that many Christians aren’t prepared for it. I don’t desire for us to have persecution, but it would purify the Church. These days so many preachers water-down the Gospel, leaving out anything that might be offensive (or convicting) to anyone. That would change if there was serious persecution.
For those of us in America, it may be hard to grasp the idea of persecution, but it is happening around the world. I’ve heard that there are about 171,000 Christians who are martyred every year around the world for their faith. You don’t hear that in the local news, do you?
Comment Submitted: January 5th, 2008 at 11:57 am
Of course not! The news is very biased…
I agree that it WOULD purify the Church. I read an article recently that said if preachers were really preaching the gospel the right way, there wouldn’t be half as many people in the churches. Who wants to talk about persecution when we could be talking about how God is going to bless us financially! Money, money, money. Every time I hear that word in church, my spirit turns upside down.
Anyway, thanks for your input, I appreciate it!
Comment Submitted: January 5th, 2008 at 9:24 pm