Persecution

Readings for today: 2 Thessalonians 1-3

Amidst a rising tide of persecution and affliction, the faith of the Thessalonian Christians was rising. Their love for each other was growing. These are not surprising developments for anyone familiar with church history. In the face of hostility, the church seems to flourish. In the face of threat or danger or torture or even death itself, the church only grows more bold. Consider the witness of the underground church in Iran today which may be the fastest growing church in the world. Consider the witness of the underground church in China which may be the largest “Christian” nation in the world. Consider the revival taking place in the Horn of Africa among the Muslims who live there as church planters risk their lives to preach the gospel to them. It’s simply amazing.

This is why the Apostle Paul boasts about the Thessalonian church wherever he goes on his missionary journeys. He wants the churches he plants to follow their example. He wants them to be encouraged in the face of opposition. He wants them to show the same steadfastness and faith that their brothers and sisters have shown amidst all the persecutions and afflictions they were enduring. It’s the same in our world today. It’s why I love coming home to share about what I have seen over in Africa. Recently, I even had an elder in our church tell me, “I wish we could bottle up a little bit of the Holy Spirit energy you bring back with you to give to everyone here.” He’s not wrong. That’s my desire as well.

Now let me be clear. There was nothing superhuman about the Thessalonian Christians. There is nothing superhuman about the Iranian or Chinese or African Christians in our world today. The power to endure hostility and affliction and persecution does not come from us. It comes from God and it is His call to every single Christian. Friends, we simply do not have the power to live the Christian life on our own. We do not have the will or the discipline to make it happen. Left to our own devices, we will struggle. Left to our own resources, we will fall. Trusting in our own strength, we will fail. Living the Christian life is not a matter of learning some new techniques. It’s not a matter of turning over a new leaf. It is about transformation. Total-life transformation from the inside out and it is the work of God. 

Jump down to verses 11-12 of the first chapter. Here Paul prays for three things for his Thessalonian friends. All of them come from God. Not a single one is rooted in the human heart. He prays God will make them worthy of His calling. Essentially, he is praying for God’s Spirit to so root and ground them in the righteousness of Christ that every facet of their lives - home, community, work, school, etc. - would reflect His glory. He prays their lives might become a living reflection of the reality God has already brought about through their salvation in Jesus Christ. In Christ we are the very righteousness of God. Those called by Christ are constantly being formed and re-formed into His image, thereby being made worthy of the initial call God placed on their lives when He first saved them.  

The second thing Paul prays for is for God to fulfill their every resolve for good. Each and every day, we are faced with a fundamental choice. Will I live for God or will I live for me? Will I live selflessly or selfishly? Will I seek to honor God or will I gratify the desires of the sinful nature? This fundamental choice works itself out in lots of different situations in every facet of our lives. It pops up in every conversation. Every task assigned to us. Every chore we perform. Every interaction we have with another divine image-bearer who crosses our path. However it manifests itself, the fundamental choice is always the same. Will we do good or evil? And because we are predisposed through our sinful nature to do evil, we need God’s help to do good.  

The final thing Paul prays for is the power to perform every work of faith. Once God has called us and set us apart for Himself. And once He has reoriented our desires away from evil and towards the good. The final piece we need is the power to actually perform the action. We need the power to actually take the next step. To confirm our calling by acting on our resolve to walk by faith and not by sight. Only by tapping the limitless power of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit will we ever find the strength to live for Christ. And this is why we must spend so much time with Him. Learning to hear His voice. Seek His wisdom. Surrender to His strength. This is why prayer and meditation on Scripture is absolutely vital to the Christian life. It’s why weekly worship with a local body of believers is essential for every single Christian. It is through these ordinary “means of grace” that God makes us worthy of His calling. Fulfills our every resolve for good. And gives us the strength to perform every work of faith.  

Readings for tomorrow: Acts 18:19-19:41

Conflict

Readings for today: Acts 17:1-18:18

Jesus was clear that His followers would face trials and tribulation. We will face hostility and conflict and persecution. People will attack us for our beliefs and they will consider our way of life a threat. They will not understand why we live the way we do and even try to have us thrown in prison for our faith. We’ve seen this happen throughout history and even in many places around the world today. Following Jesus is not for the faint of heart. It will place you in conflict with the principalities and powers of this present age. It will not win you friends or make you much of an influencer. If it does, you’re probably doing it wrong. The way of Jesus remains a “stumbling block” to the religious and “foolishness” to the irreligious so you will take heat from both sides. This is why so many struggle to remain faithful over the long haul. Frankly, it’s why so many of my pastoral colleagues are burning out, washing out, or opting out of full-time ministry. They get tired of taking the shots. They get tired of having to wake up to yet another fight. They get tired of being beaten down and targeted for their faith.

There is a growing hostility in our nation today towards followers of Jesus. Our beliefs and our ethics pose a threat to the emerging moral order. Our views on gender and sexual ethics, in particular, have not just come under fire, they are considered abusive and dangerous. Our beliefs about God and His final judgment on sin and death and evil are considered laughable, intolerant, and unacceptable. Our commitment to Jesus as “the way, the truth, and the life” is considered exclusive, biased, and narrow-minded. It’s becoming increasingly clear that anyone who holds such views will be denied positions in government or business or the classroom. Anyone who proclaims such views will be sanctioned or cancelled in the public sphere. They will be labeled a hate-monger, immoral, and a bigot. So what’s a Christian to do?

We follow the example of Paul. Everywhere Paul went, he faced hostility. He dealt with conflict. He was shouted down. He was disrespected. He was chased by lynch mobs and dragged before the courts. He was attacked and ridiculed for what he preached and still he persevered. He endured. He refused to repay evil with evil. He resisted the temptation to use human means to achieve divine ends. He turned the other cheek. He stood his ground without lashing out. He kept on preaching even in the midst of all his pain and suffering. He trusted God with the results. We would do well to learn from him.

Readings for tomorrow: 1 Thessalonians 1-5

Another in the Fire

Readings for today: Daniel 3-4, 1 John 3

As I said yesterday, I love the book of Daniel. I think it’s an important book for us to read in this particular cultural moment here in America. Our culture is rapidly cutting ties with it’s Judeo-Christian heritage. This has created a moral vacuum that all kinds of secular, humanist theories have rushed in to fill. Formerly shared understandings about gender, sexuality, marriage, and family are all being upended or cast aside. Even professions like medicine, law, accounting, and science are now viewed as fluid and mutable for lack of a common moral framework. And while some important good has emerged like a deeper awareness of systemic injustice especially as it relates to economics and ethnicity, we no longer seem to have the moral resources to find a solution. Every proposal is viewed with deep suspicion because it comes embedded within power structures that are by definition corrupt. The result is chaos. Riots. Violent protests. Anarchy. So what’s a Christian to do? How should a Christian respond? What does it look like to live in a thoroughly pagan world where “might makes right” and those in power will go to any lengths to stay in power?

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced similar challenges. They served at the whim of a megalomaniacal emperor who demanded the worship of his people. Nebuchadnezzar is one of history’s greatest tyrants. He was initially pagan to the core. Believed himself to be a god. He had a statue of himself built of gold that was 90 feet high. He set it up in a broad plain where everyone could see it. He had scores of musicians ready to call people to worship. At the sound of their instruments, everyone was instructed to fall on their faces before the idol. Those who refused would be burned alive. So how did the three men respond?

First and foremost, they kept faith. They refused to break the First and Second Commandments. They refused to offer any god but Yahweh their devotion and worship. They would not bow down to any graven image or idol. Second, they humbly accepted the consequences of their choices. When Nebuchadnezzar confronts them and threatens them with death, their response is telling…“If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel‬ ‭3:17-18‬) They feel no need to fight back. No need to resist. No need to even object. They fully trust God. They place their lives in His hands. Third, they apparently take no credit for the miracle that takes place. When Nebuchadnezzar sees the fourth figure in the furnace and observes that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are not harmed by the flames, he asks them to come out of the furnace. We don’t know what they actually said to Nebuchadnezzar but the king’s own words surely communicate what he must have heard, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.” (Daniel‬ ‭3:28-30‬)

What a courageous example for us to follow! When faced with the challenges of our current cultural moment, we must resist the temptation to break faith. We too must stand strong in the Lord, trusting Him with our lives. We must accept that keeping faith will result in very real consequences. We may lose jobs or livelihoods. We may lose opportunities or be unjustly treated. We may be personally attacked or denied certain rights. Who knows? Maybe we’ll even eventually face prison for the crime of belief as many of our brothers and sisters do around the world. Rather than compromise or run or even resist, we must embrace the cost of discipleship. We must place our lives in God’s hands and trust Him for provision and protection, whether in this life or the next.

A few years back, a great worship tune came out called, “Another in the Fire.” I encourage you to give it a listen as you prayerfully reflect on today’s reading.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zmNc0L7Ac5c

Readings for tomorrow: Daniel 5-6, 1 John 4

Refugee Faith

Readings for today: Ezekiel 35-36, 1 Peter 3

It is good for my soul to spend time with refugees. Men and women from other countries who flee violence and persecution. Forced out of their homes for political, social, and religious reasons. They live as aliens and strangers in a new land. Sojourners and exiles in a foreign culture. No matter how long they may live in a place, they never truly adjust. A large part of their heart remains broken by the loss of their homeland. I remember talking with the Anglican Archbishop in Rwanda. His family was forced out of their home when he was very young due to tribal conflict. Through a miraculous series of events, he was able to make his way to America and get an education. He joined a large Christian non-profit and worked his way up to vice-presidential level of the organization. He was successful in every way one could imagine and yet, when the opportunity came to return, he immediately sold all he had and went home. Willingly re-entered poverty. Willingly gave up his comfortable and safe life here in the States to help his country recover from the violence of their recent past. I have another good friend who fled his country after being imprisoned for his faith. He was a teenager when the Communists put in him prison. He made his way across the border into a neighboring country to a refugee camp. He applied for refugee status and came to the US. He has been here for thirty years pastoring a church in Aurora, CO. But his heart longs for his home. He and I go back now to the region of the country where he was born and he is welcomed like a national hero. It’s amazing. 

In our readings from 1 Peter, Peter addresses his fellow Christians as “elect exiles” living in dispersion throughout the Roman Empire. He addresses them as aliens and sojourners in a foreign land. He calls them to live in radically faithful ways. Rejecting the ways of this world in order to live as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. They are a “chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter‬ ‭2:9‬) They are in the world but they are not of the world. The nature of their exile is not easy. They face trials of various kinds. Harsh persecutions. Their faith is under constant assault. Their way of living is strange. The holiness of their conduct sets them continually apart. The core values of their life together - “unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.” (1 Peter‬ ‭3:8‬) - make them easy targets. One would think this movement doomed to destruction. How in the world can they survive with no political access or power? No wealthy patronage to protect them? No military might at their disposal to keep them safe? They are scattered across the Roman Empire. They have no Temple. No earthly city to call home. They have no cultural center. Not even a common language. And yet they persevere. They hold fast to their faith. This ragtag group of exiles overcomes the world. 

There is no more unlikely story in history than the church of Jesus Christ. And that history continues to be written. In 2019, Pastor Wang Yi of Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, China was sentenced to nine years in prison for attempting to subvert the state. He had been arrested a year earlier with 100 of his parishioners. Like the Apostle Paul, he wrote a letter from jail which has been published in its entirety online. I commend it to you. However, here is an excerpt that I believe sums up what it means to embrace an “exilic identity” in this world...

“If I am imprisoned for a long or short period of time, if I can help reduce the authorities’ fear of my faith and of my Savior, I am very joyfully willing to help them in this way. But I know that only when I renounce all the wickedness of this persecution against the church and use peaceful means to disobey, will I truly be able to help the souls of the authorities and law enforcement. I hope God uses me, by means of first losing my personal freedom, to tell those who have deprived me of my personal freedom that there is an authority higher than their authority, and that there is a freedom they cannot restrain, a freedom that fills the church of the crucified and risen Jesus Christ. Regardless of what crime the government charges me with, whatever filth they fling at me, as long as this charge is related to my faith, my writings, my comments, and my teachings, it is merely a lie and temptation of demons. I categorically deny it. I will serve my sentence, but I will not serve the law. I will be executed, but I will not plead guilty. Pray that the Lord would use me, that I might take the gospel to them. Moreover, I must point out that persecution against the Lord’s church and against all Chinese people who believe in Jesus Christ is the most wicked and the most horrendous evil of Chinese society. This is not only a sin against Christians. It is also a sin against all non-Christians. For the government is brutally and ruthlessly threatening them and hindering them from coming to Jesus. There is no greater wickedness in the world than this. If this regime is one day overthrown by God, it will be for no other reason than God’s righteous punishment and revenge for this evil. For on earth, there has only ever been a thousand-year church. There has never been a thousand-year government. There is only eternal faith. There is no eternal power. Those who lock me up will one day be locked up by angels. Those who interrogate me will finally be questioned and judged by Christ. When I think of this, the Lord fills me with a natural compassion and grief toward those who are attempting to and actively imprisoning me. Pray that the Lord would use me, that he would grant me patience and wisdom, that I might take the gospel to them. Separate me from my wife and children, ruin my reputation, destroy my life and my family — the authorities are capable of doing all of these things. However, no one in this world can force me to renounce my faith; no one can make me change my life; and no one can raise me from the dead.” ~ Pastor Wang Yi

Friends, if you believe and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you are no longer your own. You have a new identity. A new citizenship in a Kingdom that never ends. Your life is hid with Christ on high. This world ceases to have any power over you. You are truly free to live and to love and to serve the lost, the least, even your enemies in the name of Christ. Set your mind and heart on things above and let your conduct be salt and light to those who walk in darkness.  

Readings for tomorrow: Ezekiel 37-38, 1 Peter 4