Today, Nov. 11, has been declared the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. As I thought and prayed about how to bring the reality of persecution against Christians “home,” it struck me that every story of persecution is a local story. To say that millions of Christians are undergoing persecution is hard for us to grasp. But to hear of individuals and what they are going through is easier to understand. For this reason, I am going to read from news articles just in the past two weeks or so that focus on individual instances of persecution. These stories are abridged from stories on www.christianpersecution.info.What we are doing reminds me of a repeated scene in the Wizard of Oz series of books. Glinda the Good has a giant magic book that records everything that goes on in the world. If you turn to the most recent page, you can watch the words magically fly on the page as the events happen. This is actually a pretty good analogy for something talked about in Scripture. The Bible really talks about a book that records everyone's deeds, good and bad. Praise God that we are not judged by the content of that book, but by the sacrifical blood of Jesus Christ!
These entries below are human snippets, you could say, of that book. The reality, though, is that this is just the tip of the iceberg.
October 25, Azerbaijan: A Baptist pastor in Azerbaijan is facing a two-year prison sentence in a forced labor camp after an appeals court refused to overturn the conviction. Pastor Zaur Balaev's appeal of his recent conviction was denied. This pastor was arrested and convicted because of his Christian activities. Baptists in Azerbaijan are reportedly "in shock" following the ruling by the appeals court in Sheki, Azerbaijan. "We're stunned at the result the court handed down half an hour ago," said the head of the Baptist Union, Ilya Zenchenko. "We don't know what to do. It is a tragedy for his wife and children." Balaev was detained May 20 after police raided what they said was an "illegal" religious gathering. The 44-year-old Balaev led a Baptist congregation in the small town of Aliabad in the far north-west of Azerbaijan, near the border with Georgia. The congregation has repeatedly over many years had its applications for legal status refused. It has faced years of harassment from the local authorities," apparently backed by locals and Islamic leaders in the area. Other Baptists in the region have apparently also been targeted.
October 25, Nigeria: Nigeria's central government will deploy more police to the nation's troubled state of Kaduna "to fight crime", after two Christians were reportedly killed there by suspected Muslim militants. Kaduner’s Governor’s announcement to this effect came after the church umbrella group Christian Association of Nigeria said 24-year-old Henry Emmanuel Ogbaje was beaten to death. Muslim militants apparently used wooden clubs in the attack, while the young man was at an area known as Gamji Gate. The following day another young Christian, identified only as Basil, was reportedly killed by a sword in the same area. Islamic leader Sheik Ahmad Gumi had recently urged Muslims to wage Jihad against Christians in televised remarks. Reportedly, the remarks had included instructions specifically to kill young Christians. Last month rampaging Muslims reportedly killed at least nine Christians and injured at least 61 others. Angry mobs also destroyed nine churches and displaced over 500 people in the town of Tudun Wada.
October 25, India: Four pastors who have been preaching the gospel for many years in Orissa and nearby villages for many years were forcibly stopped from continuing their work. On Tues., Oct. 23, these pastors were distributing New Testaments and Gospel Tracts to a village in the Cuttack District. They arrived at the village at around 10AM and began their work. They continued unhindered, the report said, until just after 2 p.m. It was then that about 15 radical Hindus suddenly surrounded the Christians. The Hindus yelled at them and used foul language, and then forced them to go to the village temple. There the Christians were subjected to more cursing. The plan was for the pastors to have their hair forcibly cut and be sprinkled with cow’s urine so that they could be “sanctified.” The radicals were unable to organize things, however, and so they took them by force to the police station where they were handed over with a false charge of forcible conversion. Police arrested the pastors and placed them in custody saying they would subsequently forward charges to an area court. The ministers were never allowed to talk to anyone.
October 26, China: Chinese Christians remained concerned about the health situation of a prominent Beijing pastor amid reports he was beaten again by security forces after being discharged from Tiantan Hospital. The incident happened after police transferred Pastor Hua Huiqi from the Beijing-based medical facility back to his rented house on October 16. He had been treated in the Tiantan Hospital for injuries inflicted during a previous attack, on October 11, by officers of the Public Security Bureau (PSB), one of China's main law enforcement agencies. In the earlier incident, Huigi was beaten until he was unconscious, and was rushed to the hospital. Following his hospital discharge, he was beaten up again by 4 or 5 PSB officers monitoring his home. Huigi simply wanted to use the bathroom adjoining his bedroom but the PSB officers refused his request, blocking any possibility of Hua’s communication with journalists waiting outside his house, and ordered him to stay in his bedroom, forcing his wife, Wei Jumei, to clean up the inevitable results. Christian rights groups have said authorities have stepped up a crackdown on evangelical believers and house churches ahead of the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing, apparently amid fears within the Chinese Communist government that missionaries will use the event to spread Christianity.
October 30, Belarus: The government is involved in a fresh crackdown on evangelical believers in Belarus. Russian Ministries said Pastor Gennady Kernozhitsky of the Minsk-based "God's Church" of the Christians of the Evangelical Faith group has been threatened with imprisonment and suffered verbal abuse after applying for permission from the local Department of Religious Affairs to build a church. In a move resembling the Soviet times, the head of the Department demanded that Pastor Kernozhitsky provide a list of all church members--which he refused to do. In turn, the application was denied. He was told that "you [Protestants] multiply like rabbits," by officials who made clear that further prosecution could follow. In addition, in the city of Gomel, Pastor Dmitry Podlobko of the "Living Faith" church reportedly received a warning from authorities to end his "illegal religious activities." Several minutes before the worship service began, three local authorities, including one police officer, entered the church and demanded Pastor Podlobko sign a document accusing him of "illegal religious activities." Pastor Podlobko refused to sign the document. A Russian evangelical group said it had urged its supporters to pray for its pastors but stressed it would continue to train young Christians to "lead the church in times of trials and persecution."
November 2, China: Chinese authorities have shut down a multi million dollar branch of Australia-based Enoch Group because it allegedly promoted Christianity and hired Christian workers. The bio-engineering company was raided by various Chinese government agencies. The local company owners, a married couple identified as Daniel and Eliza Ng, were put under house arrest from October 12 until October 25, while dozens of employees were “interrogated and some beaten and detained for several hours” in the nearby Panyu district police station. Valuable company assets, including 50 computers, check books and sensitive company product formulas were confiscated, along with the Ng’s mobile phones and other personal properties. The Chinese government also froze personal assets of the Ng’s. High ranking officials are quoted as saying that central government leaders were “upset that the Enoch Group hired a large number of Chinese Christians.” Chinese leaders reportedly suspect that the Enoch Group uses its company slogan of “love, peace, joy and faithfulness” to promote Christianity. Local Christians and other sources say the latest raids are aimed at sending a strong warning signal to other foreign businesses in China owned by Christians.
November 2, Indonesia: An Indonesian court has sentenced 41 Christian leaders to five years imprisonment on charges of blasphemy because they openly prayed that Muslims "come to know Christ." The Christians, who are linked to the international mission group Campus Crusade for Christ, participated in a December, 2006, prayer gathering in the Indonesian province of East Java. During this time they prayed for their nation asking that all Muslim leaders come to know Christ. Video footage of this prayer meeting was filmed and was leaked to a Muslim organization. The 41 believers were found guilty of “abusing the Koran.” The sentencing of the 41 Christians for alleged blasphemy is no isolated case. In June three Indonesian women who were serving a prison sentence for including Muslim children in a church program in West Java, Indonesia, were released amid international pressure.
November 6, Turkey: Malatya's Third Criminal Court has set November 23 to open the trial of the confessed murderers of Turkish convert Christians Necati Aydin and Ugur Yuksel and a German Christian, Tilmann Geske. The three Protestant Christians were tortured and killed by having their throats cut on April 18 of this year in the Zirve Publishing Company’s office in the southern province of Malatya. Defendants Emre Gunaydin, Abuzer Yildirim, Hamit Ceker, Cuma Ozdemir and Salih Guler are accused of founding an armed group and murdering the victims in a deliberate, organized manner. The five killers are 19 and 20 years old. An additional seven persons have also been charged with “aiding and abetting” the murder culprits. The three Christian victims left behind two widows, five fatherless children and a fiancée.
November 7, Israel: A Palestinian-American evangelical pastor remained in Jerusalem after fleeing from the nearby West Bank city of Ramallah where, he said, he received death threats because of his Christian activities. Pastor Isa Bajalia, 47, a US citizen born in Birmingham, Alabama, said he had been threatened over the last two months by at least two men, including one official linked to the Palestinian Authority. For the last decade Bajalia served as pastor for a group of up to 35 people in Ramallah, holding Sunday services in private homes and carrying out missionary and humanitarian work among the Palestinians, who are predominantly Muslim. However not everyone was pleased. "Over the last two months in particular, I've been receiving threats against my life," he explained, "death threats based on the ministry that's going on in Ramallah." Bajalia told reporters he became more concerned for his safety after a prominent Christian activist, Rami Khader Ayyad, 32, was killed in Gaza last month. "It made me take the threats more seriously," he said. He has moved to east Jerusalem, and is uncertain when he will go back to Ramallah.
November 8, India: A young Indian evangelist and shepherd has been killed by Hindu priests seeking human sacrifices for a Hindu 'goddess', the latest in a series of violent attacks against Christians in India. Vipin Mandloi, 27, was shot dead near Aamkut village in the Jhabua District of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Mandloi had been missing since October 14 when he left his house to a nearby mountain to graze his goats and sheep near a Hindu temple. There was a new temple of Kali the 'goddess' of the Hindus and he was near its premises. Three ‘Pujaris’, or ‘Hindu Priests’ came there and they shot and killed Vipin Mandloi with a pistol. The Hindu priests were apparently angry that he had become a Christian and, after abuse of alcohol and a failed marriage, returned to mission work, preaching the Gospel and helping a fellow evangelist who runs several churches in the area. It appears that his decision of accepting Christ prompted priests to give him as a sacrifice to the goddess Kali. Although investigations revealed his body was dumped in a lake, there was blood found all over the temple. It is presumed that the blood would have been smeared from the gun shot wound before dumping him in the water. "The goddess Kali is a bloodthirsty goddess and she is even given human sacrifice so it is suspected that the [priests] found this an opportune time [to kill the evangelist] as they were already upset with his decision of accepting Christ." The priests reportedly admitted their involvement in the murder. There has been growing concern about attacks against Christians and other religious minorities in several parts of India. In Orissa news emerged that 40 Hindu militants beat a Christian worker while he was praying for the sick in a hospital on October 27 in the Bhadrak district. A 28-year-old independent worker, Phiroj Lima, was attacked while distributing Christian tracts and praying for patients at the Bhadrak Government Hospital. On October 23, Hindu militants dragged four pastors to the Hindu temple in Mouza village of Orissa’s Cuttack district on charges of “forcible conversion.” The incident happened as the four pastors were distributing tracts and selling New Testaments. The pastors, Pran Ranjan Mali, Santosh Kumar Majhi, Jayson Badra and Roshan Lima were released after nearly 12 hours of being detained. There were also tensions in Andhra Pradesh, where local residents of Adilabad district reportedly forced Christians to eat meat offered to a Hindu goddess on October 21. The Hindu residents of Krishnaraopet distributed the meat offered to goddess Durga to local people, but pastor Bikku Lal and some of his church members refused to take it and were beaten.
October 25, Nigeria: Nigeria's central government will deploy more police to the nation's troubled state of Kaduna "to fight crime", after two Christians were reportedly killed there by suspected Muslim militants. Kaduner’s Governor’s announcement to this effect came after the church umbrella group Christian Association of Nigeria said 24-year-old Henry Emmanuel Ogbaje was beaten to death. Muslim militants apparently used wooden clubs in the attack, while the young man was at an area known as Gamji Gate. The following day another young Christian, identified only as Basil, was reportedly killed by a sword in the same area. Islamic leader Sheik Ahmad Gumi had recently urged Muslims to wage Jihad against Christians in televised remarks. Reportedly, the remarks had included instructions specifically to kill young Christians. Last month rampaging Muslims reportedly killed at least nine Christians and injured at least 61 others. Angry mobs also destroyed nine churches and displaced over 500 people in the town of Tudun Wada.
October 25, India: Four pastors who have been preaching the gospel for many years in Orissa and nearby villages for many years were forcibly stopped from continuing their work. On Tues., Oct. 23, these pastors were distributing New Testaments and Gospel Tracts to a village in the Cuttack District. They arrived at the village at around 10AM and began their work. They continued unhindered, the report said, until just after 2 p.m. It was then that about 15 radical Hindus suddenly surrounded the Christians. The Hindus yelled at them and used foul language, and then forced them to go to the village temple. There the Christians were subjected to more cursing. The plan was for the pastors to have their hair forcibly cut and be sprinkled with cow’s urine so that they could be “sanctified.” The radicals were unable to organize things, however, and so they took them by force to the police station where they were handed over with a false charge of forcible conversion. Police arrested the pastors and placed them in custody saying they would subsequently forward charges to an area court. The ministers were never allowed to talk to anyone.
October 26, China: Chinese Christians remained concerned about the health situation of a prominent Beijing pastor amid reports he was beaten again by security forces after being discharged from Tiantan Hospital. The incident happened after police transferred Pastor Hua Huiqi from the Beijing-based medical facility back to his rented house on October 16. He had been treated in the Tiantan Hospital for injuries inflicted during a previous attack, on October 11, by officers of the Public Security Bureau (PSB), one of China's main law enforcement agencies. In the earlier incident, Huigi was beaten until he was unconscious, and was rushed to the hospital. Following his hospital discharge, he was beaten up again by 4 or 5 PSB officers monitoring his home. Huigi simply wanted to use the bathroom adjoining his bedroom but the PSB officers refused his request, blocking any possibility of Hua’s communication with journalists waiting outside his house, and ordered him to stay in his bedroom, forcing his wife, Wei Jumei, to clean up the inevitable results. Christian rights groups have said authorities have stepped up a crackdown on evangelical believers and house churches ahead of the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing, apparently amid fears within the Chinese Communist government that missionaries will use the event to spread Christianity.
October 30, Belarus: The government is involved in a fresh crackdown on evangelical believers in Belarus. Russian Ministries said Pastor Gennady Kernozhitsky of the Minsk-based "God's Church" of the Christians of the Evangelical Faith group has been threatened with imprisonment and suffered verbal abuse after applying for permission from the local Department of Religious Affairs to build a church. In a move resembling the Soviet times, the head of the Department demanded that Pastor Kernozhitsky provide a list of all church members--which he refused to do. In turn, the application was denied. He was told that "you [Protestants] multiply like rabbits," by officials who made clear that further prosecution could follow. In addition, in the city of Gomel, Pastor Dmitry Podlobko of the "Living Faith" church reportedly received a warning from authorities to end his "illegal religious activities." Several minutes before the worship service began, three local authorities, including one police officer, entered the church and demanded Pastor Podlobko sign a document accusing him of "illegal religious activities." Pastor Podlobko refused to sign the document. A Russian evangelical group said it had urged its supporters to pray for its pastors but stressed it would continue to train young Christians to "lead the church in times of trials and persecution."
November 2, China: Chinese authorities have shut down a multi million dollar branch of Australia-based Enoch Group because it allegedly promoted Christianity and hired Christian workers. The bio-engineering company was raided by various Chinese government agencies. The local company owners, a married couple identified as Daniel and Eliza Ng, were put under house arrest from October 12 until October 25, while dozens of employees were “interrogated and some beaten and detained for several hours” in the nearby Panyu district police station. Valuable company assets, including 50 computers, check books and sensitive company product formulas were confiscated, along with the Ng’s mobile phones and other personal properties. The Chinese government also froze personal assets of the Ng’s. High ranking officials are quoted as saying that central government leaders were “upset that the Enoch Group hired a large number of Chinese Christians.” Chinese leaders reportedly suspect that the Enoch Group uses its company slogan of “love, peace, joy and faithfulness” to promote Christianity. Local Christians and other sources say the latest raids are aimed at sending a strong warning signal to other foreign businesses in China owned by Christians.
November 2, Indonesia: An Indonesian court has sentenced 41 Christian leaders to five years imprisonment on charges of blasphemy because they openly prayed that Muslims "come to know Christ." The Christians, who are linked to the international mission group Campus Crusade for Christ, participated in a December, 2006, prayer gathering in the Indonesian province of East Java. During this time they prayed for their nation asking that all Muslim leaders come to know Christ. Video footage of this prayer meeting was filmed and was leaked to a Muslim organization. The 41 believers were found guilty of “abusing the Koran.” The sentencing of the 41 Christians for alleged blasphemy is no isolated case. In June three Indonesian women who were serving a prison sentence for including Muslim children in a church program in West Java, Indonesia, were released amid international pressure.
November 6, Turkey: Malatya's Third Criminal Court has set November 23 to open the trial of the confessed murderers of Turkish convert Christians Necati Aydin and Ugur Yuksel and a German Christian, Tilmann Geske. The three Protestant Christians were tortured and killed by having their throats cut on April 18 of this year in the Zirve Publishing Company’s office in the southern province of Malatya. Defendants Emre Gunaydin, Abuzer Yildirim, Hamit Ceker, Cuma Ozdemir and Salih Guler are accused of founding an armed group and murdering the victims in a deliberate, organized manner. The five killers are 19 and 20 years old. An additional seven persons have also been charged with “aiding and abetting” the murder culprits. The three Christian victims left behind two widows, five fatherless children and a fiancée.
November 7, Israel: A Palestinian-American evangelical pastor remained in Jerusalem after fleeing from the nearby West Bank city of Ramallah where, he said, he received death threats because of his Christian activities. Pastor Isa Bajalia, 47, a US citizen born in Birmingham, Alabama, said he had been threatened over the last two months by at least two men, including one official linked to the Palestinian Authority. For the last decade Bajalia served as pastor for a group of up to 35 people in Ramallah, holding Sunday services in private homes and carrying out missionary and humanitarian work among the Palestinians, who are predominantly Muslim. However not everyone was pleased. "Over the last two months in particular, I've been receiving threats against my life," he explained, "death threats based on the ministry that's going on in Ramallah." Bajalia told reporters he became more concerned for his safety after a prominent Christian activist, Rami Khader Ayyad, 32, was killed in Gaza last month. "It made me take the threats more seriously," he said. He has moved to east Jerusalem, and is uncertain when he will go back to Ramallah.
November 8, India: A young Indian evangelist and shepherd has been killed by Hindu priests seeking human sacrifices for a Hindu 'goddess', the latest in a series of violent attacks against Christians in India. Vipin Mandloi, 27, was shot dead near Aamkut village in the Jhabua District of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Mandloi had been missing since October 14 when he left his house to a nearby mountain to graze his goats and sheep near a Hindu temple. There was a new temple of Kali the 'goddess' of the Hindus and he was near its premises. Three ‘Pujaris’, or ‘Hindu Priests’ came there and they shot and killed Vipin Mandloi with a pistol. The Hindu priests were apparently angry that he had become a Christian and, after abuse of alcohol and a failed marriage, returned to mission work, preaching the Gospel and helping a fellow evangelist who runs several churches in the area. It appears that his decision of accepting Christ prompted priests to give him as a sacrifice to the goddess Kali. Although investigations revealed his body was dumped in a lake, there was blood found all over the temple. It is presumed that the blood would have been smeared from the gun shot wound before dumping him in the water. "The goddess Kali is a bloodthirsty goddess and she is even given human sacrifice so it is suspected that the [priests] found this an opportune time [to kill the evangelist] as they were already upset with his decision of accepting Christ." The priests reportedly admitted their involvement in the murder. There has been growing concern about attacks against Christians and other religious minorities in several parts of India. In Orissa news emerged that 40 Hindu militants beat a Christian worker while he was praying for the sick in a hospital on October 27 in the Bhadrak district. A 28-year-old independent worker, Phiroj Lima, was attacked while distributing Christian tracts and praying for patients at the Bhadrak Government Hospital. On October 23, Hindu militants dragged four pastors to the Hindu temple in Mouza village of Orissa’s Cuttack district on charges of “forcible conversion.” The incident happened as the four pastors were distributing tracts and selling New Testaments. The pastors, Pran Ranjan Mali, Santosh Kumar Majhi, Jayson Badra and Roshan Lima were released after nearly 12 hours of being detained. There were also tensions in Andhra Pradesh, where local residents of Adilabad district reportedly forced Christians to eat meat offered to a Hindu goddess on October 21. The Hindu residents of Krishnaraopet distributed the meat offered to goddess Durga to local people, but pastor Bikku Lal and some of his church members refused to take it and were beaten.
On this day of remembrance, I want us to understand that right now, thousands upon thousands of Christians are in prison for refusing to abandon their faith. There are thousands of families who are now fatherless because their fathers have paid the ultimate price for their faith. And there are millions who live in fear of what the next day will bring. This is what the world looks like today.
What do we say to this? Well, what did Jesus say? Consider these passages.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. – Matthew 5:10-12
Here in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that those who are persecuted are blessed! The word, makarios, can also be translated as “happy.” Jesus even tells them to rejoice! How is one to respond to this? If anyone other than Jesus were to say this, I think it could be called unfeeling and inappropriate in the extreme.
As hard as it is for us to understand, Jesus is saying that those who suffer persecution for His Name’s sake receive a special honor. We, who live primarily sheltered, secure, and free lives, do not receive this honor, nor will we receive the heavenly reward that goes with this honor, unless we too are “blessed” with the blessing of persecution. I do not think this means we should go out and seek to be persecuted – even in the Book of Acts we read of times that were “times of peace,” such as after the new believer Paul went to Tarsus for a while. But there is a special blessing for those for whom persecution comes.
You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. – Matthew 5:43-45
Here Jesus also speaks of persecution. He says to love and pray for those who want to do you in. Again, this is a hard teaching. If the authorities took your spouse away, locking him or her up and torturing him or her, would you want to pray for those authorities? The passage says that if you do, you will be “sons of your Father.” What does that mean? I think it is like when a boy does something that really impresses his mother, she might say to him, “You are your father’s son.” What does she mean? She means that he is growing up to be like him. In the same way, I think this passage means that when we pray for those that persecute us, we are growing up to be like Jesus. After all, Jesus did the very same thing. Up on the cross he said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. – Matt. 24:9-13
Jesus says here that increased persecution is a sign that Jesus’ return is imminent. When we look at the increased amount of persecution, the rise of Islam, the attacks against Christians in every continent, it sure seems as though His return is near. The gospel is being preached throughout the world now. Some of the places strongest in faith have become mere shadows of what they were – look at most of Europe, for example. Whole nations have turned away from the faith.
Perhaps the passage of Jesus about persecution that strikes me the hardest is the following:
If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. – John 15:18-19
This passage makes me uncomfortable. “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.” Persecution is an indication of our allegiance to Christ. Here in America, it seems like the world often loves Christians as their own. What does this say about us? Does it not mean that we are too much “of the world”? Maybe people love us because they can’t even tell we are Christians. Are we too quick to “go with the flow,” to put up with injustice, to share in all the activities of our culture?
Now, I will say this. There is a ton of hidden hatred toward Christians in this country. If you read the news on the Internet, you know that many news sources allow people to place comments after the stories. I am amazed how often anti-Christian responses are posted, even sometimes in stories that have nothing to do with Christianity.
What does Jesus mean when He says, “I have chosen you out of the world”? It’s that we have a higher calling. Although we have freedom in Christ to watch TV on a Saturday night (or any other night of the week), our lives are not to be characterized by simply working a job, watching TV, and going to bed. The people we read about earlier were not just working, watching TV, and going to bed. They were actively sharing their faith, meeting together to pray and witness, reaching out to their world. They did this and do this despite the very real threat of persecution. How much more, then, should we be motivated to be radical in our faith?
Paul, in his letters, also has much to say about persecution. As we saw in the Book of Acts, his ministry and persecution went hand in hand. Of course, before he was saved, Paul was a leading cause of persecution. But after he turned to Christ, he experienced more than we really can imagine. So what does Paul say about persecution? Two passages really strike me, one from I Thessalonians and one from II Timothy.
But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, did, again and again—but Satan stopped us. For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy. So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens. We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know. For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent Timothy to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless. But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you. Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? – I Thess. 2:17-3:9
To me these are just astounding verses. If we are to imitate Paul, our love and concern for other believers should overwhelm our fear of persecution. Paul, in the midst of suffering intense persecution, does not even care about himself. His focus is on the Thessalonians. He says that they are his hope, his joy, his crown of glory. Because they are doing well in the faith, Paul says he really lives! In other words, he wasn’t really living until he heard this report. Now you may say that that is fine and well for Paul, who had spent time establishing the church in Thessalonica, that he knows particular individuals that he poured into and hoped they would continue to grow in love and service to God, and that is certainly part of it, but churches grow and change. I don’t believe this intense love Paul has is just for particular people he knows; it is equally for those whom he doesn’t know.
His love and joy and “life” come from the fact that these people are faithfully following God, whether he knows them intimately, casually, or not at all. In any case they are his brothers and sisters in Christ. They are family. And in the same way, these people I have read to you about are our family. As the reports show, they are standing firm in the faith. They are paying a tremendous price for doing it, but they are doing it. We should be encouraged that God’s people throughout the world are standing firm in persecution, sharing the gospel, building up new believers, and so on.
Even though we don’t know them, we should love them and be eager to pray for them, rejoicing in their successes and weeping over their failures. We should “really live” when we think about what they are doing for Christ.
I am also struck by a passage of Paul’s from II Timothy. Before I read it, let me give you a reminder about what Paul suffered in the cities he mentions. These are discussed in Acts 13 and 14. In Antioch, it says that Jews jealous of Paul’s “success” persecuted Paul’s party and had them expelled from the region. Presumably this was by force. In Iconium, there was a plot among both Gentiles and Jews to stone Paul and his party to death. By God’s grace, they found out about it and literally fled to Lystra. In Lystra, they healed a man with crippled feet, but the people then worshipped them as gods. Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes. Just as they were trying to get the people to stop sacrificing animals to them, Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, won the crowd over, and had Paul dragged out of the city and stoned. He was so badly injured that everyone left him for dead. These are the persecutions Paul endured in these three cities. (Of course, Paul suffered much more than this.)
You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. – II Tim. 3:10-4:5
Paul makes the challenging statement that everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Is this true? Does this apply to you and me? I believe so. Even if we aren’t arrested, we receive persecution from Satan in the forms of trials and temptations, and the day may come in this country when persecution here looks just like what we read about throughout the world earlier this morning.
Paul’s charges to Timothy, I believe, apply to us as well. We are to continue in what we have been taught. Even when persecution comes, we don’t change what we do. We are to keep on immersing ourselves in the Scriptures, which are “God-breathed.” What a phrase! We are to continue to correct, rebuke, and encourage – all three, not just the parts we like. We are to do this even though the time will come when those around us won’t like the simple gospel message anymore. I feel that we are entering into these times during this generation. We, here in the Bible belt, are perhaps the last to fall, but there are increasing signs of falling throughout our country.
One of the ways we respond to this message is to pray. We pray, as Paul prayed, that our brothers and sisters in Christ remain faithful even unto death, that their faith would grow, that they remain bold in Christ, sharing the gospel and expanding the kingdom.
I have one more story of an individual to share. A few weeks ago, our culture celebrated Halloween. That same day is the day that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door at a building at the University of Wittenburg. This act led to Martin Luther experiencing serious persecution a few years later. What if he had not remained faithful? What if he had given in, recanted of his “heresy”? It is impossible to imagine. Here is a transcript of a recording that vividly describes Luther’s experience with persecution. This is from Max McLean’s reading of “Hear I Stand”.
What do we say to this? Well, what did Jesus say? Consider these passages.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. – Matthew 5:10-12
Here in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that those who are persecuted are blessed! The word, makarios, can also be translated as “happy.” Jesus even tells them to rejoice! How is one to respond to this? If anyone other than Jesus were to say this, I think it could be called unfeeling and inappropriate in the extreme.
As hard as it is for us to understand, Jesus is saying that those who suffer persecution for His Name’s sake receive a special honor. We, who live primarily sheltered, secure, and free lives, do not receive this honor, nor will we receive the heavenly reward that goes with this honor, unless we too are “blessed” with the blessing of persecution. I do not think this means we should go out and seek to be persecuted – even in the Book of Acts we read of times that were “times of peace,” such as after the new believer Paul went to Tarsus for a while. But there is a special blessing for those for whom persecution comes.
You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. – Matthew 5:43-45
Here Jesus also speaks of persecution. He says to love and pray for those who want to do you in. Again, this is a hard teaching. If the authorities took your spouse away, locking him or her up and torturing him or her, would you want to pray for those authorities? The passage says that if you do, you will be “sons of your Father.” What does that mean? I think it is like when a boy does something that really impresses his mother, she might say to him, “You are your father’s son.” What does she mean? She means that he is growing up to be like him. In the same way, I think this passage means that when we pray for those that persecute us, we are growing up to be like Jesus. After all, Jesus did the very same thing. Up on the cross he said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. – Matt. 24:9-13
Jesus says here that increased persecution is a sign that Jesus’ return is imminent. When we look at the increased amount of persecution, the rise of Islam, the attacks against Christians in every continent, it sure seems as though His return is near. The gospel is being preached throughout the world now. Some of the places strongest in faith have become mere shadows of what they were – look at most of Europe, for example. Whole nations have turned away from the faith.
Perhaps the passage of Jesus about persecution that strikes me the hardest is the following:
If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. – John 15:18-19
This passage makes me uncomfortable. “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.” Persecution is an indication of our allegiance to Christ. Here in America, it seems like the world often loves Christians as their own. What does this say about us? Does it not mean that we are too much “of the world”? Maybe people love us because they can’t even tell we are Christians. Are we too quick to “go with the flow,” to put up with injustice, to share in all the activities of our culture?
Now, I will say this. There is a ton of hidden hatred toward Christians in this country. If you read the news on the Internet, you know that many news sources allow people to place comments after the stories. I am amazed how often anti-Christian responses are posted, even sometimes in stories that have nothing to do with Christianity.
What does Jesus mean when He says, “I have chosen you out of the world”? It’s that we have a higher calling. Although we have freedom in Christ to watch TV on a Saturday night (or any other night of the week), our lives are not to be characterized by simply working a job, watching TV, and going to bed. The people we read about earlier were not just working, watching TV, and going to bed. They were actively sharing their faith, meeting together to pray and witness, reaching out to their world. They did this and do this despite the very real threat of persecution. How much more, then, should we be motivated to be radical in our faith?
Paul, in his letters, also has much to say about persecution. As we saw in the Book of Acts, his ministry and persecution went hand in hand. Of course, before he was saved, Paul was a leading cause of persecution. But after he turned to Christ, he experienced more than we really can imagine. So what does Paul say about persecution? Two passages really strike me, one from I Thessalonians and one from II Timothy.
But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, did, again and again—but Satan stopped us. For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy. So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens. We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know. For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent Timothy to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless. But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you. Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? – I Thess. 2:17-3:9
To me these are just astounding verses. If we are to imitate Paul, our love and concern for other believers should overwhelm our fear of persecution. Paul, in the midst of suffering intense persecution, does not even care about himself. His focus is on the Thessalonians. He says that they are his hope, his joy, his crown of glory. Because they are doing well in the faith, Paul says he really lives! In other words, he wasn’t really living until he heard this report. Now you may say that that is fine and well for Paul, who had spent time establishing the church in Thessalonica, that he knows particular individuals that he poured into and hoped they would continue to grow in love and service to God, and that is certainly part of it, but churches grow and change. I don’t believe this intense love Paul has is just for particular people he knows; it is equally for those whom he doesn’t know.
His love and joy and “life” come from the fact that these people are faithfully following God, whether he knows them intimately, casually, or not at all. In any case they are his brothers and sisters in Christ. They are family. And in the same way, these people I have read to you about are our family. As the reports show, they are standing firm in the faith. They are paying a tremendous price for doing it, but they are doing it. We should be encouraged that God’s people throughout the world are standing firm in persecution, sharing the gospel, building up new believers, and so on.
Even though we don’t know them, we should love them and be eager to pray for them, rejoicing in their successes and weeping over their failures. We should “really live” when we think about what they are doing for Christ.
I am also struck by a passage of Paul’s from II Timothy. Before I read it, let me give you a reminder about what Paul suffered in the cities he mentions. These are discussed in Acts 13 and 14. In Antioch, it says that Jews jealous of Paul’s “success” persecuted Paul’s party and had them expelled from the region. Presumably this was by force. In Iconium, there was a plot among both Gentiles and Jews to stone Paul and his party to death. By God’s grace, they found out about it and literally fled to Lystra. In Lystra, they healed a man with crippled feet, but the people then worshipped them as gods. Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes. Just as they were trying to get the people to stop sacrificing animals to them, Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, won the crowd over, and had Paul dragged out of the city and stoned. He was so badly injured that everyone left him for dead. These are the persecutions Paul endured in these three cities. (Of course, Paul suffered much more than this.)
You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. – II Tim. 3:10-4:5
Paul makes the challenging statement that everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Is this true? Does this apply to you and me? I believe so. Even if we aren’t arrested, we receive persecution from Satan in the forms of trials and temptations, and the day may come in this country when persecution here looks just like what we read about throughout the world earlier this morning.
Paul’s charges to Timothy, I believe, apply to us as well. We are to continue in what we have been taught. Even when persecution comes, we don’t change what we do. We are to keep on immersing ourselves in the Scriptures, which are “God-breathed.” What a phrase! We are to continue to correct, rebuke, and encourage – all three, not just the parts we like. We are to do this even though the time will come when those around us won’t like the simple gospel message anymore. I feel that we are entering into these times during this generation. We, here in the Bible belt, are perhaps the last to fall, but there are increasing signs of falling throughout our country.
One of the ways we respond to this message is to pray. We pray, as Paul prayed, that our brothers and sisters in Christ remain faithful even unto death, that their faith would grow, that they remain bold in Christ, sharing the gospel and expanding the kingdom.
I have one more story of an individual to share. A few weeks ago, our culture celebrated Halloween. That same day is the day that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door at a building at the University of Wittenburg. This act led to Martin Luther experiencing serious persecution a few years later. What if he had not remained faithful? What if he had given in, recanted of his “heresy”? It is impossible to imagine. Here is a transcript of a recording that vividly describes Luther’s experience with persecution. This is from Max McLean’s reading of “Hear I Stand”.
"The sale of indulgences in Germany infuriated Luther, and on October 31, 1517, he nailed a document containing 95 theses against this and other practices to the church door in Wittenberg. Within two weeks, the 95 theses were copied and distributed all over Europe, causing a huge challenge to the Church’s authority. Pope Leo responded by issuing a papal bull condemning Luther, and ordered him to recant under the power of excommunication. Luther burned the papal bull publicly, and in 1521, Leo issued the formal bill of excommunication calling Luther a wild boar in the forest whose tongue was a fire seeking to destroy the church. The Pope then urged Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, and highest civil magistrate, to execute the excommunication order and to eradicate this heresy. Charles commanded Luther to appear before the imperial Diet of Worms to recant.
"On April 17, 1521, Luther appeared before the august assembly of the Emperor, his princes, dukes, courtiers, and the papal delegation from Rome. Displayed on a great table were Luther’s writings. The great number of books made Charles marvel that such a young man could have written so much. Johann Eck, acting as spokesman and Luther’s principal adversary, gave a stinging indictment of Luther and his writings. He then asked Luther whether he acknowledged the authorship of these books. Luther did. Eck then asked Luther if he was prepared to recant the errors contained therein.
"At this, Luther hesitated. His confidence failed him. He could offer only a timid reply. In tones so subdued that they could hardly be heard, he asked for one more day to consider the matter. The assembly reluctantly granted his request. With the fate of Christendom in the balance, and with Germany acting like a volcano on the verge of religious and political eruption, Luther retreated to his room to consult with friends and mediators. That evening he writhed in turmoil, anxiety, and doubt. In the midst of his personal agony he wrote a prayer asking God for courage to do what is right. This is Luther’s prayer the night before he would take his stand:
“Almighty, eternal God, what a contemptible thing this world is! Yet how it causes men to gape and stare at it! How small and slight is the trust of men in God. How frail and sensitive is the flesh of men, and the devil so powerful and active through his apostles and the ‘wise’ of the world! How soon men become disheartened and hurry on, running the common cause, the broad way to hell, where the godless belong! Their gazes fixed on what is splendid and powerful, great, and mighty! If I too were to turn my eyes to such things, I would be undone! The verdict would already have been passed against me, and the bell that is to toll my doom would already have been cast.
“O God, O God, O Thou my God, my God, help me against the reason and wisdom of all the world! Do this! Thou must do it, Thou alone, for this cause is not mine, but Thine! For myself, I have no business here with these great lords of the world! Indeed, I too desire to enjoy days of peace and quiet and to be undisturbed. But Thine, O Lord, is this cause, and it is righteous and of eternal importance! Stand by me, Thou faithful eternal God. I rely on no man! Futile and vain is all; lame and halting all that is carnal and smacks of the flesh. God, O God, dost Thou not hear me, my God? Art Thou dead? Nay, Thou canst not die! Thou art merely hiding Thyself. Hast Thou chosen me for this task? I ask Thee!
“I am sure Thou hast. Were so, let it be, then. Thy will be done. For never in my life did I intend to oppose such great lords. Never had I resolved to do this! O God, stand by me in the Name of Thy dear Son, Jesus Christ, Who shall be my protector and defender, yea, my mighty fortress, through the might and the strengthening of Thy Holy Spirit. Lord, where tarriest Thou? O Thou my God, where art Thou? Come, O come! I am ready to lay down my life for this cause, meek as a lamb, for the cause is righteous and it is Thine. I will not separate myself from Thee forever. Be that decision made, in Thy Name!
“The world must leave my conscience unconquered even though it were full of devils and though my body, the work and creation of Thy hands, should be utterly ruined! But Thy Word and Spirit are a good compensation to me, and after all, only the body is concerned. The soul is Thine, and belongs to Thee, and willingly it will remain eternally. Amen. God help me. Amen.”
"The next morning Luther returned to the imperial diet. Again, Johann Eck presented Luther with the table filled with his writings and pressed Luther to answer two questions. Did he acknowledge authorship of these books, and would he recant the errors contained therein?
"On April 17, 1521, Luther appeared before the august assembly of the Emperor, his princes, dukes, courtiers, and the papal delegation from Rome. Displayed on a great table were Luther’s writings. The great number of books made Charles marvel that such a young man could have written so much. Johann Eck, acting as spokesman and Luther’s principal adversary, gave a stinging indictment of Luther and his writings. He then asked Luther whether he acknowledged the authorship of these books. Luther did. Eck then asked Luther if he was prepared to recant the errors contained therein.
"At this, Luther hesitated. His confidence failed him. He could offer only a timid reply. In tones so subdued that they could hardly be heard, he asked for one more day to consider the matter. The assembly reluctantly granted his request. With the fate of Christendom in the balance, and with Germany acting like a volcano on the verge of religious and political eruption, Luther retreated to his room to consult with friends and mediators. That evening he writhed in turmoil, anxiety, and doubt. In the midst of his personal agony he wrote a prayer asking God for courage to do what is right. This is Luther’s prayer the night before he would take his stand:
“Almighty, eternal God, what a contemptible thing this world is! Yet how it causes men to gape and stare at it! How small and slight is the trust of men in God. How frail and sensitive is the flesh of men, and the devil so powerful and active through his apostles and the ‘wise’ of the world! How soon men become disheartened and hurry on, running the common cause, the broad way to hell, where the godless belong! Their gazes fixed on what is splendid and powerful, great, and mighty! If I too were to turn my eyes to such things, I would be undone! The verdict would already have been passed against me, and the bell that is to toll my doom would already have been cast.
“O God, O God, O Thou my God, my God, help me against the reason and wisdom of all the world! Do this! Thou must do it, Thou alone, for this cause is not mine, but Thine! For myself, I have no business here with these great lords of the world! Indeed, I too desire to enjoy days of peace and quiet and to be undisturbed. But Thine, O Lord, is this cause, and it is righteous and of eternal importance! Stand by me, Thou faithful eternal God. I rely on no man! Futile and vain is all; lame and halting all that is carnal and smacks of the flesh. God, O God, dost Thou not hear me, my God? Art Thou dead? Nay, Thou canst not die! Thou art merely hiding Thyself. Hast Thou chosen me for this task? I ask Thee!
“I am sure Thou hast. Were so, let it be, then. Thy will be done. For never in my life did I intend to oppose such great lords. Never had I resolved to do this! O God, stand by me in the Name of Thy dear Son, Jesus Christ, Who shall be my protector and defender, yea, my mighty fortress, through the might and the strengthening of Thy Holy Spirit. Lord, where tarriest Thou? O Thou my God, where art Thou? Come, O come! I am ready to lay down my life for this cause, meek as a lamb, for the cause is righteous and it is Thine. I will not separate myself from Thee forever. Be that decision made, in Thy Name!
“The world must leave my conscience unconquered even though it were full of devils and though my body, the work and creation of Thy hands, should be utterly ruined! But Thy Word and Spirit are a good compensation to me, and after all, only the body is concerned. The soul is Thine, and belongs to Thee, and willingly it will remain eternally. Amen. God help me. Amen.”
"The next morning Luther returned to the imperial diet. Again, Johann Eck presented Luther with the table filled with his writings and pressed Luther to answer two questions. Did he acknowledge authorship of these books, and would he recant the errors contained therein?
"Luther’s confidence did not fail him at this second hearing. This is where Martin Luther took his stand."
We need to pray for the “African Luther,” the “Indian Luther,” the “Chinese Luther” that might be out there right now. There are thousands of Christians in jails throughout the world being asked to recant much like Luther was. Some of them are faltering, just as Luther was. It strikes me that of the many prayers for Christians in the New Testament, almost none are that the persecution would stop. Instead, they are praying for the persecuted to remain strong in faith and bold in action despite the suffering they endure. Let us be ever prayerful for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ.
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