Jesus said, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake” (Matt. 5:11). Notice He said when they persecute you, not if. Jesus continues this notion with a more direct promise in John 15:20: “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.” And in 2 Timothy 3:12, the promise is spelled out again: “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” If you follow Christ, you will be persecuted. Period. So what happens if we’re not being persecuted now? Does that mean we’re not really following Christ? That’s the question I’ve wrestled with in recent years as I’ve heard hundreds of stories of how the Holy Spirit is moving powerfully in places where the church is persecuted. At the same time, I’ve heard countless Christians lament the spiritual decline of America. Some declare we’ve been judged, some say we’re being judged, and yet others believe we can still turn things around if we follow the 2 Chronicles 7:14 blueprint. But what if all three are not only simultaneously true, they’re also inherently connected to Jesus’ promise to us of persecution? History proves that the church thrives amid persecution. Despite each of the disciples’ gruesome executions (minus John, who was still persecuted), the church spread like wildfire. Fast-forward to the Martyr Period (a.d. 100–a.d. 314), when tens of thousands of believers—men, women and children—were fed to animals, torn apart, tortured, crucified and burned at the stake, and still the church flourished. Even here in America, we can’t forget that persecution was the bedrock of our nation’s very existence. The pilgrims fled Europe to escape persecution and gain the freedom to worship Jesus as they desired. Please understand, I’m not asking anyone to go agitate an unbeliever to the point that he or she starts “persecuting” you—just so you can prove that you’re truly following Christ. That’s silly. But I am challenging us to once again lay hold of the promise Jesus gave us and relish its meaning—particularly in the context of our current freedom. Because after decades of living in relative luxury, believers are beginning to face more animosity from a increasingly godless culture. America’s intolerance for Christians is growing. Yet history—and even God’s current move around the world—proves that’s a good thing.
Posted on: Wed, 28 Aug 2013 11:24:07 +0000
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