Posted by a friend: Launceston, Tasmania #2 (23 July 2014) - While I was praying yesterday morning, before the leaders of Freelife Church gathered to seek the Lord, I was thinking about Hebrews 13:3, Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. I have also been thinking about this passage from Hebrews 11:35-38, Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated -- of whom the world was not worthy -- wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. The last week has brought a shocking, horrifying, saddening flood of news about atrocities committed by a group called ISIS against our brothers and sisters in Iraq and (this morning) in Syria, where 9 people were crucified and babies were being shot and their bodies thrown into a pit. Homes and businesses are having an Arabic N spray-painted on them (for Nazarene), and then the ISIS fighters take the property for the funding of the new Islamic Caliphate. They kill the owners if they wont convert, or they place them under a condition called, Dhimmi (second class citizenship) and subject them to a high punitive tax, called, Jizyah which encumbers them economically forever. The plight of Iraqi and Palestinian Christians has similarly been ongoing for years, but seldom publicized. However, the cumulative effect has been the almost complete depopulation of areas (provinces and countries, not mere neighborhoods) that have long been inhabited by Christians. This is more than the going gets tough, so the faithful get packing. It is far more than merely picking up and moving to a new city, as we in the West so easily do. It involves the loss of homes, lands and businesses which have in many cases been in the family for centuries. It may involve emigration, if they can find a country to accept them. It involves the loss of a culture, including the holy sites and shrines which these Christians tend out of devotion to the historical acts of God in history. For Westerners, this is difficult to grasp, because much of our experience of our faith comes through the biblical exposition, and perhaps (maybe) encounters with the Holy Spirit. Our faith has a noetic, cognitive bent to it. In many of these lands, however, their history and their faith are inextricably linked. To destroy their history is to seek the obliteration of the faith that they have carried for centuries. The tombs of the prophets Jonah, Nahum and Ezekiel have all been destroyed (desecrated) in the last week. Others are having their wives and daughters taken as wives for mujahideen. This is persecution and suffering on a systematic scale. It is planned, intentional, evil. As if all of this werent enough, yesterday brought news of a new wave of arrests, church destruction (desecration), and property confiscation in China. Of course, the popular picture would suggest that persecution is over in China, and that China has become another free-market country, hence, all should be forgiven. Under Mao, more than 50 million (and that is VERY conservative number) believers and other undesirables were tortured and killed. That is more than the entire population of Australia by 2x, and it is more than the entire population of California, Arizona, and Nevada. The level and intensity of persecution in China may be reduced, perhaps, but it does not negate that people are being jailed for their beliefs. Their churches are being bulldozed. Their bodies are being broken. Their families are being subjected to intense economic and physical suffering and deprivation. Children are being orphaned and left to fend for themselves with no family to care for them. I might add that anyone who has even a rudimentary understanding of inner healing will immediately see that the destruction isnt just being wrought on this generation; the children and grandchildren of those so treated will also be affected by these events. These are just the latest and most publicized such incidents (probably due to their shock appeal in the media); others are suffering in other countries and have done so on an ongoing basis without the benefit of such media frenzy. Think of the persecuted Christians of Somali and Ethiopia and Nigeria, for example, who have been bombed by their own government, shot, starved, raped and more. Why am I talking about all of this? Because the Bible instructs (commands) us to Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. We can sympathize, we can empathize. We may be called upon by the Lord to give or to take action on behalf of the persecuted. ...And, it could happen here.... The pressure being brought to bear on the churches of the West is not yet to the level I have described above, so to suggest an equivalence between the Middle East and China and the West would be absurd. Nevertheless, the power of Government is being brought to bear against people of faith in every Western nation. If their faith contradicts the dictates of government, they may be denied contracts. They may be denied employment. They may be subject to random searches and audits for no good reason (harassment). They may be sent for re-education (dont laugh; this recently happened in New Mexico). They may be denied promotions, or they may be discharged from their jobs (all of this is currently happening on a widespread scale within Western governments, particularly in the military). If you do the research, you will see that Im not exaggerating these things. All of which brings me to a question, Could it be that a great persecution of the Church is currently underway (see Acts 8:1)? Please do not mistake me: I DO NOT mean the Great Persecution or Great Tribulation. Throughout history, there have been periods of persecution that have come against the Church. Some have been imprisoned unjustly (loss of freedom), some have lost property, some have lost their purity, some have lost their lives. It seems to me, looking across the earth, that this is just such a time, albeit (said again for emphasis) NOT THE GREAT TRIBULATION. Many have been crying out for the Church to advance, but history shows us that most of the great advances of the Church have come during times of distress and hardship. I am thrilled by all that the Lord is doing as I travel, and as I hear reports from others. However, I think we all do well to take sober stock and to understand that we must continue in the faith, despite difficulty, for it is through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. (Acts 14:22). John Wimber used to say, We didnt get in cheaply, they wont either. Here are a few other things to keep in mind: 1. We are not to return violence for violence. In the past, Christians have made this mistake, and the legacy haunts us to this day. See Matt. 5:38-41 2. The peace we have known in the West is NOT the normal state of affairs for Christians. We should be thankful for it and seek to preserve it, but we must recognize that it only takes one evil ruler to change what we so easily take for granted. See Ro. 13:1 and I Pet. 2:21-23 3. We are to pray for kings and all those in authority (presidents, prime ministers, cabinets, senators, representatives, judges) in order that we may live peaceful and quiet lives, godly and dignified in every way. See I Tim. 2:2 4. We must remember that it is s/he who endures to the end who will be saved. Christianity is not a self-improvement program; it is a life of sacrifice. It is not a sprint; it is a marathon, so plan and prepare for the long haul. See Mt. 24:13 5. Therefore, this means that Gods holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus. See Rev. 14:12 Rise up, oh (wo)men of God. Have done with lesser things. Tune heart and soul and mind and strength to serve the King of Kings.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Jul 2014 12:53:02 +0000
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