"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." [Matthew 5:10-12 NASB]
According to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, "Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world and it's accelerating." A separate report commissioned by the British government agrees with this assessment, and said that, in some parts of the world, the persecution of Christian is approaching genocidal levels.
Throughout the Middle East, as well as North Korea, India and China, the act of worshiping Jesus carries the risk of death or imprisonment.
Every month, on average:
- 345 Christians are killed for faith-related reasons
- 105 Churches and Christian buildings are burned or attacked
- 219 Christians are detained without trial, arrested, sentenced and imprisoned
Every day, on average, 11 Christians die for their faith in Jesus. It is natural for us to be appalled by this. It is not natural for us to be happy about it. Remember what Jesus said, "Blessed are those who have been persecuted... Rejoice and be glad."
This requires an act of grace on God's part, and it also requires a decision on our part. How will you respond when you encounter persecution? Will you turn to God and seek His grace to rejoice, or will you take up arms and fight?
Ever since the Revolutionary War, the American way has been to take up arms and fight. We figuratively take up arms when we go to court, and file suit against those who persecute us. But the American way isn't always the Christian way. And the Christian way is not the easy way.
Paul tells us in Romans, "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse." [Romans 12:14 NASB]
We are to persevere in the face of persecution, "therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure. This is a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering." [2 Thessalonians 1:4-5 NASB] Regarding those who persecute the church he says, "These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed." [2 Thessalonians 1:9-10 NASB]
It is counter to our nature to rejoice at persecution. It is argued, effectively, that if we allow persecutions in small things, they will grow into greater persecutions. If our rights are taken away in small areas, they will be taken away in great areas. Today a Christian baker is forced to violate his conscience and recognize, and provide a service, for a homosexual wedding. A Bible study group is forbidden to meet in a residential home by the Homeowners Association. Tomorrow we may be forced to close down churches because teaching that Jesus is the only way to salvation is not "inclusive". This is a possibility. But I do not find in the Bible, the teaching that we are to take up arms and fight against persecution. We are told to endure it, joyfully.
We know that persecution must increase before the Lord's return. Let's follow the example of the apostles who were arrested and flogged for preaching in the name of Jesus. The apostles response was, "So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ." [Acts 5:41-42 NASB]
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