a
"He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord."
Psalm 33:5
| The Deadly Doctrine of Rob Bell (3/14/10) | |
| Deadly Doctrine (3/9/10) | |
| Live Weak (1/25/10) |
You are here: Home 
Articles 
Pray for Persecution
Pray for Persecution
Let’s be honest, when we think about persecution, the United States doesn’t really come to mind. We live in a country where we celebrate freedom of speech and religion. We can go almost anywhere in America to hand out tracts without fear of somebody putting a gun to our heads. People flock to the United States in masses for one simple reason: they want freedom. The worst persecution we have to worry about is getting cursed at, or maybe being punched once or twice for spreading the gospel.
But do we exercise that right? Do we take advantage of the freedom we have to share the gospel? Recently I heard a man (I believe from Pakistan) being interviewed. He was raised Hindu, and was the first of his family to convert to Christianity. The man interviewing him asked, “What can happen to people in your country for sharing the gospel?” The man responded by saying that if somebody is caught spreading the gospel in his country, they will face a six year prison term. Please take a moment to think about that before reading on. In some countries Christians are being thrown in jail for six years for sharing eternal truth (there are some people in our country who don’t get six years in prison for cold blooded murder). After I heard the man say that, I couldn’t help but wonder how some of those persecuted Christians would feel while sitting in a jail cell for evangelism. How would they feel if they knew there were Christians with freedom of speech in America who never share the gospel, when they could do it boldly without fear of legal punishment?
Consider these words from Charles Spurgeon:
"The preachers needed to have faces set like flints, and so intended they had."
John Furz says, “As soon as I began to preach, a man came forward and presented a gun at my face, swearing that he would blow my brains out if I spoke another word. However, I continued speaking and he continued swearing, sometimes putting the muzzle of the gun to my mouth, sometimes against my ear. While we were singing the last hymn, he got behind me, fired the gun, and burned off part of my hair.” After this, my brethren, we ought never to speak of petty interruptions or annoyances. The proximity of a firearm in the hands of a son of Belial is not very conducive to collected thought and clear utterance."
When was the last time you were out witnessing and a man stuck a gun in your face? Another story I heard this week was one of John Wesley. One day, while riding his horse, he stopped, walked to a field, and began praying. He told the Lord that he was sorry if he was being disobedient because he had yet to suffer any persecution for his faith that day, and he asked that he be persecuted for his faith. After he finished his prayer, a man (knowing that John Wesley was a Christian) picked up a brick and threw it at him. Wow. John Wesley felt disobedient because he had yet to suffer persecution that day, so he prayed that the Lord would persecute him.
A while ago, I decided to try paint-balling. One of the days I was playing, I remember hearing a young man behind me say, “We are already half way through the day, and I still haven’t been shot once!” A more advanced player responded by saying, “If you haven’t been shot yet you aren’t playing aggressive enough.” What an amazing statement. I know we live in a ‘tolerant’ country, but if you are never persecuted for your faith at all, is it possible that is because you aren’t being aggressive enough? Is it possible you aren’t being bold enough? I will be honest, there are times when I know I am not being bold enough, and a good sign of that is that I am having no persecution (even on a small scale).
Let me give you a challenge, as you go throughout your day, pray for persecution. Pray that the Lord will make you so bold with your faith that somebody is offended by the gospel message. Remember, when sinners get angry, it’s not at you. Jesus warned in Matthew 10:22 that his followers “Will be hated because of my name.” People get angry at and hate the truth that is in Jesus Christ, not at you. Whenever I have somebody get upset when I am witnessing I always thank the Lord and pray for them. Why? Because if somebody is getting upset, you can almost guarantee that it is because the Holy Spirit is at work in them.
Because I still have much more to write on this topic, but want to prevent the article from getting too long, I am going to split this section into two parts. In the next section, we will further look at: what the Bible says about persecution and what it can mean for a Christian and the gospel.
Acts 8 gives us an interesting look at what happens when the church is persecuted. The first part of the chapter explains that Saul carried out a period of horrific persecution against the church (see verse 1). Verses 4-8 says,
Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them. The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing. For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed. So there was much rejoicing in that city.
What happened when persecution struck the church? People went out preaching the word! Consider what Paul wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians,
To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless, and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.
Paul was without almost everything our lost world claims we ‘need’. He couldn’t eat whenever or whatever he wanted, he didn’t have fancy clothes, he didn’t have a home, and was slandered and beaten by his fellow man. Given those circumstances, don’t you think Paul would have told everybody he possibly could, “Don’t do what I have done! Don’t follow my path!”? Paul actually does the exact opposite. In verse 16 he says, “Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me.” Despite Paul’s pain and suffering, he still told people to imitate him in his ministry for Christ! Why? Because Paul was storing up treasures in heaven, not on earth. He knew the price of standing up for Christ was high, but he also knew his Lord was worth it.
Have you ever met or heard a Christian who lives in a persecuted country speak to a church? They are filled with such passion for God you can’t help but be challenged. Interestingly enough, they never seem down about their circumstances. They never seem upset. And, most significantly, they never seem to have a weak faith! Perhaps it is because they know that what 1 Peter 3:14 says is true: “But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled.” If you ever do get the chance to meet somebody who lives in a heavily persecuted country, ask them for prayer requests. You know what is amazing? I have never heard one say, “Pray that the persecution stops.” Instead they ask for prayer that they would remain bold, and that souls would get saved.
America, we need to wake up. God has blessed us with a freedom that few people have: freedom of speech. But what do we do with it? Christians are preaching the gospel in third-world countries (and getting killed for it) while we constantly sit back and keep the gospel truth to ourselves. Sometimes I wonder if it will take heavy persecution of the American Church in order to kick most Christians into gear. I sincerely pray that that is not true. Don’t wait until it is illegal to hand out gospel tracts and have conversations with people to stand up for Jesus Christ. Get out there and share the gospel now, while you still have time.