Pray for persecution (part 1)
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:
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.
To read Pray for persecution (Part 2) please click here.