Sermon
Lanier Christian Church
August 17, 2014
David Simpson
Persecution - What's a Christian to do?
Matthew 5:38-45/1 Peter 4:12-19
Christians have made the news this past week...not for recognizing their noble service...but for suffering...for persecution.
Christians in northern Iraq have been killed for their faith in sadistic ways or expelled from their homes by muslim terrorists.
Christians in China have been forced by their local government to remove crosses from their church buildings or the government will tear them down. Government workers in Zhejiang province cut down the cross of a 129 year old church last week. Over 230 crosses have been removed this year.
Nepal is being pressured by India to change their constitution to restrict the religious freedom of Christians. American Pastor Saeed Abedini was sentenced to 8 years in an Iranian prison for his Christian faith. This past week he wrote a letter to his family telling them that other inmates who are members of ISIS, the muslim terrorist group, have threatened to kill him as soon as they get the chance. The family has appealed to President Obama for help in seeking to protect and release him.
Last week Christian women were arrested for distributing Christian leaflets in India.
Protestant Christians, especially those who promote Western values, are being beaten, kidnapped and sometimes murdered in Ukraine by Pro-Russian separatists.
Suicide bombings in northern Nigeria last week have raised concerns that the muslim terrorist group Boko Haram is forcing some of the 240 Christian girls abducted earlier this year to sacrifice their lives to force communities to convert to Islam. They already forced the girls to convert to Islam and wear the berka.
(From www.persecution.org)
And here in our own backyard, Christian employees at Chestatee High School, just down the road, have been pressured by the Humanist Society under threat of a lawsuit, to stop praying and stop sharing scripture at school athletic and other school sponsored events.
But not only that, in my cousins' home town of Dublin,GA a small group of mall walkers were asked not to pray at the local Mall - even though it was a quiet prayer, saying it was against Mall policy. In addition the manager said prayers were not permitted by patrons praying over their food at the food court either.
ALL of these events have occured since we met last Sunday! Persecution of Christians is real. It is happening all over the world and even close to home.
It is upsetting. It is frightening. It is concerning. It angers many. And yet, what is a Christian to do in response?
Jesus said, as recorded in Matthew 5:38-45
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven.
We may lean toward the eye for an eye...tooth for a tooth response when it comes to persecution, but Jesus, our Savior, who is also our wise teacher says: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
So what should be our response when fellow Christians are under attack or when we, perhaps, are faced with persecution? We learn from Jesus that our first response must be....
1. PRAY SLIDE
I don't know about you, but my prayers are so often selfish in nature. I pray for myself, I pray for my family, I pray for my friends, I pray for friends of my friends...but I rarely pray for those brothers and sisters in Christ around the world who are faithful believers and yet are suffering terribly.
Are we too narrowly focued on ourselves when we pray? Since the church is the family of God, should we not consider our brothers and sisters around the world in our prayers? Should we not pray that God would change the hearts and plans of their tormentors?
It was moving for me to speak briefly with C.Y. Kim after he spoke for our area Ekklesia gathering at Galilee Christian Church last year. He is a missionary to South and North Korea and was educated in our Christian Church Bible Colleges. About 15 years ago he was to travel to the USA and speak here at Lanier for the area meeting of the GA Christian Missionary Rally. But, weeks before he was to leave, he was arrested and imprisoned by North Korean authorities. Dr. Wilbur Reid spoke in his place here at LCC and asked us to pray for C.Y.Kim that night. We did. Little did I know that I would see him again 15 years later - still preaching - not in prison any more - but under constant threat of persecution. Prayers made the difference he said.
Our praise and worship team sang last week the song: Hosanna. It contains the phrase "break my heart for what breaks yours."
Our hearts should be broken. Our prayers should be fervant. Our love should be extended to those who are being persecuted around the world at this very moment.
Have we become so selfish or calloused that we limit our prayers to only our needs or of those nearby? We are connected globally to our brothers and sisters in Christ through prayer. You and I are made aware of that connection when we shake the hands of someone like C.Y.Kim from Korea, Cris Garcia from Mexico, Jonathan & Heather Powell from Ukraine, Dennis Free from Indonesia...all who can testify of the reality of persecution in the lands where they minister. And all of these missionaries will tell you of the power of prayer to make a difference in their own lives and those they serve.
But what about locally? What about those times when you feel persecuted or bullied or insulted or laughed at simply for being a Christian? What should your response be? Talk back, hit back, strike back? Jesus says...pray. That's exactly what the Chestatee High School students have done this past week. They gathered to pray.
Yes, even in the face of ridicule, insult, or even the threat of harm or death itself, our tormentors should hear nothing but prayer coming from our lips. Prayers for them, not just prayers for our own safety. The greatest example of that is none other than Jesus himself, when he prayed for his executioners on the cross: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)
When faced with persecution of any type our first response must be to pray, just as the Lord himself taught us to do.
The second response to persecution is one that may seem unusual...because we find in Peter's letter that when faced with persecution we must...
2. Praise God
That's right ...when faced with persecution, we have an opportunity to praise the Lord! Let's see what 1 Peter says about this:
1 Peter 4:12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And,“If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? 19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
Peter, who suffered himself for the cause of Christ, says that we should not be surprised when we go through difficulties and ordeals, as if persecution were unusual or a surprise.
We should almost expect to experience opposition from unbelievers. And, when we do, Peter says that "if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name." (1 Peter 4:16)
What should we do when we suffer for Christ? Praise God that your faith is so evident that you are recognized as belonging to our Savior. That's what the word Christian means: "belonging to the household of Christ."
Unfortunately, for many of us, our first reaction to ridicule is to complain. "Why me?" we ask. "This is not fair," we say.
Or, perhaps we talk back to our accusers and say in anger: "You're going to Hell for what you're doing." I think we have some growing up to do when we act like that.
Peter says that " If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you." - 1 Peter 4:14
When you think about it, it's not you that someone is insulting or persecuting...it's Christ! You're his temple. God is in you. The offender is attacking the Lord himself.
Remember when Saul, later know as Paul, is on the road to Damascus, having persecuted Christians and intent on persecuting more, with the goal of destroying the church? He encounters the risen Christ. And even though Saul had never attacked Jesus personally - but instead his followers - Jesus says: "Saul, Saul why do you persecute me?" (Acts 9:4) When Saul (Paul) questions this voice and asks "Who are you?" Jesus responds with these words: "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting." (Acts 9:5)
Persecution is an attack on Jesus. It is an attempt to harm his body, the church. It is a spiritual attack, prompted by the devil himself, whose desire is to destroy the church.
1 Peter 5:8 warns us: Be sober minded. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
We are in a battle with Satan every day for the hearts and minds of people all over the world. Satan wants to destroy. Jesus wants to give life.
If you're persecuted for being a Christian it means you're on the winning side...it means you're a life giver..a hope giver...a forgiver..... through Jesus. It means you've been promised life...forgiveness and hope. It is something to truly praise God for.
We praise Him...no matter whether the persecution is in the form of a verbal insult or perhaps a terroristic act that ends in death. The reason why we can praise God is because no one can take away the love of Christ which has changed our lives.
Romans 8:38,39 says:
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
For the Christian, whether we live or die, doesn't matter.
No persecutor can take Christ away from us. No persecutor can rob us of our forgiveness. No persecutor can rob us of our hope for eternal life. No persecutor can deny us the victory of Heaven.
Romans 14:8 says:
If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
Persecution then is truly a test of our faith and commitment. It actually brings us closer to the Lord in that we pray more and we are more dependent on Him.
For the faithful...even in the face of persecution...a great reward awaits! In Revelation 2:10 Jesus speaks through the apostle John to the church at Smyrna:
10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
For the believer who remains stedfast, even in the face of deadly persecution, there is a reward that awaits that compares to nothing this world offers. It is eternal life with no more pain, no more suffering, no more evil, no more insults, no more terrorism, no more cruelty, no more death. All evil is removed at last and peace is ours forever.
Conclusion:
The question for us today is: Could we stand up to the test? Could we face persecution and remain faithful? The old illustration and later a popular bumper sticker reads: "If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"
Well, would there be? Is your faith obvious...your commitment unwavering? I pray we all increase in our faith and in our courage to stand boldly for our Lord, and that our Christian family around the world would remain strong and stedfast in the face of persecution knowing that their reward will be great!
As we conclude our service today, I'm going to ask you to stretch and do something different. I want all of us to pray today...for someone that you have never met. I want you to pray for the persecuted around the world. And here's how we're going to do it. I want you and I to take a stand...literally...to stand up and offer a silent prayer for those Christians suffering under threat of death at this very hour. Suffering simply because they bear the name of Christ.
I'm going to call two months at a time and if you have a birthday in one of those two months - please stand - and then I'll call out the name of two countries. Pray silently for Christians in those nations who are under attack.
January/February - Iraq and Syria
March/April - Sudan and Nigeria
May/June - China and Nepal
July/August - India and Pakistan
September/October - Iran and Ukraine
November/December - USA
An the conclusion of the service the congregation of Lanier Christian Church was standing in prayer for the persecuted Christians around the world.
Sermon by David Simpson; research at www persecution.org All Scripture from NIV.
