SixThirty3 Student Ministry

I had to respond to a couple of questions on a post for one of my classes in seminary this past week. The questions were: "Do you think that persecution of Christians will ever occur in America? What effect would persecution of Christians have on the church in America?" Here was my response:

I think the severe level of persecution that has taken place and is taking place in other parts of the world even today in which Christ-followers are facing the physical effects of persecution—imprisonment, rape, physical mutilation, death, etc—has left us somewhat embarrassed about calling something less extreme persecution. Webster’s defines persecution as “to harass or punish in a manner designed to injure, grieve, or afflict; specifically : to cause to suffer because of belief.” But it’s not just Webster’s dictionary that is willing to call something less than the physical we typically think of as persecution. In Matthew 5:10-12, Jesus said this: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs. "Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of Me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” I think it is important for us to understand that a person doesn’t have to be put on trial, thrown in prison, or even executed to qualify as having been persecuted. In fact, I think Paul’s confession in Galatians 1:13 is pretty telling: “For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism: I persecuted God's church to an extreme degree and tried to destroy it.” Paul considered the extent of the persecution he engaged in to be “extreme.” As we know, the things to which Paul is referring is the imprisonment and death of Christians. And while we would most certainly label those things persecution, they are not the “minimum standard” so to speak; but are instead on the opposite end of the spectrum.

I have no problem saying that the teenager I spoke to this week who was ridiculed for confessing the truths of Biblical Christianity qualifies as persecution. They may not be facing physical torture but they are, nevertheless, facing persecution. It is most certainly taking place in America today! Paul wrote to Timothy that “…all those who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Timothy 3:12) There are those in America today who are being persecuted simply because they are striving to live a godly life. From the kindergarten student whose “Jesus Poster” was censored in 1999 (see http://www.christianpost.com/article/20091015/kindergartener-s-censored-jesus-poster-case-goes-to-court/index.html) to the two Boynton Beach men murdered for sharing the gospel on January 30, 2010 (see http://www.mnnonline.org/article/13860), persecution is taking place in America.

I believe that the effects persecution is having on the church in America are numerous. However, I believe that all of the effects could be classified into two groups, divided by their response to persecution. The first group—the faithful—are the effects produced by those who remain faithful to Jesus in the midst of persecution. Examples of effects here would be solidified belief system and effective personal witness to the lost and other believers. The second group—the fakes—are the effects produced by those who abandon Jesus in the midst of persecution. Examples of effects here would be a compromised theology (where truth mixes with error) and, eventually, a powerless personal faith.

My prayer as it relates to my own encounter with persecution is that I would be able to have the same response the apostles had in Acts 5. After having been flogged for preaching the gospel, they left “…from the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to be dishonored on behalf of the name. Every day in the temple complex, and in various homes, they continued teaching and proclaiming the good news that the Messiah is Jesus.” (Acts 5:41-42) I pray that I would rejoice in persecution and remain faithful to continue to do that which brings the persecution—share the gospel!

So, I'm a HUGE fan of studying books of the Bible for your personal devotional life. Well, yesterday I finished the book of Ephesians. It was a GREAT study and proved to be quite convicting for me. My completion left me wondering which book to dive into next. Over the past year and a half I've gone through 1 & 2 Timothy, Micah, Psalms, the gospel of Mark, and Ephesians. I've tried to strike a balance between Old and New Testament. After asking a few students, my wife, and my accountability partner for their opinion I finally settle on 1 Samuel.  I began this morning with 1 Samuel 1:1-8 which records the story of Hannah.

Hannah was married to a guy named Elkanah. Elkanah had 2 wives--Hannah and Peninnah. Now, Peninnah had children but Hannah did not. If you know your Old Testament, you know that being barren and childless was considered a curse of God. That alone would have been enough for Hannah to bear; but on top of that she had to deal with Peninnah ridiculing and teasing her. So, the time comes for Elkanah, Hannah, and Peninnah to go to the tabernacle in Shiloh to offer their sacrifice. When they get there, Elkanah sacrifices and gives a double portion of the meat to Hannah because he wanted to show her that he loved her even though she hadn't born him any children. It wasn't any bit of consolation for Hannah though and she goes to the temple and, in her grief, pours out her heart to God. Well, Eli the priest sees her and accusses her of being drunk. Talk about getting misjudged! She's simply pouring out her heart in grief to God and she gets accused of being drunk!

After telling Eli that she's simply praying out of her brokenness, he responds by saying, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant the petition you've requested from Him." Hannah leaves and eats and Scripture says that she "no longer appeared downcast."

As I sat and meditated on the verses I couldn't help but confess that sometimes my communication with God isn't quite as open and honest as Hannah's was. There are times when I treat prayer as an obligation or, even worse, a meaningless ritual. God desires openness and honesty in our relationship with Him (I mean, He knows everything anyway, right?!). If my heart's desire is to pursue intimacy with my Savior then why would I pretend that I'm not feeling a certain way? Why would I try and pretend that everything is ok? Why not simply be honest?

So, God and I had a long talk. It was good. It was refreshing. It wasn't that everything had been a lie; it was just that there were some things that I had set aside and not talked about because what I was feeling wasn't "tidy" or "neat". But what I came to realize is that life isn't "tidy" and "neat". It's full of hurts, disappointments, even failures. Although I may be saved and my salvation is secure, I'm not instantly holy! I am still a work in progress and I'm still in need of grace.

So, I'm determined to be a Hannah when it comes to my communication with God. What about you? What are you trying to sweep into the corner? What are you neglecting to talk to God about? He knows about it. He really does. Why don't you bring it up? See where the conversation goes. Decide that openness, honesty, and intimacy with God is MUCH more important than maintaining an "image". I think, like me, you'll discover that it will set you free! And that's an AMAZING feeling!