Persecution

Matthew 10:16-23 (ESV)
Persecution Will Come


“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes."


A brief survey of Facebook will quickly lead you down a depressing road of the reality of our world, our country, our state in terms of the "unjust persecution of Christians." Be it the attacks of ISIS overseas targeting Christians and slaughtering hundreds of them beyond the reporting capability of our news agencies; or the al-shabab targeting and killing Christians at Garissa University in Kenya; or the upcoming ruling of the Supreme Court on the decision of what the definition of marriage will be in our country. Will a bakery bake a gay cake? Will a different bakery bake a cake with a bible verse pertaining to homosexuality on it? Will our public schools teach evolution? Will our Christian schools teach evolution? Will our public schools allow prayer or the ten-commandments or students to wear christianize "blood donation saved my life" t-shirts?
Whatever the reality may be, the intensity is greater with some, and less with others on the severity of our situation as Christians in this modern world. I have a few thoughts and then some deductions right from the passage above.


Thoughts:


1.) God is not caught off guard; we shouldn't be either.
-It's not like God is up there thinking "oh crap! Jesus, Holy Spirit get over here! we got to figure this thing out, it just got real down there!" God is not swayed like a wave is swayed by the wind. God is not surprised ever! Try to throw God a surprise party sometime, it's impossible, he'll be like, "that was cute, but I know all things." God is not worried, he's not shaking in his boots, he's not wondering about tomorrow. Read Job 38 sometime and question if God is in control. He is not partially in control, or mostly in control, or even 90% in control, he's in FULL control. He's got this, and is not caught off guard. Another reason why he's not caught off guard is because he predicted this and ordains this in this passage: "Behold I'm sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves..." If God is not caught off guard, and is not swayed by what's happening, we don't have to be either! Trust and faith are all the more important during times like these for that point alone: God's got this, so I got this.


2.) Our nation is not a Christian nation anymore; have the funeral.
-I remember when my grandparents died. It was hard, it was excruciating, but it has passed. Eventually I had to move on, not forgetting them, but move on with my life using their example as I continue on. This isn't a defeatist mentality by the way. Many would argue that we need to stand and fight to get our country back! "Our country was founded on Christian principles and we need to hold our government to that!" I agree. And at this point, we still have the freedom and power to vote for the right people to hopefully do the job. But history is showing that we are losing that battle. And arguably, what our country was perhaps founded on, is no longer relevant. If there is going to be a revival in our people in this modern world it will be through persecution. Look at the most heavily persecuted countries in our world toward Jesus-followers: China, the church is growing! India and Nepal, the church is growing! America? A new era is upon us, and because life as a Christian may be getting harder in the future, the reward is greater and the message of the gospel will be more potent. God is in the business of taking what the enemy meant for harm, and using it for his glory and our good. Maybe the fact that our country is moving away from the "christian foundations" could be a good thing? Will it challenge believers? Absolutely, but it will only strengthen our message when we are put through fire still holding tight to our Savior. Remember the killing of Stephen in Acts 7 sparked a growth in the church, when the intention was to stop it.


3.) Know the truth before you say you're persecuted.
-I think a believer in Nepal would look at our "persecution" of the Dewey Hill Cross being taken down in Grand Haven, and laugh wondering, "who had stones thrown at them because of this?" "Who got evicted from their homes because they wanted that cross?" "Who got beat publicly for wanting that cross up on that hill?" I don't want to minimize what happens in the things we face in America, but you have to know that we are not being persecuted like our brothers and sisters are overseas. We aren't being slaughtered because we won't deny the name of Jesus. We aren't being burnt alive in our homes because we believe in Jesus. We aren't being beheaded because we won't deny that Jesus is our Lord. Visit the "Voice of the Martyrs" website: www.persecution.com and educate yourself in how to pray for the real persecution going on in our world. It begs the question. Would you be willing to die for what you believe about Jesus? That he is God? That he is Lord? That he died for our sin? That he rose again defeating death and sin and reigns eternally?


TAKE AWAYS: (Matthew 10:16-23)


1.) Persecution is inevitable.
"Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves"
Jesus doesn't only say that persecution will be on it's way, but that he's sending us into the danger! Wait... Why would a Loving God send us into harm's way like a sheep in the midst of wolves? Because the mission is greater than the messenger. Jesus knows this well that his own mission, to die for our sins, had precedence to his comfort. We need to know that his sending us into the world that is dangerous and probable for persecution is strategic. "The healthy are in no need of a doctor, but the sick." Matt 9:12(paraphrase) The Word must go forth into the darkness. Notice however that this passage is not calling you to seek out persecution, but simply that you will be in the arena of danger from it.


2.) Train yourself.
"so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles."
No one would up and try to run a marathon without training first. If they do, they end up really hurting themselves. No one would go into a national championship game of any sport without first spending themselves in training to make sure they are at the peak of their game to win. No one would play for the London philharmonic without first memorizing the part they were featured on. Why would we then go into life thinking we can play it "on the fly" and be ok? Jesus calls us to "be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." What is so wise about a serpent? In Genesis 3:1 it mentions that the serpent was the most crafty of any other beast of the field. Craftiness is good for diversion and hiding yourself but also being a "step ahead" of the enemy. Know how to live in a hostile society so that you aren't necessarily stirring the pot, but you are still a force sharing the good news of the gospel. That means you will need buy-in to the game. You will need to be among the people, yet firm in what you believe and how you handle yourself. Always be aware though. But if you train yourself in the Word of God and are prepared, you will be a witness even if you are brought before "kings" for Jesus' sake.


3.) Do not worry.
"When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you."
Say you are training yourself, you're trying the best you can to be prepared for persecution but you're caught off guard and you find yourself in questioning about what you believe and if you are a Jesus follower. God's grace is such in this situation to not just help you but speak for you. I'm so grateful for a God who is our greatest Lawyer in the times we will need him most. He will SPEAK FOR US!? That's awesome. This verse is one of my favorites in all of scripture because God has our backs. Do not worry, he's got it covered.


4.) You can't be liked by everyone.
"Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. "
If you are truly living and sold out for the gospel of Jesus, you will not be able to be liked by everyone. In fact, on top of being not liked by some, you will actually be hated by people because of the fact that you bear the name of Jesus on your life. There will be a time where even family members could be that role. Some people I know can attest to this already, that ever since they became a believer, their brother or their dad or parents will not talk to them and consider them dead. If you're hated because of Jesus, count it a privilege. Jesus said, "know this that if the world hates you, they hated me first." (John 15:18)


5.) Don't give up.
"But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes."
You don't have to fight to the death on everything. Endurance is often times avoidance and "retreat." Many times in scripture when Jesus is talking about the end times and persecution he urges you not to stand your ground and fight to the death, but to run to the hills, and flee. This isn't cowardice, it's smart. If you are wanting to use the extent of your life to make sure you reach as many people as you can with the Gospel, what good is that mission if you are put out of the game at the first "fight." Don't give up though. If you are made a fool in front of people because of what you believe about Jesus, you don't have to have your 17point proof ready to prove them wrong; the truth is the truth and the Lord will affirm that in you. Something is not true based on what the majority believes, but rather on what the Lord said. God's Word is absolute truth and Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. Don't give up if/when you are persecuted in any form but brush it off, and move on. I'm reminded of the story in Acts 14 when Paul was stoned and dragged out of the city thinking that he was dead. Nope, he got up, brushed himself off, and moved on. He didn't give up, he endured. He didn't rally the troops to petition against the Lystrian government and their stoning practices. He moved on. Jesus also gives us an ending point to when it all comes to a close. When the Son of Man comes, we will never have to worry about this again. And he promises his return to be soon. So hold fast, don't give up, press on.


All this to say, persecution is a real and dangerous threat that is a growing possibility for us even in America. Let's be encouraged by what our Lord says and strengthen ourselves and prepare for the time to come. Let us also pray that the Lord doesn't tarry and that he will come soon and put an end to this suffering of believers around the world. He is faithful and will accomplish his purpose the Glory of His name. Let us do our part by faith to fulfill the great commission, spreading the gospel, knowing that he will be with us always, even to the end of the age.