"Blessed are those who are Persecuted..."

A Sip

Bonjour you beautiful blogworm you, this here is my numero quatre blog on Sychar. This is the second message I facilitated the other day for my University fellowship group (BCC). The topic we have been working through this semester, as I have said in my post on mercy, has been the Beatitudes in Matthew’s Gospel and this one was on, as you can see, "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Mt 5:10) This is quite a tough topic so I hope it challenges you as it has me!

Spring Time!

When I first read this Beatitude, I was a little a taken aback as to how I could preach on this word. I mean, I’m only very young in the Faith and as such, I haven’t really ever been persecuted for it. When I was researching the topic of persecution, I was ashamed and embarrassed as I read about the sorts of ordeals that my Christian brothers and sisters in Africa, Asia and other countries around the world are going through. In the West, we enjoy the fruits of freedom of speech and religion. We may be put down here and there, but generally speaking, we are never persecuted with our lives at stake. Nevertheless, it is an unpleasant experience, no matter to what extent, that all true Christians will face at one stage or another of their walk with Christ. As such, it is an important topic to embrace and grow from in preparation for these times of persecution.

Here in the West, we are all lulled into this false sense of comfort and security. We like to think that persecution of Christians only happens in those "other" countries, not here. However, whilst persecution may be of a low degree here now, there is no guarantee that this will always be the case. In fact, what Jesus says in Matthew 24:9-14 is that as the End of Days gets closer and His return draws nearer, persecution of the Church will become more frequent and severe. We have to expect it. To not do so may be detrimental. Paul Washer makes this eerily clear in the following video, explaining that persecution of the Western Church may not be as farfetched as we think:

1) WHAT IS PERSECUTION?

The Greek word for persecution used here and in other parts of the New Testament is ‘dioko’. This means to drive away; to chase in a hostile manner; to harass; or to mistreat. As you can see, it is not a word which brings forth nice connotations. Jesus further expands on this definition in Matthew 5:11, connecting persecution with insults and slander. Luke’s version of the Beatitudes in chapter 6 further expands on this by equating persecution with hatred, social isolation and rejection.

In the video, Paul Washer emphasises two particular aspects of persecution that I defined above. The first is social isolation. Washer describes how Christians in the future will be discriminated against when it comes to how they can contribute to society and their community. They will be excluded and looked down upon. The second aspect he highlights is slander. He explains how the saints of the past who were persecuted by the state were done so publicly for reasons other than being Christian. These often included attributing evil deeds to them as a group (such as the whole Nero affair) or being individually persecuted as child molesters and hateful bigots.

2) WHY IS THE CHURCH PERSECUTED?

It is important to note in Matthew‘s version of the Beatitudes that he lists two different ‘beatitudes’ on persecution; one for righteousness and the other for Jesus Himself. I do not think this is a mistake. Jesus is equating His name and cause with that of righteousness. They go hand in hand. We will be persecuted by the world for following Christ and obeying His righteous commands. But why exactly?

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfil what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’" (Jn 15:18-25)

Put simply, we are persecuted because we are followers of Jesus and the world didn’t exactly treat Him very hospitably. And the reason they didn’t is further explained by Jesus in John 3:19-20:

"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed."

The World hated Jesus because He exposed their sin and evil. And if there is one thing that I can testify to through my short one year experience of being saved, it is that the World hates to be told they’re sinners. And since we in turn shine the Light, the World in turn hates us. This does not extend to people who purposely and obnoxiously try and get persecuted, or are persecuted for something contrary to Jesus. This only extends to those who are persecuted because of their genuine faith in Christ and following Him. The Apostle Paul encapsulates this for the believer in his Second Epistle to Timothy 3:12:

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

Paul tells us that every Christian will be persecuted for their faith at one stage. It is actually this same Paul who was at first a major persecutor of the early church under his former name of Saul. But it was during a trip to Damascus that he was famously converted:

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. (Ac 9:1-5)

How comforting to know that Christ identifies with His persecuted Church. He feels our pain and can empathise with us because He Himself went through worse. What a great privilege also.

What’s more, persecution is ironically a good sign and litmus test for whether a believer is in the Faith. As a contrast to His earlier blessing in Luke 6 for those who are persecuted for His sake, Jesus curses those whom are spoken well of by men in verse 26. He reasons that this was how the false prophets of the past were treated in comparison to the true prophets of God who were largely persecuted by evil kings and rulers. In other words, Jesus says you should be worried if when preaching the Word you are flattered and complimented by the world. As Leonard Ravenhill once so wittily exclaimed, "If Jesus had preached the same message that ministers preach today, He would never have been crucified." If Jesus was persecuted for His message, then we as faithful ministers of that same message must expect the same treatment.

3) WHY DOES GOD ALLOW/PREORDAIN PERSECUTION?

It is also comforting to note that great Theological truth stated in Romans 8:28:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

As Paul Washer sums it up using Joseph’s words in Genesis, persecution is intended for evil, but God intends it for good. So just what good comes out of extreme persecution?

We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. (2 Th 1:3-5)

Firstly, as Paul expresses in this passage, it brings a growth in faith. Paul Washer also says the same thing in the video, saying persecution brings ‘Great Awakening’. It brings people to the faith. All this shows the Glory of God as it should have the opposite effect on people, instead it shows God’s strength in salvation. It is very consoling to know that we will be rewarded by God in His Kingdom for any hardship faced as a result of being a Heavenly civilian. This showcasing of God’s glory in our sufferings is also stated by Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:10:

That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

In our weakness and persecution, God shows His strength and Glory by getting us through it. Paul is a perfect example of this. As an old man, he took more floggings then any many should and apart from God he would have either forsaken the faith or died. But because he had the Spirit of Christ in Him, he was able to persevere.

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Pe 1:6-7)

Persecution is used by God to test His Church. Like gold is refined in a fire to purify it, so does God use persecution and suffering to purify His Church and grow their faith. As most older Christians will attest to, it is not in their most happy and prosperous times they are closest to God, but rather in their most distressing and troublesome times. Persecution draws us closer to Him. It also can sort the wheat from the weeds so to speak as Jesus alludes to in His parable of the sower:

"The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away." (Mt 13:20-21)

Compared to the fruitful soil of the true believer who trusts in the Lord’s Word no matter what, the false convert who may at first appear as a Christian, will soon forsake the faith at the first sight of persecution. This shows who are the truly faithful are, those whom truly belong to Christ. God uses persecution to clean out the ‘junk’ in His House so to speak.

4) HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND TO PERSECUTION?

The first way we should respond to persecution is with endurance and gritted teeth as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:12-13:

We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.

The purpose of enduring and persevering persecution is explained by Paul in Romans 5:3-4:

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Persecution is like the fertiliser that you put on your garden - fruits of hope and plants of character being grown. It turns our eyes Heavenward and keeps our goal in sight.

The second way we should respond to persecution is a lot harder. In fact, it totally flies in the face of what our natural response is to do. But then again, that’s Jesus for you. In Matthew 5:44, shortly after the Beatitudes, He commands His followers to do something rather illogical:

"You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

We are commanded to love and pray for those who persecute us! How contrary to our nature which tells us to hate and curse those who persecute us. Again, this is linked to imitating God Himself and bringing glory to His name. The Apostle Paul also repeats these sentiments in Romans 12:14:

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

We are to respond with the same attitude that Christ had on the Cross when He exclaimed, "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do." (Lk 23:34) For crying out loud, Jesus had just gone through the most horrific beating and ordeal in history and He still managed to say that. I know I could not do that. How great is the Christ!

To conclude, I will leave you with an encouraging word written by the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:35:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?…No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 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. (Ro 8:35-39)

Absolutely nothing, including persecution, can separate the Church from Christ and His love. He is with us in our struggles and He will get us through it all whilst sweating blood. That’s our King!

Waves

Well, there’s another blog down. This was the conclusion to our semester‘s series and more importantly, it was the conclusion to our semester. This means we have to say goodbye to another bunch of great Study Abroads and friends we’ve made. It never gets easier, but such is life I guess. At least there is the consolation that we will get to see them at least one other time - in eternity. We do have one last hoorah with them though. We are delivering lollies to the on-campus students. How appropriate that we would then do the topic of persecution before embarking on this. But the students generally always received it positively. Just another way of making Christ known to more people. Sweet (yes, that was another typically bad pun)! So until next time, put that in your cloud and rain it (Jude 12).

Christus Regnat,

MAXi