Modern-Day Persecution
I really feel like after the last post I made, God laid it on my heart pretty thick to push this topic a little further. Being a Christian in this world can be a pretty scary thing, but openly expressing your faith as one is even scarier. The same day that I made my last post about speaking out, I ended up having to take my youngest daughter to the emergency room later that night for some breathing issues and a fever. As I headed out the door, I knew I'd probably be there for a while and wouldn't have my husband with me, so I tossed my Bible, prayer journal and theology book in my not-so-small purse and took off. It never occurred to me that the presence of my Bible might offend someone.
As I got closer to our destination, the idea hit me. On top of the worry that was already buzzing around my mind like a pesky fly, I began to wonder if I would receive backlash in bringing my beloved Bible into the ER. I took a moment to be with Jesus on that dark and frantic car ride and found peace in taking it with me through the huge sliding doors of that hospital emergency room. After we got checked in and seated in the waiting area, I turned Peppa Pig on my phone for my daughter's entertainment, pulled out my Bible and started reading my nightly scripture.
I read for a good two minutes before I could feel eyes on me from every angle. Panic began to flood my body and I could feel my face getting hot. My hands trembled as I turned the page and looked up from the book of Esther. Just as I had suspected, everyone in the waiting area was taking turns shooting glares at me. I couldn't tell if they were looking at me because they couldn't believe I had the courage to bring such a beloved yet hated book into this semi-inner-city hospital, or if they were offended by the audacity I had to bring a Bible into their territory.
I looked over at my daughter who was calmly watching her favorite show and wondered how she could be so calm in a moment like this. Right away, I wanted to pack up my trusty ole Bible, but for some reason, I couldn't make my hands move. In that moment, my mind was telling me to put it away, but my hands were paralyzed. Like all commands coming from my brain telling my hands to move had been shut off. I didn't have it in me to put it away and get my more discreet theology book out in its place like I wanted to. It was then that I could feel the Holy Spirit saying "put that Bible away, Taylor, and you'll be a hypocrite. You just wrote that post on being a loud and proud Christian, and now you want to pack up your faith and hide it on a shelf in order to make the rest of the room comfortable? God didn't create you for compromise."
A fire began to burn inside of me. Though I was uncomfortable, I pushed through and finished both my Old and New Testament readings for the night. It was only by the grace of God that I was able to continue my readings without being confronted by an angry nonbeliever, or even worse... a crowd. Though my daughter and I may have never been in any real danger, you can't help but fret over the stories of Biblical persecution we were taught as kids in Sunday School. Let alone the ones you hear in the news today. We Christians are some of the most hated people in the history of the world. and it's only getting worse.
In my last post, I talked about professing your faith for the whole world to hear, but how is this even possible for us to do that when we can't even say "I'll pray for you," without people getting offended. The Pledge of Allegiance has been removed from schools because it says, "one nation under God." We live in a world where were free to express our religion, but Christianity is excluded from the religions we're allowed to freely practice. I'll tell you that it is possible. It is only possible through Jesus Christ.
Persecution and the Holy Spirit
If we turn to the bible, we will see stories of persecution being told all throughout the centuries. Prophets' lives were threatened, and some even killed for their unwavering faith. In the book of Acts, Stephen was stoned for his burning faith in the Mesiah (Acts 7:54-60). Because of his movement, Saul began to persecute the people of the church by throwing them in prison (Acts 8:1-3). I mean, Jesus himself did not a single thing wrong, and was hung on the cross for our sins. It is inevitable. We as Christian's will always be faced with persecution. As long as the world keeps spinning, the enemy will always be firing shots at Christians. Constantly plotting his attack.
Just like in my experience last week, the enemy tried to instill fear into my soul. The anxiety I felt creep in when I realized everyone was looking at me while I read my Bible (I mean at a hospital of all places people) was the enemy trying to get me to compromise my faith. He used the people around me, and the persecution that I have seen happen to others over the years, to try to scare me into putting my Holy Book down and conforming to my surroundings to make other's more comfortable with my presence. But honestly, the enemy doesn't scare me. Did he make me think about putting my Bible away? Yes. Did I do it? No. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is on my side and his voice is much louder than the enemies.
I love this example, too, because the Holy Spirit doesn't get as much credit as He deserves. The trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) alone tends to be a hard concept to relay to others and for others, then, to understand. But the Holy Spirit is what Jesus left us with to use as a guide. Some say that the Holy Spirit is the "still small voice" you hear from time to time telling you to do or don't do something.
The Holy Spirit is a vital weapon in combatting the fire from the enemy. Just like my hospital waiting room example, had it not been for the Holy Spirit living inside of me telling me to keep that Bible out, the enemy would've made a hypocrite out of me. He would've won that battle, and in turn, I would've sat there feeling horrible about the fact that I let him trick me into compromising my faith. If we don't utilize the Holy Spirit, we will never be able to step out in our faith and be the strong willed, outspoke Christians we were called to be. We must listen to the Holy Spirit when he speaks to us and be obedient of his commands because He is fully-God.
Peter's Take on Retaliation to Persecution
Personally, I'm a big fan of Saint Peter. He may not be the favorite disciple to some, but he's one of mine. I just picture him as this big, hard-working, somewhat goofy and down to earth guy. He was Jesus' buddy, and boy did that man love Jesus. Besides his debut in the New Testament when he denied Jesus three times, he was very obedient to what Jesus said. If we open up our Bibles to 1 Peter 2:23-24, we will get to see Peter's take on how we should combat the blows of persecution that this world has to offer us. It says:
"When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself with he who judges justly. 'He himself bore our sins' in his body on the cross,' so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; 'by his wounds you have been healed.' "
So, it's clear that this "he" Peter is talking about is Jesus. When Jesus faced persecution, time and time again he made no threats, nor did he retaliate. He acted in the same way in which the Father would. If we want to get a good idea on how we should handle a matter, we need to look at Jesus. Jesus was perfect in every way because everything he did reflected the ways of God in Heavan. So, when were faced with an opportunity (and I say opportunity like it's a good thing because it really is) in which we're being persecuted, we may use that as a test to see if we really are striving to live in likeness with Christ. Because ultimately, that's what were supposed to do. We were meant to live in likeness with Christ.
Now, I know that this is all easier said than done. I know that we won't succeed every time, but if you're reading this blog, then I don't ever want your failure to be for lack of trying! I'm not perfect. If you know me personally, you know that I've got a hot temper. Despite my best efforts and God doing a work in me, I'm not at my best yet. Every now and then, someone may pop off with something smart, and I find myself having to walk the other way because I don't trust that something unchristian like might slip out of my mouth. However, we are all works in progress. We will stumble every now and then. We will find ourselves in situations that we feel we may not have handled properly after the fact. God sees our hearts and he sees our efforts. Just please, keep fighting the good fight! You stand strong in the face of that persecutor, and you fight in a way that we know Jesus would! Oh yeah, and don't ignore that Holy Spirit!
Prayer
Gracious and loving God,
This world can be a pretty scary place for Christians. Lurking around every corner is someone waiting to take us down. Though the enemy may look strong, we know that you have made us stronger. It is through you that we are able to fight the good fight and come out on top. Help us to continue to look to the Holy Spirit to guide us through our daily lives and use him to navigate us through situations of persecution. When we find that we are being persecuted for our desire to live in likeness with you, remind us that it is through that likeness that you will deliver us from our enemies. I ask that you protect us in this world of hate, and that we may never waver in our faith. That we will always turn to you. We love you!
I pray this in Jesus name,
Amen!
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