Here in America we have things pretty easy concerning our freedom to practice our faith. We have easy access to Bibles, Churches on every corner, and the ability to meet in any of those Churches without fear of persecution. While this makes it easier for us to gather to worship freely, and we count it a blessing, it also has it's downside as well.
I believe that after decades, centuries actually, of religious freedom in this country, we have lost a key part of what it means to follow Jesus. In his instructions to Timothy, Paul exhorts him to "Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus." (2 Tim:2:3) While most of us would agree that persecution and suffering for Jesus is a real thing, I believe that there are those who relegate it to believers in third world countries, or those living under oppressive regimes. Unable to relate to what so many of our brothers and sisters in Christ suffer around the world we envision persecution here as the advancement of "woke" policies or "attacks" on Christmas. The claim that we as Christians are losing our rights, and unless something happens we won't be able to be Christians here in America, has been "shouted from the rooftops" for some time now. But how does this reasoning line up with scripture?
Persecution is promised.
"If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.
If you were of the world, then the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.
Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.....
These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling.
They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me."
John 15:19-22, 16:1-3 NASB
As followers of Jesus we are not exempt from persecution and even death for our testimony. Even now, people throughout the world are suffering greatly for their faith. Of course here we have relative freedom to practice our faith openly with very little threat, but I believe the day is coming when that will change, and we need to get ready now.
Freedom of religion is not something that any laws can guarantee. However we don't need laws to protect our commitment to Jesus either. Absolutely no one can take that away from you. It might cost you something, but you are free to be a Christian anywhere in this world. As Nik Ripken states,
Believers in persecution remind us of a possible lie inherent in Western Christian cultures. We sometimes thank God that we live in countries where we are "free to worship." It is interesting that public prayers are rarely uttered thanking God that we are "free to witness"! Significantly, witnessing to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has little to do with political freedom. Believers are as free to share Jesus in Saudi Arabia as they are in St. Louis. Believers are as free to share Jesus in Somalia as they are in Kentucky.
Being a witness for Jesus has little to do with political freedom. On the contrary, our willingness to witness has everything to do with obedience and courage.
( Nik Ripken
The insanity of Obedience ©2014
P 30)
This should step on toes. We do not have to go looking for persecution, if we are open with our witness, it will naturally come in one form or another. As we read in the verses above, we as believers are hated by the world in the same way the world hates Jesus. How long will that be "restrained" in America?
What about my rights?
Here in this country we make a big deal about our rights. And to be sure, we have many rights that others do not have. But how far do we go to defend and fight for our rights?
The call of Jesus is exacting. He says some very hard things. It is not about us at all, but His ultimate purpose for our lives.
And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it."
Mark 8:34-35 NASB
"So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions."
Luke 14:33 NASB
A transaction is made when we make the decision to follow Christ. Ownership of our lives, our possessions, our plans and purposes, comforts and fears transfer from us and our control, to Christ. We are in a very real sense not our own. We have been bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19-20).
This is what the lordship of Jesus means. He is now our master, and we are his "bond slaves." This term is used throughout the epistles. Paul understood the concept well. You sold yourself into the service of another for economic survival. You now lived to serve your master. Your personal decisions didn't count for much anymore
Jesus tells us to deny ourselves and come after Him with our crosses on our backs. This is the same principle explained in another graphic way.
Crucifixion, under the Roman occupation, was a common scene for most people of the time. It would have been a common sight to see beaten and bloodied individuals struggling under the weight of a heavy beam on their way to a excruciating death. These men were "dead men walking." literally, their lives were over. Their plans and purposes, possessions, comforts and fears, meant absolutely nothing to them at this point. They were about to be fastened on a cross, completely helpless, waiting only to die.
Jesus, Himself, experienced the very same thing, and He used this as a metaphor for us to follow Him in "death to ourselves." Our lives, plans, purposes, comforts and fears, are no longer in our control. Jesus is calling the shots at this point. Our lives belong to Him, our job is to follow in obedience, no matter the cost. And for many, the cost of that obedience ends in martyrdom, the ultimate price to follow Jesus.
But what about Paul's appeal to his rights?
There are three instances recorded in scripture where Paul mentions his rights as a Roman citizen. People bring these up on occasion as a justification of the need to fight for our rights as American Christians.
In Acts 16:16-39 Paul and Silas are beaten and thrown into prison, without a trial, for casting a demon out of a slave girl in the Roman province of Philippi. It was unlawful to beat an uncondemned Roman Citizen. The next day when they were about to be released, Paul made the magistrates aware of this, causing some consternation among them. They no doubt were afraid that it might come back on them.
In Acts 22:24-30 Paul again appeals to his Roman citizenship when he is about to be scourged to find out why a mob had broken out against him. He then brought up the fact that it was unlawful to beat an uncondemned Roman citizen. Once it was determined that he was indeed a Roman citizen he was immediately untied, and again, the commander was afraid of what might happen as a result.
The third instance is Paul's appeal to appear before Caesar (Acts 25:1-10). Wishing to appease the Jews, the Roman governor Festus asked Paul if he would stand trial before him in Jerusalem. Paul, knowing it was all a sham, appealed to stand before Caesar in Rome, where he ought to be tried as a Roman citizen.
What we can draw from these passages is that there may be times when it is okay to take advantage of certain rights conferred on one by the government. For example prayer in school. As far as I know, prayer is allowed in school as long as a teacher is not leading a class in prayer. What if a teacher was simply praying over his or her lunch, by themselves, and the school board threatened disciplinary action? Would it be alright to remind them that prayer in this instance is not a prohibited action? I would think this would be fine, and might put the issue to rest.
However, the belief that we as Christians are called to fight for our rights cannot be found in the New Testament teachings. There were plenty of instances in the life and ministry of the apostle Paul where he did suffer wrong and did not pursue recourse. That night in the Philippian jail Paul and Silas were singing and praising God in spite of the beating they had just received. I find it hard to believe that they were planning to turn in those responsible for breaking the Roman law that forbid beating an uncondemned citizen.
Jesus is the example of the opposite. He taught and lived humility. His message was one of forgiveness and turning the other cheek. Going the extra mile demanded a lot of grace from a people living under Roman occupation. And the mandate to make disciples in every nation is a huge undertaking itself. There is no time or energy to be spent on things that detract from that mission. While it may be fine to take advantage of freedoms we have, we have no guarantee that we will have those freedoms tomorrow. When that day comes our mission still remains the same, only now the consequences change. We are better off preparing now for when that time comes, than occupying our time and energy in a battle to maintain our rights.
Martyrdom has a purpose.
It has been said that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. This is a true statement, that can be proven by history.
Stephen is the first recorded martyr for Christ in the New Testament. The man holding the cloaks of those throwing the stones was named Saul. This began a severe persecution that scattered the believers throughout the known world. Saul was driven by his zeal, and was relentless in his pursuit of Christians. When he was divinely stopped on the road to Damascus we read that he had been kicking against the goads. In other words, something happened when he witnessed Stephen's death that haunted him on the inside. The conviction of the Holy Spirit was getting the best of him. (Acts 7:54-8:1, 26:9-18). Saul, also known as Paul was saved and went on to be incredibly used by God in the establishment of His Kingdom.
Reformation history records the terrible persecution and death that the Anabaptist Christians suffered for their faith. The missionaries they sent out were quickly arrested, tortured, and killed in the most inhuman ways, only to be just as quickly replaced with more. They spread the gospel to hungry people desperate for the truth, with little regard for their own comfort. It was indeed a movement fueled by persecution, that could not be stopped. I recommend getting a copy of the Martyrs Mirror, which chronicles the suffering and martyrdom of these courageous people.
Or how about the five missionaries who were killed in 1956 trying to make contact with the Waodani tribesmen, a fierce, unreached people deep in the jungles of Ecuador. While the world might think that this was a tragic waste of life, it turned out quite the opposite. In a unforseen twist of events, the widows and families of these men ended up forgiving, befriending, and living among the very same people who had killed their husbands. People were saved, a Church was planted. A people group who were for all practical purposes unreachable, were brought to Christ as a result. The blood of the Martyrs is the seed of the Church.
What Satan means for evil God can turn around for good. In fact God's kingdom can be referred to as an "upside down kingdom" as it operates on opposite principles than that of the world. While the world looks at suffering and death as a defeat, it is in reality a victory for those who follow Jesus.
And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.
Revelation 12:11 NASB
Consider the words of Jesus found in John 12:23-26,
And Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.
If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
Jesus is the ultimate example for us. By His death and resurrection He has truly born much fruit. He speaks in no uncertain terms. We must follow Him, even unto death. If our bearing fruit means martyrdom we dare not shrink back. If we seek to preserve our lives we will lose them in the end. Self preservation stands in opposition to the greater purpose of God.
What is a martyr?
The Greek word translated witness, or witnesses is Martus. It is found 34 times in the King James New Testament. This word is used of people who give witness or testimony of something. A variant of the word, martureo is in verb form, to give testimony of something, and the word marturia refers to the testimony itself. This is where our word martyr comes from
While this testimony, or witness can be that of anything, it was often used in the witness of one's faith in Christ, the resurrected Lord. This witness often led to the death of the one giving this testimony of the truth of the gospel.
And when the blood of your witness (martus) Stephen was being shed....
Acts 21:20
And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness (martus), the first born of the dead, and the ruler of the Kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood...
Rev 1:5
I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness (martus), My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
Rev 2:13
And I will grant authority to my two witnesses (martus), and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.
Rev 11:3
And when they have finished their testimony (marturia), the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them.
Rev 11:7
And I saw a woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses (martus) of Jesus. When I saw her I wondered greatly.
Rev 17:6
And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony (marturia) of Jesus and because of the word of God...
Rev 20:4
Robertson's word pictures state that by the third century this word, martus, had become synonymous with one who had paid for their witness with their lives.
History is filled with countless numbers of individuals who have paid the ultimate price for the testimony of Jesus. Even today there are thousands of Christians living in countries where persecution and martyrdom are everyday occurrences. Just because we live in a country where there is relative safety to be a Christian does not necessarily make us exempt. The New Testament teaches that persecution is a normal reaction of a hostile world to the testimony of Christ. Ultimately the time is coming when the world will face the greatest crisis it has ever seen. There will be no holding back the tide of evil when that day comes. Are we prepared for what is to come? Will you be a faithful martus?
Counting the cost.
"Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.
At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.
Many false prophets will arise and mislead many.
Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold.
But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved."
Matthew 24:9-13 NASB
Have we as Christians over the years made it too easy? Instead of a deep soul searching leading to a unwavering repentance, and commitment to follow Christ, we now can just slip up a hand with no one looking. I do not wish to offend anyone, but Jesus Himself sets a very hard standard for those who would follow Him. The reformation era Anabaptist Christians knew what the narrow gate meant (Matt 7:13-14). In reference to the terrible suffering they faced for their witness, they said that their skin was torn off as they went through the narrow gate
Denying ourselves, taking up our crosses, living lives completely sold out to Jesus at all cost, following Him even in death, are the standards of the gospel. Yes, salvation is a free gift. You will not earn it by giving your body to be burned (see 1 Cor 13:3). But faith in Christ is more than believing things. It is living out the reality of what we believe. And if we believe that Jesus died and is now the risen Lord and calls us to follow Him, we must follow Him on His terms or not follow Him at all.
In Luke 14:25-34 Jesus repeats the demands required to be a disciple. He demands our allegiance over all other relationships. He calls on us to count the cost. We must be aware of what it means and what it requires to follow Him. He gives two examples. A man building a tower will calculate his expenses before he begins. If he does not, and he runs out of money after he has begun, he faces humiliation. Or a king going to war better be sure that he actually has the manpower to win. If not he better seek peace instead.
It is imperative that we also count the cost. A man may begin to build a house and not be able to finish, but that is nothing compared to a person starting out to follow Jesus but falling away when unexpected difficulties arise. Now is the time to think long and hard about what it means to follow Jesus; about what He requires, and what it might cost us. Persecution is not a fun, uplifting subject to talk about, but it is a very real part of being a Christian. It is better to know what may come and be prepared beforehand, then to be taken by surprise and give up.
Blessed are the persecuted.
"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the Prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5:10-12 NASB
Therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure.
This is a plain indication of God's righteous judgement so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering.
For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His angels in flaming fire,
dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and be marvelled at among all who have believed - for our testimony to you was believed.
2 Thessalonians 1:4-10 NASB
Believe it or not, there is a reason to rejoice in the midst of suffering persecution. It is a sign that we are not of this evil world, but are citizens of a heavenly kingdom. We are to rejoice and be glad because our reward is great if we endure.
This can be compared to childbirth. The labor is hard and painful, but the birth of a child is the goal. Countless numbers of women have endured the pain of labor because they are looking forward to the end; the birth of a child. To them it is worth it all.
To be martyred is only a gateway into the presence of Jesus. The pain is only temporary.
For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,
while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NASB
In Revelation 7:9-17 we read of a great multitude from every tongue, tribe and nation standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They have come out of the great tribulation and have washed their robes in His blood.
"For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His Tabernacle over them.
They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat;
for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Revelation 7:15-17 NASB
All that they have suffered will pale in comparison as they dwell in the very presence of God. All of the pain and suffering will be gone, every tear will be wiped away by God Himself. They will live in His presence for eternity, as opposed to those who have rejected Him in this life.
Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgement was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and in their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years
Revelation 20:4 NASB
No one likes the idea of suffering. The idea of a great tribulation is a terrifying thought. Yet it must come before the return of Christ. As believers we must keep that in focus. To give up, to deny Christ in the face of death is to lose it all.
So what do we do now?
It is hard to write out a checklist of everything we must do to prepare for possible martyrdom. No one knows how they will react until the moment arrives. We can be like Peter and make rash declarations of our willingness to die for Jesus only to fail miserably in the end.
To be sure we must count the cost and commit ourselves to following Jesus. Now is the time to cultivate our faith. If we cannot grow now while we have so much freedom how can we expect to stand when the evil day comes?
Our love for Jesus must be unwavering. What parent wouldn't risk running into a burning house to rescue a missing child? In the same way, our love for Christ compels us to live and die for Him. To love Him is to long to be with Him. Unless you or I are alive and remain at His return, death is the doorway into His presence. And during the final great tribulation, martyrdom will be the primary way out. Pray now, be filled with His Spirit continually, and trust Him to give you what you need when you need it.
A common verse about peace is found in Isaiah 26:3.
The steadfast of mind you will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in you.
It is interesting to note that the surrounding chapters are prophetic. It is talking about what is referred to as the great tribulation. God is able to give us peace, even in the midst of the severest trouble.
"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.
John 16:33 NASB
This is a hard subject. People do not like to talk about these things. I'm often misunderstood. I do not wish for persecution, I'm not hoping it comes, but only trying to prepare people for the day it does. The Bible is quite clear on this subject, and it is only a matter of time when here in the West we also will experience what so many have already experienced. Will our generation be the ones? If not we must prepare the next one.