Persecution

 

After basketball practice one day I was talking with a couple buddies and they said they were going to have a poker party later and invited me to join them. I said I couldn't because I was going to my church youth group's prayer meeting. 

They chuckled and said in a mocking way, "Oh, does your mommy make you?" When I said, "No." They returned to normal voices, "Great. Then you can join us." I said, "No. I want to go to the prayer meeting." (I loved our youth group and the Friday night prayer meetings were very meaningful.) They could see I was serious and they rolled their eyes and looked at each other with this-guy-is-really-weird expressions on their faces.

 I wouldn't call this persecution, just some friendly mocking. (We remained friends.) Another time I experienced some not-so-friendly mocking. 

I was working for a mining company in Colorado during one of my college summer breaks. We were making a tunnel through a mountain to connect a mine with a manufacturing facility. The purpose of the tunnel was to avoid having to travel a long way around the mountain often on snowy/icy roads. 

My fellow workers were mostly older, foul-mouthed, heavy drinkers. They were not too welcoming when I showed up with a "God loves you" sticker on my hardhat. A train took us deep into the mountain where work was hard in that dark 90°/90% humidity tunnel! We didn't see the light of day for 8 hours. 

The best part of the day was lunch break. One day I sat down with my lunch box hungerly anticipating some good food. When I opened it all that was there was a note that said, "God ate your lunch!" Not looking forward to a hungry stomach growling for the rest of the day I was surprised, but grateful for one worker who offered me a banana. 

After missing a day of work I was called into the boss's office and told I was fired. That couldn't be the real reason because other workers, who were fighting hangovers, often missed days. When I pointed this out, the boss hesitated and said that my supervisor said that I wasn't working hard enough. This wasn't true because I worked hard all day while many of the other workers spent a lot of time socializing. 

I was sure that the reason I was fired was because as a Christian I didn't fit in and was not liked. I actually wasn't sad that I was fired because I quickly found another job cutting firewood which allowed me to work in the fresh mountain air rather than the dark, hot, humid tunnel. 

We're blessed that in America we don't face the kind of life-threatening persecution that occurs in other parts of the world.

(To get a current view of Christian persecution see the Voice of the Martyrs website and subscribe to the icommittopray website to get emails about Christians being persecuted. I guarantee that if you get these emails it will not only give you the privilege of praying for our brothers and sisters, but it will also affect the way you look at your own suffering in comparison.)

  

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:18

 

2 Timothy says it clearly:

 

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 2 Timothy 3:12

Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.  Hebrews 13:3

You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. Matthew 10:22

Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. John 15:20

Jesus told his disciples that they would be persecuted and put to death. 

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. Matthew 24:9

This happened to all of them. John wasn't put to death, but he was persecuted by being imprisoned on the island of Patmos.

More extreme persecution may come to America and we must be grounded in our faith and willing to not shrink from death. It was said of those who became Christians during the tribulation:

They triumphed over [the devil] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Revelation 12:11

Through all this we must remember what Jesus told us:

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, Matthew 5:44