By Sandra Carol Mers Clayton
"What Would I Do?"
The Bible: John 15:18-25 (NIV) ...
"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 fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without
reason.' "
************************************************************************************************************
*****************************************************
Persecution of Christians is taking place today, right now, this very
minute. All over this world. In spite of our media being silent on the
subject, we are hearing of it and seeing it. In today's high-tech world
it is difficult to keep things secret. Persecution of Christians IS
happening.
However, as Scripture above says, it is nothing
new for Christians. Jesus told His followers back then, and tells us
still today, that if we choose to follow Him, we, too, will most likely
suffer - be persecuted because we are His followers. And Christians
HAVE suffered from that time on up to today.
Why? Well, as
Jesus said in the verses above, we do not like to be told we are
sinners. We prefer floating along in our little bubbles of "we are fine
and good and do no wrong" worlds. But Jesus had the audacity to pop
into this world and tell us we are SINNERS! How dare He tell us that!
See...the problem with Him telling us that is, as He Himself tells us,
is that until we HEARD Jesus tell us we were all sinners, we fooled
ourselves into believing that we were not. Now, though, we've HEARD
that we ARE sinners, and have no excuse ... can't say "but I didn't
know". Now we know. And we don't like it. Throw the Christians out! We
don't like what they are saying!
And we also know that Jesus
suffered at the hands of His Father's creations - we sinners. We know,
too, that Jesus suffered the ULTIMATE persecution at the hands of His
Father's creations - He was crucified on a cross, a horrible, painful
form of persecution and death. He was born into this world for a
purpose: to be the voluntary Sacrifice on that cross for the sins of His
Father's creations - us.
"They will treat you this way
because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me". When He
first started preaching and teaching there were those who believed and
those who did not. And those who believed and who followed Jesus and His
teachings were told that they, too, like Him, would be persecuted.
Spit on. Laughed at. Mocked. Arrested, Run out of town. Tortured. Thrown
into prison. Murdered. Jesus didn't WANT that to happen. But He knew
it would - He knew His followers, if not all, a good many of them, would
face persecution simply because they heard truth and followed the One
who brought them the truth. Because they refused to "stick with" a
"religion" that did them no good. Because they listened to Jesus,
discussed with Him the things He told them, thought over all they were
hearing and, finally, came to believe Him. Jesus knew the trials His
believers in this world would face because of Him. He knew believers
would need God's strength, comfort, wisdom to stand strong in their
faith. He knew this.
Jesus still knows this. I believe His
heart is broken at the persecution of God's children still yet in
today's world. Believers persecuted for the simple reason that they.
refuse to deny their Christian faith. When we were missionaries in
France we were able to also travel to other countries. Because of that I
have heard Christian persecution stories; have talked face to face with
some who lived through persecution. One of our students, an African
man, told us of his fellow pastors who refused to deny Christ, and were
buried up to their heads, with honey poured over them, and died with
some sort of huge African ants covering and biting their heads. In
Romania we heard of, and met some, who had survived the long years of
Christian persecution from the Communists. In Haiti Satan and his
voodoo worshipers do not like Christians.
These stories not
only broke my heart, but frightened me. Yes, scared me because I would
often ask myself, "what would I do?" I ask myself the same question
now, as I learn of the daily persecutions, of the horrible things
non-Christians are doing to Christians, even the children. Satan is
alive and still at work in this world. When I read of the crucifixions
of Christians by the Islamists, when I saw the photos of them, my heart
was again broken. I could only think: "How cruel! How could ANYone do
such things to another human being?!", and I cried. And ask myself, once
again, "what would I do?" Would I deny Christ, turn against my
Christian faith, as these people who were crucified were told to do if
they wanted to live? Or, would I be strong in the faith, trust God to
help me through, and boldly proclaim that I am Christ's and will remain
Christ's, knowing of the horror that was to follow? I certainly would
like to think that's what I would do - but I don't KNOW.
What
I know at this point is that I am afraid, knowing what's happening to
Christians. What I know at this point is that God says "trust me", but
I'm not sure I could in the face of such horrors. What I know at this
point is that I just DON'T know what I would do, and MUST trust that I
will know if and when such a time ever arrives. What I know at this
point is that I take courage from something one of our students once
told me, as he was helping dry the dishes after eating dinner with us.
He had suffered in his country for being a Christian. He knew what he
was talking about. He said, "You will know. You will know when the time
comes. God gives us the grace at the moment we need it. I know."
I cling to that. It will HAVE to be God's grace "at the moment I need
it", because I'm only feeling fear, right now, of these persecutions
that very well could be happening in our own country before long. My
heart breaks for all these Christian people being persecuted today,
for those who were mockingly crucified for refusing to deny Christ - at
the same time I am thanking God that His grace MUST have been there for
them, at their last moments, as they stood strong in their faith and
would not deny Him to save their physical lives.
As we go to
our churches tomorrow, let's remember to pray for the Christians being
persecuted right now, and for the families of those who have been
murdered. And let's remember to pray for our own country ... that we
will, as a country, repent and return to Him. And, perhaps, too,
tomorrow, let's remember to ask ourselves the question: "What would I
do?"
Wishing you all a blessed Sunday. Bonne dimanche a vous tous.
The Bible: John 15:18-25 (NIV) ...
"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 fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without
reason.' "
************************************************************************************************************
*****************************************************
Persecution of Christians is taking place today, right now, this very
minute. All over this world. In spite of our media being silent on the
subject, we are hearing of it and seeing it. In today's high-tech world
it is difficult to keep things secret. Persecution of Christians IS
happening.
However, as Scripture above says, it is nothing
new for Christians. Jesus told His followers back then, and tells us
still today, that if we choose to follow Him, we, too, will most likely
suffer - be persecuted because we are His followers. And Christians
HAVE suffered from that time on up to today.
Why? Well, as
Jesus said in the verses above, we do not like to be told we are
sinners. We prefer floating along in our little bubbles of "we are fine
and good and do no wrong" worlds. But Jesus had the audacity to pop
into this world and tell us we are SINNERS! How dare He tell us that!
See...the problem with Him telling us that is, as He Himself tells us,
is that until we HEARD Jesus tell us we were all sinners, we fooled
ourselves into believing that we were not. Now, though, we've HEARD
that we ARE sinners, and have no excuse ... can't say "but I didn't
know". Now we know. And we don't like it. Throw the Christians out! We
don't like what they are saying!
And we also know that Jesus
suffered at the hands of His Father's creations - we sinners. We know,
too, that Jesus suffered the ULTIMATE persecution at the hands of His
Father's creations - He was crucified on a cross, a horrible, painful
form of persecution and death. He was born into this world for a
purpose: to be the voluntary Sacrifice on that cross for the sins of His
Father's creations - us.
"They will treat you this way
because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me". When He
first started preaching and teaching there were those who believed and
those who did not. And those who believed and who followed Jesus and His
teachings were told that they, too, like Him, would be persecuted.
Spit on. Laughed at. Mocked. Arrested, Run out of town. Tortured. Thrown
into prison. Murdered. Jesus didn't WANT that to happen. But He knew
it would - He knew His followers, if not all, a good many of them, would
face persecution simply because they heard truth and followed the One
who brought them the truth. Because they refused to "stick with" a
"religion" that did them no good. Because they listened to Jesus,
discussed with Him the things He told them, thought over all they were
hearing and, finally, came to believe Him. Jesus knew the trials His
believers in this world would face because of Him. He knew believers
would need God's strength, comfort, wisdom to stand strong in their
faith. He knew this.
Jesus still knows this. I believe His
heart is broken at the persecution of God's children still yet in
today's world. Believers persecuted for the simple reason that they.
refuse to deny their Christian faith. When we were missionaries in
France we were able to also travel to other countries. Because of that I
have heard Christian persecution stories; have talked face to face with
some who lived through persecution. One of our students, an African
man, told us of his fellow pastors who refused to deny Christ, and were
buried up to their heads, with honey poured over them, and died with
some sort of huge African ants covering and biting their heads. In
Romania we heard of, and met some, who had survived the long years of
Christian persecution from the Communists. In Haiti Satan and his
voodoo worshipers do not like Christians.
These stories not
only broke my heart, but frightened me. Yes, scared me because I would
often ask myself, "what would I do?" I ask myself the same question
now, as I learn of the daily persecutions, of the horrible things
non-Christians are doing to Christians, even the children. Satan is
alive and still at work in this world. When I read of the crucifixions
of Christians by the Islamists, when I saw the photos of them, my heart
was again broken. I could only think: "How cruel! How could ANYone do
such things to another human being?!", and I cried. And ask myself, once
again, "what would I do?" Would I deny Christ, turn against my
Christian faith, as these people who were crucified were told to do if
they wanted to live? Or, would I be strong in the faith, trust God to
help me through, and boldly proclaim that I am Christ's and will remain
Christ's, knowing of the horror that was to follow? I certainly would
like to think that's what I would do - but I don't KNOW.
What
I know at this point is that I am afraid, knowing what's happening to
Christians. What I know at this point is that God says "trust me", but
I'm not sure I could in the face of such horrors. What I know at this
point is that I just DON'T know what I would do, and MUST trust that I
will know if and when such a time ever arrives. What I know at this
point is that I take courage from something one of our students once
told me, as he was helping dry the dishes after eating dinner with us.
He had suffered in his country for being a Christian. He knew what he
was talking about. He said, "You will know. You will know when the time
comes. God gives us the grace at the moment we need it. I know."
I cling to that. It will HAVE to be God's grace "at the moment I need
it", because I'm only feeling fear, right now, of these persecutions
that very well could be happening in our own country before long. My
heart breaks for all these Christian people being persecuted today,
for those who were mockingly crucified for refusing to deny Christ - at
the same time I am thanking God that His grace MUST have been there for
them, at their last moments, as they stood strong in their faith and
would not deny Him to save their physical lives.
As we go to
our churches tomorrow, let's remember to pray for the Christians being
persecuted right now, and for the families of those who have been
murdered. And let's remember to pray for our own country ... that we
will, as a country, repent and return to Him. And, perhaps, too,
tomorrow, let's remember to ask ourselves the question: "What would I
do?"
Wishing you all a blessed Sunday. Bonne dimanche a vous tous.
No comments:
Post a Comment