Understand real persecution

As someone who has always had a heart for the persecuted church, I must admit being puzzled at the attitude of the church in the U.S. toward those who are persecuting the church; persecution being much more than "they won't let us pray in schools anymore" but a truly biblical persecution that can cost one their life.

I first began to have a burden for the persecuted church when I read a book titled "Tortured for Christ" by Richard Wurmbrand. The ministry that is now known as "The Voice of the Martyrs" was then known as "Jesus to the Communist World" and every month I would receive a shipment of newsletters from them and pass them out, as well as leaving them at various churches (those who would allow it) and businesses such as laundromats, the unattended indoor (in those days) ATM machines around town.

It was after watching newsreels of Pastor Wurmbrand's testimony before the U.S. Senate Internal Security Subcommittee (his testimony was given around 1966) and reading of how Russian children were put into psychiatric asylums for refusing to deny Christ (1977) and the communists in Ethiopia committed mass murder of Christians and Christian prisoners were tortured with boiling oil and had their eyes sewn shut and how that, rather than abandoning their faith, or attempting to get others to retaliate against those who did such atrocities against them, instead asked for prayer for those doing such things to them that they would come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, blessing them instead of cursing them, that I began to understand the truth of the Scriptures: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6:12; and "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds)." 2nd Corinthians 10:3-4; and the torturers needed Jesus as much as I had.

This truth is one that I believe has "lost" by a majority of Christianity in the U.S.; we seem to have decided that rather than these scriptures being truth, it's the people themselves who are the problem and if we somehow eliminate all interaction with, or dare we say, the people themselves, the problem will go away. How different our reactions to these situations and persecutors than those of the early church we read about in the Bible.

Do we wonder why we don't see such miracles as are detailed in Acts 12 where Peter was freed from prison because the church prayed for him or Acts 16 where, after being beaten and thrown in jail Paul and Silas immediately called for their lawyers and suing -- uh, sorry, wrong century -- Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God at midnight and there was a great earthquake, they were freed and the jailor and his entire family were saved? Is it perhaps because we no longer call on God but man to solve our problems?

I've recently read a letter from Iraq that shows us God is still on the throne and answering the prayers of those who call on Him rather than man for deliverance. The letter states that as the Islamic State tries to overrun Syria and Iraq, thousands are turning away from the extremist values of ISIL and finding Jesus as Lord and Savior.

In the letter, a man states: "I was a devout Muslim and often preached, but there was something missing. There was something empty about Allah and the Quran. Jesus appeared to me in a dream and opened my eyes to what was missing was His love and peace." He said he started to read the Bible and says "I used to be a violent person internally and I was always afraid of Allah. I kept following instructions to satisfy him; however, as I read the Bible I began to love the true God and see His truth."

This statement is not a light comment to make for the community where he lives typically marks Muslims who convert to Christianity as outsiders and sometimes are killed for their faith. He goes on to say "In the beginning, my family thought I was joking and claimed that I was going mad. After months of debates, they started to threaten to kill me... It was God's grace that helped me overcome the fear." The letter also tells of ISIL fighters who tell stories of meeting a man who healed them. They then come to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

We are living in a time where decisions must be made and we will either choose to do as Jesus has commanded us to do, or we will choose to go with what we think is best. In Matthew 5:38-48, Jesus tells us the attitude we are to have toward those we consider our enemies and what our actions toward them are to be. Do we want to be known as "the children of your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:45) or do we want to be known as were the religious leaders of Jesus' day? The choice is, as are all choices set before us by God, ours to make.

•••

Editor's note: Charlie Newman is pastor of Avoca Christian Church. To contact him, e-mail [email protected], or write in care of The Times at [email protected] or P.O. Box 25, Pea Ridge, AR 72751.

Religion on 08/12/2015