David Dorr asks some challenging questions:
It is commonly believed that persecution might be the greatest thing for the church in the west. The thinking goes like this:
“Calling yourself a Christian in our society is too easy. We don’t back up what we believe with true Christ-like action, so if a persecution became widespread there would a separation between who is a true Christian and who is false.”
This is probably true, and it’s also a really dumb thing to say; because how do you really know what persecution would do to YOUR faith? Postulating on persecution from the comfort of your sofa is easy, but it would be quite another thing to those your job because you are a Christian. What if your house foreclosed because you were a Christian? Or your family was killed or taken from you? What if raising your children to love Jesus was considered child abuse?
Most of us have no idea what persecution would mean — but we can ask a few questions that are pointers to how we would react:
- How do you react now when you are disrespected? (If you don’t know, ask your spouse or a good friend). Do you respond with love and prayer, seeking reconciliation, or do you complain and speak evil of the offender?
- How do you react if something is taken from you unfairly? Do you get bitter? Or do respond with joy knowing that you have a better city (Hebrews 10:34)?
- Would you attend church services in basements, with no childcare, no sound system, very little music? Would you begrudge it?
And many more questions could be asked – so if we want Christians in the west to be more authentic, more faithful, then let’s pray and work towards a gospel renewal — not smugly proclaim that we need a good persecution. Because are you really so sure your faith will last?
2 comments:
Persecution could mean that we need to flee to another land, possible like this: “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!” (Matt 24:19 NKJV)
I wouldn't pray for anything like this.
We don't need to pray for persecution, it should accompany our actions in this world anyway. I agree that these are hard questions to ask, but every Christian should already be asking them. I disagree with Dorr's representation of the "thinking" that goes into the request for persecution as a way to separate the sheep from the goats, the reason we yearn for it is that it brings us closer to Christ. The Epistles make this clear. Some very quick and dirty examples: 2 Cor 11:16-12-10, Col 1:24-27. Taking up the cross, suffering, and accepting persecution are all of the same clothe.
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