Are you avoiding persecution?
April 27, 2005 - 3:35 pm
I just read a portion of my devotional which is a study through the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. Today’s section focused on verse 10, “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness.” The following portion of the MacArthur’s thoughts I found to be very profound and personally challenging:
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“I heard of a man who was fearful because he was starting a new job with a group of unbelievers whom he thought might give him a bad time if they found out he was a Christian. After his first day at work his wife asked him how he got along with them. “We got along just fine,” he said. “They never found out I’m a Christian.”
Silence is one way to avoid persecution. Some other ways are to approve of the world’s standards, laugh at its jokes, enjoy its entertainment, and smile when it mocks God. If you never confront sin or tell people Jesus is the only way to heaven, or if your behavior is so worldly no one can distinguish you from unbelievers, you will probably be accepted and won’t feel the heat of persecution. But beware!
Jesus said, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you. . . . Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory” (Luke 6:26; 9:26). The last thing anyone should want is for Christ to pronounce a curse on them or be ashamed of them. That’s an enormous price to pay for popularity!”
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I don’t know that I have ever considered persecution as a blessing. But I know that it is mentioned since the beginning of history, when Abel was murdered by his brother because Cain could not tolerate his righteousness. Sometimes though, don’t we act like we are ashamed of righteousness? I remember in high school talking with someone and mentioning a friend that went to my church and the girl just stared at me in disbelief, “I never would have thought she was a Christian,” she said. It made me sick. Why would we put on such a two-faced act? I know right off that I am guilty of avoiding persecution by silence or false approval of others. I wag my head in shame when I think of the opportunities that I have had to declare the truth, proclaim the Gospel, and share God’s love and didn’t. I am convicting that sometimes I try to just blend in with the world or maybe I don’t deem it that bad, simply that I’m trying not to stand out. Same thing. Either way I am acting ashamed of Christ. I found Luke 6 and 9 above to be very conivicting to think that when I act ashamed of my faith and my Lord, He is ashamed of me. In the pursuit of holiness, I must put aside my hypocrisy and live in the Light.
We should never fear persecution. God grants us grace, daily to be obedient in all things that come our way. Remember His promise in 1 Corinthians 10:13:
“No temptation has overtaken you except which is common to man;
but God, who is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted
beyond what you are able, but with the temptation
will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
This may seem obvious, but Paul is saying that God will always provide an option other than disobedience. In every situation, no matter how hopeless, trapped or troubled I am there is a choice for righteousness that His grace will enable me to make. My devotional ended by saying, “persecution is as much a gift of God as salvation itself. Both identify you as a true believer!” It is a blessing to be tested and found genuine in God’s sight. It is a blessing to be given testing to grow and be sharpened. What a different perspective we can have on persecution. We can ask God to continually grant the grace to follow Christ’s example when difficulties come our way.
April 27th, 2005 at 4:48 pm
Just to comment John MacArthur’s quote; I think most of what he said was agreeable for me, although, I am weary of at least one statement. “…no one can distinguish you from unbelievers…,” I agree there should be a noticeable difference but I am cautious of what MacArthur suggests that difference should be.
In scripture it is made obvious to us that our command is “love,” understanding that there is much to be discussed within the concept, it is to be the defining mark, the distinguishing factor, so to speak, in the life of a Christ Follower.
It seems to me that “rebuke” is MacArthur’s suggested distinction, not laughing at certain jokes, not being entertained by certain things, “confronting sin.” Is that really a positive distinction? Could this view that our task as Christians is simply to rebuke “the world” be the reason that the beautiful message of the gospel has been distorted and twisted in a great many minds in our culture? The very word Christian does not bring to mind “love” as it should but to many it brings to mind a long list of things that are not consistent with a scriptural picture of the good news.
Love, Love is what we have been called to. We are called to genuine love, not love with an agenda, but love. Can we not be molded to be the sort of people who love? Rebuke (in love) when it is necessary but let not that be the perceived difference, let us be authentic.
April 28th, 2005 at 5:11 am
Good thoughts today, Christa!
I think that it is so great that as a young woman, you are so committed to living a godly life. When you have children, you will be so prepared to help them become what God has for them.
April 28th, 2005 at 5:16 pm
Wes, thanks for your comment. I agree with you that as Christians we should be characterized by love. However, I do not think that MacArthur is suggesting rebuke or anything that is opposed to love. I think that he is suggesting a love that “Does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth…(I Corinthians 13:6). I guess I read what MacArthur said differently. When MacArthur says, “If your behavior is so worldly no one can
distinguish you from unbelievers” he is echoing James 4:4, “Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” We have to choose which side of the fence we are on and if we are on God’s side then we will love others like He did but will still face persecution in this world.
April 29th, 2005 at 10:45 pm
do you think that if we are loved by the “world” there is a problem? Should christians be hated?