Tag Archives: Persecution

Easter Basics: Facing the Cross of Christ.

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)

In context, if I understand correctly, Peter tells us in verses 13-25:

  • Obey the local, state, and federal government, and the leadership of any other institution you may belong to, attend, work for, or serve under.
  • This is God’s will because it silences the historical objection to Christians’ assertion that Jesus is Lord. Based on the the Emperor of Rome’s assertion that he is Lord, non-Christians of the day felt to be a Christian was to be a treasonous lawbreaker. Obeying the secular law silences that argument and any similar modern criticisms. (Interestingly, the apostles  did defy any civil regulation deliberately designed to hinder their god-given call to spread of the gospel.)
  • Obey God as Lord also. We are free in Christ, but must not use our freedom from sin to sin.
  • Respect everyone, believer or not, and love all Christians.
  • Employees, respect and obey your employers even if your employers treat you unfairly.
  • Do this because you only spiritually benefit and please God if you are punished unfairly or otherwise suffer unjustly.
  • We are called to suffer for Christ because he suffered for us; i.e. being his disciple requires we take up the cross and follow him.
  • Seek to follow also his example of not sinning or deceiving others, not returning verbal abuse with verbal abuse or threatening others, but trusting God to judge justly.
  • It is possible for us to die to sin like this and become righteous because he bore our sins on the cross and suffered the penalty in his own body. By his wounds, we have been cured of our straying and have been returned to proper relationship with God, like sheep with our shepherd.

Lord, we thank you for your word. We thank you for freeing us from the bondage of sin and death and the lies of the evil one. Strengthen us in our resolve not to sin against you, give us quiet, gentle spirits that respect all people and honor civil authorities, our employers, etc. even when the unbelievers are not treating us fairly in return.  Grant us also the strength and wisdom to resist the temptation to enable sinful, unjust behavior  in Christian leaders, but hold them to account for blaspheming you by their actions. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Posted in abuse, Bible and Theology, Gospel, Prayer and Devotions, Sin and Holiness, Suffering

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Don’t be ashamed of suffering Christians

Posted on March 9, 2011 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,” (2 Timothy 1:8-9)

Verse eight is not nearly as popular as verse nine. We much prefer the assurance  we’re saved by grace not by works, to the context of this verse. We tend to avoid suffering, not want to share in the suffering of others. Our idea of comforting and encouraging someone frankly often comes across to the hurting as “get over it” because, frankly, we want them to get over it and stop making us uncomfortable.

Empathizing, entering into their pain, crying with them, lamenting with them, rather than rushing them to “praise God” and “glory be”, how many of us actually do that? Even fewer than those of us who wouldn’t be tempted to turn on a believer imprisoned because of their work for the Lord. Surely they’re bad people and misguided, bad Christians and that’s why they’re in jail. The media, after all, told us so.

Don’t be deceived. Misguided or not, they have a record for same reason the Apostle Paul would have one today. Don’t be ashamed of their testimony and standing up for scriptural truth as best as they understand it.

We are not saved by our works, the scripture is clear we are saved by Grace–for the work the Lord purposed for us to do. He calls and equips us to holiness.  We are saved from sin, not saved so we can sin. If you’re using grace today as an excuse to sit on your duff, ignore his call, and ignore what the holy spirit is instructing you to do, cut it out.

This message is brought to you by Ash Wednesday and ministries everywhere in bad need of workers. :)

Lord, where are you leading us? What are you calling us to do? Open our hearts and our ears to hear your voice and obey you out of love, not fear of condemnation and hell. Forgive us for the times we’ve been ashamed or have turned our faces away from suffering or unwittingly heaped on others suffering with “encouragement” that condemns them for hurting. Give us wisdom and show us how to enter in to others suffering as you lead. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Posted in Bible and Theology, Grace, Prayer and Devotions, Sin and Holiness, Suffering

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God’s Love in Suffering’s Reality

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:35,37)

Paul is long winded, so for the full scope of what he is saying, we need to read chapters seven and eight of Romans in one sitting, or at least 8:26-39. The most crucial context to these verses appears to be, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”

This passage has a subtext or implication modern Christians in the first world, and America particularly, prefer to ignore or hope to never endure: that we will actually suffer with Christ as well as graciously  receive all things, that we will endure the suffering that cannot separate us from God’s love. We think we’re more special than all the saints before us and should be magically spared from the trial and tribulation that our culture’s corruption will inevitably bring upon us.

Our hope isn’t escape from and avoidance of pain–our hope is the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ, that we who suffer with him shall also be glorified with him. God with us though everything. He promised to be with us and love us, redeeming every sorrow so good comes from it, even should times fall that for God’s sake, “we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” as the omitted verse 26 says, persecution still suffered by many of our brothers and sisters throughout history and across our globe today. The promise is, though we suffer much here, we have our hope secure in Christ and his love so long as we hold on.

If you are at a point today where you feel you cannot hold on any longer and you are ready to curse God and die (spiritually speaking,)  remember verse 26 says the spirit helps us in our weakness. Cry out to him. Scream, moan, groan, or wail, intelligibly or unintelligibly, as inclined. Tell him the honest truth of how you are feeling, but then, once you at last reach the bottom of your grief, remember his promises and hold out your hands. He will meet you there.

Lord, keep our eyes and hearts fixed upon you today. Increase our faith and endurance, and grow in us the knowledge of your good and righteous will. Show us the path you would lay out before us and cleanse our hearts of evil so we would walk in it. Grant us confidence in your perfect work of redemption. Give us hearts tender to you today and increase our love for one another. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Posted in Bible and Theology, God's promises, Lament, Prayer and Devotions, Suffering

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