Persecution by Gary Rose

Today, there a an untold number of "causes" out there. You name it, someone is advocating it. Some make sense, some do not, but there is one very good cause that very few are even discussing.

Christians are being exterminated in the middle east. Thousands upon thousands are being killed, and some of those murders are the most gruesome you can imagine.

My question is: why are there not massive protests?  The obvious answer is that the world doesn't care one way or another.

Consider that...

Jesus spoke of persecution

Matthew, Chapter 5 (WEB)

¹¹  “Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Matthew, Chapter 5 (WEB)

⁴³  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor  and hate your enemy.’   ⁴⁴  But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,   ⁴⁵  that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.   ⁴⁶  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?   ⁴⁷  If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don’t even the tax collectors  do the same?   ⁴⁸  Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. 

John, Chapter 15 (WEB)

 ¹⁷  “I command these things to you, that you may love one another.   ¹⁸  If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you.   ¹⁹  If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, since I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.   ²⁰  Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his lord.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.   ²¹  But they will do all these things to you for my name’s sake, because they don’t know him who sent me.   ²²  If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.   ²³  He who hates me, hates my Father also.   ²⁴  If I hadn’t done among them the works which no one else did, they wouldn’t have had sin. But now they have seen and also hated both me and my Father.   ²⁵  But this happened so that the word may be fulfilled which was written in their law, ‘They hated me without a cause.’ 

The world hates Christians because it does not know the one they follow, God. However, we are not to hate them in return, for we are to be perfect as our heavenly father is perfect. And the most perfect Christian I can think of is the Apostle Paul. But, he didn't start out that way. In fact, he was a violent aggressor of all of Jesus' followers.

Saul of Tarsus (Paul) Persecuted The Church

Acts, Chapter 8 (WEB)

 ¹ Saul was consenting to his death. A great persecution arose against the assembly which was in Jerusalem in that day. They were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles. 

Acts, Chapter 9 (WEB)

 ¹ But Saul, still breathing threats and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest  ² and asked for letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.  ³ As he traveled, he got close to Damascus, and suddenly a light from the sky shone around him.  ⁴ He fell on the earth, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 
  ⁵ He said, “Who are you, Lord?” 

The Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.   ⁶  But  rise up and enter into the city, then you will be told what you must do.” 

But, in spite of his actions, God chose him to incorporate the gentiles into the church. And what a job he did!!  Just read the New Testament, and you will see. But, there was a price...

Paul, persecution and us

Romans, Chapter 8 (WEB)

³¹ What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?  ³² He who didn’t spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also with him freely give us all things?  ³³ Who could bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who justifies.  ³⁴ Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, yes rather, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 

  ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  ³⁶ Even as it is written, 

“For your sake we are killed all day long. We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

  ³⁷ No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,  ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from God’s love which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

2 Timothy, Chapter 2 (WEB)

¹⁰ But you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, steadfastness, ¹¹ persecutions, and sufferings: those things that happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. I endured those persecutions. The Lord delivered me out of them all.  ¹² Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

Persecution can bring out the best in us. It can make us more committed to God's work and motivate us to love. This was certainly true in Paul's case and those who were associated with him.

I guess there will always be persecution of Christians, but those of us who suffer for the cause of Christ will be better for it. Frankly, this is a little hard for me to understand, but I know it is true. Perhaps someday I will know all about it, but that will probably be in heaven.