Across the world, we have seen for ourselves, or heard of persons who have faced serious consequences for sharing the Gospel. Martyrdom and religious persecution have been meted out against others in our lifetime, and I sometimes shudder to think it could happen to me, or a member of my immediate family. Yet, given Y’shua’s prophecy, this is a possibility. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat.
Luke 21:12, 17-18 NIV
[12] “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name.
[17] Everyone will hate you because of me.
[18] But not a hair of your head will perish.
Persecution and Martyrdom
As I type, I’m reminded of a song I’ve not heard since I’ve lived overseas permanently. The song, ‘Jesus is Coming Soon’, asks us to recognize that Christ’s return is imminent and invites us to respond with alacrity. I suspect many of us would have received the words and resonated with them, but we wouldn’t have seen them as part of our reality.
This shifts when religious freedoms are curtailed in places near us; when Christian belief is challenged in the marketplace and the parliament; or when laws are in place for the immediate arrest or death of believers.
Can we remember the underground churches that emerged under totalitarian regimes? Or individuals who were not just threatened, but were arrested, tortured, and even killed for their faith? This prophecy isn’t a myth. It has happened in our time, as it had after Pentecost.
Self-Check
If told that laws have changed, and believers will be arrested for public manifestation of our faith in our place of habitation, what would we do?
Application
We might not be wholly sure of our response, but my prayer is that we will nevertheless stand for Christ. As we contemplate the possibility, I remind us that the threat and reality of persecution sped up the spread of the Gospel in the post-Pentecost era. Those apostles understood the urgency of their mission, and, clothed with holy fearlessness, they shared the Gospel to the corners of their world. Yes, there were places they didn’t visit. But they were souled out to God’s Spirit.
Today, in parts of Nigeria, believers live with the reality of persecution, although it isn’t restricted only to Christians. Some parts of Asia and the Middle East have been living that reality for some time. And, as contentious as the issue of Israel-Palestine is for us all, the reality is that non-Israeli Palestinians include Christian believers.
We are truly experiencing the birth pains of Christ’s return. As such, we must be ready for all signs to manifest, even persecution. At this time, we ought to be wholly souled out to God. It is by the power and direction of God’s Spirit that we will accomplish what God has called us to. May our hearts be softened toward those facing persecution, so that we pray for their safe release. And, as we pray for them, I pray that we will also draw closer to God, gaining the boldness to stand if faced with similar realities.
Point to Ponder
For whom will we pray today both among the persecuted saints and the unsaved world?
