The Persecuted: Are We Next?!
The purpose of this article is to promote a prayerful discussion about the possibility of increased persecution cutting into our own slice of the world – “the land of the free” while helping us remember our persecuted brethren according to Hebrews 13:3.
Economic, political and social tempests may already be tracking toward the “perfect storm” of societal upheaval in America.
Imagine
Circumstances are extremely challenging for all … and worse yet for the Body of Christ. The secular and “religious” alike have blamed Christians for the onset and development of terrifying troubles at home and abroad. In your city, the threat to life and limb is such that the vast majority of pastors prayerfully determine it is best for their congregations to morph – almost overnight – into thousands upon thousands of micro-churches that must meet in homes.
The Persecuted: Will We Become Them?
Infamous maltreatment of Christians throughout the world is a widely recognized reality that varies from severe persecution (e.g. N. Korea) to minor inconveniences (e.g. America).
A Chinese proverb popular among persecuted Christians states, “If we appear as a small group of ants we will probably be ok, but if we begin to look like a colony we must beware of the feet that will stomp on us”. –For the foreseeable future it seems best to us and the Holy Spirit to walk with the wise in this way.
Are We Ready for Such a Time as This (Hypothetical?) Scenario
All Christian media has been shut down. When the Internet is up every Web page and email goes through exceptionally sophisticated government filters. There is no way to disguise your IP address or anonymize your activity.
Questions:
Are there enough Biblically literate, relationship-based, experienced disciplers to serve thousands upon thousands of House Churches necessary to meet gathering-in-safety requirements?
Who will risk hosting and/or leading these new “home groups” in your city? How small should our groups be so as not to draw undue attention?
How much time should we allow before the next person comes or goes to avoid detection?
If an unrecognized person spots us approaching the meeting place, shall we continue to our destination or go back the way we came?
What was the name of that church down the street from yours?
How many people in our own church invested in authentic friendship with others?
Is This Beijing Where There are Thousands of Salvations Daily ... or is it Orange County?
Evangelism has not stopped, it has simply taken on a new shape – and increased! Spontaneous, exponential, expansion of the Church now accurately describes how the Lord has been adding to the Church daily! -Large numbers of believers become stealth evangelists when under persecution. However, enough qualified leaders cannot be found.
We need to develop secret, intensive, fellowship and training centers even as it is increasingly risky to gather regularly and continue in the apostles’ doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayers. Add new believers to the equation and the amazing has become somewhat perplexing. More grace Lord; send help Lord!
The authorities will locate some of us. After severe beatings they will offer safety in exchange for information - especially related to pastors and leaders - including those in our hastily formed House Churches. They will threaten to relocate us to another city that has already been eradicated of Christians with the intent of exiling us to a place of social and relational rejection and isolation.
Many of us will be arrested, abused, beaten, imprisoned and some – killed, but the Church will not die. In fact, it growing like crazy! In God’s economy, persecution often has that effect. We pray like never before. Jesus is the Head of His Church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it!
The author of Hebrews posed this question to the Church of his day, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” Thank God for His timeless answer:
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Are we next?
P.S. Part of the purpose of this article is to help us remember those throughout the world that are severely persecuted. The foregoing examples are occurring today. Whether we "are next" or not, let us take heart notes ...
... to remember them (in prayers and acts of kindness – JFB). that are in bonds, as bound with them (by virtue of the unity of the members in the body under one Head, Christ – JFB); and them which suffer adversity (Greek, “are in evil state – JFB), as being yourselves also in the body (and so liable to the adversities incident to the natural body, which ought to dispose us the more to sympathize with them, not knowing how soon our own turn of suffering may come. – JFB) Hebrews 13:3
JFB = Jamieson, Fausset & Brown Commentary
Economic, political and social tempests may already be tracking toward the “perfect storm” of societal upheaval in America.
Imagine
Circumstances are extremely challenging for all … and worse yet for the Body of Christ. The secular and “religious” alike have blamed Christians for the onset and development of terrifying troubles at home and abroad. In your city, the threat to life and limb is such that the vast majority of pastors prayerfully determine it is best for their congregations to morph – almost overnight – into thousands upon thousands of micro-churches that must meet in homes.
The Persecuted: Will We Become Them?
Infamous maltreatment of Christians throughout the world is a widely recognized reality that varies from severe persecution (e.g. N. Korea) to minor inconveniences (e.g. America).
A Chinese proverb popular among persecuted Christians states, “If we appear as a small group of ants we will probably be ok, but if we begin to look like a colony we must beware of the feet that will stomp on us”. –For the foreseeable future it seems best to us and the Holy Spirit to walk with the wise in this way.
Are We Ready for Such a Time as This (Hypothetical?) Scenario
All Christian media has been shut down. When the Internet is up every Web page and email goes through exceptionally sophisticated government filters. There is no way to disguise your IP address or anonymize your activity.
Questions:
Are there enough Biblically literate, relationship-based, experienced disciplers to serve thousands upon thousands of House Churches necessary to meet gathering-in-safety requirements?
Who will risk hosting and/or leading these new “home groups” in your city? How small should our groups be so as not to draw undue attention?
How much time should we allow before the next person comes or goes to avoid detection?
If an unrecognized person spots us approaching the meeting place, shall we continue to our destination or go back the way we came?
What was the name of that church down the street from yours?
How many people in our own church invested in authentic friendship with others?
Is This Beijing Where There are Thousands of Salvations Daily ... or is it Orange County?
Evangelism has not stopped, it has simply taken on a new shape – and increased! Spontaneous, exponential, expansion of the Church now accurately describes how the Lord has been adding to the Church daily! -Large numbers of believers become stealth evangelists when under persecution. However, enough qualified leaders cannot be found.
We need to develop secret, intensive, fellowship and training centers even as it is increasingly risky to gather regularly and continue in the apostles’ doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayers. Add new believers to the equation and the amazing has become somewhat perplexing. More grace Lord; send help Lord!
The authorities will locate some of us. After severe beatings they will offer safety in exchange for information - especially related to pastors and leaders - including those in our hastily formed House Churches. They will threaten to relocate us to another city that has already been eradicated of Christians with the intent of exiling us to a place of social and relational rejection and isolation.
Many of us will be arrested, abused, beaten, imprisoned and some – killed, but the Church will not die. In fact, it growing like crazy! In God’s economy, persecution often has that effect. We pray like never before. Jesus is the Head of His Church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it!
The author of Hebrews posed this question to the Church of his day, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” Thank God for His timeless answer:
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Are we next?
P.S. Part of the purpose of this article is to help us remember those throughout the world that are severely persecuted. The foregoing examples are occurring today. Whether we "are next" or not, let us take heart notes ...
... to remember them (in prayers and acts of kindness – JFB). that are in bonds, as bound with them (by virtue of the unity of the members in the body under one Head, Christ – JFB); and them which suffer adversity (Greek, “are in evil state – JFB), as being yourselves also in the body (and so liable to the adversities incident to the natural body, which ought to dispose us the more to sympathize with them, not knowing how soon our own turn of suffering may come. – JFB) Hebrews 13:3
JFB = Jamieson, Fausset & Brown Commentary
Tags: 13:3, Frontline, Hebrews, Resources, faith, for, imprisoned, martyrs, persecuted, persecution
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Karen Flaherty on -
Hi Mark,
Thanks for giving me a lot of food for thought. I really hope that we never get to place where we experience extreme persecution, but you are right, we need to be prepared. I am not connected to a small group and do see the importance of it. I am just having a hard time connecting.
Reading this has caused me to give a lot more thought to persecuted Christians around the world. The little daily challenges I face are nothing compared to what some of our brothers and sisters around the world are going through.
I do have a thought that I would like to throw out there. I have been a Christian for several years. I have seen some different outpourings of the Holy Spirit and times of revival. It just doesn't seem like the Church in America is in a condition today to even provoke extreme persecution. I don't get the feeling that our light is shining so brightly that the darkness cannot stand it. I'm not talking about being Right in our politics. It just seems like over the past 10 years it has become increasingly easy for many Christians to blend into secular society. People can attend large churches and feel like they belong, but never really take up the cross and follow Jesus. It seems like many people think they are Christ followers because they have been inoculated with just enough of the Gospel to keep them from truly experiencing a real relationship with Christ that involves being in the world, but not of it.
If there is any finger pointing, it is at me. I'm wrestling with my own lack of devotion.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. I checked out your website. It's great!!
I hope that you will keep adding your thoughts to RF forum!
Grace & Peace,
Karen
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Permalink Reply by Carl Tuttle on -
Are there enough biblically literate followers of Jesus to form, lead or gather in house church settings....? Well I know that we teach 'followers of Jesus' how to manage their money, how to raise their children, how to have perfect marriages, blah blah blah, yada yada yada....but are we creating followers of Jesus who depend on him, rely on the Holy Spirit and embrace His Word......that is a very scarey question.....Do we teach them to follow Jesus example of dying to self, only doing what the Father is doing.....serving others....not so sure we are on top of that kind of stuff...sorry to be so blunt...but the church in America could use a little persecution....don't get me going.....
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Permalink Reply by Karen Flaherty on
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I agree with you! The "how to live a happy Christian life" focus is definitely prevalent.
I don't think there will be enough small group leaders who would be able to pull the scriptures from memory to share with others or be able to teach a Bible study without finding sermonettes on the internet to replicate.
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Permalink Reply by Frontline Resources on -
Hey Carl,
I have personally discovered how scary, as I am one that spent far too much time as a conference junkie, focusing on single topics in roughly three-year increments, serving (you can call me "Martha") and more at the expense of an intimate, faith building, personal relationship with Jesus. The "Mary" me still has a long way to catch up! Lord, please redeem the years of relationship lost.
Incidentally, the Chinese have been praying for persecution in America for a long time. Those folks tend to get their prayers answered!
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Permalink Reply by Frontline Resources on
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Hi Karen,
I'm not sure if I have this system down right, so don't know where this post will appear once it is saved :o)
You raise some good questions. Perhaps sharing the broader context from which I am coming will address most of them. Of course you know they are not "thus saith the Lord". Rather they are my thoughts based on observation at home and abroad coupled with rapidly developing troubles here in the U.S. and throughout the earth.
In my view, it is quite possible that the secular and religious communities of America will blame all Christians (on fire or not) for the troubles surrounding the Middle East and for the out-of-control spending characterized by the second Bush administration. Without the "Christian vote" W. would never have been elected, hence Iraq probably wouldn't be in the picture and W.'s liberal fiscal spending policies ... well, he certainly wasn't conservative spender. Moreover, all the smoke and mirrors were exposed during the last few months of his Presidency. Of course, that does not make it all his fault, but ... we tend to know how blame shifting works in D.C.
All that to say there is a political dimension of my premise whether we like it (or participate in it) at this juncture or not.
Most Christians (on fire or not) stand for certain moral issues. Our President just signed a "Hate Crimes" bill.
In other nations, like Canada, where hate crime laws have been enacted, it is Christians, specifically conservative Christians who hold to the historic Christian faith and it's values, that become the object of institutionalized, governmental hate.
Christians who dare to tell the truth about the social, moral, spiritual and health consequences of illicit homosexual acts are accused of hate speech and intimidated into silence with threats of fines or jail."
I also believe that the current "market run up" is short-term and that either hyper-stagflation or hyper-inflation are on our near-term horizon. Either of the foregoing may well result in social upheaval. Again, true or not, I think most will blame Christians because of the fact that W. was in office when the tsunami of debt-related problems were revealed.
Christians are the only people left standing with Israel. The U.S. is nowhere near the ally she once was and it appears that we have already become much less so. Some pro-Israeli rhetoric is there, but actions speak louder than words and the current administration is really putting the pressure on Israel while trying to engage Iran et al.
Since Israel has already and will become more and more trouble for the world I consider it plausible that more and more of the world will call for death to Jews and Christians as over against death to Jews and America.
"And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it". Zec 12:3
I have seen governments in access-restricted Asia expand the scope of their persecution to include those that don't shine as brightly as others - just in case they begin to shine.
I believe a bonafide renewal, hence on fire Christians will take place as slumbering Christians awaken more and more to the signs of the times. Clearly, the birth pangs are increasing in frequency and intensity.
I, too, am struggling with my devotional life. The enemy does NOT want us to become like little children with Him nor "friends of God".
Thanks for the Web site kudos. That IS encouraging especially because Web information is kept general for the safety of those with most at risk.
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Permalink Reply by Karen Flaherty on
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Hi Mark,
I'm going to write more later because I have to leave for work, but wanted to thank you for addressing my question. It does leave me with another question: Should Christians have stayed away from political agendas? Just off the top of my head I am thinking about how Rome was waiting for a political leader in Jesus, but he came to lay down His life. I am going to add to this later. Have a great day!
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Permalink Reply by Scott Miller on -
What you described has certainly happened throughout church history in many parts of the world where men and women have risked their lives for the sake of the gospel. I believe it is critical in this hour to set our eyes on Jesus and not be distracted by all the crisis going on around us. Too many believers have followed a man and not developed relationship and intimacy with the Lord. Therefore they are ill prepared for what is coming and in many ways is already here. Many are distracted by either wealth or financial hardship and a multitude of other things versus setting their whole hearts and minds on Him. There are so many leaders in the church today that have lost their way, therefore not in a good place to lead others when they dont even know where they are going themselves. But the truth is this, that Jesus is the same yesterday and today, He is not confused or lost, in fact He has the answers to every question, He has the solution to every problem, and He has chosen us to join with Him in bringing His Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven, and this is for now. He has a destiny for us far greater than we could ever imagine, and He has given us all that is His as our inheritance as His sons and daughters, He has made us a royal priesthood, and He has called us as His body and His bride to take back every high place the enemy has stolen. He has given us the keys to the Kingdom and we must cry out for wisdom and revelation as to His ways that we would know the divine strategies for taking back what is rightfully ours. So as the enemy raises up persecution against us, we must remember that we have been given all authority in heaven and earth, and if He is for us who can be against us, therefore we must press onward together as the army of God, joined in Him as one body, of one accord, with His heart and His love in the power of the Holy Spirit, for the same Spirit that rose Jesus from the dead lives in us. We must never let our circumstances define who we are, but we must believe the truth in who Jesus says we are. The Lord spoke to me this last weekend about how He sees the people. He said that He looks at every single person, believer or not, as a direct reflection of Himself, for each of them were created in His image, He then asked me, How do you look at them? How do you look at each and every person? And in the moment I understood how we look at people and one another thru so many different lenses, yet the Lord is calling us to look at each one as a reflection of Himself, and therefore what you do to the least of these, you do unto Him. I know this writing does not follow the topic of persecution that may be coming, but for good reason as I believe the Lord would have focus on what is true about how He sees us and who He has called us to be. The other things then can be seen in the right perspective, for we are more than conquerors, He did say more. This is a time of great outpouring of His Spirit, it is a wake up call for the western church. I believe we are in for the best and worst of times, it just depends where you have your eyes fixed. On Him, we will have the best of times for in Him there is great peace and the fullness of joy. Outside Him, we are destined for destruction, there is no life, only hopelessness and despair. I choose to fix my eyes on Him, for it is there I find peace and great joy and life overflowing. Thank you Jesus. Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth in this place, at this time, as it is in Heaven.
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Permalink Reply by Karen Flaherty on
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Scott! Amen! Fixing our eyes on Jesus is the only why to keep moving forward in our faith.
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Permalink Reply by David Johndrow on
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For many years I was a supporter of, and friend to missionaries from China, the Philippines and Vietnam. They used to say, "Lord let them kill us quickly, we don't want to be tortured." Ruth, a very slight Asian woman of about 100 lbs, yelled from a second floor window at the Red Police, "take your weapons and leave us Christians alone. You have no power to disrupt what God is doing in this city." The police left - only to be walked to the airport a few months later - better than a ride to the killing fields outside Beijing.
In Vietnam (2001) they were broke and could give no tithes of money to their church. It was a good thing, their pastor's notebook was confiscated by the Communists with financial records and all with names in the files were put in jail; the pastor was tortured. My job was to pray and support their efforts stateside. Again, they were escorted to the airport in Hanoi with only what fit in their suitcases. Believers purchased them tickets to CA.
Could it happen here? Consider all that is on the Internet by Christians - Facebook, MySpace, blogs and web sites. All of this information is recorded. Check out "The Way Back Machine" http://www.archive.org. I have web sites from the 90's that are recorded for who knows what eventual purpose? The point, even this post could cost you your life some day
As a church, we need to get back to relationship, passionate worship, sound teaching and a leadership model that allows all of the gifts to proliferate. The manicured American church is largely asleep.
I also know from being a missionary in Asia, South American and Europe, that there is a special anointing for those that are persecuted. I am not saying it is pleasant, but I am saying that like Stephen, in the midst of our trials, some have seen the heavens opened.
Pick up a copy "Jesus Freaks" by DC Talk.
Big brother may be watching, but Abba is close.
Blessings, David www.fireandgrace.com
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I did mean the book, "Jesus Freaks" not the CD - which is good too.
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Permalink Reply by Karen Flaherty on
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David,
That's quite a story about Ruth. Even though I do not have the Red Police knocking at my door, there are attacks of the enemy that can make me cower. I need to remember God is Greater!
You are so right about getting back to relationship, passionate worship and sound teaching.
I'm going to check out "The Way Back Machine."
Lots to think about!
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Permalink Reply by Frontline Resources on
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Hi David,
Glad to meet you :o) I have a remotely based internet filtering program on my computer that screens out stuff I don't want to be exposed to. For some reason it will not allow me to access "The Way Back Machine". Are there any other alternative ways to access the content there? ~Thanks!
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