Preparing for Persecution

 Happy St Patrick’s Day

Perhaps this is a great day to conclude this little series on how we can prepare for persecution.  Last week, you may recall I said that we must begin to become less reliant on those things that, while helpful, are not essential to our faith and ministry.  Buildings, by-laws, projectors, praise teams, smoke machines are just a few examples.   Today, let’s focus on one attitude or mind set that we must develop and four practices that we need to implement in our faith communities.  

But first a story:  When my son was about 5 or 6 years old one of our family friends had a daughter who was about 4.  She was somewhat smitten by our son.  After one visit to their home we were about to walk out the door when this little girl got in front of our son, began to jump up and down, wave her arms and repeat, “Do you like me?  Do you like me?  Do you like me?”  It was cute, innocent, funny and reminds me of the church.

While the Church Growth Movement began with the best of intentions it eventually devolved into a nearly neurotic desire on the part of some churches and believers to be liked by and approved of by the world.  We adjusted our music, style, and culture so seekers would like what they experienced and would hopefully be willing to become disciples.  But in many cases, it went beyond merely the forms of the church and moved into the morality of the church and even to its doctrines.  Recently, a famous preacher made a stir when he shared how he removed a homosexual couple from serving, not because they were practicing behaviors forbidden in the Word of God, but because one of them was still married to his wife.  We can’t have that now can we!  Our desire to be liked is so strong that we have bought into the lie that if we are ‘nice’ then the world will like us and will be willing to listen to what we have to say.  The problem is to be ‘nice’, as the world often defines it, we have to refuse to speak the truth. 

Which brings us to the mindset or attitude we must develop to prepare for any persecution: Assume that you will be hated, persecuted, and/or rejected.  Jesus told us in John 15:19

If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Certainly, we must speak the truth in love, there is no place in the Christian life for ad hominem attacks.  However, we can never tell someone something they don’t want to hear in a way they will like. We will never be able to soften the Bible’s message about sin enough so as to please everyone, unless we change the message itself.   

So, this is the mindset we must develop, “We will not be liked; but rather, opposed at every level, persecuted for speaking the truth in love, and our message will not always be accepted.”  So, we must stop worrying if people like us; rather, are we faithful to the One who has called us?

Now, as for the four practices that we must develop.  These practices will work if we are in a 5,000 seat cathedral or in a secret meeting in a blacked out basement with a handful of believers.  If these four practices are not the primary framework of our faith communities we need to realign ourselves to give these practices priority.  

1.  Deep into the Apostles’ Doctrine.  In other words, we need to make the study of The Faith as given to us in Scripture a priority.  This includes memorization, active learning, application to life and meditation.  It is surprising how many times “Bible Studies” have little or no Scripture in them.  I once heard the aforementioned preacher, the one who reprimanded the homosexual couple, apologize for reading a long passage of Scripture.  In my opinion, that may indicate how he went astray.

2. Close, interactive, sharing or life.  None of us will make it as disciples if we go it alone.  We do not need, we must have a community of faith in which we live out our faith.  Perhaps the greatest spiritual danger of Covid was to convince people that they can be disciples remotely.  Traditional churches have been far too superficial regarding fellowship treating it as little more than occasional meals together.  If we face persecution we will have to have a living network from which we can draw strength as we follow Christ together.

3. The Sacramental life.  I realize referring to sacraments may offend some folks, especially those who insist on using only Biblical terms, like Ordinances (wink, wink, nod, nod).  The sacramental life of the believer ought not be neglected.  In Baptism and the Lord’s Supper we experience a spiritual reality found nowhere else on earth. In baptism we tell and retell the death and resurrection story.  It is worth noting that the only action in which Jesus asked us to remember His sacrifice is in communion.  I hope we discover the value of communion before we face persecution.  Both of these practices strengthen us and can be acted out in a clandestine way.

4. Secret communication.  I recently heard a man talking about how to send and receive secret messages without being detected.  I do that every day.  The prayer life of the church and the believers is often a little weak.  If we ask, “How can our prayer life be strengthened?” One answer is by facing persecution.  I hope we will want to pray more and more deeply without facing persecution.  But if we will not learn it one way, perhaps our Father will allow us to learn it another way.  

All of these practices can happen in the existing church.  But if the church has to go to ground or even underground these practices will still strengthen us.  If persecution is coming we will be wise to learn how to do these things now.