When I was 16 years
old a Christian youth organization held a rally where we were given the challenge
to bring a complete Bible and get it all the way to the center of the Shasta
County Fair Grounds (Anderson, CA). The
Bible was considered contraband in our make-believe nation. We were warned that the whole Fair Grounds
were set up as if it were a different country under religious suppression like
those of the eastern bloc nations behind the Iron Curtain. This was 1972 so it was well before Glasnost
and the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Religious persecution was very strong in Communist Countries.
Some of us hid parts
of the Bible in our clothing, baked parts right inside cakes, or memorized
large portions so we could rewrite them after reaching the center of the
grounds. We thought we were being so
clever. Well, many got caught and each
one caught had to give up their portion of the Bible and were put in a “jail”
(in our case a make-shift holding area in one of the buildings). The ones that were able to bring at least
some portions of the Bible were the ones who memorized scriptures and
rewrote them after arriving at the goal area.
Of course the
rally’s goal was to catch kids’ attention and lead them to Christ. Many made decisions to accept Jesus as their
Lord and Savior that night, yet the thing that still sticks in my mind from
that night is what it can be like to live where others hate and persecute you
for your faith. This could be why my
heart goes out to believers around the world who are suffering persecution
today and why I am always promoting their needs in my Facebook “PRAYER
OPPORTUNITY” posts. Lately, I have asked
for prayer for believers in China but I am starting to see persecution happen
here in the U.S. The incidents of
shootings in churches have increased exponentially. Cross burnings have increased on the
properties of African American and Latin American churches especially in the
South.
I read an
interesting article by David Ravenhill (son of the late Rev. Leonard Ravenhill),
where he quotes something his father said in the 1980s, "If America does
not concentrate in prayer, it will pray in concentration camps." I think we Americans have become complacent
and do not think such hard times will come to us. Well, think again! These hard times have already arrived.
Thomas Horn, in his
article for Worthy Christian News entitled “Persecution of Christians Growing
in the United States, he says, “…persecution of Christians is on the increase
in the United States,” and he goes on to share part of an article written by Don
McAlvany, a reporter of The Midnight Herald, which compares post-WWI Germany
and its popular hatred against the Jews increased until wholesale persecution
followed. Mr. Horn then goes on to quote
Mr. McAlvany, “Could this be where the growing anti-Christian consensus in
America is taking us?”
Not only is the prejudice
against Christians increasing in the U.S. but the tolerance of anti-Christian
attitudes is escalating. It is easy for
us to see the larger news reports of late where Churches are refusing to close
their doors to group services as dictated by civil authorities (i.e. the
Florida pastor arrested for holding large group services; the pastor who
preaches every Sunday in Washington State while the stay at home orders have
not been relaxed) but have you heard about Ohio State Representative Rep. Nino
Vitale refusing to wear a facemask because “…we are all created in the image
and likeness of God. That image is seen the most by our face. I will not wear a
mask." How about Pastor Andrew
Womack, a televangelist from Colorado, who also refuses to wear a face mask
because “…Jesus probably wouldn’t wear one either”. All of these actions are standing out to
those who dislike Christians, but actually fueling the fire against them.
I could go on and on
with examples but I am sure you get the picture. The world is not getting “better” for us. Why?
Jesus said, “Just remember, when the unbelieving world hates you, they
first hated me.” –John 15:18 TPT We are
being hated increasingly because He was first hated by them and we remind them
of just Who He is. They do not want to
be confronted with even the idea that they are sinful. In this world, things will grow increasingly
worse for us, but there IS hope! As we
draw closer to Him and His Kingdom God will provide just what we need to get
through the increasing turmoil in this world.
“Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t
worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be
met.” –Matthew 6:33 MSG
So, let me ask you,
what is YOUR focus today?
NOTE: the Bible
tells us how to deal with civil authority in Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-17.
REFERENCES:
Why Revival Tarries
& America Is Too Young To Die, both by Leonard Ravenhill
http://www.davidravenhill.com/
