February 2000
As persecutions of Christians become common place around the world, many might wonder how those who are threatened, beaten, and mocked can withstand such pressure. We in North America see very little persecution at the present, and yet we need to know how to stand for we are losing more and more rights. Every religion and opinion is acceptable in our society today, except Christianity, because only Christianity says, "There is only one God; all the others are false." We say this because our Lord and Master said:
I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me. (Jn.14:6)
To accept other so called god's at par with Christ is to say that there is another way other then Christ, there is another truth as good as Christ, and there is another life other then Christ. Christians throughout the world refuse to bow and are tried in the fires of persecution as Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego. Unbeknowst to our persecutors, to fire a clay pot is to make it stronger; their efforts to break up the church in essence strengthens it:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (Ja.1:2-4)
As non-Christians see Christians joyfully meeting the cost of Christianity with their lives, it speaks to them of its great worth; cost is always relative to worth. Something that is free is seen as having little value or worth, while something that costs thousands of dollars is seen as having significant worth. The reason why there is little advancement of the gospel in North America is that Christians, in general, have trouble giving up more then an hour or two a week for Christ. Christians themselves see little worth in giving up more time; is it any wonder why the world values Christianity less? The Scriptures tell us that our Christianity is priceless and therefore should be costly:
In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2Ti.3:12-13)
As Christians throughout the world face persecution, their resilience is not a product of one's will. Rather, it is the realization of man's frailty that is the source of his strength.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. (1Co.4:7-9)
Just as a clay jar is easily broken, so we too of ourselves do not have the strength to withstand the tremendous pressures of our persecutors. For this reason, Christians must realize the answers to two questions. First, Who is Christ? The Bible teaches us the Christ was God: who is the all knowing, all powerful, and ever present God.
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, …(Co.2:9)
The second question is, where does he live? The Bible also teaches us that Christ, who is God, lives in every believer:
… and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the Head over every power and authority. (Co.2:10 note Co.3:1-4)
God lives in us, and it is from God's strength that we are empowered to withstand the persecutions.
We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, (2Co.1:8-10)
As Christians face persecution, let us freely admit our weakness to endure, relying on God's strength. He will deliver us. Christ lives in us and it is His strength that will see us through:
That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2Co.12:10)
Therefore let us realize and draw from God everything we need through the indwelling of Christ, for He is our all sufficiency.