20061119
Last Sunday, 12 November, was designated International Day of Prayer (IDOP) for the persecuted church. IDOP was started in 1998 by World Evangelical Fellowship in collaboration with Churches and various Christian Organisations – a global day of intercession on behalf of persecuted Christians. Why are Christians persecuted globally? Why do people seek to harm and kill others in the name of religion? Christians are discriminated against, put in prison (often even without a trial), harassed and brutally tortured. In some countries which are dominated by non-Christian religions and beliefs, Christians have also been killed.
Ronald Boyd-MacMillan of Open Doors suggested a probable reason in his IDOP 2006 sermon: “There is one simple reason why people kill others in the name of religion: out of a desire to vindicate their god. Their god is the most important being to them, and what affects their god affects their whole identity. Paul’s assassins in Damascus were vindicating their god. Everything Paul said and did proved they were wrong, but when social and national identity is tied up with a person’s god, they feel they have to silence the critic, and preserve the integrity of their god. Perhaps it’s not much of a reason, but there it is, and it causes the deaths of thousands of Christians in the world each year.”
Christians often speak of the blessings and joys in living the Christian life. However, Jesus did not promise a rosy path for Christians: “Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed My teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of My Name, for they do not know the One who sent Me.” (Jn. 15:20-21) As Christians all over the world pray for their fellow Christians and seek God’s protection and deliverance, we must also learn to depend and trust in the sovereignty of God. Acts 4 records the first persecution of the Jerusalem church and the followers of the Way were comforted in the sovereign God being in full control. When Peter and John were released from prison, they prayed: “Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen” (Acts 4:27-28).
Apostle Paul’s encouragement to Christians is: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18).
