Exaudi

We don’t have to look to hard to find persecution of Christians in the world today. Perhaps you saw the photo of the 21 Coptic martyrs a few years back as they were led across the sand before being beheaded by their Islamic captors. Or, more recently, you may have heard of the atrocities being perpetuated against Christians in Nigeria under Sharia Law. The devil is a liar and a murderer from the beginning. This is his nature. And he has been in the business of killing Christians ever since the beginning—long before he personally appeared to Mohammed and made him his prophet.

But the persecution that Jesus warns us about today does not come from outside the church. It comes from within. Jesus says, “They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.” (Jn 16:2) Who will put you out of the synagogues, that is, who will excommunicate you from the churches? Not the Muslims? Islam kills Christians, but it doesn’t excommunicate them. Jesus is warning us about persecution that will arise from within.

Jesus Himself knew well this persecution. He lived it every day of His ministry as those who were supposed to be the leaders and shepherds of God’s people persecuted Jesus at every turn. Martin Luther also learned of this persecution when He tried to correct abuses within the Catholic church. In his Ninety-five Theses, written against the monetization of forgiveness, Luther actually defends the pope, saying, “If the pope knew what was being done in his name, supposedly to build St. Peter’s cathedral, he would rather the cathedral be burnt to the ground than built in such a wicked way.” And then Luther received a letter of excommunication from the very pope he was trying to defend. Jesus told us this would happen, “They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.”

This internal persecution, though not as violent as Islam, the devil’s personal “religion of peace”, is perhaps less dangerous to the bodies of Christians, but it is far more dangerous to souls. That is because we are more easily tempted to bow to it. If armed gunmen stormed into our sanctuary this morning and announced that everyone here must either reject Christ or die, I am certain that heaven would gain a great many martyrs that way. And then the event would be all over the news. Other Christians would be emboldened by our witness, and the devil would lose. So he must be craftier. The devil can accomplish far more by persecuting Christians from within the church than from without.

You have faced persecution for Christ, but perhaps it was subtle enough that you didn’t realize it. It may simply have been ridicule for believing that God made the world in six days out of nothing. “What? You don’t believe in science?” I have heard this question from other Christians, many of whom believe that it is possible to believe in God and evolution at the same time.

Much persecution has also arisen within the church for those who confess the Order of Creation and the God-given roles of men and women. Do you believe that God calls the husband and father to be the spiritual leader of the home? Do you confess with Scripture that it is a curse when men abdicate and women are forced to take up leadership within the church? If you do, then you can expect to be persecuted by other Christian for your “antiquated and backwards” beliefs. And if you don’t confess this, then it’s very likely that you have been a source of the persecution.

The devil uses this internal persecution to draw Christians away from the Truth. And Truth is a Person, not a concept. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. So when the devil leads Christians away from the Truth of God’s Word, he is leading people away from Jesus and from eternal life. How does the devil do it? Very subtly.

He starts with Christians who do confess the truth, let’s say, about marriage. What do the Scriptures teach about this? They teach that marriage is the life-long union of one man and one woman. Simple. End of discussion. No monkey business. One man, one woman, for life. Until the wedding invitation arrives in your mailbox, and you found out that your niece is getting married, but not to a man. And she wants you to attend—except it’s not actually a wedding. You are being asked to celebrate an unholy union that our Lord condemns. So what should you do?

Many Christians will tell you to go to the wedding. “Even if you don’t agree, you should be there because you love your niece. And maybe this will keep the relationship open so that you’ll have the opportunity to preach the gospel to her later.” It sounds good. And it means that you’ll avoid a lot of persecution from the rest of the family, all of whom claim to be Christians.

Has this happened to you? If not, it probably will. Jesus warns us in advance of the persecution that will come from within the church. “These things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.” (Jn 16:4). He warns us so that we will not fall away from the truth when that persecution comes. “These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.” (Jn 16:1)

Most Christians who support homosexuality, for example, today didn’t always do so. They started out believing what the Scriptures teach. They began with the truth. They were against sexual deviancy in the abstract, until it became a niece, or a son, or a daughter. And then suddenly they reversed course and changed their theology, just like the politicians. “I was against it, until I was for it.” Why? Because they did not want to suffer persecution.

The Hispanic pastor who used to share our building over at First Lutheran told me that formerly his congregation worshiped in an ELCA church. But they were kicked out because they did not condone homosexuality. It is exactly as Jesus said, “They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.”

The word there for offering God service is “λειτουργία” – liturgy. Those who persecute other Christians for being faithful will think they are performing a divine liturgy to God. They will consider it an act of worship. This is what the apostle Paul thought he was doing before his conversion. He went around arresting and persecuting Christians, fully convinced that He was doing pure and holy service to the Lord. None of those within the Church who engage in persecution today are intending to be wicked and evil. They believe that they are serving God. But they have been deceived and have departed from the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father. And they serve as a warning to us, lest we also, seeking to avoid persecution, should forsake the Word of Christ.

Jesus is the source of all truth. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through Him. And Jesus has sent His Holy Spirit to teach us all His words, to guide us and keep us in the truth. The true church is not the group with the biggest attendance. It’s not the ones with the most beautiful building and tallest steeple. The true church is the one that gathers around the words of Jesus. And though the Church suffers persecution, though all the hosts of hell within and without are arrayed against her, they shall not overcome for Jesus has promised: “I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail.” May the Holy Spirit keep us always within this body of believers, unashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for it the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes. Amen.