Surviving Opposition To Your Faith
Surviving Opposition To Your Faith
1 Thessalonians 3:1-13
[In Russia, Christians are tested by hardship, but in America you are tested by freedom. And testing by freedom is much harder. Nobody pressures you about your religion. So you relax and are not so concentrated on Christ, on His teaching, how He wants you to live." Pavel Poloz, recently (1987) exiled from Russia.]
Johnny Hart is recognized by his colleagues as one of the Best and funniest comic strip artists. But in recent years many newspapers have started refusing to run "B.C." on some days, and have even canceled it altogether--not because they think Hart has gone stale, but because of something that is, in their eyes, even worse: Over the years, Hart has begun to weave Christian themes into his strip.
For example, a recent Good Friday cartoon featured four panels of solid gray, each growing darker until the last panel, which was entirely black, with the caption "Good Friday." Another strip shows a caveman on his knees asking God why He doesn't reveal Himself. The man's prayer is interrupted by volcanic eruptions, an eclipse, a burning bush . . . and a stone rolling away from a cave.
As a child, Hart was raised in a nominally Christian home, but as a young man he developed a drinking problem, and even dabbled in the occult. Then, about 20 years ago, Hart underwent a conversion experience and became personally persuaded that Christianity is true.
His life has never been the same since, and neither have his cartoons. Though the strip "B.C." originally became famous for characters like "Cute Chick" and "Fat Broad," today it is growing even better known for the controversies that have erupted over its biblical allusions-- especially when newspapers cancel the strip over Hart's allusions to his faith.
Ironically, it is typically the liberal papers, like the Washington Post, that are most prone to this
illiberal reaction. Yet liberal cartoonist Gary Trudeau, who pens the highly politicized strip "Doonesbury," says he can't understand what the controversy is all about. "What's the problem?" Trudeau asks. "That, God forbid, Johnny Hart still believes in God?" As Trudeau puts, it, Hart "is writing about his values as much as I am writing about mine."
Hostility toward Christians is on the rise in our culture and in our world, but is as old as the Gospel itself. Ever since Jesus was crucified for what He said and did, Christians have been experiencing the same kind of treatment. This was so for the people in Thessalonica whom Paul converted to Christ. In his first letter to them he said, "You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews, 15 who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to all men 16 in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved."
Paul had only been with the Thessalonians a few weeks or possibly a few months. When he had gone on to Athens, he became very concerned about the condition of their spiritual lives. He reported that he would rather be left all by himself in a strange city so he could send his co-worker, Timothy, to find out about their faith. Paul was excited to hear that they were doing well. What was it that made it possible for them to endure the sufferings they were subject to and maintain their faith? How can we do the same thing today?
In the 1 Thess. 3 God reveals through Paul's letter that it was their preparation, their commitment and their focus on others that got them through their trials. We need today to do what they did. We need to: 1) Be aware that Challenges will come, 2) to develop a disciplined faith, 3) to Take Courage from Others' Strength.
I. Be Aware That Challenges Will Come; vss. 3-4
"You know that such troubles are a part of God’s plan for us Christians. Even while we were still with you we warned you ahead of time that suffering would soon come" [1 Thessalonians 3:3-4, Living Bible]
In football - going 100% not be hurt. Blind sided hurts most. (Knocked unconscious from behind)
Paul's simply by telling them to realize opposition would come
was enough for them to prepare to stay faithful when it happened.
Prvb 22.3 "A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences." LIV
A great struggle - we have an enemy (seeking whom he may devour)
Few enter narrow gate - broad leads to destruction
Shipwrecked faith - "keeping a firm grip on your faith and on yourself. After all, this is a fight we’re in.
There are some, you know, who by relaxing their grip and thinking anything goes have made a thorough mess of their faith." 1 Tim 1:19, Mess.
When Jesus sent the 12 out to preach He taught the same thing. Some people won't listen. Some will be betrayed to death by family members. "And everyone will hate you because of your allegiance to me." The student will share His master's fate. Don't deny your relationship to Jesus. “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! No, I came to bring a sword. I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Your enemies will be right in your own household! [Mt. 10:34-36]
Jn. 15 world hated me first...because doesn't know God
MK 10.30 "who won’t be given back, a hundred times over, homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land—with persecutions!"
2 Tim 3.12 "Yes, and those who decide to please Christ Jesus by living godly lives will suffer at the hands of those who hate him." LIV
1 Pet. 4.12 "Dear friends, don’t be bewildered or surprised when you go through the fiery trials ahead, for this is no strange, unusual thing that is going to happen to you."
Ray sets people down after baptism
Reactions to opposition: a) "bring it on" loves a fight; b) "I knew it", martyr, self-pitying; c) fearful, insecure, hides;
d) truster whatever may come relying on strength God provides. [1 Cor. 10:13]
II. Develop Disciplined Faith; vss. 5-6
"I sent Timothy to find out whether your faith was still strong...And now Timothy has just returned and brings the welcome news that your faith and love are as strong as ever." [1 Thessalonians 3:5-6, Living Bible]
get strong by exercise;
Rocky & rootless soil:
"But he does not let the teaching go deep into his life, so he keeps it only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the teaching he accepted, he quickly gives up." [Matthew 13:21, New Century Version]
faith = choice + commitment [choose value--what you want]
[For strong faith - choice must be clear; and commitment certain, decided]
Hebrews 11:1 "To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see." [GN]
eyes on the prize - Hebrews 12:1-3
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God’s throne in heaven. Think about all he endured when sinful people did such terrible things to him, so that you don’t become weary and give up." [NLT]
Talk about overcoming challenges, surviving oppposition.
US cyclist Lance Armstrong in Tour de' France - 2 yrs. ago diagnosed with cancer spread to abdomen, lungs and brain, given 50% chance of survival. This year in winning all 3 time trials in the Tour he's done what only 3 others in all history have ever done and today he's winning the race.
Choosing:
"When I was a boy, my father, a baker, introduced me to the wonders of song," tenor Luciano Pavarotti relates. "He urged me to work very hard to develop my voice. Arrigo Pola, a professional tenor in my hometown of Modena, Italy, took me as a pupil. I also enrolled in a teachers college. On graduating, I asked my father, 'Shall I be a teacher or a singer?' "'Luciano,' my father replied, 'if you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall between them. For life, you must choose one chair.' "I chose one. It took seven years of study and frustration before I made my first professional appearance. It took another seven to reach the Metropolitan Opera. And now I think whether it's laying bricks, writing a book--whatever we choose--we should give ourselves to it. Commitment, that's the key. Choose one chair."
Commitment:
Johnny Fulton was run over by a car at the age of three. He suffered crushed hips, broken ribs, a fractured skull, and compound fractures in his legs. It did not look as if he would live. But he would not give up. In fact, he later ran the half- mile in less than two minutes. Walt Davis was totally paralyzed by polio when he was nine years old, but he did not give up. He became the Olympic high jump champion in 1952. Shelly Mann was paralyzed by polio when she was five years old, but she would not give up. She eventually claimed eight different swimming records for the U.S. and won a gold medal at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. In 1938, Karoly Takacs, a member of Hungary's world-champion pistol shooting team and sergeant in the army, lost his right hand when a grenade he was holding exploded. But Takacs did not give. up. He learned to shoot left-handed and won gold medals in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics. Lou Gehrig was such a clumsy ball player that the boys in his neighborhood would not let him play on their team. But he was committed. He did not give up. Eventually, his name was entered into baseball's Hall of Fame.
Woodrow Wilson could not read until he was ten years old. But he was a committed person. He became the twenty-eighth President of the United States.
Persistence paid off for American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered the planet Pluto. After astronomers calculated a probable orbit for this "suspected" heavenly body, Tombaugh took up the search in March 1929. Time magazine recorded the investigation: "He examined scores of telescopic photographs each showing tens of thousands of star images in pairs under the dual microscope. It often took three days to scan a single pair. It was exhausting, eye-cracking work--in his own words, 'brutal, tediousness.' And it went on for months. Star by star, he examined 20 million images. Then on February 18, 1930, as he was blinking at a pair of photographs in the constellation Gemini, 'I suddenly came upon the image of Pluto!" It was the most dramatic astronomic discovery in nearly 100 years. Today in the Word, November 26, 1991
1 Corinthians 9:25 "Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."
Choice - Jesus is God's Son, there is a heaven to gain for eternity and Commit to it no matter what.
III. Take Courage From Others' Strength; vss. 7-9; 12-13
"We can bear anything as long as we know that you remain strong in him." [1 Thessalonians 3:8, Living Bible]
"may the Lord make your love to grow and overflow to each other and to everyone else, just as our love does toward you. This will result in your hearts being made strong..." [1 Thessalonians 3:12-13]
(invested in and a part of others' lives--it's not all just us. Success of others is strengthening. The team is successful. I may not be beating my opponent, but I am keeping him from joining in victory over someone else.)
People who have stood in midst of opposition.
In the second century A.D. the Christian martyr Polycarp stood before the Roman Proconsul. Recant Christ, the Proconsul
demanded or face death by fire. Polycarp's response: "What are you waiting for? Bring on what you will."
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The Bohemian 15th cent. reformer John Hus was a man who believed the Scriptures to be the infallible and supreme authority in all matters. He died at the stake for that belief in Constance, Germany, on his forty-second birthday. As he refused a final plea to renounce his faith, Hus's last words were, "What I taught with my lips, I seal with my blood."
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In Sudan, Christians are crucified for their faith. Their children are sold into slavery and forced to convert to Islam.A few days before Christmas last year, a small plane left Kenya for Sudan, flying low to avoid being spotted by Sudanese Army garrisons that would have shot it down on sight. On board was an American human rights lawyer named Bill Saunders, and with him was the most wanted man in Sudan: Catholic Bishop Macram Max Gassis.
The bishop was bringing Bill Saunders to the Nubian Mountains to witness a story of horror--and of hope. When the plane landed, Saunders and the bishop quickly unloaded vital supplies: seeds, plows, salt, and clothes. When the villagers spotted their "outlaw" bishop, they raced over and surrounded him joyfully.
At first glance, it would appear the Sudanese Christians had little to be joyful about. Sudan's radical Islamic government daily engages in terror bombing of their villages. It has starved them, poisoned their wells, tortured their church leaders, and enslaved their children. In fact, many of the kids who greeted Bishop Gassis had brands on their faces, put there by their former slave masters.
So why were these people so joyful? As Saunders recalls, "It was Christmas! They were ecstatic to see their bishop and to celebrate . . . with him...They sang . . . hymns [and] played on drums made from logs, coffee cups, and empty shrapnel shells."
On Christmas morning, they gathered to celebrate the birth of Christ. But in the midst of the service, word came that government bombers were on their way. As Saunders recalls, when they heard about the bombing mission, "the bishop declared, 'We will not let them disrupt the [service].'" "Those words electrified me," Saunders later wrote. "I experienced a palpable feeling of the presence of the Holy Spirit. It was quite possible that we would be killed, but instead of fear, I felt serenity. What better place to die than here, in solidarity with these [Christians], in communion with our Lord?"
The worshipers escaped harm that day, and Saunders returned safely to America. But his Sudanese friends are still in danger. The government continues its tactics of bombing, torture, and famine. Bishop Gassis is doing everything he can, fighting with plows, perseverance, and prayer. He has also spoken out against the actions of Sudan's radical Islamic government on a visit to the United States--which is one reason he's the most wanted man in Sudan.
Our Sudanese brethren are hoping and praying American Christians will help them.