sf1029 - The Persecuted Church (2 Corinthians 11 23-27)

2 Corinthians 11:23-27

Introduction

No matter what the cost

What does it mean to suffer for Jesus—Teasing? Embarrassment? A joke at our expense? For many of us, sadly, the fear of such “persecution” has si­lenced our faith more than a time or two.

Yet in many parts of the world, followers of Jesus Christ are refusing to stay quiet—no matter what the cost. And for millions of these believers, the price of their passion is much higher than a bruised ego.

Believers like Sarah, a church planter from India, are passionate about reach­ing their world with the love of Christ. She recounts,

“More than 200 Hindu fundamentalists came with sticks and threatened me in a village. They tried to rape me, but the Lord protected me. They are plan­ning to kill me. But I will still go—come what may. People need the Lord.”

No greater reward

Persecuted Christians like Sarah know there is no greater reward than to live a life fully committed to God. To live for Christ is their calling. To suffer for Christ is their honor. And to die for Christ is their gain.

Through Christ, they have found hope, peace and joy—and it is this gift that gives them their passion. Persecuted Christians are compelled to share Jesus Christ with a lost and dying world—silence is simply not an option.

2 Corinthians 4:6-7

What is persecution?

The Bible League defines persecuted Christians as those who suffer because of their faith in Jesus Christ.

Such persecution may take place at the hands of government officials, members of other religions, family members, or any other group that discriminates against evangelical Christianity.

In some parts of the world, persecution takes places as the result of govern­mental policies or decrees. In other regions, Christians suffer at the hands of their families and communities—in spite of national freedom of religion.

Persecution can also take various forms. Suffering may manifest itself through regulated or restricted activity, isolation or abandonment, jail time, physical abuse, or the ultimate price—death.

But whomever the source, whatever the form, one thing is constant—the suffering is real, and the suffering is extreme.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Justified suffering

It’s difficult to say why any man would cause pain to another over religious beliefs. That anyone would be capable of this cruelty seems unfathomable.

Yet in the minds of perpetrators, inflicting turmoil on Christians is perfectly justifiable. The precise rationale for persecution varies from case to case, but there are at least three common motivators: Christianity is seen as a threat to the government or political system; Christianity is seen as a threat to the cultural heritage of a country; or Christianity is seen as a false or competitive religion.

Philippians 1:12-14, 20-21

1A.      Christianity is seen as a threat to the government or political system.

Local, and even national, government officials sometimes restrict Christian practices because they believe religious faith undermines the unity of a nation. If a man is fully devoted to God, they say, he is unable to give his whole allegiance to his country.

In some areas of Southeast Asia, for example, Christians are not allowed to gather together for worship. Ironically, the constitutions of many of these countries allow for freedom of religion. But what’s put into practice is a different story …

A Bible League-trained Christian from Southeast Asia reports that he was recently held prisoner while holding a Bible study in his home. Local officials nailed all of the doors and windows shut, so that the group was unable to any obtain food or water. The greatest torture, however, was not the lack of nourishment, but the uncertainty of the situation. For three terrifying days, the group feared that the house would be set ablaze—as they had seen done many times before.

On the other hand, governments sometimes regulate, rather than completely restrict, Christian worship. Christians are allowed to meet together—as long as it is through government-sanctioned, registered churches. Such is the case in parts of Central Asia, or in China—where Christians are limited to gathering through the theologically watered-down Three-Self Patriotic movement.

Determined to praise God and study His Word, millions of Chinese Christians are meeting secretly in underground house churches—in spite of the threat of imprisonment, or worse. Stories of Christians like Liwei, a Bible League-trained Bible study leader, are not at all uncommon…

“One day, we preached the Gospel in a woman’s home. Just while we were praising God and explaining the meaning of the song, several uniformed police appeared. They demanded to know what type of movement we belonged to and what kind of propaganda we were spreading … They told us to leave the place and to stop going anywhere to share the Good News.”

2 Corinthians 4:10-12

2A.      Christianity is seen as a threat to the cultural heritage of a country.

One of the primary regions for persecution around the world is that it is believed to be a threat to the “traditional” way of life. A new believer is treated as a traitor—he has deliberately turned his back on his country, his community, and his family.

This rationale is often accompanied by extreme bitterness for any country that would threaten to infiltrate or control. Central Asians, for example, are desperately seeking to find their own unique identity after decades of control from the former Soviet Union. They believe Christianity to be an intruding religion from the West, and they resent when their countrymen turn to it. In trying to prevent this “intrusion,” governments have enacted restrictive laws, communities have treated Christians as outcasts, and family members have severely beaten their own brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters.

A recent report from Central Asia tells how police raided a group of Christians during a Bible study, and the entire group was taken for intense interrogation. After their release, the pastor was held in custody because he refused to sign a statement that he would discontinue holding religious meetings. In the news coverage that followed, the pastor was described as a “traitor…bought off by foreigners.”

Often times, this rationale goes hand in hand with the fact that Christianity is seen as a false or competitive religion. In many countries, religion and culture become so closely intertwined that it’s hard to distinguish the root motivation for persecution.

Such is the case in the areas of Mexico where suffering occurs. Among some of the indigenous tribes, a religion is practiced that is very unique to the culture of these people. On the surface it appears as if they are practicing Catholicism, as is common throughout this country. In reality, a mix of animism and spiritualism has diluted their rituals and worship to the point where it no longer resembles the teachings of the Bible.

When Mexicans of these tribes give their hearts to Jesus, their worship and behavior dramatically changes. With God’s Word as their guide, they are able to separate paganistic practices from true Christianity. Many times, this development is viewed as an insult to their families, friends, and communities.

Compass news service reports that more than 80 adults and children were recently threatened by expulsion from their homes in a small Mexican village. This same group of evangelical Christians has faced persecution in the form of kidnapping and jail time. At least seven of them, including a six-month-old baby, were tortured while in captivity.

2 Corinthians 4:13-14

3A.      Christianity is seen as a false or competitive religion.

The Truth of the Gospel stands in direct conflict with the teachings of this world—so for people immersed in the world, the Bible is a threat to everything they know to be real. And this threat is magnified tenfold when a person’s ”reality” is a different religion.

In several countries, the clash between Christianity and other major world religions and philosophies has had devastating results. Religious zealots, in an effort to protect themselves and others from contradicting ideas, have sought to stop the spread of God’s Word—by any means possible.

Such is the case in Africa.

The continent of Africa has an indivisible, but easily identifiable, persecution line that stretches eastward from Sierra Leone to the Indian Ocean. North of this line, the population is almost entirely Muslim—south of this line, the majority is Christian. Christians that live in countries near this line face persecution on an almost daily basis.

Ajani, a Bible League-trained worker in Nigeria, is one of these Christians. Ajani came from a prominent Muslim family. He had even received university training in Islamic Religion and had gone on to become a lecturer and scholar. But Ajani was not beyond the reach of God.

When Ajani came to faith in Christ, his family thought he was crazy. His wife and family left him, and because his parents disowned him, he forfeited an inheritance from his father. Ajani became so poor that he was not even able to feed himself. He was soon chased out of his community.

Ironically, some of the most intense persecution does not come from other world religions, but from within the Christian faith.

For some churches, Christianity has been reduced from a relationship with God to a series of rituals and religious requirements. When evangelical Christians seek to bring others into a meaningful relationship with the living Savior, these churches—unbelievably—feel that someone has stepped upon their turf.

This appalling trend in persecution is especially prevalent in Central and Eastern Europe. For centuries, the Orthodox Church has been the dominant church in this region, with millions claiming this as their denomination. However, only a small proportion of this number is actively practicing the faith.

Nonetheless, Orthodox priests are overly possessive about their communities.  In many cases, this is not so much about maintaining their congregation as it is about maintaining the finances. As long as the Orthodox priests were the only officiates around, they were able to charge significant fees for services like weddings, baptisms, and funerals. To lose church members is not only to lose pew-fillers, but also a source of income.

Aidan, Bible League-trained worker in Romania, recounts a horrific encounter he had with an Orthodox priest:

“As we were visiting a family, the priest, his assistant, and a bunch of young people burst in and forced us out. They started to push us, kick us, shout hysterically at us, and make false charges.

“The priest hit me with his silver cross on my mouth and started to force it into my mouth while yelling at me that the village is ‘his harvest.’”

2 Corinthians 4:15

Romans 8:31-39 (NASB) 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Corinthians 4:16-17

Application

“We don’t pray for it to stop”

While Christians around the world face persecution on a daily basis, their extraordinary faith continues to build. Amazingly, the Church in persecuted countries is growing faster and stronger than in areas where Christianity is practiced openly. In China alone, there are an estimated 80 million Christians, with more than 45 million of them meeting in underground house churches.

More incredible is the recurring theme in letters and testimonies from persecuted Christians. Time and time again, persecuted Christians express that they are not praying for their suffering to end. They feel it is an honor to suffer for the One who died for them. Moreover, they know that what happens here on earth is only temporary—it is God who gives eternal life.

Instead, persecuted Christians ask that that we pray for their endurance—that they will continue to praise God and share His hope with others, no matter what the cost. They pray that Christ will be glorified through their faithful service to Him.