Christian Persecution Hits Home

Matthew 10:26-33 Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

I was very busy at work the day I heard of the latest school shooting in Oregon. As much as it pains me to admit it, the news did not shock me as did the first time many years ago. This has become “normal” in our country, every couple of months someone looses their mind and kills the innocent; I cannot begin to fathom the level of evil in their hearts that moves them to such deeds. This is a sin problem, not a gun control problem, but proof of the power that Satan has in this world. Proof that his limited reign is peaking in my generation; proof that we are closer to Christ’s return with the evidence of our need for Him being presented. I truly believe that our nation is falling under the judgement of God, for we have turned our back on him and mocked him to the point of great idolatry, condoning murder in the ruse of choice, forsaking marriage and even the symbol of his promise to us of never flooding his creation again; we have mocked God. Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

The next day when I learned that the shooter directly targeted Christians, asking them to stand and proclaim, or renounce their faith in Jesus, I felt as though I had been gut punched. The evil persecution of Christians had reached my home soil; the evil that those in other parts of the world had broken the sanctity of our borders. This is only the beginning, only the first act of many, the reality of Christian persecution is about to hit home. Will you stand up for your faith? Will you die for your faith? Will you deny your Savior to save your children? What value do you put on eternity? What, or who, do you place higher than Him?

Look at the words of Jesus to his disciples above in Matthew. He is warning them of the hardships that they will face, of the persecution, but yet of the assurance they are under the care of God. God is in control, and when you grasp that understanding, of knowing the end result, you live your life differently. Paul suffered likely more than any other Christian, and he put it in Galatians 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. That is what Jesus is telling his disciples here in the gospel of Matthew; don’t fear the first death, but fear the second death. The first death here to the Christian disciple is the door to eternal paradise. What is the worst thing that can happen to you here when you die? You find yourself at the feet of Jesus in paradise! When you begin to grasp the security found in that understanding, you live your daily life differently. There is “liberty” as Paul proclaimed, freedom to the Christian that abides in Jesus. The fear of death is a hold Satan has upon you, a fear locked in sin, a door that can only be unlocked by the Gospel.