© Eric Schumacher – Preached November 12, 2006 at Northbrook Baptist Church, Cedar Rapids
This morning, the second Sunday in November, is a Sunday that many ministries have set aside as The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. It is a Sunday to remember and to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are paying the ultimate cost for following Jesus Christ.
Christian persecution does exist today. In fact, more Christians were killed for their faith in the twentieth century than in all nineteen centuries combined. I want to begin this morning by reading you just a few stories from this past year:
The Australian reports on a trial from events that occurred in October of 2005:
1. Do not be surprised by them.
1 John 3:13 says, “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.” 1 Peter 4:12 says, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”
It might be easy to be surprised by persecution. After all, we live in the twenty-first century. This sort of thing should not happen any more. Moreover, we follow the risen King of the universe! Surely, if he loves us, he would not allow us to suffer. Nothing could be further from the truth.
We should not be surprised by the persecution of the church, because our Lord told his disciples that this is exactly what we should expect:
In 1 Thessalonians 3:1-3, Paul told the church not to be moved from the faith by their afflictions, reminding them that “you yourselves know that we are destined for this.”
In 2 Timothy 3:12, Paul reminded young Timothy that, “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
The peace and lack of fierce persecution that we enjoy in America is foreign to biblical thought. Jesus was brutally honest with his disciples. When he called them to follow him, he called them to take up their cross and die. We should not be surprised when his words prove true.
2. Remember them.
In Colossians 4:18, Paul tells the church, “Remember my chains.”
Imagine that today, on their way home from church, your father or mother, brother or sister, son or daughter is stopped by a police officer. Upon seeing their Bible and learning that they are returning from church, he arrests them and throws them in jail where they are left without food, water or clothing and are tortured until they renounce Christ. How often would think of them? You would think of them constantly, wouldn’t you?
Or, imagine that this happened to you. How often would you think of your imprisonment? Constantly! Why? Because it is you in prison. Because it is your body being tortured and starved. You would have no choice but to be constantly aware of your mistreatment.
This is how often you should remember the persecuted church. In Hebrews 13:3, the author exhorts his listeners: “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.” You are to remember the persecuted church as though you were right there in prison with them. You are to remember them “since you also are in the body.” That is part of your body, that is your brother or sister who, halfway around the world, is in prison and being mistreated because of his or her faith in Christ. Do you remember them?
If you would remember your biological brother or sister, who will only be your sibling for a few short years on earth, how can you neglect to remember the one who is your brother or sister for eternity in the family of God?
3. Research them.
The early Christians researched the persecuted church:
It is hard—no, impossible to remember someone if you do not know that they exist. So, we should do all we can to find out about the condition and treatment of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. Genuine concern is the natural overflow of love for the family of Christ.
I would encourage you to subscribe to the newsletters (often free newsletters) of organizations, such as The Voice of the Martyrs and Open Doors, who research, report, and react to the persecution of the church. Write them and ask for their newsletters to be sent to you.
The Voice of the Martyrs
P.O. Box 54
Caney, KS 67333
800/747-0085
thevoice@vom-usa.org
www.persecution.com
Open Doors USA
PO Box 27001
Santa Ana, CA 92799
usa@opendoors.org
www.opendoorsusa.org
4. Pray for them.
Pray for their leaders:
1 Timothy 2:1-2 tells us that we should pray for “kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” We should pray that God would ordain leaders in those nations who will allow religious freedom so that persecution will end and the church can live godly lives in peace.
Pray for their deliverance:The early church was not above praying for God to release those who are persecuted. In Acts 12:5-12 we read, “So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.” When Peter was imprisoned, the church made “earnest prayer to God” on his behalf. In response to that prayer, God sent an angel to free Peter. Does the church in America ever gather to make earnest prayer on behalf of our imprisoned brothers and sisters around the world? (Does the church even know that we have imprisoned brothers and sisters around the world?) It may be an indication of self-centeredness and a “love grown cold” when a church (or a Christian) is ignorant and prayerless in the face of persecuted Christians. If we show more concern for how we will commemorate Christmas (at church and in home) than we show concern over our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ, then our interests are out-of-balance when compared to those of the early church recorded in the Bible.
The Apostle Paul sought to be free from imprisonment and requested the prayers of the church.
Pray for their witness:In Ephesians 6:18-20, Paul requested of the church, "[pray for me], that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak."
We should pray that the persecuted church would be bold in their witness and that through it the world would come to believe in Christ.
5. Have generous compassion on them.
In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus speaks of his judgment of mankind at his coming. He says that the King will receive into his kingdom those who visited him while he was in prison, naked, and without food (just as much of the church around the world is today). He says, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to the least of these [brothers of mine], you did it to me.” Our care for or neglect of the persecuted church is nothing less than our care for or neglect of the Lord Jesus Christ. How are you loving Christ?
If we love Christ, then we will love his church and will be like the saints in Macedonia, who Paul spoke of in 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, who “gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own free will, begging earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints.” Do you “beg earnestly” to take part in relieving the suffering of Christ’s body?
6. Encourage them.
Much of the New Testament, such as the books of Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, were written to encourage the suffering church to remain firm in their faith. We find many passages written and spoken for the purpose of encouraging persecuted Christians.
Close your eyes and imagine this situation. You and one hundred other Christians are arrested for your faith and imprisoned in a concentration camp. One morning you are all tied, beaten and then lined up on the ground. An officer with a rifle walks to the beginning of the line and begins shooting the prisoners in the back of the head one by one. You are about seventy-five people down the line. Within two minutes he will shoot you. As you lie there, blindfolded, hearing the shots ring out and people crying, you hear the man next to speaking to you, from memory:
That would be encouraging, wouldn’t it?
You see, books like Revelation were not written so that comfortable, persecution free American Christians could dispute timelines and enjoy a series of imaginative novels. This Revelation was given to and written down by John, who called himself, “your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance.” The Bible was written by suffering Christians for suffering Christians to encourage them.
We should follow this lead in two ways. First, we should write the persecuted church to let them know that they are not forgotten and to encourage them to continue in the faith. Second, we should support agencies that get them God’s word. They need the warnings, reminders and promises of Scripture to help them to endure to the end.
7. Visit them.
In 1 Thessalonians 3:1-3, Paul writes, “we sent Timothy, our brother and God's coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, that no one be moved by these afflictions.”
Apparently, letters were not enough. Paul saw it as necessary that suffering Christians receive face-to-face encouragement. So, he sent Timothy to them.
That is just one of many occasions where this happens (cf Acts 14:21-22; 2 Corinthians 7:5-7; Philippians 2:19; Colossians 4:7-9; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-10; 2 Timothy 1:4) I have heard of churches sending members around the world to simply visit persecuted Christians to encourage them. I used to think this was wasteful—we should use our money on unreached people, not on visiting those who have the Scripture and know Christ! I don’t think it is wasteful anymore. I think it is biblical. We ought to be involved in sending people to encourage the persecuted church.
Of course, if you visit the persecuted church there is a possibility that you will suffer. This should not hinder us. This is why my eighth response is:
8. Join them.
Far from avoiding suffering, we should join the church in suffering. Hebrews 10:32-34 says that by ministering to the persecuted church, the believers became “partners with those so treated.”
We also read the example of Moses in Hebrews 11:24: “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.”
Instead of being ashamed of them (cf 2 Timothy 1:8; 2 Timothy 1:16-18; Hebrews 2:11; Hebrews 11:16), we are commanded to share in their suffering. Listen to these texts:
But, we also can join them in suffering by denying ourselves certain comforts in order to help those who are suffering:
9. Talk about them.
Hebrews 11, the “Hall of Faith” is a list of saints who trusted God despite suffering. It was given to encourage the suffering church. Paul frequently told one church about the suffering of another:
He did this to encourage the church. There is something both sobering and encouraging in hearing about those who persevere in their faith despite horrific suffering. We need to hear about the persecuted church. So, let’s learn about it and share about it.
10. Work for their relief.
It is sinful not to help a persecuted brother or sister. In 2 Timothy 4:16, Paul said, “At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them!” In saying “May it not be charged against them,” what does Paul mean except that it is a sin that could be charged against them. Let us not be guilty of failing to stand by our persecuted brothers and sisters.
Scripture commands:
Many of those organizations do work for the relief of the persecuted church and they give options for how you can join them, often through letter writing. Let’s not wait for the government and secular human rights organizations to speak and act. Let’s be first in line to rescue our brothers and sisters in chains.
So, there are ten biblical ways to respond to the church in chains. Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” The body of Christ is suffering, how will you respond to him?
This morning, the second Sunday in November, is a Sunday that many ministries have set aside as The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. It is a Sunday to remember and to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are paying the ultimate cost for following Jesus Christ.
Christian persecution does exist today. In fact, more Christians were killed for their faith in the twentieth century than in all nineteen centuries combined. I want to begin this morning by reading you just a few stories from this past year:
The Australian reports on a trial from events that occurred in October of 2005:
Three Christian high school girls were beheaded as a Ramadan "trophy" by Indonesian militants who conceived the idea after a visit to Philippines jihadists, a court heard yesterday.BosNewsLife reports on these events from Baghdad, Iraq, which occurred less than two weeks ago:
The girls' severed heads were dumped in plastic bags in their village in Indonesia's strife-torn Central Sulawesi province, along with a handwritten note threatening more such attacks.
The note read: "Wanted: 100 more Christian heads, teenaged or adult, male or female; blood shall be answered with blood, soul with soul, head with head."
There was mounting international concern Tuesday, October 31, about the persecution of Christian teenagers in Iraq amid reports that a 14-year old boy was beheaded while a 13-year-old girl is being held in prison.It is important that we hear these stories. However, hearing them is not enough. We are called to respond. So, I want to ask this question this morning: How do we respond to the persecuted church? And, having asked the question, I want to give answers, ten answer, ten ways that we should respond to the persecuted church.
Christian Assyrian Ayad Tariq from Baqouba in was beheaded by militants earlier this month while working his 12-hour shift maintaining an electric generator, said the online Christian Assist News Service (ANS), citing Assyrian Christians.
One employee who witnessed the events was quoted as saying that the insurgents questioned Ayad after seeing that his Identity Document noted he was "Christian."
The militants allegedly asked the boy if he was really a "Christian sinner."
Ayad reportedly replied, "Yes, I am Christian, but I am not a sinner." The insurgents apparently said, "dirty Christian sinner!". They proceeded by holding one of the boy’s limbs, shouting "Allahu akbar! " or "'God’ is Great'", while beheading him, ANS said. There was no immediate independent confirmation of the report, but BosNewsLife established a rise in similar incidents against Christian teenagers.
Already in 2004, October 5, Christian residents near in northern Iraq, discovered body of Fadi Shamoon, 15, who was found burned after he was beheaded, Assyrian Christians said. "The 'Aaid Khidir Shamoon family was devastated as they witnessed the body of their 15-years-old son," recalled the Assyrian International News Agency.
There were up to 750,000 Christians when the conflict began in Iraq, but church observers say that number dwindled in recent months as bloodshed spreads in several areas of the troubled nation.
1. Do not be surprised by them.
1 John 3:13 says, “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.” 1 Peter 4:12 says, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”
It might be easy to be surprised by persecution. After all, we live in the twenty-first century. This sort of thing should not happen any more. Moreover, we follow the risen King of the universe! Surely, if he loves us, he would not allow us to suffer. Nothing could be further from the truth.
We should not be surprised by the persecution of the church, because our Lord told his disciples that this is exactly what we should expect:
Matthew 10:17-25 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. …Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.Persecution is also what the authors of the New Testament told us to expect. In Acts 14:21-22, Paul encouraged the early church to continue in the faith and reminded them that “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”
John 16:2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.
In 1 Thessalonians 3:1-3, Paul told the church not to be moved from the faith by their afflictions, reminding them that “you yourselves know that we are destined for this.”
In 2 Timothy 3:12, Paul reminded young Timothy that, “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
The peace and lack of fierce persecution that we enjoy in America is foreign to biblical thought. Jesus was brutally honest with his disciples. When he called them to follow him, he called them to take up their cross and die. We should not be surprised when his words prove true.
2. Remember them.
In Colossians 4:18, Paul tells the church, “Remember my chains.”
Imagine that today, on their way home from church, your father or mother, brother or sister, son or daughter is stopped by a police officer. Upon seeing their Bible and learning that they are returning from church, he arrests them and throws them in jail where they are left without food, water or clothing and are tortured until they renounce Christ. How often would think of them? You would think of them constantly, wouldn’t you?
Or, imagine that this happened to you. How often would you think of your imprisonment? Constantly! Why? Because it is you in prison. Because it is your body being tortured and starved. You would have no choice but to be constantly aware of your mistreatment.
This is how often you should remember the persecuted church. In Hebrews 13:3, the author exhorts his listeners: “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.” You are to remember the persecuted church as though you were right there in prison with them. You are to remember them “since you also are in the body.” That is part of your body, that is your brother or sister who, halfway around the world, is in prison and being mistreated because of his or her faith in Christ. Do you remember them?
If you would remember your biological brother or sister, who will only be your sibling for a few short years on earth, how can you neglect to remember the one who is your brother or sister for eternity in the family of God?
3. Research them.
The early Christians researched the persecuted church:
Acts 15:36 And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are."If it were your biological brother or sister in being mistreated in prison, you would not only remember them constantly, but you would devote yourself to finding out about their condition. Should we not do as much for our eternal brothers and sisters?
1 Thessalonians 3:5-7 For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent [Timothy] to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.
Ephesians 6:21-22 So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts.
Philippians 2:19-20 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.
It is hard—no, impossible to remember someone if you do not know that they exist. So, we should do all we can to find out about the condition and treatment of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. Genuine concern is the natural overflow of love for the family of Christ.
I would encourage you to subscribe to the newsletters (often free newsletters) of organizations, such as The Voice of the Martyrs and Open Doors, who research, report, and react to the persecution of the church. Write them and ask for their newsletters to be sent to you.
The Voice of the Martyrs
P.O. Box 54
Caney, KS 67333
800/747-0085
thevoice@vom-usa.org
www.persecution.com
Open Doors USA
PO Box 27001
Santa Ana, CA 92799
usa@opendoors.org
www.opendoorsusa.org
4. Pray for them.
Pray for their leaders:
1 Timothy 2:1-2 tells us that we should pray for “kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” We should pray that God would ordain leaders in those nations who will allow religious freedom so that persecution will end and the church can live godly lives in peace.
Pray for their deliverance:The early church was not above praying for God to release those who are persecuted. In Acts 12:5-12 we read, “So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.” When Peter was imprisoned, the church made “earnest prayer to God” on his behalf. In response to that prayer, God sent an angel to free Peter. Does the church in America ever gather to make earnest prayer on behalf of our imprisoned brothers and sisters around the world? (Does the church even know that we have imprisoned brothers and sisters around the world?) It may be an indication of self-centeredness and a “love grown cold” when a church (or a Christian) is ignorant and prayerless in the face of persecuted Christians. If we show more concern for how we will commemorate Christmas (at church and in home) than we show concern over our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ, then our interests are out-of-balance when compared to those of the early church recorded in the Bible.
The Apostle Paul sought to be free from imprisonment and requested the prayers of the church.
Romans 15:30-32 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea...
2 Corinthians 1:8-11 On [God] we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer…
Philippians 1:19 I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance.
2 Thessalonians 3:1-2 pray for us…that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men.
Pray for their witness:In Ephesians 6:18-20, Paul requested of the church, "[pray for me], that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak."
We should pray that the persecuted church would be bold in their witness and that through it the world would come to believe in Christ.
5. Have generous compassion on them.
2 Timothy 1:16-18 May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me--may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that Day!--and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.Compassionate love for their imprisoned brothers and sisters in the faith was the hallmark of early Christianity. Hebrews 10:32-34 says to the early church, “you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.” They were willing to suffer persecution and plundering for the sake of showing compassion to their imprisoned brothers and sisters in Christ.
Romans 12:13 Contribute to the needs of the saints...
1 John 3:16-17 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?
In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus speaks of his judgment of mankind at his coming. He says that the King will receive into his kingdom those who visited him while he was in prison, naked, and without food (just as much of the church around the world is today). He says, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to the least of these [brothers of mine], you did it to me.” Our care for or neglect of the persecuted church is nothing less than our care for or neglect of the Lord Jesus Christ. How are you loving Christ?
If we love Christ, then we will love his church and will be like the saints in Macedonia, who Paul spoke of in 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, who “gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own free will, begging earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints.” Do you “beg earnestly” to take part in relieving the suffering of Christ’s body?
6. Encourage them.
Much of the New Testament, such as the books of Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, were written to encourage the suffering church to remain firm in their faith. We find many passages written and spoken for the purpose of encouraging persecuted Christians.
Romans 8:31-39 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 Peter 4:14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
Matthew 5:11-12 Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Close your eyes and imagine this situation. You and one hundred other Christians are arrested for your faith and imprisoned in a concentration camp. One morning you are all tied, beaten and then lined up on the ground. An officer with a rifle walks to the beginning of the line and begins shooting the prisoners in the back of the head one by one. You are about seventy-five people down the line. Within two minutes he will shoot you. As you lie there, blindfolded, hearing the shots ring out and people crying, you hear the man next to speaking to you, from memory:
Revelation 19:11-21 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, "Come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great." And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.
That would be encouraging, wouldn’t it?
You see, books like Revelation were not written so that comfortable, persecution free American Christians could dispute timelines and enjoy a series of imaginative novels. This Revelation was given to and written down by John, who called himself, “your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance.” The Bible was written by suffering Christians for suffering Christians to encourage them.
We should follow this lead in two ways. First, we should write the persecuted church to let them know that they are not forgotten and to encourage them to continue in the faith. Second, we should support agencies that get them God’s word. They need the warnings, reminders and promises of Scripture to help them to endure to the end.
7. Visit them.
In 1 Thessalonians 3:1-3, Paul writes, “we sent Timothy, our brother and God's coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, that no one be moved by these afflictions.”
Apparently, letters were not enough. Paul saw it as necessary that suffering Christians receive face-to-face encouragement. So, he sent Timothy to them.
That is just one of many occasions where this happens (cf Acts 14:21-22; 2 Corinthians 7:5-7; Philippians 2:19; Colossians 4:7-9; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-10; 2 Timothy 1:4) I have heard of churches sending members around the world to simply visit persecuted Christians to encourage them. I used to think this was wasteful—we should use our money on unreached people, not on visiting those who have the Scripture and know Christ! I don’t think it is wasteful anymore. I think it is biblical. We ought to be involved in sending people to encourage the persecuted church.
Of course, if you visit the persecuted church there is a possibility that you will suffer. This should not hinder us. This is why my eighth response is:
8. Join them.
Far from avoiding suffering, we should join the church in suffering. Hebrews 10:32-34 says that by ministering to the persecuted church, the believers became “partners with those so treated.”
We also read the example of Moses in Hebrews 11:24: “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.”
Instead of being ashamed of them (cf 2 Timothy 1:8; 2 Timothy 1:16-18; Hebrews 2:11; Hebrews 11:16), we are commanded to share in their suffering. Listen to these texts:
2 Timothy 1:8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of GodI think that these primarily refer to sharing in suffering by living with the same boldness, preaching the same gospel and engaging in the same ministry that brought Paul suffering.
2 Timothy 2:3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 4:5 As for you… endure suffering
But, we also can join them in suffering by denying ourselves certain comforts in order to help those who are suffering:
Romans 12:13, 15, 16 Contribute to the needs of the saints ... weep with those who weep. ...associate with the lowly.This is what it means to be one body in Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:24-27 But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
9. Talk about them.
Hebrews 11, the “Hall of Faith” is a list of saints who trusted God despite suffering. It was given to encourage the suffering church. Paul frequently told one church about the suffering of another:
2 Thessalonians 1:3-4 Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.
2 Corinthians 1:8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia.
Philippians 1:12-14 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
Ephesians 6:22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts.
1 Peter 5:9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
He did this to encourage the church. There is something both sobering and encouraging in hearing about those who persevere in their faith despite horrific suffering. We need to hear about the persecuted church. So, let’s learn about it and share about it.
10. Work for their relief.
It is sinful not to help a persecuted brother or sister. In 2 Timothy 4:16, Paul said, “At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them!” In saying “May it not be charged against them,” what does Paul mean except that it is a sin that could be charged against them. Let us not be guilty of failing to stand by our persecuted brothers and sisters.
Scripture commands:
Proverbs 24:11 Rescue those who are being taken away to death
Psalm 82:3-4 Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
Many of those organizations do work for the relief of the persecuted church and they give options for how you can join them, often through letter writing. Let’s not wait for the government and secular human rights organizations to speak and act. Let’s be first in line to rescue our brothers and sisters in chains.
So, there are ten biblical ways to respond to the church in chains. Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” The body of Christ is suffering, how will you respond to him?
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