"I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." (John 17:14)"Wait, now ... hang on. We are promised to be hated by the world?" Yep. Another sure promise. It's odd, then, that we complain so much about it. It's strange that we whine because what Jesus said would be the case is the case.
No, it's not odd that we don't like being hated. What is odd is that we're surprised and even offended. Like Job told his wife, "Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" (Job 2:10). In fact, there is another promise associated with the one that says we'll be hated for His sake.
"Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man." (Luke 6:22)Interesting. "Blessed are you when men hate you ... for the sake of the Son of Man." Blessed? That's what He says. In the biblical version of "persecution" (versus our modern understanding), "persecution" ranges from martyrdom on down to "when people insult you" and "falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me" (Matt 5:11). Insults and false accusations count, in God's economy, as "persecution. And the proper response is, "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great ..." (Matt 5:12).
We face this kind of stuff almost every day. Followers of the "god of this world" hate us for being followers of Christ. So-called "Christians" berate us for being ... Christians. Jesus told us, "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword" (Matt 10:34). He said it was expected (Matt 10:35-36) and necessary (Matt 10:38). So, if you feel like the world hates you at times, relax. It's certainly true. Jesus said it would be. But, don't worry; rejoice. This world is not our home, and the difficulties we face for single-mindedly pursuing Christ produce great reward. So, let's quit complaining and start rejoicing.
I think the difficulty of accepting slander as persecution is the comparison to "real" persecution, where you lose safety, comfort, from, or even your life. It feels similar to when in a group prayer meeting and one person asks for prayer for their cancer-ridden body, and my biggest concern is having a happy marriage. In severity and urgency, the one doesn't come even close to comparing. But if we remember that God cares about you enough to even know the number of hairs in your head, then every persecution for the sake of Christ is worth enduring with joy.
ReplyDeleteJohn Crist has a bit where he talks about things he's not going to pray for, sometimes I agree. A guy in my Bible study wanted prayer because his vacation home was affected by one of the recent hurricanes, and all I could think of was how we should be praying for those who lost everything, or were without power, instead of him having to clean up the mess at his vacation home.
DeleteClearly Jesus speaks of slander as persecution, yet I agree that I have a hard time thinking that some internet rando telling lies about me compares to what's happening to Christians in Africa. It feels strange to put the two in the same sentence.
I saw the topic of this post as suffering under persecution for Christ, but since both David and Craig commented more along the lines of coping with general hardships, perhaps I missed something.
DeleteIn any event, I’ve seen the stand-up comedy bit by John Crist that Craig mentioned. I saw the humor in it, but it also made me wince. I couldn’t help but think that the attitude he was displaying would grieve the Holy Spirit (if it was in fact authentic and not merely a pretense for his act). I feel that no matter how trivial or groundless someone’s issues might seem to me, I can certainly pray sincerely for the person--in a desire to see Christian growth in them, empathy for them in me, and any form of glorification to God through the circumstance. It would not be loving for me to judge their concerns against those of others or to assume that I know all the circumstances of their personal situation. If I were truly seeking to express Christian love and concern for others, I am sure the Holy Spirit would show me some way to pray in response to any prayer request. (For example, for “the Goldsteins,” who John mentioned in his bit, perhaps they are Jewish or otherwise unsaved, so John could pray that his aunt’s neighbors will come to Christ and transfer their treasure from Boca Raton to heaven; not to mention the general safety of everyone in the area--even those with $5,000,000 homes who John deemed unworthy of his prayers.)
Also (coming back closer to the post’s topic), I agree with Craig’s comment that disagreeable online engagement isn’t necessarily persecution for Christ’s sake. I believe that it can be (as in the case of harassment directed towards solid discernment ministries), but unless the Gospel is being reviled, much of it strikes me as bickering and “foolish disputes” (addressed in 2 Tim. 2:23-26 and Tit. 3:9-11), which we sure do see a lot of out there.
Craig, I might be misinterpreting your comment, so I’ll double-check with you. Are you saying that you feel inclined to disregard your study-mate’s personal concern/prayer request about his property because there are others with more serious problems than his (as you see it)? Would you not be willing and able to pray for those with devastating damage and loss from the storms and also your study-mate, who also experienced damage (albeit less severe)?
DeleteLorna, Craig can answer for himself, but I've heard the comedian's bit that he referenced. In it, a mom asks for prayer for her teen because he's having a bad day ... he has tendonitis in his thumbs from holding the ipad. Comedy, yes, but sometimes you have to wonder, "Do you REALLY need prayer for that?"
DeleteTo reiterate, I didn’t see this post to be about praying for those with struggles (or prayer at all), but I saw that the comments seemed to compare those with “real” challenges to those with less “legitimate” ones. I get the point that was probably intended in those comments: that many of us can get consumed with our little problems while others are suffering in very real ways for Christ. This is no doubt true, but I still don’t think it would be loving for me to belittle anyone’s issues or prayer requests. (I wanted to express that response, even though it was to a side topic.) I also do concede that John Crist’s exaggeration for humor’s sake did effectively make his point--albeit one in a judgmental vein (and not related to persecution as Christians, of course).
DeleteI will share a personal remembrance that sprung to mind upon reading Craig’s comment. (Again, it doesn’t pertain to Christian persecution but to prayer requests, like his remark.) Many, many years ago, when I was a relatively new believer, I was part of a small informal prayer group meeting, which was being led by a man from our church who was home on furlough from missionary work. I recall sharing a prayer request for my husband and me, since we had just purchased our first house and were overwhelmed with all the paperwork, moving logistics, packing, and other related duties. The man leading the group just looked at me blankly, as if he were thinking, “well, that’s not important!” (“I’m not praying for that.”) (Perhaps he was thinking, “I see people on the mission field that don’t even have houses.”) I distinctly recall the way I felt when our prayer request was “overlooked.” The message was clear to me. This man was willing to travel halfway around the world to minister to strangers but not to two fellow Christians in his own neighborhood.
DeleteSo, yes, I fully see John Crist’s point of humor, but still, I am not going to adopt that mindset in any serious way but instead guard my heart from that kind of thinking.