This morning (3/1) I went to church in Phuket, Thailand. The pastor is from Malaysia, but has lived in Thailand for 7 years with his wife. I’m sitting here in his church of 5 people listening to him talk about persecution in its relation to John 15:18-25. Then I just got hit with a dumbfounded weight; like the kind where your mouth just drops to the ground. Persecution. Do I even have grounds to understand this concept? Sometimes its hard to comprehend why I was born in America and someone else wasn’t. Why do people have to suffer in such extreme measures? Why is my life easier than most?
As we’ve been on the race, I’ve seen and heard about people being persecuted for loving Jesus and following him with their whole life. Many have lost their family because of their decision to follow the one true King. It’s hard to relate or understand this because I personally have not had to deal with this.
The verse that hit me like a ton of bricks was John 16:2. It says, “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.” I couldn’t help but apply that verse to my life. What would it even be like to be thrown out of the synagogues? Well, I didn’t really know – so I looked it up. It seems pretty simple from commentaries I read. God was telling his disciples and followers of Him what could happen to them. He was foretelling it so they were ready and not surprised. Getting thrown out of the synagogues was more than a physical kicking out – they were excommunicated. Outlaws. For the name of Jesus. I hope this is making sense and you’re feeling the weight that I feel.
Then I just kept thinking about how this applies to me in the United States. Will I get thrown out of the synagogues in America? Maybe, but we don’t really get persecuted for our faith, comparatively. It may not be fully accepted by everyone but no one usually dies for the name of Jesus. Are there people that are willing and ready at any time? Absolutely. We ALL should be ready for that to be a reality.
I honestly would not be ready. I don’t know if anyone is ready for that?
Will I get thrown out of the synagogues? Probably not. Are Christians around the world today getting thrown out of the synagogues? Absolutely. They are getting thrown in jail, taken away from their families, or killed.
I wanted to give you all some statistics in 2019 alone from OpenDoor of what our world faces today for claiming the name of Christ.
245 Million: In the top 50 World Watch List countries alone, 245 million Christians in the world experience high levels of persecution for their choice to follow Christ.
1 in 9: Christians worldwide experience high levels of persecution
14%: The rise in the number of Christians in the top 50 countries on the 2019 World Watch List (WWL) who experience high levels of persecution (from the 2018 reporting period to 2019’s).
4,136: Christians killed for faith-related reasons in the top 50 WWL countries.
2,625: Christians detained without trial, arrested, sentenced and imprisoned in the top 50 WWL countries.
1,266: churches or Christian buildings attacked in the top 50 WWL countries.
7 out of 10: In seven of the countries in the World Watch List’s top 10, the primary cause of persecution is Islamic oppression.
11: countries scoring in the “extreme” level for their persecution of Christians. Five years ago, North Korea was the only one.
11: Christians killed every day for their faith, in the two 50 WWL countries.
Will I ever get thrown outside of the synagogues? No, probably not, but I should be ready at all time to defend the word of God. The truth. We need to remember and be encouraged by John 15:18-19 “if the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”
Things that need to be remembered and considered:
? Because of the fall, the world is filled with darkness and sin.
? We will be hated in this world because we are set apart. HE FREAKING CHOSE US.
? We are a chosen and royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9).
? We should be encouraged by standing firm in our faith and convictions because we KNOW God is faithful. (Ephesians 6:13)
? Jesus is perfect. We are humans. We need to expect the backlash that people will give us because we are not perfect. (Hebrews 12-1:3).
Persecution is real. It has been experienced since the beginning. I don’t understand it and it hurts. But it’s real.
I am thankful for this year; the Lord has really opened my eyes to many things around the world. I need to continue to debrief and journal through what this year has taught me. I have 58 days to do that before I am back on American soil. So, I should probably get to it!
A couple things I DO KNOW:
? God’s word is alive. It is my lifeline. He is my lifeline.
? I TRUST Him and his plan for my life.
? I love the Father more than my own life.
Until next time,
Lauren
