Have you ever felt so convicted by someone else’s life that you question the importance of the plans you have for your own? Basically, have you ever met someone persecuted for the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Sure, plenty of us have read stories, scripture, and thought about the idea of persecution, but to actually meet a person that’s living in it, is a whole other story. To meet someone that faces the possibilities of mental and physical abuse for the sake of Christ everyday has made me ask myself, “What am I doing with my life? Why am I not doing this myself?” Not to mention the people reached, that get converted, what they face everyday.
It makes me wonder about the free world. The most we face “persecution” wise, on average, in the U.S. maybe loosing a few friends, getting called close minded, getting kicked out of our house, or loosing our Job. Not to say that those don’t mean anything to God, but the reality is that how much more does it take to know that the God you have chosen could literally cost you your life the next day. It makes me wonder if religious freedom is really all its amped up to be, or is it, dare I ask, something that hinders and makes it seem like our faith is a lot stronger than what it actually is.
We think about persecution and talk about how it’s a great honor. If you ask me martyrdom is the highest honor as a Christian. To die for the One who died for you.
- The real challenge is when the opportunity arises to be in a ministry where that is a possibility, where the risk of sharing the gospel with these people could mean our life, do we take advantage? Or do we do something else? And when we do that something else why did we choose it instead of the former opportunity?
- The other mental and spiritual challenge is if we were ever in a persecuting situation like folks in closed countries, would we choose fight (Claim Christ as Lord and Savior and face the dangers that lie ahead) or flight (find a way out to avoid pain and suffering).
This is what goes through my mind when considering a life of ministry in a closed country. If I consider the latter from the first challenge, am I denying the opportunity to glorify God? Sure, God will be glorified through other things that we do, but is it better to glorify Him by putting everything (our lives) on the line for Christ’s name sake? It also makes me wonder about the greatest commandment.
“’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’” – Mark 12:30
Am I doing that? Am I still doing that if I’m not risking flesh and bone for His glory? Am I still obeying if I’m not leaving all I have to evangelize in a country so hungry for the gospel, they will be murdered for it? And it’s not a performance issue. I’m a strong believer that we, often times, label good strong convictions with title performance issues.
Ultimately the reality is that it is only by God’s strength that we can claim His Holy name in the face of persecution. It is by God’s Holy Spirit that we can look into the face of the enemy and say, “Yes, I am an ambassador of Christ.” If we aren’t able to even save ourselves from sin in the first place, what makes us think that claiming Christ as our Lord and Savior is by our own strength? It is by the grace of God that you have been saved, and it is by His strength through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and His Holy Spirit that you will be able to stand up in the face of persecution.
Be blessed,
Steven Buffington
