It's easy to question the logic that a loving father who died for us would permit persecution to bestow among his most committed children. This is what scares people away from Christ nowadays. Well folks there is one way and one way only to stop our fears... Preach the gospel and make the world full of believers...
You might doubt and question God's love unto you as I did before. Yet it is now that I've seen the answers in front of my eyes. To the real world it is an outright miracle for Christianity to stand ground today despite being the most prosecuted religion in the world. From the early days even the days of the bible men and women of God have been killed and persecuted for their faith. Jesus Christ was flogged and crucified, Stephen was stoned and Apostle Paul was crucified upside down. And the list goes on...
One time a guest speaker asks us to mean what we sing. We sing of laying our life on the altar, bowing our knees at the cross, giving up our life for Jesus... Which sum up to one conclusion. We sing of laying our lives for Jesus yet we back up when things get a little bit unpleasant. Well brothers and sisters, isn't that call breaking a promise or covenant? Isn't that the sin known as lying. That means being a Christian who fears persecution so badly is a sinful act.
Jesus was also persecuted so badly for us. Aren't we supposed to be "imitators of God" and be persecuted to the bones ourselves.
Jesus also wants to see and uphold the righteous. Persecution is the test to determine who are the real believers who would sacrifice everything they've ever known for Jesus? It's easy to sing praise when everything is fine and dandy. When the going gets tough and the man still finds victory in Jesus, that's a righteous man.
For the early church, the act of martyrdom is an honor. Today, we flee and shriek at the sight of death regardless of the reason. Anyone who expects global salvation to be achieved without any form of martyrdom sacrifices is A FOOL. How can you fry an omelet without breaking the eggs first? How can you get the meat if you don't kill the lamb. Jesus was that lamb and his meat was many. His meat was life, hope and salvation. How can we stand here and have no desire of any part of it?
Like insects heading to the light to engage in mating, we head for Jesus. If bugs can see their friends being gobbled by predators and keep their destination straight just to mate, why can't we shrug off persecution for the sake of global salvation, unity between ourselves and God, to show our gratitude to Jesus, to do what Jesus wants?
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