2 Corinthians 4: 7-12 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
This is rather long, and not really a well crafted exposition of the scriptures - I simply just need to declare what the Spirit of God is speaking my spirit.
We’ve been talking a lot about revival around here lately….and we are certainly praying for revival and believing for revival and expecting revival. Often, our go-to resource has been the book of Acts and the early church. I want to share with you today some of the thoughts that have risen up in my spirit. I want to wax a bit prophetically to you today.
I am going to make a couple of statements that may be different that what you hear lately. No long setup; I’ll just jump right in with both feet. Despite what you hear - There is no religious persecution in America. It is all just a great big misunderstanding. Allow me to explain.
As I have read and re-read the first six chapters or so of the book of Acts, reading them over and over again, I have come to some insight into the lives of those early pioneers of our faith - but recently one thing stood out more powerfully than any - the remarkable absence of whining.
Those who followed Christ in the Book of Acts did so in a culture that was extremely hostile to them at every level. They were regularly dragged off the streets, thrown into prison, beaten, chained, and chastised for preaching the name of Jesus. I need to choose my words carefully here because it is important to note several things.
They were not arrested for engaging in religious activities.
They were not beaten for healing a man that was lame from his birth.
They were not imprisoned for speaking in tongues.
There was little acknowledgement that they engaged in such remarkable activities.
They were not persecuted because they were engaging in the practice of religion.
However - When they had the audacity to invoke the Name of Jesus all hell broke loose, literally.
When Peter and John were arrested after the healing of the lame man in Acts chapter 3, the “religious” crowd showed up, (and I particularly like the way the ESV translated Acts 4:2), “greatly annoyed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus, the resurrection from the dead.” In these brief passages I see over and over again two huge themes being amplified.
It Was Not Religious Persecution, but Jesus Persecution
These early believers were assaulted terribly, but not because they were religious, or practicing religion. They were not persecuted until they had the temerity to proclaim the Lordship of Jesus and His resurrection from the dead. It was not religious persecution at all, but “Jesus” persecution.
They were not being denied the opportunity to engage in religious pursuits. That they were doing “religious” things was not the issue. It was not even that they had apparently healed a man that was lame. The problem was that they were doing so in Jesus' name! In Acts 4:18, after being beaten, imprisoned, and beaten again - Peter and John were hauled before the council who “charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.”
We hear a lot about the loss of “religious freedom” in America. All over the place Christians are whining about the loss of their liberty in being able to freely practice their faith. But if you will watch carefully, you will understand that the push back in this country is not against RELIGION - but against JESUS and the audacity of those who claim the authority of His words. .
You can practice religion all you want in America; any kind of religion, regardless of how weird it might be. This nation LOVES religion. There is no curtailing of the teaching of ISLAM in America - none at all. As a matter of fact we are learning that the American education system is blissfully teaching our children all about ISLAM. Some schools have even installed Muslim prayer rooms in the public schools.
We have churches in our area that proudly sport Buddhist Peace Poles on their front lawn. The churches that are removing the cross and replacing it with a Rainbow Flag are under no pressure from the government to “cease and desist.” They are not being accused of bigotry and racism, or fanaticism. They are not being called haters, homophobes, or terrorists.
No my friend, there is not one iota of religious persecution in America. The faith under fire in America are those who stand on the authority of God’s Word and who steadfastly proclaim the Name of Jesus, His sacrifice for sin, and His resurrection from the dead, and the authority of His Word; in short, His Lordship over the earth.
So the problem is not that we are singing songs, praying prayers, holding meetings in the church or conducting religious rites and ceremonies. There is no issue with practicing our religion until we declare the supremacy of the Christian faith, and the authority of Jesus and His Word.
The organization that has named itself Freedom From Religion should more correctly identify itself as Freedom From Jesus.
This crowd is not suing Muslims,
they are not ripping Buddhist Peace Poles out of the ground,
the LGBTQ movement is not targeting Muslim bakeries or Imams demanding weddings in their mosques or at Buddhist retreats;
They are not boycotting and suing muslim bakers to bake at their weddings.
they are not launching legal missiles at the Supreme court in an effort to outlaw the practice of religion (despite the wording of the shingle on their law office).
They have one enemy and one target: the Name of Jesus.
This is precisely what Peter and John faced as they emerged from the flames of Pentecost: The abject rejection of and hatred for the Name of Jesus.
Imagine the shock of the religious crowd who had fancied themselves done with Jesus; or of the Roman government who were under the impression that Jesus was a dead issue. He was dead and buried and out of their hair when suddenly there were these “subversives” who were stirring up discontent and unrest in the Name of Jesus. Those who preached the name of Jesus were feared and compared to “terrorists” who were stirring up the people and seeking to overturn the order of things.
Here in America, those who proclaim the power and authority of the Name of Jesus are now considered to be terrorists, so designated by Homeland Security. Our military is being trained to treat Christians as “radicals” or “potential terrorists.”
No, not those who fly the Rainbow Flag or remove the Cross and make space in the church for Muslims to pray - only those who dare to declare that Jesus is Lord. Hillary Clinton, who has wanted so badly to be our president, has declared Christians need to be “re-educated” in order to fit into the new age of enlightenment.
So let us be clear. There is NO RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION in America. There is no desire to rob you of the right to practice religion - but you must leave Jesus out of it.
There was no whining!
The other thing that stands out to me in those early chapters of Acts is that there was no whining. There was no weeping and gnashing of teeth about the loss of religious freedom.
There were no mobs of the faithful lining the streets with placards of protest demanding that they be allowed to share their faith without retribution. There was no right-wing bloc threatening Caesar with the power of the Christian vote.
What we do see are men leaving the presence of the council, beaten and bloodied, “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name [of Jesus].” It did not come as a surprise to them. They were not shocked. They did not consider themselves to be victims, or that they were somehow being robbed of their rights.
Jesus had told them clearly, “In this world you shall have much tribulation.” He had expressly warned them, “They hate me, so they will hate you.” In Mark 13:9 Jesus clearly spoke and declared, “they will deliver you over to the councils and you will be beaten in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake.”
They were warned - they expected it - and they accepted it as their lot for choosing to follow Jesus.
Therefore, when ordered not to preach in the Name of Jesus they politely declined; choosing rather to be obedient to God and suffer the consequences. When warned that if they did not cease preaching in the Name of Jesus they would be beaten, imprisoned, and killed their prayer was, “And now Lord, behold their threats and grant unto your servants that with all boldness they may speak the word of God.” [see Acts 4:29-31]
They Lived Without Fear
As I meditate on these passages, I am struck by the contrast between those early believers and the trembling believers of today who fear we may lose the freedom to practice what we’ve lamely tried to pass off as “christianity.”
There was no prayer for deliverance from persecution.
There was no pleading for safety.
There was no prayer for ease, or liberty, or acceptance - they only prayed for BOLDNESS.
They prayed prayers that were more like -
“Lord, don’t let us panic in the face of the whip.”
“Help us not to wither before the onslaught. Give us boldness that we might not bend, or compromise, or worst of all - deny You.”
They did not complain. They did not hide. They murmured against neither God nor complained of the government. They simply “devoted themselves steadfastly to the teaching of the apostles, fellowship, communion, and prayer.” They carefully cared for one another, sacrificing their own possessions that those in need might have supply, and each and every day they made their way to the temple and gathered in homes to pray and fellowship; with glad, joyful, and thankful hearts openly rejoicing in the life they had gained in Christ (Acts 2:42-47)
These folks operated in an inhospitable environment, hostile to everything they were about; under threat of prison, the whip, and the sword.
They fellowshipped with nothing that even approximates the sterile environment of so called religious freedom that has been the home of Christianity in this nation. Their leaders were imprisoned, exiled, beheaded, and boiled in oil. Their loved ones were fed to the lions and burned on crosses as they sang hymns of praise; not because they were religious - but because they were Christians. They preached the gospel to governors and kings without fear or intimidation and declared the message of salvation through Jesus Christ, the risen Savior without apology or compromise and it is said of the church in that hour, “the Lord added daily to the church such as should be saved.” Under such hardship, the church grew with exponential ferocity.
We talk today of the dying church. We hear that the church in America is dead. Let me tell you why: Much of the church has suffocated in the vacuum of comfort and acceptance, choosing wealth and ease rather than holiness, unwilling to bear in our own bodies the marks of Christ.
What may have been a great gift whereby we might with unfettered opportunity take the gospel to the nations, has in fact become the instrument of our demise. It is the illusion of religious freedom that is the sword that has shut up the mouth of the church.
Just as Jesus stood before the tomb of Lazarus because of the death of His friend, I believe He now stands at the mouth of the tomb of a dead church in America, weeping . Oh, how I long for, how I pray for, the authority of the Resurrection to rise up in His throat and with a shout that can only be heard in the Spirit, as the Lord of the Church, the Bridegroom with cry with a loud voice, “COME FORTH!”
May the Bride hear His voice, stir herself out of her slumber, shake off the numbness of her sleep and emerge to stand with Him. She will not whine or complain in bitterness at her persecutors or shrink back from her tribulation, nor will she speak in mumbled tones of His salvation. All the powers of Hell will tremble and the demons shriek as the foundations of the gates of Hell begin to crumble.
Out of a sea of trouble I believe the true church is going to emerge, “afflicted but not crushed, perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
Not because we’re religious but because we are Christians.
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