NOT OF THIS WORLD

Since 33AD,  an estimated 70 million Christians have died because of being a Christian. Most of them (55 million) died under a state ruling power, of which 31 million died in less than a Century under communist/leftist regimes. It has been calculated (World Christian Trends AD 30-AD 2200 – by David B. Barrett & Todd M. Johnson) that, over the last two millenia, a Christian, measured across the globe, has statistically a 1% chance to die for his/her faith. Evangelists even have a 4% chance of dying spreading the Gospel.

The Bible, of course, always predicted persecution, as we will be persecuted because Jesus was persecuted. They will hate us because they hated Him first:

“This is My command to you: Love one another. 18If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. 19If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.…”(John 15: 18-19 )

In the West, Christian persecution, and certainly martyrdom are extremely rare. Should we feel blessed about this?  Yes and no. Remarkably, Christians in places like China and Iraq pity us in the West. They have seen the Christian faith grow in their troubled countries in leaps and bounds under persecution, in much the same way that first century Christianity spread. They claim that the faith will dilute or even dissipate in comfort, but will be strengthened under duress.

Far be it from me to wish real persecution upon ourselves. Yet looking at what is going on in Europe and America, where sound doctrine in main stream and even evangelical churches has become rare, they may have a point. Pick-and-choose Christianity and Easy-believism have become the norm. “Harsh” doctrines regarding sin, hell and the exclusivity of Christ are out, “name it and claim it”, health, wealth and prosperity and cheap grace type theologies are all the rave.

In the US it seems as if committed Christians had a bit of a reprieve under President Trump, who valued Christianity for its ethos and appointed several Christians in his cabinet. That now seems to have changed with the Democrats taking the reigns. With their leftist credentials, the accession of Biden c.s. could mean heavy weather for those adhering to an orthodox, Bible-believing Christian conviction.

Should we be worried about this? Yes and no.

Yes, there will be storms ahead for us with high seas. But then again, smooth seas never made a skilled sailor, and God never promised us smooth sailing in life. He did promise us a safe arrival in the harbour of his Kingdom though, after the storms and doldrums of life. We may have to come off the faith fence and, more than before, give hand and feet to our faith. Come to the rescue of fellow brothers and sisters who have suddenly fallen foul of the law because of their principled stand for the Gospel. We will be out of our comfort zone.

But what if our brothers and sisters in China and Iraq are right? That this will actually aid us to become more mature, more sanctified Christians? That this would help us to return to the basics and foundations of our faith, without the cultural and political rigmarole and rabbit holes we may have been chasing? After all, Our kingdom is not of this world.

We are in this world, but not of it (John 17:16).

Our allegiance is ultimately not to the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution of the country we’re living in, but to God’s Word as we find it inerrant in the Bible.

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).

Our loyalty is ultimately not to the human Founding Fathers of the countries we’re living in, but to our Father in Heaven, and to his Son Jesus Christ. In everything we do and say we are first and foremost ambassadors of His Kingdom, not patriots defending an essentially worldly administration.