I’ve recently watched another video. This time the movie was about
the life of the Apostle John while he was in prison on the Island of
Patmos. It was sad to see John and others in such a horrid situation. They
were malnourished, worked hard, and often beaten, sometimes unto death.
Yet for John this unbearable treatment was a small price to pay in
relation to the price Jesus paid for his salvation. Following in Jesus’
footsteps was a privilege for John.
People in those days had to think seriously about becoming a Christian
because there was a great personal price attached to their decision. Today
this price is not so great. The greatest cost for us at the time of
decision may be to repeat a simple prayer, or a walk down the aisle of a
church sanctuary.
With this in mind, I remember the words of Jesus in John 10:10. He told
us that we’d experience abundant life if we’d make this decision to
follow Him. I often wonder about these words because many of those who
heard these words died by the Roman sword. Others were imprisoned or lived
in caves to hide from the Roman soldiers. So I shake my head and ask
myself, "is this really abundant life"? Maybe there is more to
Jesus’ words than what meets the eye after a quick reading.
Yet through all the hardships the first generation church endured, the
Kingdom of God grew both quantitatively and qualitatively. That is to say,
more people became true followers of Jesus, and these who did were
dedicated to Jesus beyond measure. I’m not saying the first generation
church was perfect. We all know it had its problems.
The first generation church wasn’t the only church in history to
suffer on the account of Jesus. Over the centuries there have been many
Christian communities who have suffered great persecution. Even today,
there are many followers of Jesus who are under tremendous pressure. We
should admire these people, for their lives and churches are probably
closer to the Biblical norm than ours.
Something else has happened throughout the history of the church.
Usually during times of little or no persecution we have formalized,
doctrinalized, and structuralized our faith. One result of this is that
many people in the church are Christian in name only. They haven’t
really given themselves to be disciples of Jesus, living according to what
He has taught. Discipleship has given way to church membership. Following
Jesus’ teaching has given way to critical analysis of the Scripture that
in many cases has destroyed the very nature of the Bible. Technically
speaking, this is called "demythologizing the Bible" –
explaining away the supernatural aspect of the Bible.
These things have produced what I call "Casual Christianity".
We have a casualness to our faith and to church life. We come and go at
will. We take the Scripture, or leave it - whatever is convenient at the
time. Commitment to Jesus that is demonstrated in a life given to Him as
Lord is not easily seen by others. The easy come, easy go lifestyle of
many has become a part of the modern Christian experience. This should not
be.
It is only my opinion, but I believe our "Casual
Christianity" is in the first stage of change. If we cannot, or will
not change the way we live as Christians, including our church life, then
Jesus will do it for us. Some of us may not like what He will do and may
opt out of the faith we think we have.
How is Jesus making this change? As our culture adopts the philosophy
of secular humanism with greater fervor more pressure will be directed
towards Christians who are viewed as intolerant. I have experienced just a
bit of this pressure in the debate over same sex marriages. I have
received many emails suggesting I am not a true Christian, have no love
for God or man, and am misappropriating Scripture concerning this subject.
It is a little infuriating thinking that someone who knows little about
the Bible might suggest that I am misappropriating Scripture after being a
student of the Bible for 35 years. But these emails are really no big
deal. I don’t view them as persecution, yet they give me a little hint
of what the future might possibly hold for us.
I believe that in the years to come Christians will suffer persecution
in North America. A tolerant society will no longer tolerate our so-called
intolerance. Secular society will force the church to embrace the
prevailing philosophy of humanism or else face the penalties. An example
of this might be the loss of our charitable tax status if we don’t
perform same sex weddings. Or, we could be forced to pay taxes on church
property, bringing some church groups into financial hardship. Both of
these might not be such a bad idea. We may even have to become a
subculture of believers, intent on following Jesus no matter what it
takes. Those with a faulty faith may opt out of this new style of church
life. Read the book of James concerning faulty faith. The rest will grow
in the strength and power of Jesus. These are just a two logical
possibilities for us to endure. They’re not tough ones either. Things
may get much worse than that.
So when you see the secularization of our society, and the resulting
hardships that may come our way, think of it this way. It just may be God’s
will that these things are taking place. Yes, secularization of Canada,
and the United States might just be the way in which Jesus brings our
North American church to her knees. Jesus has brought judgment to parts of
the church in the past, and He can certainly do it again. (remember, judgment
begins with the house of God – 1 Peter 4:17 ) If this is to be
the case, then let it happen. It is for our good.
Personally, I know I will be with Jesus in Heaven some day. I just don’t
think I will receive many rewards once I get there. I believe Scripture
teaches that we will be rewarded for good works done based on trusting
Jesus. Good works performed outside of faith in Jesus will not be rewarded
for (Christians can do good works outside of faith). My life to date is
like many other modern day Christians, nothing spectacular when compared
to many of these productive and persecuted Christians I’ve mentioned. So
the future may be a chance for me to see what I am really made of. The
same goes for you.
I can’t say for sure what the future holds. We may not see
persecution as intense as the Apostle John saw, or maybe we will. What I
am writing about is a logical possibility based on my Biblical
understanding and present trends I see in society. I can say this. I know
nothing about the hardships that John faced. I know nothing about the
trials Chinese Christians have endured. I don’t even like singing one
particular verse of Amazing Grace because I can’t sing it honestly to
Jesus. You know the verse, "through many dangers, toils and snares I
have already come…". I haven’t gone through any danger or toil to
speak of . We should drop that verse from our hymn books and let those who
have really experienced those words sing it. I actually like singing
"when we’ve been there ten thousand years…" much better.
From my understanding of church history, the persecuted church is the
church to admire. If our church is to be admired as well, it will take more
than church programs. It may take a good dose of pressure from a secular
society, maybe even out and out persecution. If this happens, we need to
view this as Jesus’ way of restoring His church. At this time the only way I see our church changing into something that is
glorifying to our Lord Jesus Christ.