A good old-fashioned persecution

Matthew 10:34-42 "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to turn "'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-- ³⁶ a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' ³⁷ "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; ³⁸ and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ⁴⁰ "He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. ⁴¹ Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. ⁴² And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."

She remained single in order to care for her sick brother. She came from a wealthy family living in a large house in the center of Beijing. In 1949, she was branded a 'rich landowner', and was forced to leave her villa and live in a garden hut. Following the outbreak of the Cultural Revolution, she lost her job as a doctor, and was sent to a labor gang, where she had to shovel sand. The Red Army severely humiliated her, beating her, parading her through the streets with a sign listing all her “crimes.” They put a sign outside her house, labeling her as an outcast for distributing “imperialistic literature” (the Bible).

Mabel went through hell. Beaten and humiliated, she returned to her hut one day and told God, “I can't go on any more.” She took a large chopping knife and held it over her wrist. Before she struck, she prayed, “Lord, if this is wrong, help me!” She didn't use the knife, but instead sat down and broke out in tears. She endured the beatings and scorn for eight more years.

“Somehow, God gave me the strength to go on,” she said. She only understood many years later; at the end of the 1970s, the Red Army was disbanded. Mabel was not rehabilitated, and was not given her house back. Instead, people sought her out; to her astonishment, many of them were high-ranking Communist officials. Even more astonishingly, they all asked for Bibles. “Why do you come to me? Of all of Beijing's population, why come to the house of a 70-year-old woman?” The answer was always the same: “During the Cultural Revolution, there was a sign in front of your house listing everything you did wrong. One of them was distributing Bibles. I came in the hope you might still have one.”

It was wonderfully poetic justice that the very sign which made her life hell was the key to missionary work. Through contact with a Western missions organization, Mabel managed to open the first Bible smuggling channel into the Chinese capital. Some of the Christians among the high-ranking Communist Party officials have Mabel to thank for their faith. They even came to call her “Aunty Mabel.” Mabel recalls, “Every day was a battle, and it was hard. But it was good to see the reason for the suffering. That strengthens my faith.” (Source: Alex Buchan of Open Doors)

This morning Jesus talks about a very common experience – one that Aunty Mabel felt personally. She lost her family, her home, her country – all because of her faith in Jesus Christ. Before Jesus sends His disciples out to do mission work, He is teaching, training and warning them. They are to expect persecution in Christ’s name.

At the beginning of every one of my Bible Inquirer’s Classes I warn the participants about what they are getting into. I may neglect to tell them that its 16 weeks long or they have homework to do for each lesson, but I do try to prepare them for what’s coming. And what is coming is persecution, heartache, difficulty and temptation.

I tell them: If you weren’t a Christian before, Satan wasn’t too worried about you because you already belonged to him. If you were only a nominal Christian – Christian in name only – Satan wasn’t too concerned about you because you could easily slip to his side and end up at his destination. However, now that you are taking this class, learning God’s Word, increasing your faith, making promises to be faithful in worship, Word and Sacrament, raising your children in our school and sharing your new-found faith with others, Satan is incensed! He is infuriated that you are now a soldier in Christ’s army, planting the Gospel seeds, witnessing your faith, and standing up for what you believe in. It was bad enough that he lost you, but now he is in danger of losing your family, neighbors and friends. So he is going to come at you hard, swift and strong.

Be prepared for persecution. It is coming. And it is necessary.

A few weeks ago in our Bible study of the Book of Acts, I mentioned that what we need in America is a “good old-fashioned persecution.” That may sound crazy, but I was serious. I think we have it too easy here in America. While Christians around the world are dying for their faith, their churches are alive and growing. In other nations, while Christian churches and homes are being targeted for bullets and bombs, God’s Kingdom is exploding with countless souls being baptized and reborn in Christ. While at the same time, Christian churches and schools are dwindling here in the states.

When we don’t stand up for Jesus, we are sitting on our hands and our rear ends. When our faith isn’t being challenged, our faith often becomes stagnant and sluggish. When we are afraid to die for Christ, we are often afraid to live for Christ, too.

Persecution reprioritizes life and sharpens faith. However, the further Christians get from the lions’ roar or the martyr’s stake, the easier it is for us to make our faith in Christ merely moderately important in our lives. Family, friends, work, health — these all vie for our time and attention, and our faith gets pushed further and further down the list. Peace, safety and mediocrity become our golden calves. We will quickly and easily forsake the true God for a god of our own making – just so we can have some kind of peace here on earth.

When life is not so bad, who needs the promises of a better life to come? Martin Luther’s words of warning are very true: nulla persecutio est tota persecutio! “No persecution is total persecution!” This means that the Church is in the greatest danger when there are no outside attacks of persecution. When all is well and peaceful, that’s when the worst false doctrine comes in and takes over.

Are you faithful in worship every single week? Do you share your faith regularly at work and with your neighbors? Is your faith evident in every aspect of your life? Probably not. Why not? You don’t worship, share or live your faith because, quite honestly, your faith in God isn’t all that important to you. C.S. Lewis said, “Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” In our Gospel lesson, Jesus emphasizes the all important nature of faith, and the all-consuming nature of discipleship. Jesus calls us to love Him above all — more than family or friends, more than personal safety or even life itself. It is all or nothing with Christ.

Jesus taught: “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” However, most of us seek peace at all costs in our home and relationships. We have had to compromise many things to live together in peace. You don’t want to upset the tenuous peace in the family by discussing your disproval with your daughter living with her fiancé. You don’t want to push the subject and cause tension that you come to church with the children while your spouse stays at home. You don’t want to cause a family rift as your unbelieving father is dying from cancer and you want to share Jesus and heaven with him. You don’t want the tension when you discuss infant baptism for your grandchild or discuss a Christian wedding ceremony in your family’s home church, or discuss why your non-denominational relatives cannot take communion with you.

Jesus said: “For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-- a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.’ Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”

Jesus teaches against the attitude of seeking human peace versus spiritual truth and salvation. Better that there be conflict so that at least some would be saved. We cannot live in peace with Satan or in serenity with sin or in harmony with indifference. We cannot just sing, “Lift High the Cross” in the safety of our sanctuaries, but we must lift that wonderful cross high in the dangerous, real world of a thousand different opinions on that subject – in our businesses, schools, and social gatherings; and yes, especially in our homes.

Peace with the world, peace while conceding our morals, peace while compromising our faith – what kind of peace is that? It is the peace of the world, which as we see over and over and over again, is frail and fleeting, a chasing after the wind. A peace which never lasts. But through the cross of suffering and the sword of persecution, Jesus has come to bring us a peace that lasts forever. A peace where, just as we think we are losing our life, we find it.

Jesus forces the question upon us – who do we love the most? And how do we love the best? Jesus is reminding His disciples that you really can't love anyone else in the right way until you love Him first and most. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life for everyone, and if you truly love your family and friends, you will take the risk to direct them to Him because no one comes to the Father but through Jesus, no matter what that may cost.

The cost often involves pain. You stand toe-to-toe with people who are known to you and who know you, warts and all. They come at you with sword of physical violence and the blade of mental anguish. You go into battle with the Sword of the Spirit and the shield of faith. They threaten you with the suffering of the cross. You gladly and willingly take up that cross to follow your Suffering Savior. You are ready to bleed and die for the God who bled and died for you.

Jesus knew how difficult all of this would be for us. He understood that persecution would be testing us, but that persecution from within our own family might cause us to fail that test. God understood that human relationships mean a lot to us – and they should – but that’s why God’s Son became human – in order to save us from our failure to love God more than our early families. Jesus joined our humanity, so that we could partake of His divinity. He lived and died for us so that we could live a new life in Him and be willing to die for Him.

God wants us to put our relationship with Him above any other relationship we might have. Not depending on our earthly fathers, but having a Heavenly Father who created us, sustains us and saves us. Not trusting in our earthly mothers, but having a new mother in the Christian Church who will love us and care for us. Not relying on our brothers and sisters, but having a new brother in Christ. Not caring about losing your friends because what a friend you have in Jesus.  

If you feel like your faith is mediocre, if your trust in the Lord is average, if the growth in our church is stagnant, etc., then maybe what we need to pray for is a good old-fashioned persecution. Following the Lord may divide your family, but the Lord will bring you unity with a new family. Persecution may bring death, but that’s when you begin your eternal life. Faith may bring the sword, but then God will grant you His peace that surpasses all understanding. You may have to be in danger of losing your life in Christ, so you can find your true life in Christ. Persecution may finally cause you to get off your seats and raise your hands and lift high the cross for Christ. Amen.

6^th Sunday after Pentecost at Epiphany on July 24, 2011