But it occurred to me that despite our religious liberties here in America, every now and then Christians suffer persecution to the point of death. One such incident occurred exactly eight months ago this past Sunday. I blogged on this tragedy back at the time it occurred, and in light of this Sunday's emphasis on the persecuted church, have posted it again today. Here's the original post from March of this year:
Before heading off to prayer meeting last evening, I checked my e-mail and logged on to the Internet. My home page is Fox News, and the cover story was about Fred Winters, a pastor in Illinois who was gunned down in the pulpit while preaching in morning service. You can read all about it here.
I checked out the church website, and from everything I've seen, this pastor was a godly man who was utterly committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ and to the authority of God's Word. He had a great love for the Lord and for people. Supposedly, as the gunman walked down the aisle toward the pastor in the middle of the service, the pastor said to him, "Can I help you?" - something that another pastor on staff did not find surprising at all. Here's the video clip this morning from Fox News:
Yesterday morning started out like just any other Sunday morning for this preacher. He simply got up behind his pulpit and started preaching God's Word to his flock. As a pastor, I am reminded of how important it is for me to "to preach ... as a dying man to dying men" (Richard Baxter). And certainly all of us should pray, as Moses did,
Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.- Psalm 90:12
What are the practical implications of this verse for us as believers? Perhaps they are best stated in the following two resolutions of Jonathan Edwards:
- Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.
- Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.
I heard a sermon recently by John Piper. After telling a story of two missionaries who were ambushed and shot he said, "That's just normal folks, that's normal. Woe to the church that doesn't teach their young people that's normal!"
ReplyDeleteIn his prayer at the beginning of that sermon he prayed, "Father...I pray that we would be freed from the American grip, visegrip, of ease, comfort, security, and safety."
So which way do we go? How do we teach our children such Scriptures as Col. 1:24 or 2 Tim. 3:12 that says, "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus WILL BE persecuted" if we are more concerned about how the lawn looks, how big the television is, or the new SUV?
Jesus saves from the American dream which is nothing but a destructive illusion. Statistics show the more money you have the more likely you are to commit suicide. Studies show stress, crime, moral decline, marital infidelity, divorce, and family disintegration all rise with the obsession of money and stuff. So the irony is lives are given up regardless if one chases the dream or chases Christ. The downside is the former makes no investment in eternity.
Spurgeon said, "Now you who faint under a little trouble...let me encourage you in this way. My son, despise not the persecution. Remember how many men have borne it. What an honor it is to suffer for Christ's sake! Because the crown of martyrdom has been worn by many heads better than mine, methinks it would be the greatest dignity I could ever attain to, if the enemy would place the blood-red crown of martyrdom around this brow!...Count it glory to go into the hottest part of the field...But, mark thee, if thou turnest back thou art guilty of the sin of despising the cross..."
We have to stop believing it is godliness because we read our Bibles, go to church, and keep the 10 commandments. That's not godliness, the Pharisees did all that. Godliness is being so ravished by Christ, so satisified in Christ, so filled with Christ, and so driven to Christ that we willingly and joyfully lay down our very lives...for Him.