deepthistars: June 2007

G. Bibu

INTRODUCTION:

If we were to announce from an average pulpit that the subject of our discourse is upon "suffering persecution" for Christ, it would cause many to wonder if there is not a better alternative to speak upon. Alas that a subject which for centuries past has been an encouragement and exhortation to the church of Christ, should thus be despised. There is in our day, a learned omission of the most vital aspects of the Gospel, by the very ones who claim to be the emissaries of Christ. That it has been so in the present instance is evident from an examination of the modern evangelical sermons and writings. Nor is this greatly to be wondered at, for any one who has eyes to see and ears to hear can clearly perceive that the modern Christendom knows nothing about persecution experimentally. Of what need then is a doctrinal exposition thereon, when it has thus become irrelevant to their common experience? Yet it is the deficiency of this very thing which testifies against our modern Christendom, that it is not the same undefiled, uncompromised, and God-honouring Christianity of the Bible which runs its course. What else could we conclude when we discover, that it lacks any practical acquaintance with the experiences of those recorded in the Scriptures who had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: and who were stoned, who were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: who wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) who wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth [Hebrews 11:36-38].

There are only two possibilities which can explain the absence of persecution from the world against the church. Either the world has been reconciled to Christ so that it is no longer the enemy of His people, or the church has become a friend of the world in enmity against Christ. There is no reason to suppose that a world which craves after more and more of defamation against Christ in the form of the "Gospel of Judas", the "Davinci Code", and any possible degradation of the character of Christ, has by any means been made His friend. This behooves us to introspect if we have gone awhoring from our Lord, in an adulterous union with this world, for it is to the church that the Spirit of God says: "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God" [James 4:4]. May God add His blessing to this meditation that He may move us thereby to an introspection as in His holy presence.

DEFINITION:

Having briefly stated the purpose and end of our discourse, we shall now proceed to expound upon the theme itself. It is necessary to first define persecution in the Christian context, in which we repetitively would employe it throughout this discussion. Persecution is the expression of the world's hatred against Christ, which is caused to reflect upon Christians for belonging to Him. Such an expression of hatred is some times violent, and some times not so violent, some times fierce, and some times milder. But whatever be the nature and degree of its manifestation, the world has always and still does seek to express its hatred against genuine Christianity, purely because its adherents belong to Christ. Any suffering to which a Christian is subjected on account of His personal wrong doings cannot be brought under the scope of this persecution, but only that hatred which he experiences on account of Christ and His Gospel [1 Peter 2:19-24]. Therefore is it written: "If any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf"

[1 Peter 4:16]. Hence no form of persecution other than "suffering as a Christian" can be brought under the scope of this discussion.

SOME MAJOR ASPECTS:

Let us now turn to meditate upon four major aspects which we seek to call attention in connection with this grand and many-sided theme:

1. PERSECUTION IS INSEPARABLE FROM A GENUINE CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE:

Jesus said: "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you" [Matthew 5:10-12]. We are taught in this passage that persecution is inseparable from a genuine Christian experience. This we may understand from the text itself, from the context of this text, and a few allied passages to this text. And not only is it thus inferred doctrinally, but is attested by the experiences of the saints gone-by before us, Christ Himself being the chief corner stone. Ponder well upon each of these, as we seek to briefly focus thereon.

A. THE TEXTUAL CONFIRMATION:

In Matthew 5:11, we are pronounced blessed "when" persecuted by men but not "if" persecuted by men. Thus the fact of persecution in a Christian's life is not a mere possibility, but an indispensable reality.

B. THE CONTEXTUAL INFERENCE:

The passage above cited forms part of that grand section in Scripture, which we call the "Beatitudes". The Beatitudes do not merely consist in listing out most supreme benedictions upon God's people, but also in listing out a few most solemn qualities and experiences, without conforming to which no man can enter in to the kingdom of God. In other words, every true Christian must and will have a character which corresponds to all the qualities here prescribed or mentioned. He is poor in the Spirit, [Matthew 5:3] because he realizes his complete and absolute inability to purchase God's salvation. He sees his utter bankruptcy, the not having the wherewithal to oblige God's favor upon Him, and he cries out in deep despair, "Woe is me for I am undone". He would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smite upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner [Luke 18:13]. Such a realization as this leads him to mourn before God [Matthew 5:4], and it is this Godly sorrow which leads him to repentance unto salvation [2 Corinthians 7:10], for a broken and a contrite spirit the Lord will not despise [Psalms 51:17]. Being thus made recipient of the glorious salvation in Christ, the believer now begins to exhibit the same qualities as that of the author of his salvation, and therefore becomes meek in demeanor [Matthew 5:5] (having learnt of Him who is meek and lowly [Matthew 11:29]); hungers and thirsts after righteousness [Matthew 5:6] (that he may walk in it for Christ's name sake [Psalms 23:3]); merciful in disposition [Matthew 5:7] (having himself obtained mercy) and pure in heart [Matthew 5:8] (that he may conform to the image of Christ [Hebrews 7:26]). Further he partakes in that solemn ministry of Christ by preaching the Gospel, and thereby becomes a peace-maker [Matthew 5:9] between God and man. Any one who lacks these qualities and experiences cannot be reckoned among a true Christian. Since persecution is enlisted along with these indispensable qualities and is the next in the list [Matthew 5:10-12], the same inference as drawn in respect of all other experiences listed above, that is of being indispensable for genuine Christianity, becomes irresistible, also in respect of persecution, and would be in perfect harmony with the context. Just as the Christian partakes in the character of Christ, and in His ministry as seen above, so must he also share in Christ's afflictions, and in all the bitterness He suffered on account of the world's hatred against Him. Thus persecution is inseparable from a genuine Christian experience, and its absence is a sure sign of danger.

C. CONCURRENCE OF ALLIED PASSAGES TO THIS TEXT:

There are many other verses in the Bible which concur with the above passage in confirming that persecution is inseparable from Genuine Christian experience. Two or three instances may be cited here.
"Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also"
[John 15:20].

"We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" [Acts 14:22].

"Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" [2 Timothy 3:12].

"For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake" [Philippians 1:29].

The above instances are plain and self-explanatory in proving that persecution is the lot of every Christian, and multitudes who take upon their lips the name of Christ are utter strangers to this experience, for they have failed to take upon themselves His yoke.

D. ATTESTED BY THE EXPERIENCES OF THE SAINTS GONE BEFORE US:

As a further proof of the inevitability of persecution Jesus alludes to the experiences of the saints of the past when He says: "For so persecuted they the prophets before you" [Matthew 5:12]. Practically, there is not A man of God in the Old testament Scriptures who was exempted from the hatred of God's enemies. Some of them they killed and crucified,; and some of them they scourged in their synagogues, and persecuted them from city to city [Matthew 23:34], but none of them did they well receive. So said Jesus would be the experience of His disciples, and so was it indeed when we consider the biographies of all the known saints of the past centuries, according to the word of the Lord. All the apostles except John received the crown of martyrdom, and John also was banished to the Isle of Patmos for the Word of God, and for the Testimony of Jesus Christ. Only read the account of persecutions as furnished by John Foxe in his famous book of martyrs, and it will be seen that every Christian right from the primitive church age, down through the dark ages, even unto the reformation of the medieval period, was relentlessly persecuted, first by the Pagan Rome, then by the Papal Rome, employing the most cruel and crude forms of tortures and atrocities as was never seen or heard in all the world before. Men had their skins flayed off from their bodies, the women were ravished and killed, their children were mercilessly subjected to the sword, their infants were drowned in the water, and the women with children had their wombs ripped open by the sword, just to mention a few such atrocities. In certain instances, they were wounded and left to bleed and die, as their enemies sported upon the groans and sighs of these poor victims. In each instance, they gave the Christian an opportunity to escape the torture at the cost of renouncing Christ, but they endured till the end, sealed their faith with their blood, suffered cheerfully for Him that died for them, and took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, knowing that they had a better substance laid up for them in heaven. There are others who have experienced persecution in milder forms such as being rejected and scorned by their own kinsfolk, betrayed by their friends, degraded and insulted by their foes, deprived of their rights, evil spoken of falsely, despised and hated by all men for His name's sake. But whatever was the nature and extent of persecution, they all partook of that cup from which their savior drank, atleast in some measure. But alas that it is far otherwise in our day. The love of many has grown cold, and religion is a mere show of piety, a matter of carnal speculation, and a cloak for covering their wickedness. Those who call themselves of the household of faith have played the harlot against the master of the house, in flirting with the pleasures of sin for a season. The conspicuous absence of persecution from the world against the modern Christendom, is a sure proof of this great falling away. This brings us to our next aspect of our discussion.

2.ABSENCE OF PERSECUTION IS AN INDICATION OF CORRUPT CHRISTIAN LIFE:

Christianity as we know today is actually a bed of roses, however vehemently the Christians may speak to the contrary. Christians have a very good standing in the world today, and are not hated even by the avowed enemies of Christ. Of old a searching question was asked: "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" [Amos 3:3]. Evidently then, the church and the world have found common terms to agree upon. However, as we have stated before, the world has by no means become less evil to abjure its hatred against Christ and His people. Instead, it has become increasingly corrupt than ever before, even as it is written: "Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived" [2 Timothy 3:13]. How then shall we interpret this strange alliance between the world and the Christians. We have no better words than that of our master's in explaining this novel development in the church. Speaking to His disciples, Jesus said, "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own" [John 15:19]. Do we need any other word or testimony to explain the case? We have already cited John 15:20, in which the Lord expressly says that a servant is not greater than His master, and that if they receive the masters words, only then would they also receive that of His servants. We know that the masters words were hated by this world, because they testify against the world that its deeds are evil. But the modern Christians are well received by the same world which hated Christ which justifies our application of that inspired indictment against them: "They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them" [1 John 4:5]. Not only are the Christians well received, but they are well spoken of. All who claim to be Christians and find themselves to be thus positioned in the world will do a lot good to themselves in pondering upon the words of our Lord: "Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets" [Luke 6:16]. They receive honor one of another, and have discarded the honor which comes from God. To all such Christ will yet say, "Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God" [Luke 16:15]. Just as friendship with the world is enmity against God, so friendship with God is enmity against the world, even as the psalmist declares: "Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies" [Psalms 139:21-22]. Not until a man is thus zealous for the Lord can he be called a true Christian, and any thing other than true Christianity is well received in the world. Reader, how is it with you?

Thus we have proved sufficiently from the Scriptures, that absence of persecution is an indication of a corrupt Christian life.

3.PERSECUTION IS THE CONSEQUENCE OF FAITHFULNESS TO CHRIST AND TO HIS GOSPEL:

In all that we have endeavoured to prove in the foregone arguments, we do not intend to suggest that Christians are among those who enrage quarrels and ask for fights. Far from it, for their master is love incarnate, and He commands them to walk even as He walked. Christians are commanded to follow peace with all men. Therefore, that which attracts the hatred of the world does not consist in a Christian's harsh and unloving approach. It is the very life giving Gospel which the Christian carries in his word and conduct, that so occasions the hatred of the world. There is a great degree of offense inherent in the Gospel. Perversion consists in attempting to remove this offense. It is by this means that our moderns have achieved such a palatable position in the world. But only let the Christian proclaim the Gospel faithfully, and he will discover his foes at once. Let the Christian purge himself of the modern "health, wealth, and prosperity Gospel" and preach the uncorrupted Word of Truth, duly expounding upon the cost of discipleship, and denouncing the sins of the world, urging the world as lovingly and peaceably as he may, to turn from its sins, and to take-up the cross daily and to follow after Christ, and see if he will not attract the hatred of the world.

4. PERSECUTION IS THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP:

Cost of discipleship is any thing that a person would potentially suffer the loss of, as a consequence of becoming a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Himself said that a man should first sit down and count the cost to see if he is prepared to pay it [Luke 14:25-33]. One sure loss you will suffer is that you will forfeit your good standing in the world. And this enmity would not arise from an unknown quarter. A Christian's first enemies will be the members of his own house. Jesus said: "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household" [Matthew 10:34-36].

The next set of his enemies would be the religious world, yea the very ones who call themselves Christians. Jesus said: "If the world hateth you, know that it hated me first". "What "world" hated Christ and hounded Him to death? The religious world, those who pretended to be most zealous for God's glory. So it is now. Let the Christian turn his back upon a Christ—dishonoring Christendom, and his fiercest foes and most relentless and unscrupulous enemies will be those who claim to be Christians themselves" (A.W.Pink).

The secular world also would find nothing palatable in a Christian, because he not only refuses to conform to its fashions, but constantly bears witness against its evil deeds. In other words, any one who intends to become the disciple of Christ must first sit down and ascertain to himself whether he is prepared to experimentally bear the cost namely that "Ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved" [Matthew 10:22].

May the Lord enable the writer as well as the reader to introspect as in the presence of God, by the few thoughts expressed here, and to see whether we are His disciples in truth.

John Reseinger

Why do sincere Christians do this? Why do they blame the good on God and the bad on the devil, unconsciously denying the sovereignty of God? It is probably because they are trying to "protect" God. They are trying to make it easier to believe and love Him by exempting Him from anything that appears to be bad and crediting Him with everything that appears to be good. A young nurse who worked in the emergency ward of a hospital told me that when anyone from a particular church in that town had an accident, the pastor would rush down to the hospital. His first words to the victim and family were, "Remember, God had nothing to do with this." I suppose the poor man was afraid the people might desert the faith. If you'll just think that preacher's statement through for a moment, you can see it is ridiculous. The man may have been trying to "protect God," but in reality he was laying the groundwork for despair and unbelief. He was leaving the injured person totally in the hands of either Satan or blind cruel fate. He was unconsciously moving God right out of the picture when the person needed most the assurance of God's sovereign control.

A Personal Example

The other evening a man gave his testimony and told of a friend that had died in a tragic Army plane crash. The officer in charge of the situation was seeking to comfort the mother and said the following:
"It is impossible for this to ever be repeated. It was a freak accident that could never occur again. No one could have predicted or controlled the events. There simply is no explanation."
The mother was a Christian that understood the truths we are talking about, and she replied:
"Sir, you may not believe that God was in that plane with my son, but I do. I have no idea why God chose to allow this to happen, but I know that this was part of His sovereign purpose and His hand was in total control of the plane, the weather, and my son's life."
How different is that mother's theology and hope from that of the preacher in the emergency room!

How Powerful Is God?

Suppose you were the victim of an accident and you were laying in the emergency room in pain. Would that preacher's theology and "words of comfort" help you? How would you feel if someone told you that God had nothing to do with what happened? How long would it take you to start thinking some very serious and logical questions like, "Where was God when this happened? Could He have prevented it? Why didn't He prevent it? Was the devil stronger than God in this situation? Did the devil really cause this accident, even though God was desperately trying to keep it from happening to me?" You would soon begin to wonder whether you were on the wrong side. You might think, and correctly so, that if the preacher were right, then maybe God is not nearly as powerful as you thought He was.

I am sure you can see that if God isn't big enough to control the bad things as well as the good things, then we are in deep trouble. When the bad things get more numerous than the good things (in times like today), then it looks as if we are losing the war. It looks like "our side" is the weak side. Whether you realize it or not, that is exactly what has happened in the hearts of many present-day Christians. This generation has forgotten the sovereignty of God and exalted the sovereignty of man's "free will." We have forgotten the holiness of God and exalted man's personal happiness to be the chief goal and obligation of the gospel. We are so occupied with ourselves and our own pleasure that we literally believe that God exists for the sole purpose of making us "happy" by giving us whatever our sinful and selfish hearts desire. He is viewed as a heavenly bellhop that is ready to carry our suitcase of self-ambition anywhere we instruct Him_we call it "praying in faith." When we do not get what we want, then we either condemn ourselves for lack of faith or lose confidence in God's promises (what we falsely believed were His promises).

The more self rages, the more sin and man's selfish nature appears to triumph, the more it looks like God is losing the war because He is weak and helpless. The despair, frustration, and depression of this present existential generation is in direct proportion to their misunderstanding of the sovereign control of God over all things, and the worst is yet to come. The "God wants you rich and healthy" gospel will prove to have been the primary cause of the forsaking of the faith in this generation. The "loving God" that is supposed to give you anything your heart desires will be despised and ridiculed when He does not deliver the goodies.

If a Christian living in wicked times like today really understands the Scripture, he is like the little boy who was playing baseball. A man came along and said, "What's the score?" and the boy replied, "Forty to nothing." The man asked, "Who's winning?"; the boy answered, "The other team." The man wanted to be sympathetic and said, "You must be very discouraged." The little boy's face lit up and he said, "Oh, no, we're not discouraged. We haven't come up to bat yet!"

The Christian doesn't look at the newspaper headlines, he doesn't look at the odds or the experts, he is not impressed with either the "doomsayer" or the "false prophet". The child of God with a clear understanding of the Scripture looks to the sovereign God clearly revealed in that Scripture. A knowledgeable believer knows that he is on the winning team regardless of what the world's scoreboard says. He knows that Jesus Christ is Lord regardless of what is taking place either in the world or in his personal life; he is confident that everything will, in the end, be for his own good as well as for the glory of God.

Calvary Was A Day of Victory

Jesus Christ was never more our Lord, and His Father was never more in total control of all things than the day that sinners "with wicked hands" unknowingly fulfilled the decrees of God and nailed our Saviour to the cross. Our blessed Lord was never more in control, never more sovereign and powerful, than He was the moment men cried out in derision, "Where now is your God?" and challenged Him to prove He was the Son of God by coming down from the cross. If you and I had stood under the cross that day we probably would have wondered whether God was really the Father of our Lord Jesus. If He was, why didn't He come and help? Why did the Father allow all of these things to happen to His dear Son? We would have never understood, apart from revelation, that this hour of this day was the specific point in time toward which God had been moving ever since the day that Adam sinned.

There has never been a day when God was more triumphant in His power, in His love, and in His holiness than He was that day at Cavalry. Jesus Christ was not a martyr; God's Son was not a victim. That day at Golgotha was the day of God's victory, not a day of defeat. God was the Master of Ceremonies and controlled every single detail of that event. The world and the devil may have thought that God's plan and purpose had been thwarted, but they were wrong. Calvary was a day of glorious victory for sovereign grace. Sinners gloated and mocked without being aware that their very thoughts and actions were fulfilling God's ordained purposes.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

SUFFERING PERSECUTION FOR CHRIST

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Favourite songs

Sunday, June 3, 2007

"Dualism" Is Heresy

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