PURSUE GODLINESS- EXPECT PERSECUTION
According to church tradition, June
29 marks the martyrdom of the Apostle Paul. This year, Christians worldwide
will take time on June 29 and throughout that weekend to honor the Lord through
the legacy of those who have sacrificed their lives to advance the Gospel. The
Voice of the Martyrs invites us into fellowship with our Christian brothers and
sisters who are persecuted for their bold and faithful witness at any cost.
Scripture shows us, and real stories
from Christians living today and throughout church history reinforce that
teaching that those who live godly lives will be persecuted. The persecuted
Church will help us see examples of those who, under severe persecution, remain
faithful to God’s call to preach the Good News of the Gospel.
John Chau responded to God’s call
and went to the north Sentinel Island, one of the Andaman Islands, in the Bay of Bengal,
a protected area of India. Chau
was born on December 18, 1991, in Scottsboro, Alabama, the
third and youngest child of Lynda Adams-Chau, an organizer for Chi Alpha, and Patrick Chau, a Chinese-American psychiatrist who
left China during the Cultural Revolution.
On November 15, 2018, John contacted
the islanders in a kayak. A Sentinelese boy shot an arrow at John that was lodged
in his Bible. John retreated. “God, I don’t want to die,” John wrote in his
journal. “WHO WILL TAKE MY PLACE IF I DO? Forgive any of the people on this
island who try to kill me, and especially forgive them if they succeed.” The
next day, John penned a note to his family. “You might think I am crazy in
all this. But I think it’s worth it to declare Jesus to these people.” On November
17, the fishermen saw tribal people burying his body. John Chua was unlike other young
people in our country. As we honor John Chau, may we recommit our hearts
to love nothing in this world more than loving and making Jesus known.
Paul prepares him for the soon
coming persecution upon the Church by writing to his “beloved son, Timothy (II
Tim 1:1-2), a disciple and a young pastor. When writing II, Timothy Paul was
going through his second imprisonment. Most scholars believe that Paul was
acquitted at the first trial. Then, he returned to Greece and Asia Minor for
more missionary work.
Later, he was arrested again, taken back to Rome, and beheaded. Paul’s
second Epistle to Timothy was written approximately A.D 66, while Paul was
expecting his execution. This letter prepares Timothy and the Church for the
worst persecution that ever took place under the rule of the Roman emperor
Diocletian. The Great Persecution began on February 23, 303 AD. We will
explore our passage from II Timothy 3:10-17 and
see how that applies to our Christian living.
I.
We are called to Pursue godliness
A veteran pastor once asked a small
group of men he was discipling, “Do you desire to be successful in your
Christian life?” The men, puzzled by the question, hesitated to answer. The
pastor clarified as he continued, “Or do you want to be utterly faithless as
you follow Christ? Do you intend to act on your desire to live a godly
life or not? Your success is not dependent upon anything greater than a daily
commitment to faithfully living a godly life in Christ Jesus.”
Our actions give evidence of our
confession. Would others describe us as faithfully living godly lives? Have we
counted the cost of our desire to pursue Christ? Paul reminded his beloved son
Timothy to fan into flame the gift of God within
by laying his own hands on him.
He pointed out how the Holy Spirit gives us the power to
love, not to be ashamed of the Lord, and endure suffering, including
imprisonment, as Paul did. He shows Timothy and us the reason and purpose why Christ saved us: to live a holy life. After warning Timothy against
the folly of the love of riches, he encourages him to pursue godliness and
righteousness. We hear a similar call to pursue godliness in the following
scriptures.
Titus 2:10-12, “For the grace of God has appeared that
offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly
passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly
lives in this present age.” Why is it essential for believers to live
godly lives?
First, in the last days, people become lovers of pleasure
rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power (II
Tim 2:5). Second, when people run after godless myths, we train ourselves to be
godly as it gives us the power to hold on to our Christian Faith. Thirdly, as
we eagerly await and hasten Christ’s return, we ought to live holy and godly
lives. II Pet 3:11. Godliness is doing God’s will no matter what it costs,
including our very lives.
II.
We are warned to Expect persecution
According to the International Rescue
Committee, from 1998 to 2007, approximately 5.4 million excess deaths occurred
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The vast majority of those
killed in the DRC are Christians. Rebels, for example, often single out
Christians because they do not cooperate with malicious plans to expand rebel
territory. Such Christians, when they are killed as a result of actions
springing from their faith, fit our definition of “martyr,” whether or not explicit
proclamations of their faith accompanied those actions.[1]
We can openly attend Church, a
Christian conference, or a musical concert in the U.S. No one puts a gun to our
heads or a knife to our throats and forces us to deny our faith in Christ. Yet,
we complain when there is opposition or pushback to our Christian ideals. We
raise a hue and cry and say we are persecuted! Are we? Why do we think we would
be spared from persecution?
Jesus did not include persecution as
an afterthought or in small letters when He called us to follow Him. He
repeatedly warned us about it. Paul, while giving a final charge to Timothy,
said, “Infact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be
persecuted.”
-John
18:20, “A servant is not greater than his master. ‘If they persecuted me, they
will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours
also.”
-Matthew
5:10-12, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult
you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because
of me. Rejoice and be glad because great is your reward in heaven, for in
the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
So,
dear friends, if you think you are being persecuted because you are facing some
opposition. Don’t be surprised! Join the Church of the persecuted worldwide.
Hold on! You are not alone; you are in the same company of the prophets of the
O.T, our Lord Jesus Christ, the early disciples, and the millions of modern-day
martyrs for Christ, like the young man John Chau. The truth about persecution
is it is inevitable, universal, and meant for every Christian. While we cannot
overcome it completely, what should be our attitude towards persecution?
II.
Christian Attitude to Persecution (Opposition)
First,
when we are persecuted for our faith, we rejoice that we are being counted
worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name and continue to proclaim the good
news boldly. Acts 5: 41-42
Second,
let’s remember we are not alone. I Peter 4:12-13, “Dear friends, don’t be
surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange
were happening to you. Instead, be very glad for these trials make you partners
with Christ in his suffering so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing
his glory when it is revealed to all the world.”
Thirdly,
as Jesus and the first martyr Stephen prayed, let us pray for those persecuting
us. Fourth, our love for Jesus is shown when we care for the hungry, poor, and
needy, including those in prison. Paul encourages us to remember those in prison as if we were together with
them in prison and those who are mistreated as if we ourselves were suffering.
Hebrews 13:3 When we are persecuted, we pray to the Lord, “Deliver us from the evil (one). On this day, as we honor
those who sacrificed their lives for the sake of the Gospel, let us determine
that we will live a godly life and be committed to sharing Christ’s love with
others no matter the cost.
