"Yea, and all that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (II Timothy 3:12)

I once read a story about a visiting minister in China who was questioned by a Chinese believer. This saintly Chinese brother wanted to know how Americans explain II Timothy 3:12, which says so plainly that ALL who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Sadly, the minister had no answer.

Indeed, for 2,000 years the True Church of Jesus Christ has suffered tremendous persecution and in the 20th century, there were more marytrs for Christ than all the previous 1,900 years combined! For 2,000 years it has not been "comfortable" to be a Christian. In times of persecution, there was no room for "lukewarm" Christians because anyone who openly confessed Jesus and obeyed Him would suffer for their faith. The world has always been wicked and full of darkness and the world has been and will always hate true believers. Jesus warned His disiples and all future Christians of this very fact. In Matthew 24:9, He said, "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you, and ye shall be hated of all nations for My Name's sake".

Hated, afflicted, killed. These are words that strike fear in many (if not all) hearts. But in Matthew 5:11, Jesus told us, "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake". Exactly the opposite of what the world believes, but Christians should feel blessed and even rejoice when we are "counted worthy to suffer shame for His name" (Acts 9:16).

That feeling of blessedness and rejoicing in the midst of tribulations has been the conviction of countless millions of believers throughout these past 2,000 years. These believers had a faith that was worth living for and in the end, worth dying for. No matter how dark the times were, God has always had a remnant: the true church that has stood firm and refused to compromise TRUTH.

Most American church members today could not name one martyr of the faith. They have been forgotten and put on the book shelf, contained in dusty volumes of Foxes' Book of Martyrs or the Martyrs Mirror. In many Moslem and Communist countries today, new chapters are being written and new names added daily to the list of "modern-day" martyrs. Most churches never offer a prayer for those suffering brothers and sisters. They are too busy with social activities (and there isn't anything wrong with Christian fellowship if it doesn't become the focal point of the church) to hear about such "depressing" news. I was once in a church where the people were offended when a video about our persecuted brethren was shown. They just did't want to hear about "those people in China". Which brings us back to the haunting question of that Chinese brother: how do we "explain away" II Timothy 3:12? All certainly means everyone.

Now no-one likes to suffer. There's something in our human nature that does not like to be hated. We all want to be popular, appreciated and even praised. Again, that is a part of our human nature or "the flesh". But Jesus told His followers about a different way: the way of the Cross. When the people in Jesus' time saw a man carrying a cross, they knew that man was going to die. So they knew exactly what Jesus meant in Matthew 10:38 -- "And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me". They knew that they would have to die to self. The "old man", that sin nature all of us have inherited from Adam, that "love of ease", would have to be cricified. Galations 5:24 says, "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts". This "preaching of the cross" is now "out of vogue" (so to speak) in the vast majority of churches today. The ministers are worried of being an "offense" if they preach Truth, so they leae out the Cross, dying and the Blood. Instead of old-fashioned altars where convicted sinners weep and mourn until they have put it all on the altar and are washed in the soul-cleansing Blood of the Lamb, we now hear polite reuests to make a "decision" for Christ. A "whatever it takes" attitude to get people in church has been adopted and as a result, the world has now taken over the church. But not the True Church and thank the Lord, He still has a remmant in AMerica today! But the majority have sold out. I recently heard a minister say from the pulpit that he would never preach about hell-fire because "no-one believes in it anyway". No wonder Satan has not waged warfare against those churches -- they pose no threat to him!

If the American church is not suffering persecution, it is for one reason only: it has stopped preaching "Holiness unto the Lord". If the Lord wills, we may never have to physically die for our faith here in America. However, be assured that if you uphold Truth, if you live a holy, separated life, if you call sin by its rightful name of SIN, then you WILL suffer persecution in some form. Most assuredly, you will be mocked, slandered and hated -- and sometimes it will come from those you love most: children, parents or spouse. If you are loved and praised by the world, then perhaps its time to check your spiritual pulse. Jesus warned us, "If the world hates you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, therefore the world hateth you" (John 15:18-19). No exceptions!

The great preacher and co-founder of the Salvation Army, Catherine Booth, once wrote, "Opposition! It is a bad sign for the Christianity of this day that it provokes so little opposition. If there were no other evidence of it being wrong, I should know from that. When the Church and the world can jog along together comfortably, you may be sure there is something wrong. The world has not altered. Its spirit is exactly the same as it ever was, and if Christians were equally faithful and devoted to the Lord, and separated from the world, living so that their lives were a reproof to all ungodliness, the world would hate them as much as it ever did. It is the Chruch that has altered, not the world". Catherine Booth spoke these words over 100 years ago. What would she say if she would see the "church" today?

In closing, let me again stress that we may never be called to die for our faith. However, we are all called to take up our cross, to cricify self. And when we die-out to this world, then surely we will be hated and suffer tribulation in some form. As we die daily and walk in the Spirit, God will give us grace to overcome -- even if one day it means death.

Let us remember that whatever we suffer on earth, one day it will be worth it all! "If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us" (II Timothy 2:12).