INDIA – OUR “PROMISED LAND”
August 15, 2023FACE IT AND FIGHT IT
August 17, 2023All over the world, things are beginning to change. Christians are increasingly becoming the target for intentional persecution. In some places, Christian persecution is more open than others. Same is happening in our country for about twenty plus years now. To say the least, it is certainly disturbing the Christians. Innocent people are targeted and are troubled. In many cases the targeting and the troubles are serious and criminal in nature and intent. In certain incidents it is disgusting and deeply unnerving to see the heartlessness and the cruelty. This is just the beginning.
At such times, it is easy for us Christians to lose our focus and our perspective. This is when we have to be stronger and firmer in our faith in the LORD. This is when we have to learn to trust God, and seek Him, to help us, through the struggles and the storms of intentional persecution.
The early Christian Church is the best example that we can ever have from the Church history. They teach us sound biblical principles, about how our response should be, when persecuted. Such principles will help us to arrive at a perspective. This perspective will keep our purpose in focus, and will also help us not to forget it, but rather, remember it always, and live by it.
Tertullian [160-220 AD] one of the Early Church Father says, “It is absolutely forbidden to repay evil with evil.”
Justin the Martyr [100-165 AD] who himself was killed, says “We ourselves were well conversant with war, murder and everything evil, but all of us throughout the whole wide earth have traded in our weapons of war. We have exchanged our swords for plowshares, our spears for farm tools…now we cultivate the fear of God, justice, kindness, faith, and the expectation of the future given us through the Crucified One….The more we are persecuted and martyred, the more do others in ever increasing numbers become believers.”
Our LORD Jesus Himself had said, “52…“Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?” “44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven…” – Matthew 26:52-53; 5:44-45
Such a path is not natural for us, nor is it easy to follow. However, the Word of God is clear. May the LORD Jesus help us to walk in His ways, and not lose our perspective, nor the principles that the our Redeemer had taught us.
