Paul took prison ministry seriously. In fact, the last 8 chapters (21-28) of Acts record Paul’s imprisonment and mission work as a prisoner. While the messenger is a prisoner, the message continues to go forth and impact the world! This is another confirmation that the cause of Christ is of God and all efforts to stop it are vain. Nothing can stand in the way of God. Nothing can prevent his purposes from coming to completion. Nothing!
Persecution, hardships, opposition from the government, imprisonment, you name it… all have been tired and all have failed to undo the advancing kingdom of God. Perhaps the greatest test of all to the Christian faith is not powerful opposition, but peaceful prosperity. It is during these times that some of God’s people become relaxed and spiritually weak and flabby. While we may be experiencing peaceful prosperity here, and we may become spiritually lazy and compromising with the world around us, there are other quarters of this planet where the kingdom of Christ faces great trial and tribulation. Did you know that there are followers of Jesus Christ today who are in great danger and suffer bitter opposition?
The "Voice of the Martyrs" is a group that monitors Christian persecution today. You may be surprised to learn that there have been multiplied thousands of people killed in just the past few years because of one thing: They claim to believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and they dare to call themselves Christian in a place where such a claim is unacceptable.
That is hard for me to understand or grasp. All my life there has been relative peace and safety extended to those in this country who name the name of Jesus Christ and call ourselves Christian. From my childhood even the entertainment industry bowed to the censorship of Christian influences. Such things as sexual immorality, swearing and even partial nudity were banned from any television. Public schools regularly had prayer and even scripture readings. Jobs and sports didn’t interfere with Sundays and Wednesday nights as these were reserved for church attendance. Indecency laws protected our children from immoral garbage in most arenas of life. The Bible, by in large, though not obeyed, was at least respected as God’s word. Fornication, adultery and homosexuality were considered terrible blights in anyone’s life, and sins of which to be deeply ashamed and repented of.
These were the post depression and post World War 2 days. God had gotten the attention of a whole generation of Americans at the cost of a host of lives. Today, that attention has turned to other things and it appears that it is time for God to get our attention again.
What will the days ahead look like for us? Listen to the words of Psalm 78: 34 Whenever God slew them, they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again.
35 They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer.
36 But then they would flatter him with their mouths, lying to him with their tongues;
37 their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant.
38 Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath.
39 He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.
40 How often they rebelled against him in the desert and grieved him in the wasteland!
41 Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember his power-- the day he redeemed them from the oppressor,
Listen to verse 34 again: 34 Whenever God slew them, they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again.
What in the world is going on here? You would think that just the opposite would occur. Some think that if God gave us everything we wanted, we would surely love him and seek him, wouldn’t we? I mean, isn’t that what makes sense to us? Why would anyone run to God when he allows terrible things to fall on us? How can we trust in a God who punishes us for sin and disciplines us to make us holy? I admit that I don’t understand all of this, but I read about it throughout the entire Bible. And have we not seen this here? I think of 9/11 and how just after the attacks our government leaders stood together and sang "God Bless America" on the Capital Steps. (How soon we forget). There is a redemptive and purifying quality to suffering that God’s word reveals over and over again. It is like the fire that purifies the precious metals. But it is more.
Suffering for the cause of Christ is another proof that it is genuine, not only in the one who suffers but also before the witnesses who observe faith in the midst of suffering.
Philippians 1:29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him,
Acts records over and over the power of persecution to purify and spread the borders of the kingdom of Christ. Part of the message to Christians is this: Acts 14: 21 And after they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch,
22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."
If given the choice between a worldly popular, convenient, comfortable, but false Christianity or an unpopular, difficult, uncomfortable but faithful Christianity… which would you choose? Is there really a choice here?
How important is it that we keep our eyes on Jesus, who suffered and died on the cross for us? How important is it that we walk in his footsteps, take up our cross, and follow him? Here’s the real danger. When the church refuses to suffer for Christ we soon discover that we are not following Christ! What we do is form social clubs in the name of church and instead of building the kingdom of Christ, we build things for ourselves and call them Christian.
Listen. Just because we call ourselves Christian doesn’t make it so! Just because we attend services and contribute from our excess to sooth our consciences and satisfy ourselves does not mean we are pleasing God or serving Jesus. God has not called us to make church a part of our lives! God has not called us to ad a little Bible teaching here or there into our weekly schedules! God has not called us to security and comfortable lifestyles while the world around us goes to hell, God has called you to follow the crucified Christ, to carry your cross, to abandon this world and look to things above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Why is it that so many of our kids leave their faith when they leave home and go off to college? My question is this: have we shown them what following Jesus actually means? Or, have we allowed them to live in and among idolatry and filth so that it has destroyed their lives? Have we given our lives to Jesus Christ fully, completely without reservation? Are our kids really leaving the Lord, or have they never actually seen genuine Christianity lived out before them day after day? Is the invitation to baptism anything more than an initiation to membership into a comfortable communion of unspiritual lukewarmness that makes Jesus sick?
Have I as a preacher of the gospel compromised the message to make you comfortable?
Have I as your minister softened the edges of the words of Jesus so that you never actually heard the true call to give your life away for the crucified Christ?
Have we as a church pursued fun over faithfulness and pleasures of this life over the purity of holiness in Christ?
Have you as a mother or father allowed the world to lead your children with its influence, entertainment and teaching so that popularity trumps devotion to God and cool trumps Christ as most important in life? Is school or sports or job or anything standing above your first love of Jesus Christ?
Who here will join Jesus in suffering and dying for a lost world? Who here will give up all to answer the call of the one who left heaven and went to a cross to save us? Who here is ready to say, “Not my will but thy will be done” in the face of whatever Satan may bring against us? Listen! Today is the day of decision! Today may be your last! Do you know Jesus Christ as Lord of your life? Do you listen to his call even when your friends and family resist Jesus?
The enemy within us whispers: “Settle down! Relax! Don’t do anything rash! You are just fine without a full commitment to follow Jesus! You don’t need to listen to this message today! Greg is over the edge today. What he says is radical and irresponsible! Don’t let go of your comfortable life! Grace! That’s it! God’s grace will cover your lack of commitment! Jesus wants you to be happy! What will your friends think? Peace! Peace! Calm down!” Is that what you’re hearing in your heart?
Do you struggle within yourself this morning? Ask yourself this, is Greg preaching truth or lies today? Is God speaking to your heart to repent and be renewed by the Holy Spirit? Why do you resist Him? Won’t you answer the call of God and join together in prayer today?
May God bring revival to us! May he do whatever it takes to cleanse our hearts from anything that resists him! May he break our stubborn will and renew our closed minds! Open our eyes Lord! Unstop our ears! Let us know that you alone are worthy of all we are and have!
