A topic that is often discussed within the Christian community is the concept of persecution.  Within our Sunday school lessons, sermons, and general conversations this topic is occasionally brought up; and with good reason.  Jesus stated in the Gospels, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”  (Matthew 5:10-12).  To be a Christian is to live in opposition to many worldly ways, but we are also called to love those who persecute us, which is almost like spiritual whiplash!

The church in America so often points at persecution around the world and across our regions.  We stand up righteously from the pulpit and lambast those that seek to destroy the House of God.  The “Amens” of affirming congregants echo off the walls as we agree wholeheartedly that the persecution of Christ’s Church is something to oppose and speak out against.  This comes from the fact that Christianity was born into persecution.  Think about it, Jesus was persecuted, the Apostles were Persecuted, the Deacons were persecuted, the Prophets and Prophetesses were persecuted.  As the great Evangelist Leonard Ravenhill stated, ““Why in God’s name do you expect to be accepted everywhere? How is it that the world couldn’t get on with the holiest man that ever lived, and it can get on with you and me?”  Christianity was born into a world that sought to remove it, but you cannot remove the truth.

However, the persecution that we so often chose to ignore is the most dangerous persecution of all; and that is persecution from within.  This is the same thing as Judas betraying Jesus, Peter denying Christ, Ananias and Sapphira trying to deceive the Apostles, and the Pharisees and Sadduccess trying to trip up Jesus.  Anytime, within our Christian churches, that the objective becomes a personal vendetta or selfish ambition, persecution from within occurs.  This is when you begin to exclude certain peoples from the table, or separate the chosen from the unchosen, or have humans declare who is worthy of salvation and who is not.  There is only one who can administer salvation, and that is Christ Jesus.  If anyone other than Jesus is declaring and accusing who goes to heaven and who goes to hell, then they are an apostate, a false teacher, a persecutor.

We must, as Christians, ensure that our churches are centers of the Gospel message, bound by the authoritative Word of God.  We will face ostracization from the world for sure, and we will have those that seek to destroy the work of God.  But those attacks will not just come from the outside, they will also come from within.  They may even start as good intentions, but if they produce hate, anger, or exclusion from the Body of Christ, then they are not of God.

We must speak out against the Persecution of the Christian Church; both from the outside world and within our own walls.

Pastor Mike McVey
Minister – First United Methodist Church, Fairfield TX
ACS Chaplain – United States Coast Guard, Station Galveston TX
Chaplain – Texas Game Warden Service, Freestone County
Cell:  919-935-2513
Email:  pastormike@fumcfairfield.org