Recently I was in a house church worship service during which Pastor Jean Hess drew attention to the International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians. She also showed video clips of testimonies from individuals in several countries who spoke about their experience of official and unofficial hardship for their faith. This is not an issue for those of us who live in a society that guarantees religious freedom and seems to espouse religious tolerance most of the time. Yet there are many Christians today whose life of discipleship is far more costly than mine. When churches are bombed, Christian believers are denied the right to assemble for worship, employment opportunities are restricted, death threats and prison loom, following Jesus truly is the way of the Cross.
The Christian movement has experienced persecution from the outset. Christ himself predicted it. And when disciples are faithful to Christ in the face of persecution, frequently the church grows. Incredible! For example, Christianity in communist China grew exponentially during a time of severe anti-religious sentiment in that nation.
When the capacity to evangelize is seriously inhibited by law or societal pressure, it is the faithful living of disciples that makes the witness. The willingness to be guided by the Word of God, to pray in the name of Jesus, to serve him through acts of kindness and compassion, to exhibit courage and joy in the face of oppression, these practices and attitudes are living lessons in genuine evangelism.
The reality that countless unnamed disciples still face persecution for their Christian faith begs the question of how I might react to a similar circumstance. I pray that I might be found faithful to the gospel in such a situation, that I might be granted a level of courage and faithful endurance that has not been tapped in my experience. Yet I am deeply humbled by the witness of others who are even now following the Lord, no matter the cost.
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