Trust God for Today and Tomorrow
Let us be realistic about the future.
When persecution of Christians breaks out in our lands, will any one us
be able to remain faithful to the end? Judging by our own strength and
resources; we are forced to conclude that we are incapable of bearing
such suffering. However, by approaching the matter f'rom another
angle, we are filled with triumphant assurance for the future. There is
another factor to remember that will tip the scales in our favour:
the omnipotence of our heavenly Father. We must include Him in of our calculations, for He possesses all the strength we need and will
demonstrate His power when we undergo persecution.
This calls for a complete change in our
way thinking. We must discard all idea of relying on ourselves, since
from the very outset it is obvious our own power of endurance will
not suffice in suffering. But there is Someone who will stand by our
side, denionstrate His might and lend us aid in future trials- God our
Father, and everything hinges on whether or not we reckon with Him.
His power is so immense that our ability to suffer grows
insignificant by comparison. It makes no difference whether we have great or little power of endurance or none at all for to God it is
the same, whether He has to impart much or little of His strength to
us. Indeed,He was referring to the weak when He promised, 'My power
39
is made perfect in weakness' (2 Cor.
12:9).
Today we must practise claiming His aid
for ourselves. When we can no longer see a way out of our
predicament, we must reckon alone with God and. His assistance, for
He has given us a definite pledge of help. His name is Yea and Amen,
and He will be faithful to His promises so that in the midst of
persecution and suffering we shall experience the truth of His
words, 'I will never fail you nor forsake you' (Heb. 13:5). 'Fear
not, for I am with you ... I will strengthen you, I will help you, I
will uphold you with my victorious right hand' (Isa. 41:10). We only
have to do our part by claiming the promise. And this we do by
translating faith into action and coming to God our Father in every
sorrow and saying to Him,
`Abba, dearest Father, I trust You.
You will uphold me and carry me
through.
You are with me; You bring me the help
I need. I take refuge in Your heart.
When I am united with You, nothing can
harm me. You are my Shield, and Your angels watch over me.'
Whenever fear grips our hearts as we
think of the coming persecution, let us repeat this prayer:
`My Father,
From the foundations of the world You
have ordained what will happen to me every day, every hour during
persecution. You know me; You know my character, my capabilities. You
know whether I am weak or strong, and before sending
40
anything into my life, You measure it
first according to my strength.
Your loving heart sees to it that I am
not tried beyond my strength in the trials and testings during
persecution – of that I can rest assured. My Father, if anyone has
evil intentions for me, You only have to speak a word and his
attempts are foiled. My tormentors can never do more to me than You
permit. And Jesus will give me the strength to endure.
Lord Jesus, take my life. I want to
suffer and even die for You out of love and gratitude, for You have
loved me and brought me salvation through Your agonizing death on the
cross.'
If we draw near to God in deep trust,
we shall experience His help. But there is a condition to fulfil. We
must come to the Father as true children with humble and contrite
hearts. In other words we must lie at His feet, humbled beneath our
sin. Ever anew we must confess our sin to Him and before men, making
a complete break with it. Grace is promised to such penitent sinners.
God inclines Himself to the humble and helps them, but He opposes the
proud and self-righteous. It is vastly important that we bring our
sins into the light and receive forgiveness through Jesus' blood,
before the time of suffering and persecution comes upon us! Then God
will stand by us and let us experience His fatherly help.
In times of persecution the Father
Himself will take charge of the situation – and not we – for He
has pledged Himself to intervene on our behalf. Indeed miracles will
happen and the Biblical events of long
41
ago will become present-day occurrences
for us. When God intervenes, torture will have no effect. Night after
night in an unheated cell a girl was made to sleep on the cold cement
floor, according to a recent account from White Russia. It was winter
time and she had no outer garment to keep her warm. Yet as she
testified, 'Every night when I lay down in that icy grave, I
committed myself into the hands of God and — it was a miracle! —
a warm current of air surrounded me all night long and I could rest
well .141 This was obviously God's doing!
When God intervenes, riotous gangs and
terrorists advancing on us will not be able to cause us any harm. But
when the time comes for some of us to lay down our lives for Jesus,
after having experienced many instances of protection and
deliverance, we shall encounter another miracle of God — as in the
case of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. God let him see into the
open heavens. The stoning could not drive Stephen to despair. On the
contrary, he was filled with divine joy and 'his face was like the
face of an angel' (Acts 6:15).
Some years ago there was a moving
testimony from the persecuted Church in China. An elder of a small
church was taken to court because of his faith in Christ. He was
beaten brutally and thrown into prison, but after a few days he was
released for no apparent reason. At the next worship service, he gave
his testimony to the assembled church, which had been praying for him
without ceasing during his imprisonment. 'When I received the 240
lashes, I thought of Stephen and how he was stoned. Then I had an
experience similar to his. Above me I could
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see the Lord Jesus for whom I was
suffering, and I was comforted beyond words. It was as though a
hand was laid upon my mangled back so that I no longer felt the
pain. In addition the Lord told me that I would be set free in a few
days, and that really did happen, as you can all see.' His eyes still
shone will the Lord's comfort and on him rested the invisible aureole
of honour and glory — won by those who him suffered disgrace for
Jesus' sake.
Once long ago God uttered a command and
out of nothing He formed heaven and earth, a marvelous creation. The
same God who lives today needs say, but a word and that which would
normally cause us agony or injury is rendered ineffective. Five hours long, night after night, a young soldier, thinly clad was made to
stand outside in the freezing cold (— 20 F.). Humanly speaking, he
should have contracted serious illness or have died; yet nothing of
the sort happened to this soldier, suffering for Jesus sake. Another
time he was deprived of nourishment for five days, but the Lord
sustained and strengthened him. God proved Himself to be a God of
miracles.
This was the testimony of the Russian
soldier Vanya Mojsejev, of our times .
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God speaks a word and there is action.
He intervenes and grants ushelp _-when we cry_ to Him in our need, as this young Baptist martyr did. God the Father, who does not
forget the young ravens that cry, does not forget any of His children
when they call upon Him. His attention is especially drawn to those
who are suffering out of love for Himand are in fear and dire
distress. He cannot forget them or
leave them without comfort,
without help,
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that would contradict His very nature
which is love — and God cannot deny Himself. Our heavenly Father is
Love and at the same time He is the Almighty; He acts according to
His nature, treating us with love and exercising His omnipotence on
our behalf just as He has promised.
Thus one of the watchwords for this
preparatory time when we are faced with problems and suffering is,
'Pray! Hasten to the Father!' God is waiting for His child to come so
that He can help him. So let us implore the Father to help, and rush
to His arms, for they are strong and will carry us through. Then we
shall be practised by the time persecution comes, When we are in
extreme anguish and misery, we may not be able to formulate long
prayers, but then we only have to say, 'My Father, I trust You!' Let
us say this prayer over and over again; it contains power and brings
us help, for we receive according to our trust.. Either God will avert the plight or
we shall experience His loving presence so wonderfully that we are
oblivious to the horror about us.
We can really place our trust in the
Father, for He is worthy of our implicit trust. God our Father in
Jesus Christ has not only shown His love in words; He has proved it
in action. Although we have burdened and wearied Him with our
sins, grieved Him and caused Him suffering and so often rebelled
against Him, He sacrificed His Son for our sakes — an act which
caused Him immeasurable anguish. The Father's love and faithfulness
have been tried and proven; they are absolutely reliable. And His
love does not change; His heart is the same today.
Long ago He made the supreme sacrifice
of His
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only Son — as proof of His love —
in order to save us and re-open heaven for us. And now He wishes to
lavish His love upon those who are no longer His enemies but His
adopted children who have come to love Him as their Father. His love
will come down in cascades upon His children, particularly when they
are undergoing suffering and persecution for Jesus' sake. He will
pour out His heart of love upon them in their grief and pain, turning
hell into heaven. Many of His own, suffering for His name's sake,
have had this experience during the years spent in the diabolical
conditions of concentration camps. Father Kentenich, who was
imprisoned in the concentration camp of Dachau for four years during
World War II, gave the following testimony there at a memorial
service. 'Dachau was not hell for us, but rather heaven. How
often we said that to each other then! For what is heaven but the
deep fellowship of love with the Triune God and with those who love
Him !114
45/46
Knit to His Will, We Are Strong
When the mob came to take Jesus
prisoner, He met them with the words, 'I am he!', thus giving
Himself into their hands. Jesus was prepared to suffer, to be imprisoned, to be tried and scourged, since His will was knit to the
Father's. Being at one with the will of God makes us strong in the
hour of deepest affliction even if commandos should come to arrest us
too. Being at one with God means having a covcnant with the almighty,
immortal God, who contends for us. Being united with Jesus Christ
means having the victorious, risen Lord at our side, the Lord over
things and all men, before whom all powers and dominions must yield.
When we are united with the Almighty, we shall be able to master
every situation. This union with God is essential for the
time of persecution, but it has to be practised now, for unity with
God, which means unity with His will, does not come to us naturally.
So often our will clashes with God's.
His ways and leadings oppose our natural inclinations. We find it hard
to accept His will. We find it hard to submit tp those who insult us
or act against our personal wishes and opinions. We protest and rebel defying the will of God. And because our unity with God is broken, our
strength to overcome in suffering it is also broken. When our will
revolts against God's will, a barrier is erected between God and us,
and we
47
have to undergo the painful experience
of having God against us, for 'God opposes the proud', who set their
wills against His.
We shall have to pay the consequences
during the great persecution for each time we have defied God's will
and leadings by asserting our own wishes and will instead. In the
hour of testing we shall be weak. And the reverse is equally true. We
shall be rewarded for every time we have consented to the will of God
and said, 'Yes, Father!', when faced with the trials and vexations of everyday life, or our personal sorrows and troubles. The dedication
of the will binds us more and more tightly to God, cementing a union
that will hold in persecution and torment. When we are united with
God, nothing can harm us.
This prayer, 'Yes, Father!', must
become like second nature to us by the time persecution breaks out.
We must start training ourselves now, so that every time our heart
produces a No to God's leadings, it will be turned into a Yes. It is
vital that we declare war on the spirit of defiance that arises in
our heart when our will is thwarted. We must learn to submit to
others, since it is ultimately God who ordains the course of life.
This must all take place now – on the eve of persecution. So let us
pray, 'By the time persecution comes, let my will be completely
knit to Your will through repeated commitments to suffering.'
But who can surrender his will
unconditionally to the will of God? Who is able to say, 'Yes,
Father!' ever anew, even when it demands his life, his all? Only he
who bears the true image of God in his heart and declares who God is.
God is Love; His will is goodness; His thoughts, purposes and
decisions
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come from a fatherly heart which is
brimming over with love. He has only the best intentions for us, His
children, even though we may not understand His actions. In
beholding the Father's heart,we are moved to repeat the prayer, 'Yes,
Father!', no matter how hard we find His leadings; and in time this
prayer will knit us to the will of God completely, evoking in us the
response of love so that we welcome suffering.
It is absolutely essential that our
wills be at one with the will of God, for otherwise we shall
not be steadfast in the coming time of persecution. If we are only
sometimes committed to God's will in situations and relationships
when our will is frustrated, we shall have only a loose connection
with God – and that will not suffice. A wall made of loose bricks
will collapse when a storm breaks out. In order to withstand
the storm, the bricks must be cemented together and the same
principle applies to our lives. By taking advantage of the countless
opportunities today for making great or small commitments of our will, our union with God will become sturdy and
unshakeable. Then during affliction we
shall be united
with our loving Father in His
omnipotence and with our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the mightiest
of all. As Lord and God, Jesus has only to speak a word and a
prison door will swing open, a trial will take a direction in our
favour, and medications and drugs intended to weaken our
resistance and make us
pliable cannot harm us. And at
cross-examinations the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of wisdom, will
help us, inspiring us with the right words. Indeed, when we are knit to the will of God, we are invincible, for His will is stronger than any other will; all must submit to Him.
49
In the midst of persecution we shall
rest in the Father's arms like a child. The wickedness of others, the
torture and suffering they plan to inflict upon us cannot harm us.
When we are knit to God, we are strong and shall be able to endure
persecution just as the martyrs did in past centuries. Current
reports from Communist countries testify that Christians suffering
torture receive supernatural strength. 'I feel better than ever! The
joy of the Lord is our strength,' wrote Aida Skripnikova, a young
woman, after her second term in a Russian prison camp. She derives
her strength from committing herself to the will of God.
`Abide in me, and I in you' (John
15:4). If we are united with Christ, it does not matter what trouble
or danger befalls us. For, 'who shall separate us from the love of
Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or peril, or sword None of these, for we can answer
triumphantly, 'I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our
Lord' (Rom. 8:35, 38f.).
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Immersed in Jesus, We Are Invincible
What does the future hold? Before us we
can see people tormented in body, soul and spirit. We can see the
revolutionary mobs breaking into houses, dragging away the Christians
and torturing them. The mere thought of the Satanic darkness that is
about to engulf us is petrifying. This is precisely what Satan hopes
to achieve, for he is the instigator of this persecution of
Christians. A person crippled with fear is incapable of engaging in
spiritual warfare and so will never win the victory. Moreover when he
undergoes suffering and torture for Jesus' sake, he will be unable to
overcome.
We must be strong for the time of
persecution and, indeed, we shall be invincible, if we have
the right perspective. We are always influenced by what we look at.
Thus it is important that we tear our eyes away from scenes of
horror, hatred and evil that are inspired by the powers of darkness.
If we dwell only upon the coming horrors, picturing them in detail,
we are lost. The horror will overcome us and drag us down into the
quicksands of despair. We must turn our eyes away altogether and set
our gaze on Jesus Christ, the Prince of Victory, who has destroyed
the works of the devil and hell, and continues to do so. Victorious
might emanates from Jesus, imparting strength to us and making us
steadfast. Our only means of deliverance now, and later when our
lives
51
are jeopardized, is to gaze at Him.
The most amazing things take place when
we turn our eyes upon Jesus; comfort is poured into our fearful
hearts now and later during persecution. One glance at our Saviour
and Helper transforms us and our situation. In particular the sight
of our Lord suffering and in disgrace, crowned with thorns, implants
in our souls the desire to suffer. His infinite love is revealed to
us as we gaze at Him in His suffering. But if our hearts and minds
are not filled with Jesus' sufferings, we cannot suffer for Him.
Today more than ever we must meditate on His sufferings; then we
shall come very close to Him and our own suffering will seem small.
Jesus implores us, 'Look at Me when the
horror is about to swallow you. Then the darkness which has entered
your soul and is gathering round you will be turned into light.' His
countenance is like the radiant sun, sending forth rays of light that
fall upon our hearts, transforming darkness into light.
We have to confront the future. Indeed,
Jesus warns us by saying, 'Watch! Be alert!' In other words He tells
us to realize the significance of the present age, and to recognize
the signs of the time. The sole purpose of recognizing that darkness
has fallen is to take advantage of the time left before persecution
breaks out. Now on the eve of persecution we must practise seeking
Jesus ever anew with the inner eye of faith.
His is the loveliest countenance of
all, illuming the whole universe. When our eyes rest upon His
countenance, we are charged with power. When we are in deepest
distress and suffering, Jesus turns His
52
I
radiant gaze upon us and our hearts are
comforted. If we look to Jesus, allowing Him to enthral us, our
hearts will be immersed in divine peace and joy.
The right perspective will save us
during persecution and suffering. But we have only a short time
to practise. The way we approach our everyday trials and problems
casts the die for later. Today it is vital that we see beyond these
problems, not worrying about them, not getting too involved in them,
or letting them cripple us and weigh us down. We must turn our eyes
away from these problems and look to Jesus, the Ruler of heaven and
earth. Then He will grant us help. He gazes at us lovingly, promising
us, `I will help you.' When the hour of darkness has struck, He
reveals His countenance even more, letting His infinite love, glory
and power shine upon us in our night – this we can count on.
As we fasten our eyes on His
countenance, we drink in the love emanating from His features and
experience His help. Rapt in His gaze, we are no longer haunted
by the faces of our tormentors; we are oblivious to the horror,
the terrible conditions. Jesus alone, our Lord and King, fills our
hearts, and we experience the power that comes from beholding Him,
our suffering and victorious Lord.
In His love Jesus looks at us, waiting
for us to return His gaze and to fix our eyes upon Him in the midst
of anguish and distress. His name is a great source of power and He
waits for us to pronounce it as we behold Him: 'Jesus, my Helper.
Jesus, my Saviour. Jesus, my Bridegroom.' In the minor sorrows and
troubles of our present-day life we must learn to look to Him and
call upon His name. We must
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escape from the vicious circle where we
revolve round ourselves and our problems, and meditate on His
sufferings instead. Then our suffering will grow insignificant.
We must trust His promises of love, help and power, and as we look to
Him, calling upon His victorious name, we shall be delivered from the
quicksands of despair. Our souls are restored as we behold Him and we
have the comforting assurance of His presence.
Someone stands beside me, I am not
alone; Someone shares my suffering and sorrow unknown–Jesus, my
Helper and Victor.
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Trained in Spiritual Warfare
During this short time on earth
everything depends on our overcoming in the persecution of
Christians, the hour of great trial, which is about to come upon us.
We must stand the test of suffering, and our faith must prove itself
in the furnace of affliction, since the outcome will decide our
eternal destiny. During persecution Satan will make his assault on us
with the torment that fiendish men inflict upon us. He intends to
defeat us and rob us of our heavenly crown. In order to carry out
this plan he will attack us at our weak points and work on our sinful
inclinations, such as fear of suffering, cowardice, rebellion,
disloyalty to our convictions out of fear of causing offence or
incurring disapproval, dependence upon the praise and love of others
or false emotional attachments to people. When persecution breaks
out, it will become obvious how much we fought against our sins –
how seriously we took them and to what extent we overcame them. We
shall not be spared the consequences if we were so taken up with the
trivial mundane affairs, the sorrows and joys of 'today', that we
forgot the 'morrow'. The 'morrow' will bring persecution, and no one
can stand this test unless he has prepared himself in advance, by
fighting an earnest battle against sin, in faith in Jesus'
redemption.
God has commanded us to lay aside every
sin that
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clings to us and weighs us down (Heb.
12:1). Why? Sin weakens us. Normally if we are bound to others,
dependent on their praise and love, over-anxious to please, or afraid
of causing offence or incurring disapproval, we shall not be
able to remain steadfast during cross-examinations. Bondage to people
and to things of this world actually binds us to Satan, bringing us
into his clutches. And as a result we weaken and succumb. Then we are
even capable of denying Jesus, thus forfeiting our eternal heritage
in glory.
The Book of Revelation refers to the
persecuted Christians in the last times, saying, 'They have
conquered him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb . . .' (Rev.
12:11). But when do we use the word 'conquer'? Only when a battle is
involved, for there is no victory without a battle. And when are we
willing to fight the battle of faith so as to be freed from our
slavery to sin? Only when we refuse to tolerate our sins, such as
quarrelsomeness, thirst for power, the gratification of our
desires, envy, self-will, untruthfulness –and really hate them.
Only when we realize that such sinning is a grievous offence against
God and man, do we seek release at any price. Then we are willing to
fight against our sins to the point of shedding blood; then we are
willing to fight this battle now in preparation for the future.
The crucial question for the time of
suffering and persecution is 'Will sin still be able to weaken me
then to the extent it does now? Or shall I be able to overcome in
persecution, having fought against my sins beforehand?' We shall be
prepared to suffer, if we have fought this battle now in the time of
preparation.
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Only if we have let the blood of
Jesus release us now from our bondage to food and sleep, and ease and
will comfort, we be strong enough to bear
hunger, thirst and physical suffering. We shall be able to bear our
tormentors and betrayers in patience and love, and to forgive them,
if we have overcome all bitterness, irreconciliation and
rebellion now in our everyday lives. Then we shall be
experienced soldiers and Satan will not be able to defeat us in the
hour of testing.
Now is the time for practice. Jesus'
admonition to build our house upon rock and not upon sand, so that it
will stand in the impending storm, is highly relevant for us (Matt.
7:21-27). When the flood comes, only that which has a firm
foundation will not he swept away. Thus it is not our knowledge about
Christianity that counts, but the way we live. We must live according
to Jesus' words, doing the will of God and not just saying, 'Lord!
Lord!' His will is our sanctification (1 Thess. 4:3); and
sanctification does not imply holiness – that is, flawlessness in
the perfectionist sense of the word. Sanctification is a process
that includes fighting the battle of faith against sin with our
last ounce of strength so that, we may be remoulded into Jesus'
image.
In this battle of faith we must take
the right measures. 'If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck
it out and throw it away' (Matt. 5:29). In other wor(ls we have to
take action, confessing our sins to ( wd, and also to our fellow men
whom we repeatedly wrong. We need to humble ourselves before them,
to admit our guilt and say those vital words ever anew, 'Please
forgive me; I am very sorry.'
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Do we yield to our sinful inclinations?
Have we formed false attachments to others ? Are we bound to our
hobbies or money? Are we addicted to tranquillizers, sedatives
or other drugs? Are we on bad terms with anyone? Are we envious? Or
are we so egoistic that we cannot bear to be disturbed ? If so, we
must take the appropriate measures. There must be an 'about face' in
our lives and we must give God a token of our willingness, an
indication that our desire to become free is in earnest, though, of
course, only, Jesus can bring us release from our sinful bondages.
And we shall discover, 'If the Son makes you free, you will be free
indeed' (John 8:36).
Every time we look to Jesus in faith,
every time we pray to Him in faith, our fetters are loosened some
more; but we must also humble ourselves beneath His hand, submitting
patiently to His chastening, and persevering in faith in Hid victory
until we experience release. This persevering faith turns us into
overcomers, so that we shall be able to stand firm even during
persecution.
We must fight against our sins to the
point of shedding blood, taking practical steps to overcome
them. In particular we must gain the victory over the sins of
cowardice and the fear of men – conformity, the desire to please
others, and disloyalty to our convictions out of fear of
incurring disapproval or causing offence. During persecution it is
vital that we are able to bear witness to Jesus. And only if we
practise making an uncompromising stand for Jesus now, will we be
able to do so in perilous times. Today, when God Himself is being
attacked and blasphemy has reached unheard-of proportions, the
challenge to
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make a stand for the Lord is all the
more urgent. Jesus is being subjected to the most outrageous
indignities, mockery and degradation, while all sorts of obscenities
are attributed to Him as an excuse for man's wickedness. He is
presented as a clown, a simpleton, and portrayed as seen through the
eyes of Judas. The prospect of a 'blasphemous, sadistic and
pornographic' film about Jesus shows to what lengths man dares to go
in blaspheming, the Holy One of God.
Are we making a stand for Jesus ? Do we
voice our opposition when Jesus is treated this way? Today this is
the question we are being asked. Witnessing means having the courage
to be called 'old fashioned' or 'Pharisaical' and thus humiliated. A
true witness never remains silent or conforms to the crowd for the
sake of being thought tolerant, sophisticated, understanding,
broad-minded or modern.
This battle against our false sense of
brotherly love, false emotional ties and dependence upon the opinions
and approval of others becomes increasingly essential the closer
persecution draws towards us. Then we shall need to take a stand
against a universal church that does not recognize Jesus' act of
redemption but embraces all religions and ideologies. The same
applies, should we be confronted with a one and only permitted Bible,
which gives a distorted version of the crucifixion, omitting all
reference to the sacrificial atonement for sin, and presenting
social reform as the only true gospel. Then we will be faced with
this question: 'Do we love our Lord more than our own lives ? Are we
willing to lay them down for Him
We cannot be alert enough to withstand
the Satanic attempts to lull us to sleep and to lure us into a haze
59
of confusion. Vigilance is essential.
Now is the time to resist these attacks and to fight against sin,
especially cowardice, conformity and the false concept of
brotherly love. Then God will do everything to help us be victorious
during persecution. And later we shall join the overcomers in heaven
who 'have conquered him [Satan] . . . by the word of their testimony,
for they loved not their lives even unto death' (Rev. 12:11).
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The Privilege of Suffering for Christ
Christian persecution looms before us.
It will probably exceed all previous ones in proportion and brutality
–a fact which is enough to terrify us. Brainwashing, torture,
concentration camps come to mind – the most terrible suffering,
torment and even martyrdom. Yet there is a wonderful secret about
this suffering, for it is quite different from the other afflictions
that may come upon us. It is suffering 'for Christ'.
We are not suffering for some cause,
nor for a mortal man with his shortcomings and delusive ideals,
which he sets before us. We are not suffering for the sake of a ruler
who deludes his subjects, perhaps even torturing them, as is
frequently the case. History repeats itself, and to this very day
thousands commit themselves to such leaders, not stopping at any
sacrifice and even prepared to die for them, only to discover
later that they had been deceived. As Christians, however, we have
the wonderful privilege of suffering and giving our lives for the one
Lord Jesus Christ during persecution. He is the Lord Most High,
majestic and triumphant. As the Son of God robed in splendour,
emanating love, righteousness and truth, He is unique. The greatest
man on earth cannot compare with Him. He is altogether
different, without sin. He is the Almighty, the Ruler of heaven and
earth. In His amazing love for us He took the lowest place of all,
letting Himself be despised by all mankind.
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For our sakes He became the Man of
Sorrows, voluntarily undergoing the most agonizing death. And once
more today as the humble, meek Lamb of God he patiently endures the
blasphemy, allowing Himself to be abused, mocked and utterly degraded
in countless sacrilegious musicals, plays and other productions.
Today Jesus calls us to His side more than ever before to suffer
disgrace, contempt and persecution with Him. Let us give Him the
response of our love, for He is worthy of it.
It is truly remarkable that sinful men
are privileged to suffer for the Lord Jesus. After His sacrifice on
the cross where He vanquished Satan, Jesus majestically led away the
principalities and powers of the underworld as captives in a
triumphal march. And soon He will openly display and manifest His
victory over Satan before all the world! What a privilege it is to be
able to suffer for this Lord of lords ! With the breath of His mouth
He will destroy the Antichrist and then establish His everlasting
kingdom, where every knee will bow to Him and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord. In this kingdom the martyrs and
over-comers will have the honour of reigning with Him for ever and
ever. It is inconceivable that as sinful, mortal beings we are
permitted to be 'God's fellow-workers' in serving Him and in paving
the way for the eternal Kingdom of God, which is about to come. Yet
it is utterly amazing that by our suffering we are also to be
'fellow-workers with God' and thus partners with Christ our Lord, who
built His kingdom upon suffering. To suffer for Jesus and to help
establish the Kingdom of God as 'a chosen instrument' – this was
Paul's election. This calling was confirmed by the
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Lord when He said, 'I will show him
how much he must suffer for the sake of my name' (Acts 9 :16). Early
Christian martyrs, as well as twentieth-century martyrs, were
conscious of the tremendous honour of not only believing in
Jesus but of suffering for Him. Paul considered it an act of grace, a
privilege (Phil. 1:29 The Living Bible). In times of persecution
those who suffered martyrdom were usually filled with a joy that was
not of this world. Because their hearts were set on fire for Jesus,
they were overwhelmed at the honour of bearing shame and disgrace and
many hardships for His name's sake. To them the name of Jesus
represented all glory and might, wisdom and beauty, and immeasurable
love. His name always sounded in their hearts as the sweetest name.
Only because Jesus was their first and
foremost Love, could the martyrs of recent years, like those of the
past, endure persecution and suffering for Jesus joyfully and wholly
surrendered to God. Even before persecution had broken out, love
constrained them to share their Lord's pathway ; they could not do
otherwise. And Jesus' earthly life, even before His Passion
began, was characterized by lowliness, humiliation, disappointments,
poverty, loneliness, insults, rejection, many acts of
self-denial, and sacrificial deeds. Those who had previously chosen
Jesus' pathway for their own out of love for Him walked in His
footsteps as true disciples so that by the time persecution
came, they were practised in suffering and aflame with love for Him.
The more they practised bearing their cross with Jesus, the closer
they were knit to Him and. the more fiercely blazed the fire of their
love.
Jesus loves us tenderly and desires our
love in
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return. He entreats us, 'Give Me your
love! Choose My way! Come, join Me! Take up your cross and follow Me
Today there is still time to practise
true discipleship of the cross in order to be trained in suffering
for the time of persecution. Jesus appeals to us with greater urgency
than ever before, since our future depends on whether or not we
follow Him now on the way of the cross. Today He is challenging us to
set foot on His pathway and to deny ourselves and endure lowliness,
humiliation, rejection, insults, injustice, disappointments, and
bodily suffering out of love and dedication to Him. If we are willing
to continue this path out of love for Him in spite of the cuts and
bruises we receive on the way, if we say, 'For You, with You, Lord
Jesus', our love will grow strong and we shall gain practice in
suffering.
This is a gradual process. When we
commit ourselves to the future suffering, the first stage of
self-surrender is to say, 'Lord Jesus, as Your disciple I must suffer
for You!' By the second stage we are able to say, 'I want to suffer
for You!' But by the third stage we can say, 'It is a privilege to
suffer for You; it is an honour to be counted worthy of this.' Let us
constantly make new acts of dedication in order to reach this third
stage, which is our goal of faith. During persecution we shall reap
the fruits of this time of practice, and the bitterness of suffering
will be turned into triumphant joy. 'The Lord Jesus has suffered so
much on my behalf. Now I can show Him my love by suffering for Him.'
This triumphant joy and thanksgiving
for the privilege of suffering for Jesus can be found in the
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letter from the Evangelical Christian
Baptists of Russia, which they sent to all the churches in the world.
At the second congress of their church council in 1970, these
Baptists, the relatives of persecuted Christians, came together. Did
they want to make an accusation? To complain of their suffering? To
join in sorrowing for their fellow Christians who had been taken
prisoner ? Or to ask for release? On the contrary, the letter
reads, 'We have come together – fathers, mothers, sons and
daughters of prisoners – to thank the Lord for our suffering for
Christ.'4,1
Suffering for Christ? Frequently –
perhaps at night – we picture the horror, the bloodshed of the
impending revolution, the persecution of Christians and the
torture and anguish it will bring. But when this frightening
darkness seeks to oppress us, our hearts can suddenly be filled with
light. Two little words can effect total transformation, 'For
Christ!' Fear of the future and of the torment in persecution is
turned into comfort, peace and even triumphant joy when we look at
Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, the Bridegroom of our souls. It is our
privilege and desire to suffer for Jesus, who is eternal Joy, the
Glory of heaven and earth, the sole Love of those who belong to Him.
In view of the coming suffering let us
embrace the Lord Jesus with all our hearts and then we shall become
joyful in our present fears and later in torment, for our hearts will
be ringing with those blessed words, `For You, Jesus, for You!' There
is an account of the Baltic Professor of Theology, Traugott Hahn,
when he was in captivity. Before his execution in 1919 the guards
forced him to carry a pail of human excrement down the corridor.
Seeing him so degraded,
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Bishop Platon of the Orthodox Church,
who was a fellow-prisoner, whispered to him, 'Radi Christa' (Tor the
sake of Christ') .46 These words contain a wonderful hidden
power. When the Presbyter Peter Wiens in Russia was about to be
deported to a prison camp, he said good-bye to his wife with the
words, 'Rad! Christa', not knowing whether he would ever see her
again. These words set his wife at peace and strengthened his
son – as the latter testified – when later he too was deported.
The true image of Jesus never shines so
brightly as in times of persecution when He manifests the greatness
and power of His fervent love as He visits those suffering
imprisonment for His sake. Cold cells, impregnated with horror, are
transformed by Jesus' presence into a heavenly palace as the Dutch
priest, Dr Titus Brandsma, testified in a poem which he wrote in a
Gestapo prison where he was held captive in World War II:
To suffer takes no special fortitude
But only love. All suffering seems
good; For through it I become, 0 Lord, like You And suffering brings
me to Your kingdom too.
Indeed, all suffering is joy and gain,
For out of love I sense no more the
pain. It truly seems a high and glorious call, For it unites me with
the Lord of all.
Yes, let me be imprisoned and forlorn
In icy-cold and dismal cell, alone,
With no one else to help or comfort me;
I'll never tire of this serenity.
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If only You will stay with me, 0 Lord;
You've never been so close to me before. 0 stay, my Jesus! Stay,
Beloved, here, For all is well, if only You are near.
Even children who suffer persecution
come into a deeper relationship with Jesus, who stays at their side.
They discover the reality of Jesus and the hidden glory, the
privilege, the honour of being considered worthy to suffer for His
name's sake. 'What is your suffering for Jesus?' a ten-year-old boy
asked a Christian visiting a church in the Soviet Union while on
vacation. This boy had stayed in a camp with his brothers and sisters
during the years that his parents were imprisoned because of their
faith. However, children and parents both left the camps with their
faith deepened as a result of the suffering. And now the
all-important question for this boy was whether a believer had
suffered for Jesus already. In his youthfuI heart he no doubt sensed
that suffering for Jesus was an honour – a privilege .49
But not until we reach heaven and see
the shining crowns on the heads of those who patiently bore their
suffering, shall we fully realize what a privilege it is to suffer
for Jesus.
Who can measure the great treasure
Suffering and grief have brought? Who has sight and understanding For
the good that pain has wrought?
Who may live there close to Jesus
In unending glory bright?
Those who shared the cross beside Him.
With the Lamb endured dark night.10
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'Blessed are you when men hate you, and
when they exclude you and revile you, and cast out your name as evil,
on account of the Son of man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy,
for behold, your reward is great in heaven' (Luke 6:22f.). A
wonderful reward lies in store – and soon, very soon, suffering
will be turned into eternal glory and immeasurable joy.
What greater privilege could there be
than to suffer for Jesus, who wants to recompense our sufferings with
a divine reward and eternal glory! Let us lift up our eyes to heaven
– for one thought of heaven drives all earthly suffering away.
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The Marvellous Purposes of God
`I rejoice in my sufferings for your
sake,' the Apostle Paul declares in one of his letters (Col. 1:24).
He realizes the privilege of making up in his own person whatever is
still lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of His Body, which
is the Church. Paul rejoices, since he knows that his suffering will
have far-reaching effects for the Church. Through his suffering Paul
is privileged to help carry out God's plan of salvation – an
amazing thought! He is drawn into God's marvellous purposes for the
Body of Christ.
What a tremendous commission has been
entrusted to sinful man! Our suffering for Jesus' sake will yield
wonderful fruit. This knowledge, this thought will help us to remain
steadfast in the sufferings of persecution. We are not merely
enduring the suffering that has been laid upon us, submitting to it
with a 'Yes, Father!' Far more is involved. We are suffering for a
definite purpose, for Christ and His Body, the Church. Jesus, the
Lamb of God, gave His life as a sacrifice so that God's wonderful
plan of salvation for the Church, and later for the whole of creation
and for all nations, could be fulfilled. By contributing our
suffering we help to complete these eternal purposes of God. This is
our amazing privilege, for with our suffering we help to prepare the
Church, the bride of the Lamb, and so hasten the day of Jesus'
return.
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We are living in the last times and
this great day will come soon when God's plan for the Church, the
bride of the Lamb, will be fulfilled. Thus the persecution of
Christians in the end times is highly significant, for the last
measure of suffering must be added before the bride of the Lamb can
be completed in number and reach perfection. The overcomers in heaven
will be longing for this day of fulfilment and thus waiting for us to
take our part in suffering. Probably the marriage feast of the Lamb
is already in preparation and all heaven is waiting for the bride. On
that day of immeasurable joy and glory one of the goals in God's plan
of salvation will be attained, and we may help to bring about this
momentous event by contributing our share in suffering. This
prospect makes suffering worthwhile for the present-day martyrs and
gives them the strength to be steadfast. And when
the marriage feast of the Lamb
will fall begins, all the king-
doms of this world wi finally into the
Lord's
possession.
What a privilege and a high calling to
suffer with Jesus! What an act of grace, what a special honour!
Jesus, who on Calvary completed His sacrifice, who redeemed the whole
world, waits in humility for the members of His Body to suffer with
Him and for Him. They have the privilege of contributing their share
of suffering so that His plan of salvation for mankind and the whole
universe can be carried out. Suffering contains tremendous power,
yielding abundant fruit, and it ends in victory, glory and
resurrection.
This knowledge gives us the courage to
lay down our lives for Jesus in the time of persecution. Suffering
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brings great blessing to others, for as
the Apostle Paul said, 'I endure everything for the sake of the
elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which in Christ Jesus
goes with eternal glory' (2 Tim. 2:10). When persecution does break
out, we have the privilege of suffering for our church or
fellowship or for certain people, so that they may be saved, learn to
overcome and reach full maturity in Christ. Suffering during
persecution has far-reaching effects on the souls of others.
`We believe that the Lord gathers our
tears and will pour them out upon the thirsty, seeking hearts of the
Russian people,' said the Evangelical Christian Baptists of Russia in
the above-cited letter of the second congress of their church
council. Suffering and tears have power. During persecution many
tears will be shed, not only because of the torment we must undergo
ourselves. If we profess Jesus in such times, others are usually
involved or – what is often harder to bear than our own suffering –
we see our nearest and dearest made to suffer as well. All this means
deep grief and heartache. But on the other hand, we may find our
suffering in persecution increased by those who are closest to us,
because they are members of a Communist or an atheist organization –
and that indeed causes us bitter anguish.
But how encouraging it is to know that
'the Lord gathers our tears and will pour them out'. Our tears will
bring blessing to thirsty, seeking hearts. The grain of wheat falls
into the ground during persecution, giving rise to new life at
other places. Individuals and even whole groups of people receive new
spiritual life, as is the case in Russia where revival has broken
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out in various districts. The martyrs
are, and always will be, the seeds of the Church.
It is truly amazing that we are to be
taken into the `fellowship of his sufferings' (Phil. 3:10 AV), which
means suffering with Jesus for the sake of His Church, for His elect,
for those who seek God and for those who have fallen away from Him or
live in direct rebellion against Him. The tears we shed during
persecution, the agonizing suffering we undergo will help bring
many to Jesus so that they can reach eternal glory. Suffering for
Jesus, the King of kings, has far-reaching results.
The deeper and greater the suffering
is, the more wonderful the fruit and glory will be. Accordingly, the
agony endured during persecution in the cross-examinations and
torture, which can often be so gruesome, will bear immeasurable
fruit. If Jesus rewards us for giving a cup of cold water, then how
much more will He reward those who undergo torture for His sake?
Because He loves us so much, He shares our suffering, looking upon us
in deep gratitude for all that we endure for His sake. Uplifted by
this hope, the apostles, who encountered great hardships and had to
go through the depths of suffering, were always joyful, but
especially when they spoke of suffering. 'Rejoice in so far as you
share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when
his glory is revealed' (1 Pet. 4:13). It is eternity that counts. No
words can express what awaits us in heaven, if we have suffered for
Jesus in this life. There we shall behold His countenance and
overwhelming joy will fill our hearts. Supreme delight awaits us
for all eternity – jubilation, exultation and
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joyful laughter as compensation for all
the tears we have shed here.
Heaven is a reality and it awaits our
homecoming. The suffering of this lifetime will come to an end, but
there is no end to the glory that is prepared for us above. If we
live with our heart and soul in heaven where Christ is, we shall be
able to bear the suffering during persecution. Hope and expectation
of the future joy give us the strength to endure, and the crown of
glory that is laid up for us makes all suffering worthwhile.
In Revelation 20, verse 4, the martyrs
are promised that they will reign with Jesus, enthroned beside Him.
What an amazing prospect! For all eternity to abide with Jesus, our
first and foremost Love, our Bridegroom and King! In the face of
such glory, suffering must fade away. 'I consider that the sufferings
of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is
to be revealed to us' (Rom. 8:18). These words of Scripture hold true
for all suffering, but especially for the suffering in persecution.
The glory of heaven will bring us
incomprehensible joy and bliss for all eternity, whereas the
suffering of this life only lasts a limited amount of time. It passes
by. It has an end. And later it will be banished from us for ever. If
we are patient and steadfast in faith, suffering will bring us
endless rejoicing, as Jesus promised, 'Blessed are you that weep now,
for you shall laugh' (Luke 6:21). In heaven we shall rejoice at His
side for ever and ever.
Heaven brings light in darkness. Heaven
is stronger than hell, overcoming torture and transforming the
diabolical conditions of prison camps. Let us live now
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Prayer
Lord Jesus,
You are with me, helping me,
strengthening me.
In the midst of my suffering I immerse
myself in Your suffering, submerging my will in Yours, which is pure
goodness. And in all fear and agony I take refuge in Your wounds.
As I turn my eyes upon You, Lord Jesus,
I am comforted.
0 Man of Sorrows, my heart clings to
You.
All horror is banished, for You are
with me, bringing healing to my soul and making me strong.
You are my Shield, and Your angels
watch over me. And I know the Father will carry me through all
suffering.
I will remain steadfast, for Your blood
is my strength; it makes the weak strong.
Heaven is beckoning and the crown
shines brightly. Soon my suffering will be over, and transformed into
glory. So let me suffer with You and for You in the fellowship of
love.
Amen
in the reality of the world above and
all that awaits us there, and even when we are in the depths of
suffering, persecution and torment, we shall not lose this source of
everlasting j oy.
Watchwords
Preparation starts today!
1. Every time difficulties and
impossible situations arise now, I will believe in the omnipotence of
God and His fatherly aid. I will not give place to worry, but
completely trust in the Father's tender, loving care, for He never
gives me more than I can bear and always has ways and means to help.
Then by the time persecution breaks out, I shall be 'practised in
faith' so that I can experience His aid.
2. Now I will bear my small bodily
ailments – pain, weakness and fatigue – in faith in the power of
Jesus' blood that sustains me and renews my strength. Then I shall
have practice for the future when the physical suffering will be far
greater.
3. Every time I am faced with hardship
and meaning. - lessness, I will surrender my will, and when I am
chastened, I will humble myself even more beneath the mighty
hand of God. I will say, 'Yes, Father, Your judgments are just –
and so are the ones to come.'
4. I will look to Jesus ever anew,
turning to Him with all my heart. And as I behold the Man of Sorrows,
who is full of grief and affliction, the desire to suffer is
implanted in my soul. I will look to Him, the mighty Victor, who has
vanquished Satan and sin.
5. In faith I will claim Jesus'
redemption in my daily battle against my spirit of criticism, pride,
stinginess,
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envy, self-will, egoism, anger, the
desires of the flesh, and bondage to people and things. Then sin will
not be able to weaken me in the future, and if I should be taken to a
concentration camp, I can be a witness for Jesus when living together
with others, by radiating His love and peace.
6. I will bear every hardship, great or
small, out of love for Jesus, so that when I have to undergo pain and
torment in persecution, my natural reaction will be, 'I will bear it
for Your sake, Jesus.'
7. I will live in close fellowship with
Jesus now, conversing with Him at all times and doing everything for
Him in love, so that love, which is the strongest power of all, will
give me the strength to bear the suffering in the time of
persecution.
8. I will lead a life of prayer now, so
that I shall be able to pray later. Prayer will be my deliverance in
times of loneliness, temptation, suffering and torment, and when I am
forsaken. Prayer will bring me Jesus and heaven on earth.
9. Now I will fight resolutely against
my fear of others and my desire to win their favour, love, respect
and approval, so that I can overcome cowardice. I commit myself
to making an uncompromising stand for the Lord. I want to seek only
God's approval in all matters now so that later during persecution,
I shall be willing to pay the price.
10. I will do good now to those who
hurt me and treat me unjustly by blessing them and showing them love
in thought, word and deed. Then later I shall be able to meet my
persecutors the right way, not judging them, but humbled because of
my own sin and meek like a lamb, full of mercy towards them.
11. Every time I am at a loss as to
what to say in some situation or conversation, I will trust the Holy
Spirits implicitly to guide me and give me His words, now and also at
future trials and cross-examinations.
12. Today I will count on the reality
of heaven, which Jesus brings into our lives, and abide in this hope,
so that during persecution I can rejoice, saying, 'Suffering will come
to an end, and everlasting glory will follow.'
