In America, we have had a tremendous amount of freedom. We have never experienced widespread persecution for our faith. We live in relative ease compared to the rest of the world, and we count ourselves blessed for it. As the years have gone by, we have seen concerning signs that America is headed away from religious freedom and towards a greater persecution of Christians. We’ve seen small events mounting, from bakers dragged into court to prolife grandmas being thrown in prison, to people being elected to state and federal offices who openly mock, ridicule, or despise Christians.
I was told once that Christians in China pray that we in America would experience persecution. At first, I was utterly appalled. How dare they, I thought. Why would they say such a thing? Persecution is what we pray against. It is to be feared above all else. It means suffering, it means our children are not safe, it means fear.
I have always felt a special affinity for my brothers and sisters from China. Their culture is one I can respect and understand to some extent, better than American culture. My Chinese friends have more in common with me at a fundamental level than many of my American friends do. They believe in sacrifice, hard work, respect, obedience, and self-discipline. These things are expected and accepted as good and necessary parts of life.
Additionally, their culture is incredibly generous. If a Chinese person invites you over to a meal, expect a banquet of epic proportions, with many options available to you. Not because they are rich, but because they want to present you with their very best. They believe in serving others with their gifts, their food, and their regard.
How could such people want evil for us, I wondered?
It took me a while to understand what I soon discovered. Chinese Christians do not mean harm when they pray for us, but the opposite. Their prayers show the deep love and care they have for us across the ocean. The Chinese Christian church has grown so much stronger through its persecution. Those Christians have learned to value their faith and cherish it above all else. They want the same for us. They want us to stop abandoning our faith because of distractions like material things and money, and to rediscover the value our relationship with Jesus Christ has in our lives.
We have lost our focus and our fire as Christians in America, and the world has noticed. The Chinese Christians believe that persecution is the way to bring that back. Their hope is for us to unite, putting aside quarrels and differences to serve the one true God, just as they do when they worship together in secret. They risk their lives every single time they gather to worship, and yet here we are, often unable to be bothered even to change our clothes and drive to a nearby church. They worry about teaching their children about Jesus Christ because if it’s discovered, they could lose their children — or even their lives. In America, we are so busy distracting ourselves with devices and careers that we often neglect ensuring our children know the Lord at all, and we allow them to be led astray right under our very noses when we have every power to prevent it. The Chinese need Bibles smuggled into their country, where they distribute them in secret and fear their discovery. Yet, here in America, where Bibles are plentiful, they sit on our bookshelves gathering dust.
If we were being openly persecuted, would this be the case?
Persecution, despite what our sinful nature screams at us, is not to be feared. Jesus tried to prepare us for it by telling us that it is, in fact, inevitable. “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”[1] He also says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”[2]
While we have the freedom in America, let’s use it wisely every single day by equipping ourselves and our children with God’s Word and His truth, so that we are prepared for the guaranteed persecution to come.
[1] 2 Tim 3:12
[2] Matt 5:10-12
