Like many churches, my church hosts an annual missions conference. Missionaries and national pastors share their testimony, join in worship, and talk about their work for the Lord. Depending on the nation they serve, some accounts include experiences with serious persecution. Out of an abundance of caution, I will not say where they serve the Lord. Just be glad that you are still here in the United States of America, a nation where persecution is the last thing on many people’s mind.
To be sure, persecution is to be expected. Jesus said as much in Matthew 5:11, declaring that men shall revile you and persecute you. The apostle Paul, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, makes a similar statement in 2 Timothy 3:12. And while Scripture tells us to bless our persecutors, that is not always easy to do (Matthew 5:11, Romans 12:14). But that’s part of what makes Jesus’ teachings so radical, so beautiful, so necessary for a lost and dying world.
Speaking of the world, we are commanded to go into it and preach the gospel to everyone (Mark 16:15). It’s been my experience that someone, somewhere will say, “Well, I can’t just leave because I have my (fill-in-the-blank) here.” I get that. Really, I do. It should also be said here that a Christian should go where he or she is called. Not everyone in the family of God is meant to be a missionary. Some are meant to be teachers, evangelists or hold some other job. I once heard a teacher from a Christian college say we, the body of Christ, put too much emphasis on raising preachers and pastor’s wives. He went on to say that we need Christians in other fields, adding, “When I go in to have surgery, I want to know my doctor read his Bible that morning.”
The bottom line is that no matter who you are, no matter where you are, you can help missions. You can help the persecuted church. How? As my pastor says every missions conference, “All can pray, many can pay, and some can go.” It’s that simple.
My pastor is right, and I am not saying that out of fear that he will read this and I’ll be stuck between a rock and a baptistery. Some Engage Magazine readers can go places and help the persecuted church. It could be a wonderful opportunity that results in a lifetime of memories. Still, other readers might feel they have responsibilities and need to stay where they are, but that should not stop them from helping fund various organizations and their efforts. Engage writer Canada Burkhalter has a fantastic article outlining the various organizations serving Christ and the persecuted church. These include Voice of the Martyrs, International Christian Concern, and Open Doors. If you feel called to help in these fields, contact them for more information. They are fighting the good fight, and you can help with that battle. You just need to be in the arena, one way or another, fighting darkness with light.
I should stop here and say that I do not judge you if you cannot go places and pay for organizations. I have bills, and I’m almost certain that I will still owe student loans when Jesus returns. But that is where prayer comes in. When you wake in the morning (or after dark for the night-shift), say a prayer for the persecuted church and the men and women preaching and teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Ask God to bless those missions with health and safety. Meanwhile, talk to your friends and family about these important matters. I really enjoy sports, books, and barbecue, but there are more things to talk about. There are more things I need to talk about, and persecution is one topic that is not going away anytime soon.
And while you are talking about persecution, make sure you mention that you can still write a letter to Christians suffering persecution in Syria right now through Engage’s Orange Letter Campaign.
