"Which of the prophets
did your ancestors not persecute?"
(Acts of the Apostles 7:52, NRSV)
It was hard to follow Jesus those first few years. After upsetting the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem, his trial, death, and even his resurrection, Jesus had a hard time getting folks to openly proclaim their faith in The Way. Simply admitting you were a follower, or worse, being caught and accused of following this 'criminal blasphemer' could end in a sentence of death. The jewish leadership began a program of systematically destroying the message of Jesus by rooting out it's disciples. The persecution of the early church is recorded throughout the Acts of the Apostles. The strong will and deep abiding faith of the early Christians was the only match for such ruthless and barbaric punishments. Through faith in Jesus, many of the early disciples and apostles were able to withstand the threat of death to claim their Savior's redeeming love. Perhaps the most vivid description of this persecution is found in Acts chapter 7: the arrest, testimony, and execution of Stephen. Following one of the most complete testimonies of the history of the faith found anywhere, Stephen is stoned to death, but not until he proclaims, ‘I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’
Fast-forward two thousand years later, and here we are, just resting up after the celebrations of Lent, Holy Week, and Easter. I don't know what you were doing Sunday afternoon following Easter worship, but I was enjoying ham and fixin's with my family. We laughed, talked, prayed, blessed the food and thanked God for His Son, and enjoyed a great day together. Not a care in the world. We had nothing to fear. I imagine how those early disciples would smile and praise God if they could only see us now.
Elsewhere in the world, religious liberty is not a privilege extended to all people. OpenDoors, a Christian non-profit watchdog group that maintains resources and information on the international persecution of Christians, lists the top five countries in the world where it's not safe to profess faith in Jesus. Today, people are dying for the same faith we take for granted in Afghanistan, North Korea, Somalia, Libya, and Yemen just to name a few of the worst situations. These people aren't being offended by errant tweets from celebrities and politicians; they aren't being made feel uncomfortable by folks celebrating other faiths in their neighborhoods. These are people who are being killed, brutally, and tortured for professing faith in Jesus Christ.
The truth is, here in the United States at least, we don't need to stand up for Jesus. We can continue to live our happy lives and freely worship each and every Sunday without having to give any notice at all to the suffering throughout the world in the name of Christ. As Stephen stood before the angry mob of Jewish elite, his testimony was for their hearing - not for his own sake. He knew his life on earth was soon to be over, and he knew to whom he belonged. He could see Jesus waiting for him at the throne of heaven. Stephen wasn't standing up for Jesus in his testimony, as Jesus didn't need the help standing. Stephen was hoping to reach some of the darkest hearts filled with hate, some of the minds clouded with fear and judgement. Stephen wasn't trying to save his own skin, he was hoping to save theirs.
How do we live knowing how privileged, safe, and welcomed we are in this part of the world to know and share Jesus, while others are being persecuted to the point of death just to share His Good News? By my estimation, we have at least two responsibilities:
First, we must do all we can to help those being persecuted worldwide. This might mean sending aid, financial help, bibles. This might mean writing to you congressional representative. This might mean talking to your neighbors, friends, family members about the situation. It certainly includes praying for those who are in harms way for their faith.
Second, I believe we must stop living like we are martyrs here in America. What we often hear of as persecution in our nation is better described as inconvenience or annoyance. We waste valuable spiritual and mental energy fighting imaginary dragons like this - our energy would be much better spent enjoying our freedoms and seeking the best outcomes for those being truly persecuted worldwide.
Stephen died because he believed in Jesus Christ and would not submit to another authority. But let's not forget that Stephen also lived to serve the God of Abraham and Moses through his Lord, Christ Jesus. Let us focus on living as Stephen lived. We are not dying as Stephen died.
In Christ,
J.M.D.