A Primer To Fight Against Persecution
Word-Of-The-Day: ‘<Jesus said to His Disciples,> (19) “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. (20) For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”’ (Matthew 18:19-20)
Not to beat a dead horse, but unfortunately this one is still very much alive so it needs a bit more pummeling; a new report came out this morning from Fox News’ ‘Fox & Friends’, detailing the Democratic Socialists of America’s new policy platform they and their candidates are running. It includes disestablishing the US Senate, the Supreme Court, and the office of the President. The DSA also wants to have complete open borders for immigration and eliminate the War Department and other government agencies.
In other words, they want to remove anything to defend the citizens of the United States from foreign and domestic threats and place them under a ruling oligarchy, just like the old Soviet Union – communism. It is a serious threat and eventually they may actually win; when they do, it may also be the ‘end’ of organized churches as Christians often have to go ‘underground’ or hold secret meetings as public gatherings would be prohibited as antithetical to the ‘state’. It may not happen in our lifetime, or it may happen at the tail end of it, but it is something we must prepare for.
How would we prepare for such an event? What will we do as Christians when the Constitutional Republic of the United States falls to the throes of the DSA-led communism? I truly believe, first of all, it will separate the ‘wheat’ from the ‘chaff’; the ‘wheat’ who have God over self, and the ‘chaff’ having self over God.
Today, we worship freely and without persecution, but what about worshipping Jesus when it could mean arrest, loss of all possessions, imprisonment, and torture – not only of yourself but of your friends, your spouse, or your children?
It is not being overly dramatic; this happened in the former Soviet Union, and happens today in ‘Red’ China and North Korea. It happened in America during the Revolutionary War to the Founding Fathers; men who had their wives raped and beaten by the British, their children taken away and adopted out so they would never see them again, for the cause of American Independence.
Those who are the ‘wheat’ of the church will be the ones who will not allow a corrupt and illicit government to interrupt their worship of Jesus, but take it on as a challenge to continue to live out the Great Commission of Christ. The church is not the building but the people who comprise it. While the physical churches may be surveilled, locked up, or bulldozed flat, there will be those who will hold Life Groups and prayer vigils to study the Word and pray together in homes or in meeting places in the wilderness of parks and public lands, away from the eyes of those who want to prevent such get-togethers.
The ‘wheat’ will be comprised of those who will continue to do the ‘Big Three’ activities in strengthening their Faith; they will continue to study their ‘banned’ Bibles, meet with other Believers in fellowship (such as the Life Group meetings described above), and most of all they will continue to pray to the Lord for strength and courage in the midst of such adversity.
The ‘chaff’ within the church will look toward mortal self-preservation, and stop going to church and stop identifying as Christians. They will, for the benefit of protecting their own lives, turn into the authorities those who don’t stop. While some may have never come into Faith, it may not mean all of the ‘chaff’ are not saved; this will occur because they did not grow from the stage of Spiritual infancy into mature point of Sanctification. Fear will overrule and the trust that they should have in God will not be strong, and they will break. (Remember, Peter broke and denied Jesus at the time of His arrest.)
Now this bleak outlook, again, may not happen for many years, even centuries. Or, it could happen as early as 2027, should the mid-term elections sweep in a majority of DSA candidates into both Congressional Houses. However, Jesus in His Revelation as written by the Apostle John warns us this will one day occur, just as His return to reconcile His church and its people to Him will occur, though again it may not happen for many years – but it will happen. The preparations for this dark time are simple and for many of us, we already take the steps to be ready.
Study the Word daily; there are many printed or online guides that are either ‘self-service’ or, like those on the MBC website, are moderated by Pastors who can answer questions or reply to comments. Never forget there is always a guide for the Believer, the Holy Spirit. This leads into the second step; pray continually for the Lord to provide His direction and guidance, as well as His strength and protection, upon you.
One idea that many Christians already practice is in-home prayer circles or neighborhood prayer meetings at someone’s home or at a location outside of a church. It’s as easy as picking one evening out of the week, and having a small, intimate group of fellow Christians (the size is entirely up to the host and the attendees) gather for the intent to pray, to glorify God and petition Him for the needs within the group. Bible study can also be a part of this, as well. The hosting can be static, or it can rotate through the homes of each attendee, to ease the burden off just one person or couple. This then leads into the third step; be in Fellowship with others who are in the Faith.
The informal, outside-the-church prayer circles are one form of having Fellowship (and it ‘kills two birds with one stone’). It doesn’t have to be limited to just prayer or Bible study, but can include secular hobbies. A Saturday morning grouping at the fishing pond, golf course or gun range; a meeting of retired men going out to eat lunch together; a couple of men who like to ‘grease monkey’ on cars. Fellowship is not just doing ‘church things’, but doing things with Righteous intentions outside of it – and remember, whenever two or more gather in Jesus’ name, He will be there (Matthew 18:19-20).
We need to set up the foundation of these three things today, while we still can with ease, to get into making these ‘Holy Habits’. It means perhaps getting out of our comfort zones and socializing more with our neighbors and members within our church communities we may not closely know. Our actions should mirror the early church of ‘post-Pentecost’, a willing communal existence of Believers helping each other in the love of Christ, while tyranny and oppression try to squeeze us out of existence.
To prepare for the time when the physical church is unavailable, and when it becomes illegal for Christians to openly communicate (such as when posting this Word-of-the-Day is ‘traitorous to the state’), we will need to adopt the practices of those Christians who are in nations where persecution is very much in play, such as in North Korea, China, and throughout the Middle East. Getting caught with a Bible or holding prayer vigils can mean arrest, incarceration, and even death. It is hard to fathom today, but one day – again, perhaps not for us but for our descendants – it will be coming to the United States, and we need to ‘BE PREPARED, BE AWARE, & PLAN ACCORDINGLY’ now for ourselves and those who follow a fighting chance of experiencing Jesus’ Grace and Salvation.
