“She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark. (14) Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.”
Peter was writing a letter to strengthen and encourage
the church in the face of coming persecution.
His goal was to help the early church focus on Christ instead of the
troubles to come. And you know, that is
good advice for us as well. In case you
haven’t noticed, our world that holds tolerance as the ultimate goal is growing
less tolerant of Christians these days.
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In North Korea, owning a bible can get you
imprisoned, sent to a labor camp, or killed.
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In Afghanistan, the Deputy Secretary of
Parliament called for the execution of Christian converts after the baptism of
several Christians was shown on TV.
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In Saudi Arabia, public, non-Muslim worship is
against the law and conversion to Christianity is punishable by death.
If you think the persecution is just in far away
countries:
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In Canada, a hate-speech law was recently passed
that prohibits pastors from teaching the biblical truth that homosexuality is a
sin.
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In Houston, a woman was ordered by police to
stop handing out gospel tracts when children came to her house to trick or
treat. She was told this was illegal (it
isn’t) and that she would be arrested if she continued.
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Local governments are under pressure to remove
the bible, scripture, or “In God we Trust” from public buildings.
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Some of you have endured persecution from
professors or classmates for your Christian beliefs.
As followers of Christ, we should expect
persecution. Jesus said in John 15:18, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” The
world’s attitude toward Christians is only going to get worse. I am not a prophet of doom or a person who
worries about “the state of the world” because I know God is in charge and these
things don’t surprise Him in the least.
But, we need to walk this world with open eyes; persecution will
increase in the world and in the United States.
As I contemplate this idea, I have two disparate feelings.
On one hand, I don’t want to be persecuted. On the other hand, the church grows and
people come to Christ and God does amazing things in the midst of
persecution. I have to reconcile which
hand is most important: God’s glory or my comfort. The persecution is coming whether we want it
or not. Am I willing walk away from my
comfortable life to share God’s love with those who desperately need to hear
it? Are you?
Peter wrote this book to a group of believers two
thousand years ago, but he wrote it to us as well. We need to hold fast to Christ, live obedient
lives, love those around us, and share God’s grace to all we encounter. The world will hate us, but Jesus has
overcome the world!
Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
“Seek the Lord
while he may be found; call on him while he is near.” – Isaiah 55:6
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