A Paralyzed Body

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” nor in turn can the head say to the foot, “I do not need you.” On the contrary, those members that seem to be weaker are essential, and those members we consider less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our unpresentable members are clothed with dignity, but our presentable members do not need this. Instead, God has blended together the body, giving greater honor to the lesser member, so that there may be no division in the body, but the members may have mutual concern for one another. If one member suffers, everyone suffers with it. If a member is honored, all rejoice with it.

-1 Corinthians 12:21-26 (NET)

Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.

- Hebrews 13:3 (NASB)

Part of the body of Christ is suffering tonight. Throughout the world, there are Christians facing different types of persecution. From limitations on freedoms to imprisonment to outright murder, there are plenty of areas of the world where the body is suffering and ill-treated.

The challenge for us in the West is how to respond to persecution. Do we ignore it, as so many do, hiding the reality under appealing layers of "winners-circle" theology - implying that those who suffer must not measure up in some way? Or, having become aware of the reality and condemned by our own relative ease, do we instead glorify the persecuted church - thinking that persecution must bring nothing but good?

Most evangelical churches today have at least some awareness of the persecuted church. As I've surveyed reactions in discussions about persecution, I've found at least 5 myths that are important to debunk in order to truly find a balanced Biblical approach to the persecuted church. If you see your mindset reflected in these myths don't feel bad - I've thought every one of these true at one point or another.

Myth 1: "Real" persecution is always because of evangelism and involves physical harm. The reality is that political, cultural, national, economic, moral, and personal motives merge to create a confusing blend of reasons for persecution. Persecution is best viewed on a continuum from dislike, social pressure, political policy, to arrest, torture, and possible martyrdom. It can be broadly defined as any suffering that would not occur apart from a radical commitment to Christ - a radical commitment that attracts an intentional pursuit of the Christian in a spiritual war.

Myth 2: Persecution is always good for the church. While persecution does have a purifying effect, it has also wiped out entire Christian populations, leaving no Gospel witness (such as in Japan in the 15th century). Intense, prolonged persecution can cause a church to turn inward in a fight for survival rather than outward to reach the world. Persecution can bring questions of apostasy and disunity as well. From the earliest days of the church, persecution brought opportunities for both spiritual growth and spiritual warfare. Churches in the Roman Empire were bitterly divided over whether to accept back into the fold those who had betrayed the Lord Jesus at the point of a sword - a battle that still rages in some parts of the world today.

The early church experienced long periods of peace punctuated by intense regional persecution. This allowed the church to gain strength and recover its missionary zeal, rather than merely focusing on survival. Additionally, not every area was under intense persecution at the same time, allowing some parts of the body to support, provide for, and encourage those parts being persecuted. THIS is the persecution that purified and drew the worldwide body of believers closer together.

Turning inward is also happening in the Middle East, where it can be hard in some countries for a new Muslim-Background Believer to find a pastor who will baptize him. Typically, Christians practice their faith with other Christians whose families have historically been believers. This is usually allowed - but the conversions are what "stir the pot". It doesn't help hat pastors have been burned by "false converts". Hence, increasing numbers of MBB's meet with each other raher than in unity with families who are historically Christian (for more, read Brother Andrew's books Light Force and Secret Believers). Open Doors fears the church in the Middle East is in danger of disappearing, as increasing numbers of Muslim Background Believers are fleeing to the West. It is not always wrong to flee - Paul's example includes both times of fleeing and times of staying. What is concerning is the rate at which many MBB's are fleeing.


Myth 3: God reserves persecution for spiritually elite believers. The reality is that the New Testament clearly teaches that persecution is associated with living a Christ-centered life. Rather than suffering being the exception, it is a part of normal Christian living; in fact, only 3 books in the New Testament do not deal with persecution. The idea that persecution is in some way a consequence for a lesser faith OR that it is reserved for those with superior faith is clearly unbiblical.


Myth 4: Persecution is the world's reaction to the church on a human level. Persecution is NOT of this world. It is part of spiritual warfare - the intentional pursuit against the unbeliever. This theme runs throughout the New Testament. Revelation particularly has been called a "martyrological document", with persecution setting the tone for the entire book. Brother Andrew, who ministers to the church in the Middle East, answered God's call from Rev. 3:2: "Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God." He has said, "World evangelism means spiritual warfare. When we enter into spiritual warfare, we begin to understand why whole areas of thew orld are closed off from the preaching of the Gospel, why whole nations seem to be in the grip of the evil one, why there is persecution."

Myth 5: We should not pray for persecution to end. While it's true that some persecuted believers don't ask us to pray for persecution to end but instead to pray for faithfulness and perseverance, others ARE asking us to pray for an end to the extreme persecution that is killing their witness by placing them in "survival mode". Praying for protection from evil is Biblical:

• "Deliver us from evil" (or "the evil one") - Matthew 6:13
• "Finally brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not all have faith." (2 Thessalonians 3:1-2)

We can and should pray for deliverance for those in chains for the Gospel, for those in severe persecution, for healing of those parts of the body of Christ that are suffering. I think of it this way: If I have a headache, or even a broken arm, I can probably work though my effectiveness might be hampered a bit. However, if I have open wounds that never heal, two untreated broken legs, and paralysis in my spine, I'm going to be completely focused on my suffering. That's what extreme persecution is like - and that's why we should pray for deliverance so the "word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored".

So - what should we in the West do in light of the persecution that is being faced by believers throughout the world. Scripture points us toward several responses:

• Identify. First and foremost, the Scriptures above show us the importance of identifying. In different ways, both passages call us not to a spiritualized response but an intensely personal one. Until we begin to see the impact the persecution is having on the global body of Christ, we will not fully give ourselves to other efforts.
• Pray. Throughout the New Testament - in the passages noted in point number 5, as well as many of Paul's letters - the Apostle noted the difference that prayer made in his ministry circumstances. Yes, God is sovereign - but He has ordained prayer as a means of making a difference in the earthly realm. And yes, the ultimate victory is spiritual - but He wants to make a significant impact in our circumstances as well.
• Encourage. Hebrews is a book written to encourage believers in a persecuted situation to stay the course, keep the faith, and stay together. Those messages remain relevant today. If you have the opportunity to talk to someone from a country where Christianity is the minority religion, just assume they need words of encouragement. It doesn't matter if you don't know what to say; the author of Hebrews has given us some great words. Read the book and let the Holy Spirit remind your friend of these age-old truths.
• Advocate. The entire Bible was written while Christianity was still a minority faith, but I believe the example and teachings of Paul demonstrates another way that Christians in non-persecuted areas can help persecuted believers - advocacy. Paul's team collected offerings in parts of the Empire to take back to the most-persecuted believers in Jerusalem. Paul advocated for himself based on his Roman citizenship and right to a trial. While we must clearly understand our weapons are not of this world and this is a spiritual battle, I believe we are remiss if we ignore the opportunity to advocate. "Honor the king" Paul said - and in a democracy, the people are in one sense the king, the final authority of the land (under God, of course). We can contact our elected officials to put pressure on other countries to honor the "freedom of religion" clauses in their constitutions. We can keep the names of those imprisoned before our leaders (Voice of the Martyrs will send you emails with specific names of prisoners and links to email your officials.) We can also be informed about global issues such as the current attempt to rally support against the "Defamation of Religion" resolution before the United Nations.
• Remember - and love. Most of all, the persecuted church needs to be remembered (the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church is Sunday, Nov. 14, but they need to be remembered all the time). They will be victorious - Scripture makes it clear - but the need to know that they are not cut off from the body of Christ. Ask God to give you an overwhelming love for His body, including the persecuted church. Then follow that love wherever it leads - to the ends of the earth.

"And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for their loved not their lives unto death." - Rev. 12:11