Tag: Christianity

Christian Persecution in America

by JacobChristian Living

Christian Persecution is coming to America, though it may take a different form than you’d expect. With this in mind, how are we to live as followers of Christ?

By many standards, American Christians have easy lives.

American Christians do not live beneath the dictatorship of Kim Jong-un. They are not at risk of being thrown into labor camps or executed for their faith.

American Christians do not live in the tumultuous country of Afghanistan, where the Taliban threaten to wipe out anyone who doesn’t conform to their ideals rooted in an aggressive strain of Islamic fundamentalism. In Afghanistan, Christians must be wary at all times, for anyone – a neighbor, a friend, an acquaintance – might turn them over to their enemies.

American Christians do not live under the harsh oppression of Somalia, which is dominated by conflict and by hatred of non-Muslims. In Somalia, there is no such thing as a ‘safe place’ for those who follow Christ. Every day brings the potential of imprisonment or even execution for these Believers.

Truly, American Christians have it better than many other Christians.

In the United States, a follower of Jesus is free to go to church, attend Bible study, and evangelize on the streets. A follower of Christ is free to talk with non-believing friends, family, and co-workers.

Christians can advertise their faith openly, and there are no laws on the books that prevent them from doing so, except in specific circumstances.

But is this changing?

I believe it is – at least in a way.

A Growing Hostility

200 years ago, the United States was a nation composed overwhelmingly of Christians.

Of course, not everyone lived out their faith. As is the case in all periods of time, from the time of Christ to the present, there were those who attended services on Sunday but did terrible things the other six days of the week. There were pretenders – and probably a great number of them.

But by and large, the United States of two centuries ago was a Christian culture. At least in name.

Life revolved around the church, and to not attend church was to be seen as an outsider or even a pariah.

Today, things have, well… changed.

According to a Gallup poll, the percentage of Americans who counted themselves members of a church, synagogue, or mosque fell below 50% for the first time in survey history in 2020.

According to a 2021 study done by Statista, only 22% of Americans attend church or synagogue services every week. In comparison, those who ‘seldom’ or ‘never’ attend make up a combined 56% of the American population. A majority.

Whereas church attendance was socially expected as recent as the early 1900s, the tables have since turned dramatically. Today, church attendance is seen by many as strange, outdated, or even a complete waste of time.

Why would someone go to church on Sunday? Don’t we only get 2 days a week off, anyway?

To those of us who follow Christ, these attitudes are not new. Even fifty years ago, one would have been able to feel the metaphorical turning of the tide. America’s shift away from Christianity has been long in the making, and a consistent drop in religiosity has been observed since the end of World War II.

But that drop-off has radically accelerated over the last 10-20 years.

In that same span of time, there has been a growing cultural hostility towards Christendom.

One particular pop-culture example that I can think of right off the top of my head occurs in the wildly-popular movie Avengers: Infinity War, where Peter Quill (aka “Starlord”) is asked, ‘What master do you serve?’

To which Quill sarcastically replies, ‘What am I supposed to say, Jesus?’

Quill’s retort – which is loaded with mockery – could be seen as a sort of dig towards Christianity. To use a contemporary buzzword, it is what we might term a “microaggression.”

But I digress.

Pop-cultural expressions of disdain towards Christians aside, direct opposition towards Christians has taken many other forms.

Today, it is not uncommon for those who use Facebook to see others – perhaps even those they consider friends – sharing overtly anti-Christian material. This has become especially prevalent since the Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade, as some pro-choice advocates have directed intense hostility towards ‘conservative’ or ‘evangelical’ Christians.

Additionally, further pressures are arising in society that make it increasingly difficult for Christians to live easy lives.

For many Christians, co-workers or classmates are creating hostile environments where faith is mocked or even openly derided. For other Christians, required activities at work or school directly test their faith. To participate in some of these activities would be equivalent to allying with sin.

These things are becoming more common with time, and furthermore, the trend is accelerating. The America of today (September 2022) is far more hostile to Biblical Christianity than it was even ten years ago.

Truly, Christian persecution in America is on the rise. And with that being said, there are some things we must discuss.

A Qualifier: Christian Persecution in America is Still Mild

Some who read this article might immediately say, ‘Persecution? What are you talking about? American Christians have it easy. They are still privileged and protected.’

To that I will say the following: you are right.

When I write about Christian persecution in America, I am not likening said persecution to that dealt with by those in harsh Islamic regimes or at the hands of Marxist governments. As followers of Jesus, we still lead historically-easy lives.

But we are noticing a shift. There is a pattern change.

Instead of overt government persecution, American Christians are experiencing cultural hostility. Faith in Christ will not get an American killed, jailed, or even fined (at least not yet). Faith in Christ won’t get you formally blacklisted or forced underground, without friend or companion.

Compared to what many Christians in world history have had to deal with, we still have an easy road.

But the fact is that life is getting tougher for American Christians – and it’s only going to get tougher, not easier.

But such a difficult life need not be one filled only with heartache and pain.

Rather, it can also be a life lived to the glory of God in a way that might not otherwise be possible if persecution were not taking place.

The Blessing of Persecution

The New Testament was written to a persecuted church.

In the earliest days of the Christian Church, persecution came from both the Romans and the Jews. After all, Jesus was turned in by Jews and crucified by Romans. Following the death of Christ, the Church spent its earliest days in the crosshairs of hatred and violence from both the Pharisees and the Romans.

Consequently, persecution was a big topic in Scripture. In Matthew 5, Jesus said, 

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:10)

Luke 6:26 has a slightly different take on this, as Christ says, 

“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. (Luke 6:22-23)

Later on in Luke 6, Jesus says, 

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them." (Luke 6:27-31)

In Christ’s day as in our own, the natural human response to persecution was to either (1) run away, or (2) fight. How much more true is this when persecution runs deep – when it jeopardizes our lives or the lives of our loved ones?

I think we really need to stop and put the words of our Savior into context here.

In the decades following Christ’s death, Christians were slaughtered for their faith. I doubt that many Americans (unless they’ve been overseas to a persecuted nation) truly understand what this was like. There are men and women who literally had friends, spouses, children, and parents stolen from them and murdered… all because they confessed Jesus Christ as Lord.

Imagine if one of your loved ones was murdered simply because they followed Christ. How would that make you feel?

I’m sure the words ‘angry,’ ‘sad,’ or even ‘vengeful’ wouldn’t even begin to describe it.

We as American Christians get angry when an atheist reviles God on Facebook. And, perhaps, rightly so. But this is absolutely nothing in comparison to what the first Christians went through.

And yet, Jesus’ words spoke to them just as much as they speak to us.

Jesus called upon the first century Church to bless and pray for their persecutors.

Seriously?

Bless and pray for those who just drug your best friend off to prison? Bless and pray for those who got you fired from your job, reducing you to a beggar on the street? Bless and pray for those who had your sister killed, all because she refused to renounce Christ?

When we frame it this way, Christ’s words sound like insanity. It is one thing to say, “I will pray for that man who cursed at me because I mentioned Jesus to him.” It is quite another to say, “I will bless the person who killed my son for following Christ.”

Yet Jesus calls His people to radical kindness and radical obedience. And this obedience looks like the faithful and steadfast endurance of persecution, no matter how horrible that persecution gets.

Why?

Because hidden within persecution is blessing. The faithful endurance of persecution requires a total reliance upon the Lord. And total reliance upon the Lord brings us to a place where we are entirely at His disposal.

In a way, persecution is like fire. When it comes, much of what we are is burned up. But what remains is more valuable than gold or precious stones. What remains is like refined silver, purified for the glory of our God. When your faith is tested, God is refining you.

One of the things God is always trying to teach us is to love as He does.

Godly love looks totally different than the love we find in this world.

The love of the world is reciprocal. It is easy to love those who love you. In Luke 6:32, Jesus says, “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.“

If you love someone because she showed you kindness, you’re not showing any special form of love. If you love someone because he took you in and provided for you, you’re not showing the world anything it doesn’t already have.

But when you love someone – when you pray for them, bless them – despite their hostility and hatred of you, that’s when the love of God comes in. Because we are incapable of this apart from Him. This is the love that makes those in the world shake their heads in disbelief, in shock.

It is the love that, ultimately, often works as the way in which God reaches even the hardest of hearts.

Moving Forward in a World of Persecution

As this nation continues to shift in an increasingly un-Christian and even anti-Christian direction, persecution will only heat up. Barring a miracle – a widespread revival the likes of which have not been seen in decades or even centuries – our country will continue to sink into darkness.

People will grow more hostile.

Whereas today animosity towards Believers may be primarily channeled via social media and snarky comments, the persecution of tomorrow will be more overt. Some jobs and schools might make intrinsically anti-Christian activities mandatory. Some states will pass laws that regulate what can and cannot be preached from the pulpit.

Some localities might come close to banning the preaching of what we know as Biblical Christianity.

And all the while, a generation will rise up around us that is totally unfamiliar with the message of the Gospel. This will be a generation that has largely never seen the inside of a church, a generation that has no qualms about saying ‘I have no religion,’ when asked.

Already, this has begun. But it’s going to get a whole lot more intense.

This will be a generation that openly derides the Christian faith, treating the Bible as an outdated book of fables (at best), to an engine that justifies oppression (at worst).

So what is our role? What is our job as Christ followers? How are we to handle this?

1. Be Thankful

In all honesty, I see the coming environment of persecution as a good thing for the Church.

Historically, Christianity (and I mean true, Biblical Christianity – not watered-down cultural Christianity) has flourished under pressure.

When Christian persecution in America grows to a level where being a faithful Christian has real, life-altering consequences in society (i.e. loss of your job, fines, social exclusion, or school discipline), we will notice the death of “cultural Christianity.”

We will see the demise of the “nominal churchgoer:” the person who goes to church on Sunday, but doesn’t really care about the things of God.

What this will look like is a mass exodus, a mass falling-away. People will continue to leave the church in droves. Magazines and news outlets will report that Christianity is failing, and is soon to be a relic of the past practiced only by one in hundreds or even thousands.

Much will be made of the death of Christianity – a religion long suffering from illness, but now on its deathbed.

But all the while, God will still be at work.

In the heat of persecution, God will draw hearts to Him. He will work in ways we have not yet seen in this nation. As those of us who remain faithful to Him are forced into tighter corners, we will savor His truth more. We will cast ourselves upon Him more often.

For those that remain in His service – that is, the true Church – the era of American Christian persecution will be an era of both physical danger and spiritual blessedness. There will be a rich harvest of souls as we work in the hostile environment of the culture. We will get the opportunity to interact with people who have never been taught the Gospel. We will see converts come out of lives of sin and darkness.

As darkness abounds, light will shine all the brighter.

Just because persecution is coming – whatever form that persecution takes – doesn’t mean that God is somehow losing. Rather, He is refining His people. And He will continue to bring people into His service in miraculous ways.

Be thankful.

2. Be Prepared

In 2 Timothy 4, we read, 

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." (2 Timothy 4:2-5)

2 Timothy, which was written by the Apostle Paul to Timothy, was an exhortation towards the younger evangelist. It was an exhortation for him to be ready for the service of Christ.

Although 2 Timothy was written by one man (Paul) to another (Timothy), there is much for us to take away.

You see, Timothy shared the Gospel in a far more difficult environment than what we have in the United States. In fact, he shared Christ in an environment far more hostile than any we are ever likely to face in the United States, at least in the foreseeable future.

And in this tough environment, Timothy needed to be ready.

He needed to be ready at all times to ‘reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.‘

In a similar manner, we are called to be ready at all times. As the metaphorical skies grow darker outside, our light will shine out all the more. But we need to be prepared.

We need to be prepared to lay down our lives in patient love and servitude. We need to be prepared to answer tough questions, confront tough realities, and give answers (even if the answer is, ‘I don’t know’) to those who are hurting and broken.

In 2 Timothy 4:5, we read, ‘As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.‘

To bear witness to Christ is to be involved in a work. It’s a job. It’s a calling. And it’s a more important calling than any other you may have on your life. We need to be ready to “do the work of an evangelist,” and to “fulfill our ministries.”

With this in mind, I would call on all of us – myself, my family, and anyone reading this article – to start preparing. Get in the Word. Get in prayer. Don’t neglect the things of God any longer. Spend time with Him, receiving His strength and His mercy.

We will need it in the days to come.

Be prepared.

3. Be Mournful

For all I’ve written about being thankful, I believe there is also a place for mourning as Christian persecution in America rises to ever-increasing heights.

Why should we mourn? And for who?

We should mourn for those around us who don’t know Christ. We should feel a burden for their souls. As hostility towards Christ and His followers intensifies, we would do well to remember that the worst effects of this hostility will fall not on us, but upon those who direct it towards us.

Those who are hostile to God, those who persecute His people, are those who are most to be pitied. Unless saved by God, they will spend a lifetime in hatred, before departing for an eternity of all-consuming punishment. These people will live miserable lives, scratching for anything they can find in the world that might bring them pleasure.

We see this today already.

Those who have the most worldly possessions are also often miserable. Those who seek after drugs and alcohol get wrapped up in lives of sickness, poverty, and crime. Those who hate Christ cannot find rest. They can self-medicate, they can distract themselves, and they can turn to the vices of the world to cope, but they cannot find rest.

This will only get worse with time.

As the world turns against God, the world will be digging itself into a hole. Misery will abound. The great lie of Satan is that God withholds good things, and that true pleasure and goodness is found by going around Him.

As the world buys the lies of Satan, its situation will only deteriorate – not improve.

This should burden us and sadden us. It should inspire us all the more to repent of our own sin and reach those who are sinking. We ought to have our hearts broken over the brokenness of the world, and over the disastrous effects of sin – both towards ourselves and towards those who don’t know God.

Be mournful.

Christian Persecution in America: a Conclusion

In John 16, Jesus says, 

"Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." (John 16:32-33)

Looking ahead to the future, we might be tempted to be either angry or fearful. We might be tempted towards anger at seeing the destruction of cherished traditions. We might be tempted towards anger at the thought of living in a world that hates us, and doesn’t hide that hatred. We might be tempted to be fearful of what may happen.

How bad will things get? Will the government ever outlaw Christianity? Will there come a time when I must choose between my job and my public profession of faith? What then?

These fears are rational, but I don’t think that God wants us to either bury them or dwell on them.

Instead, reflect on what Christ said in John 16: ‘…take heart; I have overcome the world.‘

Ultimately, our sense of security and worth comes from Jesus. This world will approach us with every manner of things. In the world there is temptation. Temptation pulls us to turn our backs on the Lord.

In the world is also hatred and vitriol. Such hatred pulls us to feel angry, powerless, and discouraged.

But Jesus Christ, our model in all things, dealt with everything we will ever deal with and more. Christ dealt with slander and accusations. He dealt with temptation. He dealt with being thrown in prison, wrongly convicted, and brutally murdered.

And even after His resurrection, Christ has been present with His Church throughout centuries upon centuries of persecution, hatred, slander, and slaughter.

But His words remain the same: ‘Take heart; I have overcome the world.’

Does this mean that we are immune from the things of this world? No. But if we cast ourselves on Jesus Christ, if we fully lean into Him, we will be able to take heart.

There’s a reason why history is full of examples of people who were beaten, jailed, or enslaved for their faith, yet came out the other side all the more in love with Christ.

It’s because Jesus has already overcome the world.

Nothing can touch Him. Nothing threatens Him. Nothing happens outside His knowledge and His ability to deal with. And He is able to care for all the needs of His followers, whatever situation they find themselves in.

We still live in the world, and we have to deal with the world, but Christ has overcome the world. Whatever suffering we must endure in this life is but for only a short time. And even the worst suffering ever endured by a follower of Christ will be but a light affliction when viewed in light of the reward that is coming.

Take heart, Believer.

Christian persecution is coming to America, but our Lord will have the victory. And as we follow Him, as we serve Him, we too will share in this victory. And so will all those who we bring into the Kingdom as we serve Christ.

Take heart.

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Christians and Homosexuality

by JacobChristian Living

Is homosexuality a sin? Today, there is a controversial relationship between Christians and homosexuality. How should we view it, and what should we do?

Homosexuality is one of the most hot-button issues in the Church today.

Some Christians believe that homosexuality is an acceptable – and even holy – practice. Others are split on the issue. And still others are vehemently against homosexuality, placing it on a level that is above and beyond other sins.

We have groups who claim to be Christian – such as Westboro Baptist Church – that routinely use hateful language to describe homosexuals. The conduct of these groups is nothing less than despicable and vile.

Truly, the debate over homosexuality rages. Entire denominations are threatening to split apart over the issue. It is a big deal, and we as followers of Jesus need to know where we stand.

Is Homosexuality a Sin?

This is the root issue that must be resolved. As Christians, we are against sin. Therefore, anything that is sin – be it hatred, murder, racism, adultery, lying, stealing, etc. – must be opposed.

We cannot expect to embrace sin and do mighty works for the Lord.

So, is homosexuality a sin?

Yes.

As a follower of Christ and a reader of the Bible, it is my firm belief that homosexuality – and, more specifically, the practice of homosexuality – is a sin. God does not condone or tolerate it. In 1 Corinthians 6, we read the following:

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. [1 Corinthians 6:9-11, ESV]

In this verse, we have what amounts to a laundry list of sins that will keep someone out of the Kingdom of God. Among these is the practice of homosexuality.

If we are to take the Bible at its word, then we must conclude that the practice of homosexuality is sinful.

Now, there are many theologians – and many very bright individuals – who would argue with me on this point. Their claim may be that the original Greek doesn’t translate into homosexuality as we understand it today. They may also claim that this was written to a certain people in a certain place and time (as was all of the Bible), and therefore it has no bearing on our lives today.

But here’s my problem with that: if we can claim that this section of Scripture is a mistranslation, then what prevents other passages from being mistranslated? How can we know that any of the Bible is translated correctly?

The same holds true for those who argue that this was written only to certain people in a certain context. If context truly is everything, then couldn’t we simply claim that the entire Bible was written in a cultural context that no longer exists?

If we go down either of these rabbit trails, we can invalidate everything the Bible says. We can reduce it to little more than a “wisdom book” which represents nothing more than one of mankind’s most impactful works of literature.

There is a huge problem with that: the Bible is the inspired, infallible word of God. It is directly breathed by God Himself (1 Timothy 3:16-17), and holds true across all cultural contexts and all times. It is an absolute authority, not merely a guidebook or a fancy piece of literature.

We either accept all of it, or we accept none of it. It is either God’s Word or it isn’t. No in-between.

Now, does this mean that all of the Bible should be interpreted literally, word for word? I don’t think so. There is plenty of imagery and poetry in Scripture, some of which is almost certainly metaphorical. But all Scripture is breathed out by God, and every word of it is true.

Even those passages which are “metaphorical” are expressing a rock-solid truth that should be taken at face value.

Having said all of this, it is clear that the practice of homosexuality is a sin. It is wrong in the sight of God, just like idolatry, adultery, stealing, drunkenness, and so forth (re-read 1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

How Should We Handle Homosexuality?

This is the second most important issue that must be resolved. Since homosexual behavior is a sin, what should we as Christians do about it?

First off, let’s look at what not to do.

Many of our more “progressive” brothers and sisters in Christ take a very open (and outright celebratory) stance towards homosexuality. Progressive Christians typically respond to homosexuality in the following ways:

  • Welcoming practicing homosexuality with open arms
  • Affirming practicing homosexuality’s stance as “good” in the eyes of God
  • Allowing practicing homosexuals to serve in leadership, including as pastors
  • Ordaining homosexual weddings

Throughout all of this, one thing is incredibly clear: progressive Christians have gotten very good at being open-minded and hospitable. These are admirable, and they’re things that we are called to as followers of Christ. We are called to welcome and love others.

However, homosexuality is a sin. Therefore, we must not make a practice of accepting it as a “good thing.” It is not a good thing, and it will lead to separation from God. We are called to love those who practice homosexuality, but love is not synonymous with affirmation.

If anything, we are being unloving if we affirm homosexual behavior, since the loving thing to do is to point out and correct sins in the lives of others. The Gospel is about transformation, not stagnation. It’s about growing away from sin, not remaining in sin.

The “progressive” treatment of homosexuality is correct in that it shows hospitality, but incorrect in that it does not preach a message of repentance and turning from sin.

On the other side of the proverbial aisle, we have highly reactionary brothers and sisters who often treat homosexuality as follows:

  • Actively using strong (or even hateful) language towards homosexuals
  • Condemning homosexuals without showing love
  • Shutting out, ostracizing, or even bullying homosexuals
  • Refusing to reach out to or minister to homosexuals

In a sense, reactionary Christians often run into the opposite problem as their highly progressive brethren. Progressive Christianity shows love without disapproval; reactionary Christianity shows disapproval without love.

I do not mean to paint a generalization here, but this is how the trends usually lie. And both approaches – while common in Christendom today – are flawed.

Here’s what we truly need to be doing: we need to combine genuine love with strong disapproval.

You see, it is a great lie of today’s society that love equals affirmation. It doesn’t. In fact, affirmation is not always loving.

I’ll use an illustration.

Let’s say that my friend is drunk, and he wants to drive home. He asks me for the keys to the car. I give him the keys and affirm his choice to drive, even though he is in no condition to drive.

He drives out onto the road, gets in a head-on accident, and dies. As the person who affirmed and enabled him, I bear some of the responsibility of his death.

The enabling of sin is the same thing.

When we are unwilling to take a firm stance against sinful behavior – such as homosexual practices – we are essentially “giving the keys” to our perishing neighbors and friends. You see, sin has eternal consequences. You don’t just “get away with” sin.

Unless you turn from your sins and turn to Jesus, you will perish.

This is the message we must preach: we love the world (just as Jesus did, per John 3:16), and because we love the world, we are calling others to forsake their sins and turn to Christ. We do not use hateful language, we do not bully, we do not ostracize, and we do not grow bitter.

But we also do not affirm others’ behavior and tell them that they do not need to change.

If a practicing homosexual comes into a church, there are two ways to not love him: we can curse him and throw him out, or we can affirm him and tell him that he does not need to change.

Neither are correct. Neither are loving.

When it comes to our practicing homosexual friends, neighbors, relatives, and so forth, we must be willing to show compassion, kindness, and love. We must also be willing to let them know that their behavior is sinful, and that it is something that must be repented of.

This is how we are to love not only homosexuals, but all sinners – and everyone is a sinner. In a very real sense, we cannot distinguish between “homosexuals” and “other sinners.”

All sin is sin. All sinners are sinners.

And all sinners ought to be treated the same way: with kindness and generosity, yet with a clear and firm call to change and become followers of Jesus.

Moving Forward

It is my hope that all those reading this would gain something from it. It is my hope that this writing would engage and enable us as believers to move in love and in kindness, showing generosity and sacrifice without compromising the truth of the Gospel.

Today’s world is growing increasingly hostile towards Christians. The culture is buying into the lie that “love equals affirmation.” But it doesn’t.

As a result, many are pushing hard against this trend and reacting with a message of exclusivity and coldness. There seem to be very few who toe the line and show both kindness and condemnation.

There must be more of us. Today’s world demands it. And in the showdown arena of the homosexuality debate, this is especially important.

Our call is to sacrifice for others, to love others, and to present others with the clear and honest truth of the Gospel: that there is healing, there is restoration, and there is salvation. But one cannot remain in his sins; he must change and turn to Jesus.

This is how we should respond to all sinners, including those who practice homosexuality. They’re dead in their sins, but can be made alive in Christ.

God bless.

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The Godly Will Experience Persecution

by JacobChristian Living

The Bible tells us that all those who desire to live a godly life will experience persecution. Here’s a look at how we should handle persecution as followers of Christ.

I went on a mission trip when I was a sophomore in college. While on the trip, our team took an evening to watch a movie called The Insanity of God.

I don’t remember a whole lot of the film, but I do remember the story of a man named Dmitri.

Dmitri’s Story: a Life of Persecution

Dmitri was a Russian pastor who served the Lord during the days of the Soviet Union’s harsh crackdown on religion. He was arrested one evening when Communist officials broke into his house during a religious service.

The Soviet government had him transported to a state prison 600 miles away. The prison was filled with 1,500 hardened criminals.

The next 17 years would be the toughest years of his life.

During that time, he was relentlessly beaten and tortured by prison guards for his faith. He was also mocked and hated by the other inmates, who were convinced that Dmitri’s continued worship of Jesus was nothing more than a make-believe fantasy.

But Dmitri persisted.

One day, the guards discovered a piece of paper in Dmitri’s cell. On the paper, he had written down every Bible verse and promise of God that he could remember. The guards were irate. They started to drag Dmitri from his cell, fully intending to kill him.

But suddenly, all 1,500 prison inmates came to the front of their cells and raised their hands in worship, singing the same song that Dmitri had sung every morning during his 17 years at the prison.

Shocked, the guards froze in their tracks. They stared at Dmitri and said, “Who are you?”

Dmitri looked them directly in the eye and replied that he was a child of the living God.

Shortly after this incident, he was released.

All Who Desire to Live a Godly Life Will Experience Persecution

Dmitri was, quite simply, a man who desired to live a Godly life. His focus was not on the world.

His focus was on God.

The apostle Paul found himself in the same boat. A fiery evangelist during the time of Rome’s fiercest persecution of Christians, Paul was often arrested, beaten, tortured, and ostracized for his faith.

In 2 Timothy 3, he wrote these words:

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. [2 Timothy 3:12-13, ESV]

If anyone was familiar with persecution, it was Paul. In fact, the letter of 2 Timothy was written during a period of imprisonment for Paul, likely from a prison cell. Paul spoke often about his experience with persecution and his time spent “in chains.”

But why, really, was Paul persecuted so intensely?

It’s for the same reason that many of Christ’s followers have been persecuted throughout history: because the world hates them. The world is at enmity with God.

Jesus Himself tells us that the world hated Him first. Therefore, it will hate His followers as well. 

If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. [John 15:18-19, ESV]

This is the fundamental reason behind persecution: the world hates God. If we love God and keep to Him, the world will hate us by association.

That is a fact.

When Paul was writing the letter of 2 Timothy, he did not say, “Those who desire to live a godly life might be persecuted.” Instead, he asserted it as an inarguable truth.

All those who desire to live a godly life WILL be persecuted.

God and the world do not see eye to eye. Therefore, there will always be deep conflict between them.

What Does Persecution Look Like?

If you’re a Christian in the United States or much of the rest of the Western world, you are probably unfamiliar with the level of persecution that Paul and Dmitri endured.

You’ve probably never been arrested, beaten, or imprisoned for your faith.

You’ve probably never gone to sleep with the nagging worry that your door would be kicked down in the middle of the night by the secret police.

But even for those of us who live in nations that prize freedom of worship, persecution is still to be expected. It simply changes forms.

Persecution might look like others disliking you for your faith. If you put Jesus first, then you’re likely to become an outcast among many groups in society. You may have others who ridicule you or make fun of you for your devotion to Christ.

People may bash you for your unwillingness to participate in the same activities they do.

Persecution might also look like being discriminated against in the workplace. It is becoming increasingly common for employers and managers to see devoted Christians as “Jesus freaks,” who will try to force their religion on others at every opportunity.

As a result, practicing Christians are often passed over for promotions. Some may even be fired for things related to their beliefs.

In recent times, a worrying trend in the United States (and much of Europe) has been a trend towards restricting religious liberty in the field of business. There are many laws being passed that outlaw “discrimination” against people of un-Biblical sexual lifestyles.

Although these laws may be well-meaning, they have the effect of forcing Christian business owners to cater to lifestyles that they do not support.

If the Christian sticks to his beliefs, he may face severe financial penalties or even lose his business.

Indeed, persecution of Christians in many Western nations is on the rise. Whereas Judeo-Christian morality used to be the expected norm in the West, this morality is fast becoming hated and even persecuted. Our nations are becoming increasingly hostile to Christians because they are becoming more and more worldly.

Simply remember what Jesus said: the world hated Him first, and it will hate us too.

Persecution, in some form or another, is unavoidable.

Standing During Persecution

Thankfully, the Scripture gives us encouragement when it comes to persecution. And our God, being a good Father, does not leave us out to dry.

Perhaps the greatest piece of encouragement comes at the end of John 16.

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. [John 16:33, ESV]

From this, we can glean a sort of recipe on how to stand during persecution. Here’s point number one:

1: Be anchored in the Word of God.

If you really want to be able to stand against the insults, hatred, and persecution of the world, you will need to be saturated with the Word of God. Notice how Jesus says, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.”

If we desire strength to stand, we need to first look at the sayings of Jesus. And where do we find that? In the Bible!

The more we devote ourselves to reading God’s word and knowing Him, the more sturdy and anchored we will be in Him. Scripture tells us that faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

To stand during the trials of this life, we first must be rooted in the Word. We must know our God, having gained faith by hearing His Word.

2: Know that persecution is coming.

It is one thing to ride a bike when the training wheels are on. It’s quite another to ride a bike without the training wheels.

Oftentimes, we receive the Word gladly and we share it with others. We love the sweet fellowship. We love to talk about Christ with those who are our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

We need this fellowship – it is vital for our walk in Christ.

How disappointing is it, then, when we try to talk about Christ with someone at work or in public and they call us a religious freak? How much does that let the air out of our proverbial tires?

It’s easy to become discouraged when we expect the Christian life to be a cake walk. Aside from knowing our God, the second thing we have to do is this: we need to expect trials and persecution.

Life as a follower of Christ is not easy. It requires great sacrifice and endurance. Those who tell you that your life will magically get easier once you devote yourself to God are not telling you the whole truth.

Does our life get easier? In many ways, yes. We have the joy of fellowship with our Creator and with our brothers and sisters in Christ. But we also experience persecution. We will draw the hatred of those who don’t know God.

In many ways, life will get harder… significantly harder.

Will this be uncomfortable? Yes. Will it ever get easy? No. But we need to expect it. We need to know that it’s coming – for all of us. For every Christian, there will be experiences of persecution and difficulty. We should get ourselves used to this and acquainted with this fact.

We will have troubles. But…

3: Take Heart in Jesus

We can read the Word, engage in fellowship, and get acquainted with the fact that persecution will happen. But none of those things will do us much good if we aren’t constantly looking to Christ.

Jesus’ call at the end of John 16 is a call to assurance. It’s a call to rest. We don’t endure persecution on our own.

When you’re called names for your faith, you aren’t standing alone. When you’re excluded from groups or shut out of promotions, you’re not standing alone. You are not an island.

Jesus is always there.

But we have to look to Him.

When things get tough, we must look to Him. We must behold Him, keeping Him always in our sight. We must remind ourselves that He’s there to bear our burdens with us.

And, ultimately, He has overcome the world.

You see, it is easy to let the world get the best of us. Think back to Dmitri. Wouldn’t it have been so tempting for him to renounce his faith? Wouldn’t it have been tempting for him to look at the might of the prison, the guards, and the anti-Christian Soviet government, and simply lay down in defeat?

I don’t know about you, but I would have been tempted. And I’m sure he was as well.

Where is my God? He must have asked. Why have I been in prison for 17 years, away from my family for 17 years, unable to preach and unable to witness?

It is so easy to lose heart during persecution. It is so easy to behold the might of whatever is persecuting you – the government, your business, your friends, your family – and to be deeply discouraged.

But no matter how big the mountain may seem, Jesus has overcome it. He overcame everything when He died and rose again. When Jesus was nailed to the cross, killed, and then resurrected, He defeated the powers of darkness.

Does darkness still have a hold on our world? Yes. But it’s a temporary hold. It’s a slipping hold. Satan is losing. It may look like he’s winning; it may appear that Satan is busy making 1st downs while Christians are being sacked.

But Satan is losing.

And in the end, he will be exposed for what he is. His works will be destroyed and his power will be broken. All the persecution you endure will be compensated for and then some.

If you’re experiencing persecution, dear Believer, please know this: it is not for nothing. It serves a purpose. God has a reason and a plan. God will be with you.

He does not forsake you.

This life is temporary; it’s nothing more than a vapor… and then it is gone.

Your 60, 70, 80, or 100 years of struggle here are nothing compared to the glory that is to come.

So stand strong, Believer, and let us take up our cross after our Lord. Let us “strive on to finish the work that we are in.”

God bless you.

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Why Sharing the Gospel is IMPORTANT

by JacobChristian Living

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to one monumental task: sharing the Gospel. This is one of the most important calls in all of Scripture.

Jesus is the most important person you will ever know and follow. Everyone and everything else pales in comparison to Him.

Do you know the owner of the company you work for? Do you know the mayor of your town? How about the governor of your state? What about the president or vice president of the United States?

Do you know the Queen of England?

Do you know the Pope?

If you answered, ‘Yes’ to any of those questions, then you know one (or more) pretty important people.

Yet knowing any one of them – or even all of them – pales in comparison to knowing Jesus Christ. In fact, imagine you had a time machine that allowed you to freely travel to any time and place in history. Let’s also imagine that it’s your goal to become personally acquainted with every ruler the world has ever known.

If you succeed in your goal, and you personally know people such as Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, Abraham Lincoln, and Winston Churchill, then you would still know nobody who comes even close to Christ.

Knowing Jesus is everything.

If you truly know Him, you will lack nothing. That is a fact. It is presented to us in Scripture. Psalm 23 tells us, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

Jesus Himself says (in John 4:13-14), “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

If you know the Shepherd – that is, if you know Jesus Christ, the one and only Son of God – then you will lack nothing. You will be filled to the brim with a “living water” that satisfies everything you need.

Does that mean you’ll be free from desires and wants? No. Does it mean you’ll get everything you want in life? No. But it does mean this: if you know Jesus Christ, you will never lack what you need.

He will supply to you all that is needed in your life.

Sharing the Gospel: a Necessity in the Christian Life

It is necessary to share the Gospel. If you’re a believer, this is something you should – and need – to be doing.

Why?

Because Jesus is everything. Because He is Lord. Because others – your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, fellow countrymen, and fellow human beings – need to hear about Him.

They need Jesus. Without Jesus, they will die. That’s blunt, but it’s true.

A person will perish without Jesus Christ. He is the only one who can redeem us.

Do you know the Lord Jesus? Do you truly know Him? If you do, then you have “springs of living water” welling up within you. You have the Gospel within you!

Translated directly, Gospel means “Good News.”

If you have the good news of Jesus Christ, then you are told (in no uncertain terms) to share it.

This is called the Great Commission. We read in Matthew 28, 

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." [Matthew 28:18-20, ESV]

If you’re a Christian, you have probably heard the Great Commission preached on and talked about many times. In fact, the Great Commission is preached so often that, for many, its “impact” has worn off.

‘Yeah, I know. Go and make disciples of all nations. Got it. I’ll drop a check in the offering plate for 50 dollars and support the missionaries over in east Asia.’

Too often, our comfortable Western Christianity leads us to simply sit back and throw money at far-away missions. It leads us to put cash in the coffer to prop up nameless faces in distant lands, while we ourselves sit back and discuss who leads the NFL in rushing yards.

Now, is it bad to support missions by giving money to them? No! Absolutely not. It is necessary. Vital. Many forms of missionary work cannot go on without financial support.

We should be supporting foreign missions with financial gifts and time spent in prayer. That is important.

But here’s the rub: when we believe that we’ve done “our part” by simply depositing a monthly check and then walking out the door to go watch football or eat dinner on a Sunday afternoon, we’ve missed the point of the Great Commission entirely.

The Great Commission – the command by our Lord to share Him with the world – does not stop with giving money and expecting a select fraction of Believers to carry out the hard work of witnessing, discipling, and leading others to Jesus.

Re-visit the words of Matthew 28. Jesus says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”

Jesus doesn’t directly tell us who is supposed to “go,” but the grammar of the sentence reveals that for us. What Jesus uses here is called an “implied you.”

If I say, “Go to the store,” I’m not telling you who is supposed to go. But I don’t need to. If I’m directing the words at you, then I’m implying that you should go to the store.

That is an implied you.

We have one of those in the Great Commission. Jesus is essentially saying to His disciples, “YOU Go… and make other disciples.”

Are you a disciple of His? If so, the Great Commission is aimed at you.

If you’re a disciple of Jesus – that is, if you know Him and follow Him – then the words spoke in Matthew 28 are words for you.

Jesus’s command is this: You know Me, so go share Me with others.

Share Jesus with people of all nations.

I think we too often have it in mind that the Great Commission is about packing our bags and moving to Africa, where we live for three years in a hut in the jungle.

Could it be that? Yes.

But all nations includes your nation. It includes your neighbor just as much as it includes those on the other side of the world.

Sharing the Gospel is not only for the small sliver of the Church that is called to move overseas. It’s for you and me, wherever we are.

If you’re a disciple, you need to be making disciples. You and I cannot get away from this.

A Call to Action

As I bring this to a close, I recognize that there is so, so much more that could have been said here.

I could have written about how to share the Gospel. I could have analyzed the Great Commission line by line. But that is not what I felt laid on my heart.

What I felt laid on my heart is this: we need to share the Gospel! It’s important. It is necessary.

I myself am as at fault as any one of you reading this. Do I share the Gospel? Do I witness to my neighbors and friends and co-workers and fellow citizens?

No. I don’t. I feel heavily convicted of that.

The truth is, I am afraid. So are many of you.

We’re afraid of rejection. We’re afraid of what others will say. We are afraid of persecution, of the biting words of angry men and angry women who hate God and want nothing to do with Him.

And that fear is natural.

But it must be overcome.

Whether we’re loud or quiet, extraverted or introverted, bold or timid, we’re called to share the Gospel and make disciples.

We’re called to this whether we’re young or old, rich or poor, sick or healthy.

The call to share Jesus Christ does not change depending upon your status. All disciples – that’s me and that’s you, if you know Jesus Christ – are called to make other disciples.

But we’re afraid, and that stops us.

How can we be un-afraid?

Well, just read on to the end of the passage in Matthew 28. Jesus says, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

You see, our fear is real. We fear being shut down, spit on, cursed at, rejected, and alienated. We fear burning bridges or offending friends and family with the Gospel.

Our fear is real. But at the same time, it’s also an illusion. Why is that?

Because Jesus Himself promises us that He will always be with us.

I can guarantee you this: if you witness to others, you will be hated for it. Many people will not like you. It will be uncomfortable. It will be difficult. You will lose friendships.

But Jesus will draw nearer to you than you ever thought possible. Remember how He gives living water to all those who follow Him?

Go out and share the Gospel to His glory, and see what happens with that living water. Jesus will not forsake you. He will not leave you. There are stories all over this world of men and women who were put through the worst ordeals imaginable for the sake of Jesus Christ.

These are people who were jailed, tortured, beaten, hated, and even killed. They literally gave their lives for the sake of Jesus.

But guess what?

Of those who lived to tell the tale, not a single one of them has ever – EVER – said they regretted it. In fact, the presence of Jesus Christ was sweeter and more real to them in their darkest day than at any other time in their lives.

When we share the Gospel for the glory of Jesus Christ, we may lose relationships. We may be hated. If we live in a nation that actively persecutes Christians, we may even be jailed or killed.

But Christ will not forsake us. He will draw near to us.

Finally, imagine this: let’s say that you witness to a hundred people, and ninety-nine of them hate you.

But one receives the Gospel.

How sweet is the rejoicing in Heaven over that one person! That is a soul saved for all eternity, and God worked through you to accomplish this.

To bring this to an end, my challenge to you and to me is this: let’s get out there and share Christ.

Let’s proclaim the Gospel boldly, no matter who we are or what our personality may be. Let’s make disciples, acting as soldiers for Christ in a warzone. Let’s do battle in the trenches, relying upon Christ the whole way to transform others and bring them into the Church and into eternal life.

Let’s do this to the glory of God, because we are called to give our lives in service to Him.

After all, He gave His life in service to us.

God bless!

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Don’t Quit – Keep Running the Race!

by JacobChristian Living

The Christian life is like a race. We are all running the race for a prize. Great rewards await us, but we must be careful to not give up!

My chest burned. My legs screamed in pain. My face seemed to radiate heat, and I was convinced that I couldn’t keep going.

This was how I felt when I – as a teenager in the eighth grade – ran a 400 meter dash.

For 60 seconds, I was subject to a great deal of pain and suffering. I, and seven other teens around my age, pushed ourselves to the limits of our abilities.

It was tough, but worth it. I remember winning a prize for that race. It was a race well run.

Did you know that Scripture likens the Christian life to a race?

Each of us – if we are believers in Jesus Christ – is running in what amounts to the biggest race we’ll ever participate in. No matter how many 5k’s, half marathons, iron mans, or marathons you run, you’ll never run a race bigger or more consequential than the one you run for God.

Ever.

You’ll also never run a race with a greater prize than the race you run for God.

Think about this: Olympic athletes compete for the ultimate prize – a gold medal. If you win Olympic gold, your name will go down in the history books. You’ll be honored on television worldwide. Your newfound fame might even allow you to become rich.

These athletes spend their entire lives training.

Nobody just walks into the Olympics and wins gold. Nobody just walks into the Olympics period – everyone who competes in the Games is there because they spent a huge amount of time and effort to do so.

It is the same way with our Christian lives. Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. 

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I should be disqualified. [1 Corinthians 9:24-27, ESV]

In this section of 1 Corinthians, the apostle Paul is likening the Christian life to a great race. His metaphor is far-reaching – we’ll unpack it below.

Running the Race

What does it mean to “run the Christian race?” Paul shows us through a combination of metaphor and strongly-worded writing.

Here are some examples of this “strong wording:”

Only one receives the prize

I discipline my body and keep it under control

Lest after preaching to others I should be disqualified

If you really stop to think about it, these are potent phrases. What does Paul mean when he writes, “Only one receives the prize?” If we take this outside of its proper context, we might be given to think that the Christian life is a competition – and only the best of the best get the rewards.

This is not what Paul has in mind.

Instead, when all of these things are considered, a picture starts to come together: the Christian life is TOUGH. Commit to it with ALL you have. Don’t tire out; keep going!

Run to Get the Prize

To start the passage, Paul asks us a question: ‘Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize?’

He is awakening us to a truth: a race is difficult. Just think back to my story earlier on in this article. That 400 meter dash was tough. If you’ve ever run a race – especially a long-distance race – you’ll know the feeling. Your muscles burn, you huff and puff for air, and the sweat streams down your skin.

Running a race is no easy task. But winning the race?

That’s even tougher.

Running a race requires commitment. If you want to finish first, it requires all-out dedication. It requires strength. It requires you to press on, despite all the pain your body may feel.

I am convinced that the winner of a race isn’t always the most physically-fit or talented of the group. Rather, he or she is often the one who wants it the most.

Do you want to “win” this race, Believer? Do you want to cross over that threshold at the end of your life and hear the words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant?”

Then you must run in such a way as to obtain the prize.

This does NOT mean that you’re competing against fellow Christians for who can be the holiest, the godliest, the most disciplined. Not at all. Notice that Paul says, “Run THAT you may obtain it.” Some other translations say, “Run in such a way as to receive the prize.”

You are not in a brutal battle for first place among your fellow Christians. Rather, you’re living the Christian life with the same spirit and the same vigor and commitment of the winner of a race.

In other words, you’re all in.

You’re like that person who wins the 5k or the marathon. You want to win. You’re willing to do anything it takes. This race is your life. You’ve devoted all you have to running it well.

That is what it means to, “Run that you may obtain the prize.”

How to Run the Race

Verse 24 showed us what it means to run the Christian race. But how do we go about doing this?

Verses 25, 26, and 27 show us the practical side to this lifelong commitment. Let’s re-read them:

Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control..." [1 Corinthians 9:25-27, ESV]

The truth of the matter is this: the Christian life requires work. It requires discipline. It requires endurance and perseverance. It’s an all-out commitment, and all-out commitments come with all-out obedience and devotion.

If you want something really badly, you’ll do whatever is necessary to obtain it.

Now, does this mean that we are working to earn our salvation?

Absolutely not. Our salvation was a gift granted to us by God the moment we believed on Jesus Christ.

This ‘Christian race’ is what follows. We’re not running this race because we are seeking salvation; we’re running it because we’re already saved. Your ticket to entering this race was your status as a born again child of God.

God saved you through His only Son Jesus Christ. Now that you’re saved, you’re in this race. And you should want to run it well, because you will be rewarded for doing so.

We run this race well by doing the following: being intentional and exercising discipline and self-control.

To be intentional, we must be actively and consciously setting our sights and efforts on the Lord. That’s why Paul says that he does not “run aimlessly” or “box as one beating the air.” These are things that will lead you nowhere. There is a certain degree of strategy and active living required both for athletics and for Christian living.

Intentionality might look like blocking out a time every morning (or evening) for Bible study or prayer. It might look like memorizing Scripture. It might look like regularly getting together with a group of other Believers to fellowship and grow in the Lord.

Intentionality is all about being active. It’s about choosing where to invest your time and resources. It is the opposite of passivity and inaction. There is a beneficial way to invest yourself, and there is a detrimental way to invest yourself.

Intentionality chooses the beneficial.

To be disciplined, we must pursue strength in the Lord. What is discipline? It is nothing less than controlled behavior.

Discipline is founded upon conviction. It is founded upon a bedrock desire to behave rightly and do the proper thing. Discipline is what keeps you from eating ice cream during a diet. It’s what keeps you from spending your hard-earned money on something you don’t need.

It also serves as the backbone of your running in the Christian race. Notice what Paul says: every athlete exercises self-control in all things.

In other words, discipline is the engine that powers your self-control. If you have discipline, you’ll have the ability to control yourself. This goes hand-in-hand with intentionality. Intentionality is about being proactive and choosing to do things that will benefit you.

This is undergirded by discipline, which ultimately reveals itself in the form of self-control.

Are there books that you know you should not be reading? Are there movies you watch and songs you listen to that will damage your faith or tempt you to behave in a way that’s not honoring to God?

If there are, having discipline and self control will allow you to cut them out of your life. This may sound legalistic, but it’s necessary.

Now, it is necessary to include a word of warning here: you MUST go into this process being submitted to the Lord, and you must go into it with a genuine desire to please Him. You cannot approach this from the angle of, “doing something for God so that you’ll get something out of it” or, “earning good graces with the Lord.”

That won’t work.

Your obedience, discipline, and self-control are not your attempts to get on God’s good side. Rather, they’re your services of worship to the Lord. They’re designed to allow you to experience closer and sweeter fellowship with Him. And they’re designed to strengthen your running in this great Christian race.

If you lack these qualities – if you lack discipline and self-control – then you know that you have someone you can go to: the Lord. Remember, you’re not saved by your obedience and rule-keeping. You’re saved because He provided the way to be saved, and you believed upon Him.

If God gave you His only Son, what makes you think that He won’t give you the discipline and self-control you need to run the race well?

Ask God for these things. Ask Him to increase your measure of these things. He will hear you!

It is God’s desire for you to be able to run the race well. Ask Him in faith for intentionality, for discipline, and for self-control. Work with Him. Strive to obey Him. Strive to please Him. Strive towards Him in love and desire for Him, and He will strengthen you.

The Cost of Quitting (or Being Disqualified)

The last words of our passage in Corinthians are rather dire ones.

“…Lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

What does this mean? Can we be “disqualified” from the race?

The answer must be ‘yes,’ otherwise God would not have inspired Paul to write it. A couple important questions are therefore raised: What does it mean to be ‘disqualified?’ And how do we become disqualified?

Here is my interpretation: when Paul speaks of being ‘disqualified,’ he is not speaking of losing salvation or falling out of God’s favor. Rather, he is talking about losing the rewards that come from running the race.

What are the rewards?

It is impossible for us to truly know that answer. Scripture teaches us that ‘all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13).’ Therefore, we are not running to receive eternal life. That is granted to us the moment we cast ourselves fully upon the Lord for our salvation.

However, we do have other Bible passages that might allude to what Paul means here. One of the beautiful things about Scripture is that it serves as its own translator.

Let’s take a look at 1 Corinthians 3:10-15. 

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw - each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. [1 Corinthians 3:10-15, ESV]

Although the metaphors are different (in chapter 9, Paul speaks of a race; in chapter 3, a building), the principles are similar.

In this life, we are laboring for the Kingdom of Heaven. We’re serving God. When Paul likens our walks with the Lord as a race, he’s trying to impress upon us the seriousness and dedication with which we must approach the Christian life. When he likens it to a building, he’s impressing upon us the lasting consequences of our actions.

As we are laboring – that is, running, building, etc. – for God, we can do many different things. Every action has consequences.

Some of our actions are good ones that have eternal rewards. Discipling people, leading others to Christ, building one another up, and obeying God’s commands are works that are eternally good. They are the gold, silver, and precious stones that Paul speaks of in chapter 3.

Some of our actions don’t have eternal consequences, and some may even have negative consequences. Needlessly fighting over worship styles, seeking to increase church attendance for more prestige and money, and serving ourselves would fall into these categories. These are the wood, hay, and straw that are talked of.

When the Judgement Day comes – the day when all people will be judged and all actions will be brought to light – everything that has been done upon the foundation (that is, in the name of Jesus Christ) will be burned.

What survives? Only the gold, silver, and precious stones. Actions not truly done for God will be burned up and cease to exist.

For those who labor to please God, a great reward will be presented. Those who sow for His glory will receive much in the next life. But for those who labor to please themselves, their works will be burned up. They will still be saved, though Paul says that this salvation will be, ‘only as through fire.’

I believe the same principle applies in the metaphor of the Christian race. You cannot be disqualified from receiving eternal life, but you can be disqualified from receiving the “imperishable wreath” presented at the end of your life.

How do you become disqualified?

It’s simple: hypocrisy. If you’re a Christian, you must be careful to walk humbly. You must exercise self-control and discipline. You must handle issues within yourself before you try to handle the very same issues within others.

Now, does this mean you must be perfect? Absolutely not. But it does mean that you must have the humble mindset of submitting to the Lord. You must be fully committed to God, all-in on Him. If you preach Christ out of selfish ambition or for selfish gain, you cannot expect to receive the prize at the end of this life.

You’ll be saved, of course, but you will not obtain the reward you wished to obtain.

This is, for all intents and purposes, a warning against being hypocritical and superficial as a Christian. Such things do not honor God. They do not honor the Word. We must seek to be genuine, humble, and fully reliant upon the Lord.

If we do that, being sure to submit entirely to Him, we will experience an outpouring of reward in Heaven that is like nothing we can imagine.

Closing Thoughts

Believer, we are in a race. Paul shows us what it looks like to run this race. We must be all-in, fully dedicated, fully in love with the Lord. This life is hard work, and the Christian race is not easy.

But it is worth it.

Cast yourself fully upon God, seeking Him in all things. Seek to please Him in everything – not because we’re earning our salvation or earning His favor, but because He has already given these things to us freely.

At times, this race will feel difficult. It’s exhausting. As I’ve alluded to several times, running a race of any kind is not easy. Do you think that marathon runners feel fresh and fully energized when they cross that finish line after 26.2 miles of running?

Probably not.

There will be times when we’re tempted to just quit. There will be times when we’re tempted to give up and just turn in our resignation.

But press on. Don’t give up; keep running! When you’re tired, ask God to strengthen you. Keep coming back to Him. The more painful things get, the more you ought to press on into Him.

He is our source of strength. Implicit in Paul’s description of the Christian life is this: you cannot run this on your own strength. You’re not enough!

But God is enough. And God will see us through. Surrender to Him, seek Him in prayer, ask Him for the discipline, self-control, and intentionality that you lack.

He will be faithful to provide these things to you.

God bless!

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Should Christians Get the COVID-19 Vaccine?

by JacobChristian Living2 Comments on Should Christians Get the COVID-19 Vaccine?

Should Christians get the COVID-19 vaccine? This debate rages in churches all across the nation. Some view the vaccine as a tool for ending our worst pandemic in a century, while others see it as a tool of mass manipulation. In today’s post, we’ll examine the COVID-19 vaccine and how it applies to our lives as Christians.

To vax or not to vax, that is the question.

All across the nation, church pews are filled with the vaccinated and the unvaccinated. There are Christians who jumped at the first chance to get vaccinated, and there are also Christians who vehemently oppose it with all the force of a snowplow.

Our situation is not helped by the fact that there are leaders – even Christian leaders – who give us conflicting advice.

Get the vaccine! Some say.

Avoid it like the plague! Others shout.

With all the noise surrounding this extremely controversial and politicized shot, it can be difficult (if not nearly impossible) to get to the bottom of things.

But that’s exactly what we’re going to try to do today.

Today, we will ask ourselves this question: should Christians get the COVID-19 vaccine?

First Things First: Is the COVID-19 Vaccine Safe?

One of the most commonly-raised objections to the vaccine is this: is the vaccine safe?

Practically all medical scientists respond with a resounding yes.

Studies across the world have shown that the vaccine is remarkably effective in preventing severe illnesses. Such studies have been reviewed by countless universities, labs, governmental organizations, and independent investigators. The results of these studies have never been seriously challenged.

The vaccine is extraordinarily good at what it’s intended for.

Additionally, the COVID-19 vaccine poses almost no health risk to those who do get vaccinated. A common objection to the vaccine’s safety is that it was produced hurriedly – on a far, far shorter timescale than any other commercial vaccine in history – and therefore cannot be trusted.

The claim that it was “produced hurriedly” is true. Previously, the fastest vaccine to go from initial development to public rollout was the Mumps vaccine in the 1960s (source). That process took 4 years.

However, science has evolved significantly since then. Although the vaccines are unprecedented in both how they function and how fast they’ve been developed, severe side-effects seem to be extremely rare. The vaccines also contain no chemicals or added substances that may cause long-term side effects.

Reuters reports that there is a possibility that certain medical conditions are linked to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, but the occurrences of these side-effects are exceptionally few and far between.

In general, the risks associated with the vaccine are very low. Most over the counter drugs come with more health risks than the COVID-19 vaccine.

On to the Other Stuff: is the Vaccine Morally Acceptable?

Another commonly-raised concern among Christians is that the COVID-19 vaccine may be morally unacceptable. These concerns rest upon a few widely-distributed claims. Let’s examine them here.

1: The vaccines were developed from (and may contain) fetal cells of aborted babies.

If this claim is true, then the ethics of taking this vaccine would be severely called into question. Abortion is wrong (I fully intend to write an article on this subject soon), and therefore anything which comes about as a result of abortion is wrong.

Thankfully, the vaccines do NOT contain any material taken directly from aborted babies. However, the companies that make the vaccines did test the vaccines out on fetal cells.

These fetal cells were not taken directly from an aborted fetus, but they are descended from a fetus aborted many years ago. You can read more about it here, where they go into great depth on this issue. I highly recommend this reading.

To sum it all up, the vaccines were not created from aborted fetuses, and they do not contain any material derived from abortions. However, some of the cells used to test the vaccines are distantly descended from cells obtained via an abortion.

2: The vaccine IS – or is preparing us for – the Mark of the Beast

This is another concern that is common among the Christian community. We know the end times will feature something known as the “Mark of the Beast” that marks the followers of the Antichrist. Many believe this may be administered in the form of a microchip or an injection.

Some Christians today believe this vaccine either IS – or is preparing us for – the Mark of the Beast. These fears are only intensified when organizations such as schools, businesses, and airlines require vaccination.

Aren’t these “vaccine mandates” unprecedented? Don’t they scream of the same kind of control talked about in the Bible when it comes to the Mark of the Beast?

Although the vaccine mandates and the resulting pressure to get vaccinated may indeed be enough to spark fears of impending doom, they are not at all reminiscent of what will happen under the rule of the Antichrist.

When the Antichrist sets up his kingdom, he will intensely persecute all those who do not swear allegiance to him. This will occur along with (or even before) the mark is administered. As the Mark of the Beast is being rolled out, those who don’t bow before the Antichrist will be killed or driven off.

Furthermore, those who deny the mark and manage to escape the persecution will not be able to buy or sell. They will effectively be shut out of the economy of the world, and all of this in the aftermath of extraordinary persecution. Those walking around without the Mark of the Beast will be liable to capture, torture, and death.

Does that sound like what’s going on today?

Although the vaccine mandates may feel like an encroachment on our lives, they are not at all reminiscent of what will happen in the end times. Christians are not being jailed, persecuted, or killed in the United States. A refusal to take the vaccine will not cost you your life.

Additionally, there is no Biblical evidence to suggest that the Mark of the Beast will be shrouded in mystery when it is presented to the world. The mark is something taken (or refused) voluntarily. People will know what it is when the mark is offered. They will be certain of what it actually is. There will be no debate.

It will be impossible for someone to agree to take a vaccine, only to find out some time later that the vaccine was, in fact, the Mark of the Beast. If the COVID-19 vaccine were indeed the mark, there would be no debate as to whether it was the mark or not.

3: The vaccine represents the erosion of liberty in the United States

This is yet another huge concern among many Christians, particularly those of a more patriotic bent. One of the central pillars of the American existence is freedom. Freedom is something that our Founding Fathers fought hard to achieve and preserve.

To many, the enormous pressure to get vaccinated – and the rising frequency of vaccine mandates for employment, education, and entertainment participation – represents an erosion of our long-cherished freedom.

However, vaccines have been a part of American history for well over a century. Vaccine mandates are no different.

The first public vaccine mandate occurred in Massachusetts in the 1850s. This mandate ordered Smallpox vaccines for anyone seeking to enter schools. We’ve had other vaccine mandates across the United States, with as many as 20 states having some form of vaccination requirement to enter school by 1963 (Healthline).

Additionally, many workplaces have required vaccination against certain diseases as a condition of employment. Such requirements have existed for many years and have largely gone uncontested in the public eye.

Outside of school and workplace vaccine requirements, there have even been instances where the general public was ordered to get vaccinated for contagious diseases. The most well-known of these occurred in Cambridge, MA, when the city mandated Smallpox vaccines for all residents during a severe outbreak of the disease in 1901. A resident of the city refused the vaccine, and was subsequently fined $5 (around $150 in today’s money).

This resident took the issue all the way to the Supreme Court, arguing that the vaccine mandate violated his individual liberty and due process of law as protected by the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution.

The court ultimately ruled against him and established a precedent that governments could indeed make vaccination compulsory.

While these examples do not necessarily provide a robust argument that vaccine mandates are righteous, they do provide precedent. Whenever one argues that liberty is being eroded, he or she must always have a past benchmark against which to compare the present state of liberty.

If there were no instances of vaccine mandates in the past, then there might be cause for concern. However, a quick glance at American history will reveal some surprising occurrences. Vaccines have been around for many, many decades, and vaccine mandates are almost as old as vaccinations themselves.

If we are to judge the “erosion of liberty” by this standard, then I would contend that we are not facing a crisis of liberty in this nation (at least not when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine). Rather, we’re in the midst of a public health crisis, and it is social media that has allowed faulty or even dangerous ideas to spread like wildfire.

Reasons TO Get the COVID-19 Vaccine

Now that we’ve examined the COVID-19 vaccine’s safety and its potential moral issues, let’s flip the table and look at this perspective from the opposite side: why SHOULD we as Christians get the COVID-19 vaccine?

There are a couple of potential reasons.

The first of these is to protect yourself. COVID-19 vaccines are available in most places for free. Getting the vaccine carries almost no risk, yet it is highly effective at preventing serious illness. If you’re elderly, immunocompromised, or work in a profession where contact with the virus is likely, getting the vaccine makes perfect sense to protect your safety.

Another reason to get the vaccine is to protect others. For those who are not elderly or immunocompromised, this is the single largest reason to get vaccinated. If you’re a healthy 30 year old, for instance, it is highly unlikely that COVID-19 will result in a serious infection.

However, you are still more than capable of transmitting it to others, and those people might not be so fortunate.

The Bible tells us to consider others as more significant than ourselves (Ephesians 2:3). In that vein, getting vaccinated makes perfect sense. It is a way of serving our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We may not feel that getting the vaccine is necessary, but it does significantly lower the chance that we will pass the virus on to others.

Additionally, consider the state of the Church today. Millions of people are staying home because they fear being infected by the virus. Although virtual church services are certainly better than no service at all, they cannot be a replacement for physically gathering together with God’s people.

As we increase vaccination rates, the likelihood of virus transmission will decrease. Cases of serious disease will fall. More people will feel able to return to church, reconnecting with fellow believers and reigniting spiritual growth.

Conclusion

After some examination, the COVID-19 vaccine seems to harbor little (if any) cause for concern. It is a safe and effective product of modern medical science. Furthermore, getting the vaccine as a way of protecting yourself and others can be a very powerful way of expressing love and honor to your brothers and sisters in Christ.

At the end of the day, there is only one person who can truly decide whether you get the vaccine or not.

That person is you.

If it troubles your conscience to get the vaccine, then avoid getting it. But if you’re able to get the shot, please do consider getting it. The more people we have vaccinated, the better off we are.

Unfortunately, a large amount of vaccine resistance in the United States today seems to be coming from a place of stubborn pride. Those who refuse the vaccine often do so not out of legitimate concern, but out of thinly-veiled pride and hardheadedness. This is not a good reason to not get vaccinated.

If you’re a believer in Christ and you’re torn on the issue of vaccination, I would ask that you search your heart and spend a lot of time in prayer. Are you refusing the vaccine because your conscience troubles you? Are you refusing it out of legitimate concern?

Or are you refusing simply because you feel that you must “take your stand” against a perceived enemy?

Whatever you choose to do, please keep in mind the words of Romans 14:23: whatever is not of faith is sin. It is my hope that you can take the vaccine in faith, yet I recognize that you may not be able to do this. Above all things, seek to obey God in everything.

God bless, and stay safe.

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