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The persecution of Christianity is inevitable in the world, Jesus taught us that. But he also said, "Pick up your cross and follow me." Persecution is really the pruning that Jesus spoke of in his parables. Pruning is necessary for the growth of Christianity, just as it is necessary for the growth of the grapevine, if it is to yield good fruit. During the major upheavals in history, such as the two world wars, both the good and the bad suffered, as the wheat and the weeds were uprooted together during the harvest. Millions of people died during the wars of the 20th Century. They were from all the races and faiths of the world. The harvest follows the pruning process, but the two are different. As Christians we should consider the attack on the US on September Eleven as the pruning of a tree that was growing wild and bearing little fruit. The numbers of the Dow looked spectacular to investors, but the average American wasn't getting the benefits of the Stock Market. During the Clinton years, the deficit was under control, but the Terrorists wiped that out in one day. Nevertheless, the perceived wealth of Wall Street enraged the less sophisticated people of the Third World. Furthermore, the Terrorists of the Middle East viewed the benevolence of a Christian President toward Israel as an alliance against the Muslims. The Terrorists heeded the call for holy war by Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden and commenced the war on America. Naturally, Europeans don't want any part of it, but then the Terrorists didn't attack them. But President George W. Bush didn't see the attack on America as an attack against Christianity. If he had, he would've bombed all the Muslim centers of the world. In fact, the US didn't even attack the countries whose citizens carried out the attack of Nine Eleven, namely Saudi Arabia and Egypt. President Bush chose to liberate Afghanistan and Iraq from the hands of secular dictatorships parading as bastions of Islam. By doing so, he did the right thing. Nine Eleven was more than a wake-up call. We were becoming too comfortable as a people and forgetting that all blessings are from God. There's a cost to doing the right thing, however; but every generation must do its share and offer the sacrifices necessary for maintaining its relationship with God. Thus, our persecution as Christians at the hands of the atheists at home and abroad awakened us to our responsibility toward others less fortunate than us, the long suffering people of Iraq and Afghanistan. We're living in a society that tolerates religious freedom at home, but this freedom must be maintained at a cost. Periodically, we must defend the rights of others to live free, if we're going to be continuously blessed. The Apostle Paul interpreted "love thy enemy" as pouring hot coals on the enemy's head, when he said "do good to your enemy." The Gospel didn't say "love the enemy;" it said, "love thy enemy." Because, "the enemy" is Satan, but our enemies are oftentimes our own atheists who don't realize the disaster they bring on our heads when they persecute Christianity. I believe the biggest persecution of Christianity has been from within. The atheists in America have persecuted Christianity for decades. They have outlawed prayer in public schools. They have elected politicians who were committed to destroying our Christian heritage. The abuse of our freedoms by the liberals and the atheists have decimated our society, resulting in the attack on all our values and traditions. They've removed the name of Jesus from all public school textbooks. They're now attempting to remove the name of God and all Christian symbols from public places. They're even attempting to wipe out God from our Constitution. Finally, they've attacked even the Christmas traditions that we've cherished since our pioneer days. Therefore, we must expect the pruning of the excesses of this generation and remind ourselves that pruning is inevitable; but that if we're to bear better fruit, it's necessary. The world is not ready for another harvest yet. We need to plant the good seed first and grow a beautiful vineyard that's pleasing to our Lord. When the harvests come, we want to be the good workers that gather the wheat, and as for the weeds they're of no use for us. The Lord of the Harvest takes care of everything. |