The authentic Christian life?

We were driving in one of our favourite places on the planet. Not just the Kruger National Park in South Africa but the Pafuri area in the far north of the park.

The beautiful Luvuvhu River

The whole area has a beautiful atmosphere.  The peace of the African bush, the gorgeous lush vegetation, amazing baobab and fever trees and everywhere exotic birds flitting through the foliage and along the Luvuvhu River. Animals may have been in short supply but the beautiful environment with the Luvuvhu Gorge as a backdrop was breath taking.

I was overwhelmed with thankfulness to God for showing us this amazing part of his creation that a relatively small number of people have experienced. Gratitude flooded my soul and a deep desire never to take this for granted.

On our return to our accommodation I continued to read my novel,Safely Home by Randy Alcorn, which concerns the house church in China, and depicts the persecution that many of these secret believers face from the Chinese government.

The Communist government tolerates the official churches, sanctioned by themselves and which have to tow the party line but the Bible believing house churches are persecuted with believers and especially leaders of the churches imprisoned, tortured and even martyred if they will not renounce their Christianity.

I was shocked by the contrast I had experienced that day. On the one hand I had been blessed amazingly and on the other many, many Christians throughout the world are suffering terribly for their faith – not my experience at all.

What is even more shocking is that it is the Chinese Christians who appear to be experiencing a more Bible based Christianity that I am.   Jesus himself said ‘Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5: 11 – 12.

His brother James wrote, Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1: 2 – 4

The apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. 2 Thessalonians 1: 4.

There are many New Testament references to persecution and trials. 

In China and the many other countries where Christians are routinely persecuted for their faith, they have nothing to cling to but Jesus. They have to be 100% convinced of their salvation and their Christian beliefs. 

What is more, Christians persecuted in this way seem to regard it as an incredible honour to suffer as Jesus did. They are overjoyed when Jesus is glorified by many coming to salvation and they consider their lives as nothing as long as the Kingdom advances. 

In fact this seems to be the normal life for the Christian.  All the apostles with the exception of John, were martyred.  Many Christians believe death to be something not to talk about as it means dying and that is morbid. Death as a believer however is not morbid but glorious. It brings us into our eternal destiny. It takes us to our true home.

Jesus himself encouraged us.  ³⁴ Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ³⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.³⁶ What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? ³⁷ Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ³⁸ If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

So how on earth do I reconcile my Christian faith with those of my brothers and sisters living in poverty, hardship or under persecution? Do I just thank God for the abundance of my possessions and carry on? I believe we owe the persecuted Church a lot more than that. 

Christians who are persecuted and even those living in poverty say that what they really value are our prayers and Bibles.  Generously supporting charities that help distribute Bibles, as well as helping lift people out of extreme poverty, is a wonderful way to show love to the suffering part of the Body of Christ. And prayers. The Church that is being persecuted or living in poverty love to know that they are not forgotten and people are thinking and praying for them. 

We have a vital role to play in supporting and strengthening our persecuted Christian brothers. Let’s rise to the challenge because we have been blessed to be a blessing. 

God's Word is not chained

This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. 2 Timothy 2: 9

Paul wrote these words to Timothy at the end of his life but they still resonate today. You cannot chain, silence or stifle God’s Word, the Bible. The most oppressive empires, regimes, governments and even societies down the centuries have all tried and failed. The Bible, the Word of God, the life giving and active word cannot be chained or silenced.

Persecuted Christians in Eritrea 

I love the story in God’s Smuggler of Brother Andrew from the Netherlands taking Bibles into Communist Eastern Europe in the fifties and sixties. He found himself with a Romania pastor who spoke no German or Dutch and of course Brother Andrew spoke no Romanian. So they conversed together using the Bible. They showed one another a verse and then they looked it up in their own language. ItB started with Brother Andrew saying:

I Corinthians 16: 20 All the brethren greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

The Romanian pastor replied: Proverbs 25: 25 Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.

Brother Andrew: Philemon 4 – 7 I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.

And so on. God’s word cannot be chained. The Bible has all the answers to life, the universe and everything.  That is why the Bible is still in print thousands of years after being written and still in great demand in every country in the world especially where Christians face great persecution. Believers are still risking their lives to take and distribute the Word.

Countries facing the greatest religious persecution 

From North Korea, the country where Christians face the most extreme persecution all across southern Asia (Chine and India), through the Middle East and North Africa to even Colombia in South America believers suffer for their faith. Islam not Communism is the great persecutor these days.  What these Christians crave most of all is Bibles.

There is a well-known Christian organization that sends aid, Bibles and other Christian literature to countries in great need. In one situation they use drug smugglers to take the Bibles into a country where it is banned. The smugglers take drugs one way but on the return trip through the mountains the mules have no cargo. The society has negotiated a deal whereby the mules are loaded with Bibles and when the organization hears from local pastors that the Bibles have safely arrived, they pay the smugglers. Ethically it sounds a bit dubious but lets face it – smuggling Bibles into these countries is illegal so how it is done isn’t really an issue. 

The hunger for God’s word in these nations is immense and the demand far outweighs the supply.

Bible study

In the West we are spoilt – everyone of us has so many Bibles that supply far outweighs demand. We have every available resource to accompany the Word and teaching is easily accessed through the internet let alone through book stores.

The organization Bibles Unbound says that believers in countries facing great persecution ask for two things – our prayers and that we send Bibles. 

Next time we open our Bibles, pray for those who have no Bible but would love one and let us value and treasure ours as the life giving Word of God – active and powerful that just cannot be chained.