Resurrection (Part 2): Persecuted, But Not Forsaken

Photo by Jacob Meyer on Unsplash

While in India, it came to my attention that just five years earlier, there had been a massacre of Christians in the state in which I was staying. It was sobering to realize that not too long before my appearance, many of my brothers and sisters had been murdered simply because they chose to follow Christ rather than practice the Hindu religion. Since that time, I have become increasingly aware of the atrocities being committed against my Christian brothers and sisters. And with all the news concerning the spreading of ISIS, the school shooting in Oregon which targeted Christians, as well as the emails I receive each morning recounting the struggles and sufferings of believers around the world, I have become more and more concerned lately about my brothers and sisters who are being persecuted for their faith.

As a twenty-something citizen of the United States, I have rarely (read: never) experienced persecution for my beliefs. Sure, I have encountered plenty of people who disagree with me, but never have I been drug out into the streets and beaten, or thrown into prison on account of the fact that I profess to follow Jesus Christ. On the other hand, considering the way the world seems to be turning, it could eventually be the reality that I face. It is difficult to think about potentially standing before a group of people who hate the Truth, facing impending death for my faith. Even scarier is pondering what my response would be in that situation – would I renounce my Lord and Savior or would I, like Stephen, turn my face to heaven and say “Lord, do not hold this against them” (Acts 7:59-60)?

Into this desolate trajectory of thoughts and realities, Paul’s words from 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 bring hope and encouragement. In verse 7, he writes “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (ESV). We, though frail and often faltering humans, display the power of God as He pours out His strength in the midst of our weakness. What an amazing thing to know that though our lives here on earth are but a mist, and though we so often fail, God uses us to reveal Himself to the world.

Verses 8-10 go on to refer to the struggles Paul and his fellow brothers and sisters were facing, but also speaks of the power of God which allows them to get back up, rather than allowing those things to defeat them: “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.” In a recent sermon, my father pointed out that Paul (along with his companions) was willing to be a “living specimen” to display God’s power. Though Paul faced many difficult trials, he was still willing to do what God has called him to do, because he knew that in the struggles, he was portraying Christ’s death, but through God’s power in lifting him out of those troubles, his life became both a picture of the Resurrection of Christ while also pointing to the Resurrection that is to come when our bodies are raised from the grave at Christ’s Second Coming.

The final statement of this section says, “For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you” (vv. 11-12). Going back to my opening statement concerning the persecuted Church, my observation from the things I have been hearing from all over the world concerning my brothers and sisters is that these verses capture their hearts well. Even in the midst of facing death (by “death,” I am referring both to the obvious physical death as well as to the “dying” that comes from being beaten down and driven away from all that is comfortable and familiar), they are willing to lay down their lives for the sake of Jesus Christ. Why? Because they know that not only is their ultimate hope in the things that are to come and in being in the presence of their Lord, but also, they realize that in the wake of their deaths, many more people are coming to know Jesus Christ. This, by the way, is an amazing phenomenon which has been occurring since the early days of the Church – persecution typically does not diminish the Church, but causes it to spread as believers are forced away from their homes only to come into contact with those who have not yet heard the Gospel. While they may have to face being “given over to death for Jesus’ sake,” the power of God is being demonstrated in the bringing of many more to a knowledge of the Truth. The sacrifices of those who daily give their lives for the Gospel are not in vain because God is using them to display His power. Their deaths, whether physical or in the separation from all that is familiar, are resulting in the life of Christ being poured out on those who were once spiritually dead. Here again, we see a sort of Resurrection as life comes out of death.

This, my friends, is the power of the Resurrection. Though we face trials of many kinds, God’s power is displayed both in the rising up of those beaten down and in the spiritually dead coming to life even as those who are spiritually alive face physical death. What a strange thing, and yet so amazing. We can have hope that the same God who made light shine out of darkness, and the same One who speaks life into dead, dry bones, who died and rose again to conquer sin and death, is able to display that same power in the seemingly hopeless situations in which we find ourselves. He will never leave nor forsake us. Amen, and amen.

(Resurrection: Part 3)

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