persecution = preservation for the Christian

I might as well publish these thoughts while I’m here meditating on God’s Word.  Micah has stirred me up to continuing this process by reminding me of salts preservative quality.  This has led me to think about faith, grace, and testing through persecution as having preserving effects as well.  Not only for the believer but also for the moral values of the culture in which we live as well.  Not only does God’s grace give us the hope that makes up our faith but it also creates in us the kind of life that produces the works that shine like a light in a dark place. 

So now I have worked into a system of thought that places radical faith in the face of suffering as a necessity for being saved (in the end) because it is the salt of grace through faith that produces works.  James agrees that trials aren’t strange for the Christian and that the purpose and outcome for them is the crown of life.

James 1:2-4,12

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, [2] when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.  12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Now I am left wondering how does one who lives in post-modern, relative, subjective, believe what you wanna believe and leave me alone America preserve and shine?  I see the outcome of Stephens persecution and the effects brought about by the death of many in the mission field and I desire that for my country, for my state, for my city.  I want the Sav’h Morn News writing an article about some radical Christian whack job who trusted God enough to stand up for the truth and made some waves doing it.  But it must be done in a way that is radical yet glorifying to God.

Titus 2:7-8

7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.

1 pet 3:13-17

13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

I’m tired of just thinking about it and talking about it, I want to do something, but what?

radical faith = salt and light?

As I have been thinking about radical faith in the face of suffering and persecution I have noticed a pattern in scripture before that I had never before noticed or had called to my attention. I’ll lay my deductions out there and any who read this can decide for themselves whether it is true or not and comment back as the Spirit leads.

Here is what I noticed: In the gospels where Jesus spoke of salt and light or being salty it immediately followed his encouragements and promises for the persecutions of those who follow Him. Is Jesus telling us that we shine brighter for Him and salt the world by standing firm in our faith during trials and persecution? Take this passage in the gospel of Matthew for instance:

Matthew 5:10-16
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Those who are persecuted for righteousness are happy because we can look forward to the kingdom of heaven and our reward is great there. We are very familiar with this, but what follows next, and its placement in the Lord’s sermon is something I never noticed or thought about before. There is usually a new paragraph starting here or a heading as you see above (from the ESV)and that tends to cause us to close the last thought and start a new. But should we? Or is Jesus finishing the previous statement about persecution by telling us that if we aren’t living radically for Him, then we are good for nothing? If we get in the habit of not being “salty” (or radically faithful), how can we get back our zeal again. Many should ask if they have ever had the kind of zeal for Christ that comes with a regenerate heart and pray accordingly.

 

Now, the following passage is not pertaining to persecution or suffering for the cause of Christ which leads me to believe that the saltiness of our lives depends not on suffering or persecution alone (although faith through persecution is a very bright light for unbelievers). Rather this passage immediately follows the passage where Jesus tells us to pluck out our eye and chop off our arm rather than to be cast into hell. So I think that salt in this passage is relating to sacrifice. Some are salted with fire in this age as the Lord disciplines His children. Others are salted in the age to come in a perpetually burning lake of fire. We are to be living sacrifices and according to OT laws, all sacrifices were to be salted. We are living sacrifices that are salted with grace … past grace that brings us to trusting in future grace through the experience of present grace.

 

Mark 9:49-50
49 For everyone will be salted with fire. [1] [Some manuscripts add and every sacrifice will be salted with salt]

 

50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

In the gospel of Luke Jesus tells us about useless salt again after telling us to count the cost of following Him. To hate our own life and all the things of the world in order to bear our cross and follow Him is what is required to be His disciple. Then He says that salt that is not salty is no good. He who has ears let him hear.

Luke 14:26-28,33-35
26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?
33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

Salt Without Taste Is Worthless

34 “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 35 It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

 

So here is where I am now: I believe that to be salty is to be full of grace and that grace causes us to live for Christ as we know He has purchased for us an inheritance that will not fade or go away. This Christ centered living by faith allows us to live in a way that the world hates and they are either changed or we are persecuted.

…or maybe being salty is to have faith and our faith if it is not bearing fruit is good for nothing. Like James says that faith produces works. We also know that a tree that bears no fruit is good for nothing but to be chopped down and thrown into the fire. Faith comes by grace so they can both be correct, I suppose.

If you read this far and were able to make sence of my feeble attempt to capture my thoughts as they unfolded I hope you were blessed. I started out to share a discovery and as I wrote through it and looked up a few sources to check my accuracy of thought I grew all the more. I wish I could organize all my thoughts and share them. My brain is like the highest Tetris level sometimes. Blocks fall fast and sometimes they fit by other times they just stack up to nothing.

self defense and radical faith

We hear about it more and more as the days go by.  Islamic fundamentalist radicals that offer up their own lives to take the lives of others; especially Americans, Christians and Jews.  As a Christian who lives in America I saw these radicals as a threat to my way of life and the comfort I enjoyed. As I listened to the voices of those around me over the years, I came to know that I was not alone in this and I also saw how the fear initiated by these terrorist turned into hate and anger toward them.  As an American I understood, but as a Christian I know that somewhere we have been duped.  Their threats, attacks and intentions lead us to feelings of terror, fear, anger, bitterness, malice and sometimes deep hatred for them.  This is not the way we should react.  But how should we react?

I recall numerous conversations in which we would somehow get around to matters of self-defense and the lengths we would go to to protect ourselves and especially those we love.  If someone breaks into your house you have many rights within the law to blast them with whatever you find within reach.  After all, they threatened you and your family’s well being and your safety, right?  They deserve what they get, right?  I would say right on both counts … BUT. 

I am now coming to a different perspective and conviction concerning this.  When I take a long hard look at my values and beliefs I abhor that I entertain thoughts of hate, rage, and fearful anger leading to the point of taking a life.  I desire rather to be the kind of person that would have compassion on them and be able to tell them the good news of the kingdom of God because even if they took my life for it they would be doing me a favor.   To be the kind of person that could give cheerfully to the one who breaks in to steal from me because I know that my riches in Heaven are much better than any possessions I have on this earth.  To be the kind of man who’s faith makes a difference, who’s faith causes heads to tilt and jaws to drop and eyebrows to raise and hearts to wonder at the evidence shown that points to the fact that knowing and trusting in all that God is for me in Jesus is more valuable than all things, even my life itself.  To die to myself in hopes of saving the life of another, this is what I want my faith to look like.  This is the radical I want to be.  My self-defense is actually soul-defense by radical faith.