Persecution — Faith — Stylin' Granny Mama

Since Charlie Kirk’s murder last week, I have been trying to figure out how to respond. It was only in the last four months that I started to follow Charlie on Facebook, so I certainly did not know him personally, but I liked what he was doing. If a person can get people to think and do it in a way that shows self-control and kindness, that’s awesome. I have seen a number of people talk about Charlie since his death and it sounds like he was one of the good guys: a young man who had a passion, not only for conservative values, but for God and His word. Was he perfect? Of course not, none of us are, but to dedicate your life to connecting and talking with others means something.

When deciding what to write about, I thought it best to honor Charlie by taking us back to God’s Word.

The Roaring Lion

“8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

— 1 Peter 5:8 (NASB 1995)

While we do have enemies made of flesh and blood, our real enemy is much more crafty than any human being. He was an angelic being, created by God to serve Him, but given a free will Lucifer decided he should be the one making the decisions and tried to take God’s throne. God banished him from heaven along with a large number of angels who followed him. Earth is their dwelling place, and Satan loves to play with God’s most precious creation, humanity. (See Ezekiel 28:13-17, and Isaiah 14:12-14)

As I have said before on this blog, what better plan could an enemy concoct, but that which makes the prey think he doesn’t exist, and that the thing that matters most is their own selfish desires. The problem is, Satan has his fingers heart-deep in so many people’s lives due to his adept skill at manipulating the truth.

Charlie Kirk spoke truth. He spoke ideas and thoughts that aligned with God’s Word, and many lives were changed because he had the bravery and desire to make a difference. Yes, a 22 year old man shot him, but it was the unseen enemy, Satan, who was moving and manipulating behind the scenes. He moves and manipulates every time there is a school shooting, a child is forced into the sex trade, families wonder where their next meal is coming from, bullies try to have the upper hand, church ladies gossip; the list is endless. Look at the darkness in the world and you will realize Satan is at the core of all of it.

Difficult Times will Come

Isn’t it interesting that the lion above and the man below have a similar facial expression?

“1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.”

— 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NASB 1995)

Why are we surprised by the responses that many people are leaving on social media in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s murder? These verses could not be any more accurate than if a news reporter wrote them this past week: boastful, revilers, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good…lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

The last sentence in this group of verses tells us to avoid such men/women as these. Charlie Kirk did not avoid them. He met them face to face, and head on he broached the hard topics - racism, abortion, gun violence, and others.

Living According to God’s Word will Bring Persecution

“12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

— 2 Timothy 3:12-13 (NASB 1995)

We are told if we desire to live godly in Christ Jesus we will be persecuted. In addition, Jesus said,

“33 These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.””

— John 16:33 (NASB 1995)

In this world we will have tribulation, but Jesus has overcome the world.

Our Purpose through it All

No matter what is going on in the world around us our identity and purpose does not change. We are made in the image of the almighty God (Genesis 1:26-27), and our purpose is to honor and glorify Him with our abilities, talents and our voices (Colossians 3:23). Charlie Kirk knew this and used the gifts God had given Him to lift up His truth and glorify Him. What is God’s will for us during these difficult times?

“14 We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.
16 Rejoice always;
17 pray without ceasing;
18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit;
20 do not despise prophetic utterances.
21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;
22 abstain from every form of evil.”

— 1 Thessalonians 5:14-22 (NASB 1995)

These principles, are the same today as they were 2000 years ago. Evil has been here since Satan chose to defy His God and Adam and Eve chose to listen to his half-truth whispers. Thankfully our God has not changed. Whether you are angry at the injustice of Charlie’s murder, or you are rejoicing that his voice has been silenced, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) and no one on this planet can change that.

Do Not Lose Hope

Image by Muhammad Haseeb Muhammad Suleman from Pixabay

I felt the aftermath of Charlie’s death as if he had been a close relative, and in a way he was. For those of us who believe, he was our brother in Christ and his wife is our sister in Christ. While I didn’t know him other than through social media clips, Charlie represented truth I believe in and qualities I want to have: love, boldness and joy.

My dear friends, do not lose hope.

“Be strong and let your heart take courage,
All you who hope in the Lord.”

— Psalm 31:23 (NASB 1995)

“My soul, wait in silence for God only,
For my hope is from Him.”

— Psalm 62:5 (NASB 1995)

“Sustain me according to Your word, that I may live; And do not let me be ashamed of my hope.”

— Psalm 119:116 (NASB 1995)

“1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;
4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;
5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

— Romans 5:1-5 (NASB 1995)

Our hope does not disappoint! We know that Charlie is now with Jesus, as are my father, father-in-law, and many, many others who have gone before. They are rejoicing in the presence of their Savior and the troubles of this world are dim compared to His eternal burning love.

Thank you Father for sharing your love with this world through people like Charlie Kirk, and thank you Charlie for being exactly who God wanted you to be.

This month we are going to look at Romans 8:35-36. Last time we looked at two questions that needed to be answered. Here we find one more question written in two ways, that begs a response.

“35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 Just as it is written,

’For Your sake we are being put to death all day long;
We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’””

— Romans 8:35-36 (NASB 1995)

As we learned in the last installment we are God’s elect, and as such there is no one who can bring a charge against us. Only God has the right to judge, because he is the only one who can do it with purity and without prejudice.

We also learned that while the world condemns, for those who are in Christ Jesus there is no condemnation. He is the one who died, who was raised from the dead, who sits at God’s right hand and who intercedes for us.

With this knowledge we are now faced with the most important questions of all: Who will separate us from Christ? Will tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril or sword? This list Paul gives is meant to be inclusive of whatever trial or tribulation a Christian might find themselves in. Many of us have never known persecution, famine, nakedness, peril or sword, but that doesn’t mean we never will. The world is becoming more under the influence of our shadowed enemy and he regularly does all that he can to make us feel separated from our precious Savior’s love and care. However, that is all he can do.

These questions are followed by a description from Psalm 44:22. What does this mean, and why does it follow these questions? Our knowledge and understanding of the Old Testament remind us that as God’s people we will suffer. Christ, Himself, said, “…in this world you will have tribulation, but take heart I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

The phrase, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long…” was part of a Maskil written by the Sons of Korah. A Maskil was a contemplative, didactic (meant to teach), and skillful psalm. In other words it was not written off the cuff, or in response to a difficulty being experienced. Many of David’s psalms are wholehearted emotional songs both of praise and thanksgiving or of discouragement and despair. This psalm was thought through and had the purpose of teaching us, not only about God, but about our struggle to find Him when we are suffering.

Let’s look a little more closely at this psalm.

“O God, we have heard with our ears,
Our fathers have told us
The work that You did in their days,
In the days of old.”

— Psalm 44:1 (NASB 1995)

As the psalm begins the author(s) remember what they have learned from their forefathers. They understand how God moved and was involved in the lives of His people.

“4 You are my King, O God;
Command victories for Jacob.
5 Through You we will push back our adversaries;
Through Your name we will trample down those who rise up against us.
6 For I will not trust in my bow,
Nor will my sword save me.
7 But You have saved us from our adversaries,
And You have put to shame those who hate us.
8 In God we have boasted all day long,
And we will give thanks to Your name forever. Selah.”

— Psalm 44:4-8 (NASB 1995)

Image by Christine Engelhardt from Pixabay

They recognize God as King. They know that it is not their own efforts that will save them, but God will give them the victory. However, in the next set of phrases we see that this same God who had given them victories and fought for them, allowed them to be brought low.

“9 Yet You have rejected us and brought us to dishonor,
And do not go out with our armies.
10 You cause us to turn back from the adversary;
And those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves.
11 You give us as sheep to be eaten
And have scattered us among the nations.”

— Psalm 44:9-11 (NASB 1995)

The psalmist is left questioning. He even goes on to suggest the unwritten question: Why?

“17 All this has come upon us, but we have not forgotten You,
And we have not dealt falsely with Your covenant.
18 Our heart has not turned back,
And our steps have not deviated from Your way,
19 Yet You have crushed us in a place of jackals
And covered us with the shadow of death.”

— Psalm 44:17-19 (NASB 1995)

The author allows himself to question to the very end of the psalm, but he also makes that statement in verst 22. He knows it is for God’s purpose that God is silent. He knows it is for God’s glory that we suffer.

“20 If we had forgotten the name of our God
Or extended our hands to a strange god,
21 Would not God find this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.
22 But for Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
23 Arouse Yourself, why do You sleep, O Lord?
Awake, do not reject us forever.
24 Why do You hide Your face
And forget our affliction and our oppression?
25 For our soul has sunk down into the dust;
Our body cleaves to the earth.
26 Rise up, be our help,
And redeem us for the sake of Your lovingkindness.”

— Psalm 44:20-26 (NASB 1995)

I think it is important to end this post focusing on the very last phrase of the psalm, “….redeem us for the sake of Your lovingkindness.” For those of us who have been studying the Word, and maturing in our Christian walk we have wrestled with the very same thoughts that the author of this psalm did. “Why did you leave us? Where did you go? Why have you let us be cast down? We have been faithful, but still we suffer?”

We can certainly look at our own circumstances or those of the people around us that we love and care about and see the suffering. But, we can always appeal to His lovingkindness. God does not have to save us, or rescue us or give us comfort, but He does. Our struggles and feelings will come and go, but when we place our focus on Him and remain in Him (John 15), He will always be found faithful.

Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, no matter how we feel; no matter how far away we might think He is, He is always with us.

“9 Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. ”

— John 15:9 (NASB 1995)

Thought's on the Reality of Living in this Fallen World

Mulling It Over: Romans 8:35-36