The Obvious Lies Part 3

The third obvious lie we tell ourselves – and this is particularly true of the Western world – is that we are somehow more special than any other believers who came before us, more special than any other believers on any other continent presently living, and as such, due to our specialness we will neither have to endure, persevere, or overcome any sort of trials, tribulations or persecutions.

Such lies become all the more difficult to stomach when almost every week in recent memory there have been reports of heinous attacks against Christians in other nations, including mass murder bordering on genocide. All the while, we’re still insisting on the notion that we will never have to stand for the faith once entrusted to the saints, or suffer hardship as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

The godless are becoming more animated in their godlessness, and the fury of their empty souls spills over into outright violence with increasing frequency.

Such outbursts will only grow in scope and magnitude, because godlessness does not have a base level, it is never content with what it has already done, but always strives to lead the soul to darker and darker pursuits.

I’ve met more than my fair share of believers who insist upon being too special to endure hardship, and it is these selfsame believers who have a very difficult time with the messages I preach, because I insist upon spiritual preparedness for the eventuality of persecution.

If they can bite their lip and squirm in the chair long enough for me to finish speaking, then I am sure to get an earful from the individuals in attendance who contrary to Biblical truth and present reality, continue to assert that this present generation of half-hearted, lukewarm, duplicitous, self-obsessed believers will be spared trials and tribulations altogether.

Being the kind soul I am, I listen to their reasoning as to why they do not believe we will see, and in fact endure persecution, then when they finally take a second to catch their breath I ask one question: what makes you more special than any other believer who suffered and died for the cause of Christ, either in the distant past or in the recent past?

For me to insist that I will be spared persecution while other believers are being martyred for the faith is to insinuate that I am more special than they are, or that God sees me differently than He does them. For me to insist that I will not have to persevere or overcome is to insinuate that God loves those who are presently suffering less than He loves me, and therefore He will spare me what He chooses not to spare others from.

Romans 2:11, “For there is no partiality with God.”

Well, that sort of puts a crimp in the specialness theory doesn’t it? Are we than saying that there is no partiality with God except in this one solitary case? Are we than saying that God meant what He said except in the case of the present generation of believers living in America?

I know I’m going to make some of you angry with this post, but there is no way around it.

We’ve been told we’re special since early childhood, we’ve been told we are exceptional in fact, but no one saw the need to mention that in the sight of God we are all His creation, equal in every way, whether American, Afghani, Kenyan, Romanian, Russian, or Chinese.

The only reason God favored America as a nation above others, was because America was a nation of covenant just as Israel was, but we have broken covenant with God, and as such we cannot expect either blessing nor favor to flow from the throne room any longer.

We can either continue to tell ourselves that we will never have to suffer for the cause of Christ until the moment we are called upon to suffer, whereupon we will turn our backs on Him and justify our betrayal somehow, or prepare in our hearts for the eventuality of persecution, standing on God’s Word and being found worthy of the sufferings of Christ.

I don’t want to suffer. I don’t think anyone does, but if God chooses to glorify Himself through my suffering, then I know He will give me the strength to endure the suffering He allows upon me for His glory.

Some things are a given for every believer, and persecution is one of those things. I know it’s not something we like to dwell on or think about, but it is nevertheless in the Word, and something we ought to remind ourselves even in times of peace and relative freedom.

Sooner or later persecution will come, as the Word says it must, so that the gold might be purified, the garment cleansed, and the power made manifest.

2 Timothy 3:12, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”

1 Peter 4:12-13, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange things happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

1 Peter 4:19, “Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.”

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.