A friend asked me a couple of weeks ago: “Did you ever think Christians would be treated this way in our country?” I inquired what he meant. He was referring to the media backlash against Christians in the name of political correctness. As we talked I thought of the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” In the verses following Jesus describes the persecution his disciples can expect as he sends them out with the message of the gospel. He tells them to expect to be flogged, beaten, placed on trial and even put to death. The trials and persecution will come from men of the Synagogues and from close family members.
We have enjoyed religious freedom and safety for a long time in our nation. Most believers have never faced any opposition or persecution for being a believer. This is due in part to the freedoms protected by our Constitution. However, it may also be in part due to believers are reluctant to discuss or share their beliefs outside the safety of Church meetings and when gathered with people who hold the same beliefs.
Society expects believers to be as “Gentle as doves” however they do not expect when believers are “wise as serpents”. In Genesis 3:1 the serpent is described as the most cunning of the creatures of the field God created. The serpent is usually viewed as the instrument Satan used to cause the fall of man and people tend to forget the Serpent is one of God’s creatures. The serpent was only used by Satan to lead mankind into sin. The Serpent remains one of God’s creatures.
Believers are to use wisdom, intelligence, prudence, cunning (in a positive way) and love to share the Gospel with the world. Believers should not be surprised when opposition and persecution come. If one reads the whole of the New Testament and studies the lives of the Apostles, disciples and early leaders from scripture they will see that all were persecuted for thier faith and for the sake of the Gospel. The persecution began with Jesus and carried through all of the Apostles.
Why should western believers be treated any differently than first century believers and believers in many parts of the world today?
We should question why we are not facing opposition instead of why we are facing a little media backlash. Believers have not faced opposition because to many have been “as quiet as a Church mouse” when outside the confines of the buildings in which the church meets. Most have never faced any personal threats or opposition. The opposition could be mostly media hype with no real threats.
In the preceding verses of Matthew 10, Jesus sends his disciples out to the “lost sheep of Israel”. Who are the lost sheep of your family, church, community, county, state, country and world that Jesus is sending you to share the message of the Gospel with?
The souls of the lost is worth more than any opposition or persecution a believer may face.
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