Author: Tim Savage

When, through suffering, we are drawn to rely entirely on the Lord, relinquishing the customary props and seeking the strength for life and ministry in the Lord alone, then the Lord finds us vessels fit for an infilling of his limitless power, equipping us to minister the riches of Jesus Christ fruitfully in our world. The people the Lord uses most for his glory are often the people who endure the most hardship. It was the case for Paul, whose suffering rendered him weakest of all (2 Corinthians 11:29). It was the case for Jesus, who was made perfect through suffering (Hebrews 2:10). And it will be the case for other fruitful ministers of the Lord (2 Timothy 3:12).

What ought to surprise us is that there are Christians anywhere who can actually escape persecution, if not bodily injury, then at least social ostracism. Remarkably, some Christians – perhaps especially Christians in the West – customarily express relief that they are not called to endure much affliction, protected as they are by governments tolerant of Christianity. But as we have seen, indeed as Jesus himself has warned, any self-centered culture will thumb its nose and worse at those regarded as a mortal threat to its pursuit of self-seeking desires. Is it possible that Christians today have cleverly moderated their allegiance to God in ways that cause their world to take little offense? Have Christians today become chameleons, adeptly changing their colors, so that they blend in with their milieu? If so, what is lost is greater than what is gained.

I hear worried voices in America predicting the demise of religious liberties. Here is what they are saying:

“The price of not bowing to Caesar is going up.” “Very soon, we will be asked to declare that no human behavior qualifies as sin.” “If we refuse, we will be punished, fired, taxed, and pilloried.” “As Christians, we must prepare ourselves for social marginalization, even incarceration.”

If such prognostications are correct, we are entering disheartening times, even frightening times. How can Christian leaders guide our people into this troubling historical moment?