To Know His Sufferings

A blog friend and brother posted this and commented how God was judging America.

I do not believe God deals with nations anymore as He did in the Old Testament. The word nations is ethnos and it refers to people. America is not being "judged". Jesus did not come to condemn but to save. Judgment will come later as individuals stand before God at the White Throne.
I do not judge the motives of these men, but when you bring recording equipment in preparation for documenting your persecution you are sensationalizing your activity. I read no pathos for those lost Muslims, and when we bemoan some supposed judgment of God on this nation we miss entirely the redemptive motivation of God in these gospel days. And since when does persecution, if it be so, mean God’s judgment?
Peter rejoiced in his persecution, as did Paul and the others. Even Stephen asked for forgiveness for his murderers. They did not spend time outlining how unfair Rome was to believers. The obsession with this nation continues to distract us from our calling and ministry, and in fact lead us away from Christ. When we see sinners as eternally lost and in desperate need of Christ and not in any ethnic or national context we will have moved closer to the heart of God.
Let us pry our hearts away from any allegiance or even affection for anything on this earth, especially a secular and fallen governmental construct within whose jurisdiction God's providence has placed us. We are here to be salt, light, and a city on a hill, not to be a part of a self elevating view of a nation which not only considers itself better than all the rest, the devil has deceived the church into believing it used to be and still might be Christian.

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."

Let us pray for Muslims everywhere and that God would soften our hearts concerning the most violent and hateful among them. The Lord is extending His nail scarred hands toward them just as He did toward us. Being a believing follower of Jesus does not unravel in predictable ways. We should not be concerned with ourselves, and if we are to be arrested for doing good then let us sing as did Paul and Silas. It was the heart of rejoicing that led the jailer to Jesus, not some debate on what rights Paul was being denied.
I don’t deserve to be arrested; I deserve to die and be separated from God eternally. I have no rights of my own since I am both a slave and a son to the King of the Universe. And that King looked down when He was being crucified and asked that they be forgiven since they did not really know what they were doing. And such are these precious, precious Muslim people. We continue to be manipulated into looking differently at Muslims than we do at others, and yet they are in dire need of redemption.
Will we allow harsh words, threats of violence, or even death dissuade us from sharing redemption with these sinners? Were it not for grace we would all still be the enemies of God, but as it stands we have been received into His family and made righteous in His sight. We must be living sacrifices that think nothing of our rights or comfort; we must be about our Father’s business. And any persecution we might endure should bring rejoicing in our hearts and a deeper call for prayer for our persecutors.
In the June edition of the magazine “The Voice of the Martyrs” there is a story of a Muslim terrorist who actually murdered believers. He had been trained as a terrorist, and he actually secretly entered an evangelical church in order to infiltrate them in order to do violence to its members. He went forward and disingenuously announced his faith in Jesus and was even baptized. His mission went better than he had ever expected and month after month he gained more information, and his acting was so convincing he was asked to help minister to the youth. But the believers showed him so much love and kindness it began to move his heart. He began to fall in love with these people although he fought it. One day a guest preacher came and preached from the text, “How long will you halt between two opinions?”. This man went forward in genuine conviction and brokenness and admitted publicly that he was a fraud. He made his profession of faith and was gloriously saved. He is now sought after by Muslim extremists, and in fact his son has been killed by terrorists.
But he loves the Muslim people, and he cannot but share the grace he has found in Jesus Christ. The entire account is not to bring notoriety or sympathy for him and his family, but it was written to let us all know that God can reach these Muslims, even the most violent among them. And it also should chasten our behavior to be more loving, more forgiving, and more redemptive. This isn’t about us regardless of what we might endure for Him. This is all about declaring His sufferings and His resurrection in a humble and loving boldness that refuses to complain about our situation. We are to live for Him in any situation. And in the west we are so used to living in convenience that the slightest persecution brings forth umbrage and outrage.
David Wilkerson was called to New York City (Where I am from) to bring the gospel to the gangs. The leader of the most violent Latin gang was named Nicki Cruz. In one confrontation Nicki told David that if he spoke about Jesus one more time he would cut him to pieces with the knife he was wielding. David replied that he had no doubt that Nicki could do that, but that if he did then every piece of his body would still say, “I love you, Nicki”. Nicki Cruz eventually became a believer and is now a minister of the gospel. (You can read his account in a book called, “The Sword and the Switchblade”)
Elizabeth Elliot’s husband was murdered by the very people he was attempting to reach for Jesus. Bitterness and outrage? Never! Elizabeth became broken for the souls of her husband’s killers and many of them came to know Jesus Christ as their Savior. Brothers and sisters, let us release the offenses of the lost and proceed with grace and love into the darkness and without expecting anything but the honor of suffering for His sake. Jesus Himself told us that many would hate us, but He also set an example of loving sacrifice in the face of spiteful treatment. The Amish who had lost several little girls at the hands of a deranged murderer attended his funeral and refused to speak evil of him. They helped his widow as well.
Are we not crucified with Him? Are we not dead to ourselves and alive to Him? How can a dead man complain? And when the pallbearers accidentally drop the corpse, does the corpse sit up and express outrage? And if the preacher says something harsh about us, does that same corpse defend himself? And when that corpse is refused burial at a certain cemetery, does he reiterate his democratic rights? Our life is not here; we are dead and our life is hid with Christ in God. There is nothing like serving Jesus in all circumstances…nothing. It is to my shame that more people are not drawn to him by me and that I do not suffer more persecution from sinners. But by God’s grace and truth this is not my life, it is His. And I have not rights but to love God with all my heart and my neighbor as myself. As a former God hater I can honestly say I would have welcomed a good battle with religious people, but what would have disarmed me would be an uncommon love and humility that was much more difficult to attack.

I have said all this to beg, yes beg, us all to turn our eyes toward Jesus and look full in His wonderful face and let the things of this world grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.