Pastors, We Are Not Martyrs

I know after reading the title of this post, many are popping their fingers, ready to fire off a correction to my post. But first, give me a chance to explain myself. The title is not implying we could not or should not be martyrs for the faith. If placed in that position, to renounce Jesus or die, I believe pastors and all believers should affirm with Luther, "Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God." I am emphasizing something entirely different, namely, that the difficulties we face as pastors do not equal martyrdom. We should stop acting like martyrs. This is particularly true for those of us in the United States.

Fake Martyrs

I see a growing trend with pastors and ministry leaders who want to portray being in ministry as if it were a daily burden. We often go from one over-exaggerated crisis to the next. Yes, being a pastor is incredibly difficult, I do not belittle that. I have been a senior pastor for nearly eight years. I get it. I know what it feels like to have a burden for the lost, who think you are foolish. And I know what it feels like to have a burden for the church, who can often assume your incompetent. I have been called names in the community by unbelievers because of my beliefs. I have also been publicly talked about by other pastors in the community because they do not like our church's music style or clothing attire. Regardless of who you are, this is never fun. 

However, as much as these things can hurt and frustrate you, it is not martyrdom. Friends, we are not to desire or seek the pity of others for the difficulties we face. And we should definitely now wallow in self-pity.

Real Martyrs

There are believers and pastors today, around the world, who are truly being persecuted and martyred for their faith. When you look at the plight of believers in places like Egypt, Iran, Turkey, Sudan, North Africa, and parts of Asia, you actually find individuals are dying for their allegiance to Jesus. Seventy-Five Christians were killed a few months ago in a church in Pakistan after two suicide bombers blew the place up. It is reported that nearly eighty people were executed in North Korea in the last few weeks, supposedly for being found owning Bibles. 

Friends, these stories could fill pages and pages. Christians are truly experiencing persecution around the world. Yes, there is some opposition to our beliefs in the United States. Yes, we are becoming a minority on particular cultural hot-topic issues. But brothers, we are not martyrs. 

There are believers and pastors around the world dying for the name of Jesus, not simply being called bad names because of Jesus. We need to keep that in perspective as we talk with others, interact on Twitter/Facebook, write our blog posts, and preach our sermons. Your ability to complain without fear is evidence you are not as persecuted as you think. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts...why do you think so many in ministry today want to portray their life as so incredibly difficult? 

Like and Share the post with others by using the buttons below

Counter-Culture

We will be taking a break from our Ephesians series in September and have a 5 week topical series entitled: Counter-Culture. We have subtitled the series: living for Christ in a world that hates Him. It may sound like abrasive language, but we believe it represents the situation Christians face daily. The world is hostile toward Christians and to Christ. This should not be a shock to anyone.

Jesus sums up the reality of being hated by the world, and why that hatred exists:

"If the world hates you, know that it hated me before hate you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." (John 15:18-19)

The purpose for the break is two-fold. First, we want to teach our church how to deal with the tension and strife they endure in our culture for being Christians. They are labeled everything from bigoted, intolerant, judgmental, homophobic, to numerous other things. Are these accurate descriptors of biblical Christians? We want to help our people work through those questions and issues.

The second purpose for the break, is we want to invite people from outside our church. We want this to be a short-term opportunity for people to investigate and hear from the Bible why Christians think, believe, and hold to the positions they do. This series is going to be a big invitation push to open the door for people to experience and be a part of our community.

Here is our plan for teaching through this series:

September 1st (Week 1) -- The Authority of the Believer: this message will deal with our starting place for our worldview and why this runs against the grain of our culture. However, everyone has an ultimate authority. We will explore the faulty foundations of any worldview not grounded in Scripture.

September 8th (Week 2) -- Judgmentalism: Christians are frequently accused of being judgmental toward others. This is largely because of our willingness to declare there are moral absolutes. There is right and wrong. The non-believers, even some professing Christians, will claim the Bible speaks against such actions. But is this true? What did Jesus say about this?

September 15th (Week 3) -- Homosexuality: Starting in week 3 we will begin hitting the main hot-button topics in our culture that Christians run against the current. In this lesson, we'll look at what the Bible teaches about homosexuality and how we should approach talking about this issue in the culture.

September 22nd (Week 4) -- Abortion: Is this more than a political issue? How should believers view abortion in a culture that argues for it as woman's choice and right to choose her own healthcare for her body? Should the healthcare of the child be neglected? Should the voice of the unborn child receive no support? We will dive deeper into this issue.

September 29th (Week 5) -- The Exclusivity of Jesus: If you want to see how against the grain our faith runs to the culture, just begin talking about Jesus being the ONLY way to salvation. This tenant, which is central to Christianity, is looked at with repulsion by a culture that believes in the equal validity of all faiths. Is Jesus the only way? What about those who never hear? Is Christianity exclusive? Is it wrong for it to be that way? We'll look at all of those questions and more to conclude the series.

We are excited about this series. I believe it is going to be helpful for our church in understanding how to speak about these issues to people around them.

I want to hear from you: What issues are we missing? Are there any topics that are pertinent enough to make the series that are not already mentioned?

Suffering Shame and Hatred from the World for Christ

Yesterday we taught through Matthew 10:16-25 where Jesus speaks about the persecution that will come to his followers. The premise that we ultimately set forward was this: Followers of Jesus will be persecuted for their allegiance to him; therefore, if you do not experience persecution, you either 1. do not belong to him or 2. are living a sinfully quite life about your faith in Christ. There is really no in between. Jesus promises that suffering will come. 

We need to begin living much louder lives about our faith. The world will grow increasingly intolerant of followers of Jesus, but true believers will endure to the end (Matt. 10:22). Instead of dreading this persecution, why don't we consider it a privilege? It is a great privilege to suffer for the sake of Jesus' name and fame. Let these words from Peter resonate in your mind and heart today and throughout the week:

1 Peter 4:12-14 (ESV) - 12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and God rests upon you.

Why do you believe we are so quick to run from persecution when Scripture calls us "blessed?"

Share this post with others by using the buttons below