Responsible Strength in Challenging Times
My great-great-great-grandfather Roger was seriously ill, but he left home in the middle of a blizzard to flee the authorities who were coming to arrest him. Why? He was charged with sedition and heresy because he had been preaching that the first four of the ten commandments (see Exodus 20) were a matter of the heart and could not be legislated by the government.
Three hundred and eighty-five years ago in January of 1636, Roger Williams, my great-grandfather 12 generations removed, fled the Massachusetts Colony authorities. He ended up founding a colony on the principles of religious liberty. That colony eventually became the state of Rhode Island.
Last week’s email addressed the biblical principles of peace in Christ, confidence in God’s character, and His command to pray for the authorities He has placed over us. This week, we will consider three other guiding biblical principles.
Jesus commanded us to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).
One of the concerns I’ve heard over the past few months is the fear of losing religious liberty here in the United States. When I asked the Lord to reveal the reasons for my anxiety over these perceived threats, He showed me that I was placing my security in something not guaranteed in the Kingdom of God.
Yet Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount that “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven…” (Matthew 5:11-12a, NIV).
As I said last week, we do have a real enemy. But that enemy is not our fellow countrymen and women who think differently from us. (See 2 Corinthians 6:14-16.) The Apostle Peter challenged us in his first letter that persecution helps us live our earthly lives for the will of God (1 Pt. 4:2), and we should not be surprised when people persecute us as followers of Christ like they persecuted our Savior (1 Pt. 4:12).
Dear Saints, let’s make sure we have our priorities in order regarding what is worth standing for and suffering for.
We are called to be strong and take action to promote justice and mercy in our area of responsibility.
Being peaceful does not mean being weak or inactive. I love Paul Coughlin’s book, No More Christian Nice Guy. Coughlin exemplifies the peaceful strength of Christ in his work with “The Protectors”, a ministry against bullying. Coughlin teaches us that Jesus was not weak and that Christians are not to be weak. Meek, yes. Peaceful and gracious, yes. Loving, absolutely. But weak? Not at all.
The prophet Daniel said, “those who know their God will be strong and take action” (11:32). The Apostle Paul told the leaders of the church to “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14, ESV). Micah 6:8 gives us this charge: “And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (NIV)
Last week, we celebrated the life and ministry of Martin Luther King, Jr. who had a dream of civic and economic rights extending to all people, regardless of their skin color or status—specifically to black Americans. He exemplified courageous action and rallied others to act along with him, even in the face of death threats. In his “I Have a Dream” speech, where he articulated his vision for the future, he also said that “In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds.”
Dear Saints, are you taking strong, responsible action on behalf of others to the glory of God? Are you working for justice and mercy to prevail in your sphere of influence? Or are you more concerned about keeping your rights and worrying over what is someone else’s responsibility?
We are commanded to submit to earthly leadership so long as they are not asking us to disobey God. (see 1 Timothy 2:1-2 and Romans 13:1-7)
The Apostle Peter tells us clearly that we are to “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution… For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.” (1 Peter 2:13-16).
When we are commanded to forsake the gospel and stop preaching Christ, we are to obey God rather than earthly authority. The Apostles Peter and John modeled this even in the face of threats of punishment (Acts 4:18-21).
Dear Saints, as servants of God, let us act in love and do good deeds so that others do not have anything bad to say about us.
As for ‘Grandpa Roger’… A year after the Massachusetts Colony tried to arrest him, they were under threat of attack and could have been wiped out by a nearby tribe. They called on Roger Williams for help. He gathered some of his friends from when he had been a missionary to the tribes in the area and prevented a slaughter. Multiple times, he put his life on the line for his Biblical convictions and the good of others. Roger Williams lived life as a man of peace, confident in God and willing to take strong and courageous action on behalf of others while refusing to stop preaching the gospel.
Dear Saints, let us pray that the Lord will strengthen our convictions surrounding the truth of Jesus Christ, so that we place Him first and work on behalf of others so they may know Him. ‘As for us, we cannot help speaking about Jesus’ life, death and resurrection!’ (Acts 4:20).
Stand firm!