Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. Hebrews 12:4
In several areas of India, Christians are routinely tortured and killed, and forced to make statements that they have converted to Hinduism. Being a Christian is a major crime in North Korea, and caught owning a Bible there can mean torture and execution. Sharing the Gospel there is a capital offense. Many areas of China experience severe persecution against Christians as well. The growing number of countries that are under Islamic domination not only openly and actively persecute Christians but systematically exterminate everything that is Christian in character. We read of these areas of persecution and martyrdom and are thankful that we don’t have to worry about that in our land. Don’t be too sure. There is a little word in our text today that applies to us regarding persecution: yet.
The Bible is a book that we can own and freely read and share in our country. And we appreciate that. But there is a movement to have the Bible banned, a movement that developed in the 1990s but was suppressed during the years of Conservative government, a movement that is expected to resurface quickly and with even greater vengeance the longer the Liberals remain in power. Behind this campaign is the homosexual community and their supporters, seeking to destroy everything that condemns or criticizes their abomination. They were behind a bill that was once before the Commons that would have outlawed everything that is critical of themselves. Don’t be surprised to see that bill return to the Commons floor sometime soon. Bibles will be forced underground. We criticize the removal of Bibles from schools and public institutions now. Wait until they become outlawed altogether!
Our society claims to be eliminating intolerance and prejudice, and maybe in some ways it is. But in doing so, it has lashed out at one particular group, the Christians. Because Christians disagree with abortion on demand, they are branded as opponents of the rights of women. Because Christians disagree with homosexuality, they are branded as homophobes and hate mongers. Because Christians disagree with the unbridled immorality of our land, they are branded as outdated and haters of pleasure. Persecuting bakers for refusing to print pro-homosexuality slogans on a cake is just the tip of the iceberg. Make no mistake, the casting of Christians as public enemies is a movement that is gathering steam and will be felt by every one of us much sooner than any of us realize.
Have you or I paid much of a price for our faith? Not yet. Have we been deprived of our Bibles? Not yet. Have we been forced to meet as Christians in secret? Not yet. Have we been forced to take the message of the Gospel totally out of the public realm? Not yet. But these things are coming. If our Lord does not return for us soon, some of us will see these things within our lifetime. That is a fact, not a prediction. Our ‘not yet’ is about to expire. – Jim MacIntosh