Rejoice in Persecution - What?!

July 25, 2010
Matthew 5:10-12
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness . . .

David began the discussion by pointing out "These concluding words are disturbing words." Class members recalled stories of persecution, from biblical accounts (Acts 5, Acts 16) to more current episodes where missionaries were buried alive. Class members were aware that we currently face little more than mocking for being Christian.

These verses call us to rejoice when others cause us to suffer. Persecution can be aggressive, including physical pain, imprisonment, or other obvious and intentional bad treatment. Passive persecution can involve isolation, or exclusion, and may be the result of ignorance more than opposition.

Perhaps open opposition is easier to handle. It certainly seems less effective in hindering Christian action. In Bangladesh, the Nazarene leader is among the top targets of Al-Qaeda, but in only 16 years the work there has grown to over 1,600 churches, with 193 ministers ordained just last year.

Persecution is inevitable. Christ-following is not popular. "Syncretism" is the blending of additional elements into Christianity, making it more acceptable and therefore less effective. Raw Christ-following challenges the world's values with such concepts as these: forgiveness, humitliy, putting others first, the value of human life, and mercy. Essentially, followers of Jesus see a bigger story than "What can this person do for me?"

David recommended the movie Les Miserables for a portrayal of Christ-values in opposition to "normal" values.

Verses 11 and 12 elaborate on persecution, adding lies and verbal insults to the list of methods. Sometimes the attacks come from within the religious community as well. Christ-followers who live by different standards are sometimes accused of cramming their beliefs down the throats of others. Such faithfulness to Jesus' teachings can result in resistance or opposition, perhaps as a reaction to the voice of conscience. Persecution can be a sign that others recognize God's power. Madelyn Murray O'Hair, known as an atheist in the mid-1900s, was probably more a God-hater than a God-doesn't-exist-er.

We did remind ourselves that being persecuted for righteousness or for the cause of Christ is not the same as being persecuted because of foolishness or sin.

The verses mention persecution coming. They do not say "Flee from it," but they don't say "Seek it" either.

Verses 11 and 12 address the appropriate responses to persecution. We are not to display anger, or whine, or look for ways to retaliate. Nor are we to retreat, become litigious (arguing or even taking to court), or capitulate (give in).

Rejoicing, being glad, is vastly different from such "natural" reactions. The word "rejoice" is based on words meaning "leap exceedingly."

The Spirit within us allows rejoicing in our hearts.

1. Persecution allows us to identify with Christ in His sufferings. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Christian who died in a concentration camp, wrote "Suffering then is the true badge of discipleship."
2. When you suffer, it can be a proof that you are who you say you are. Jesus said that the servant is not greater than his master. Since Jesus suffered, His followers will suffer.
3. Persecution is a symbol of our destiny. "Great is your reward in heaven." This life is not all there is.

David shared an illustration drawn from American life. A young man, knowing nothing of the world except the farm he grew up on and the neighboring small town, learns about the big city. At first, he won't leave the comforts of home. Eventually, he journeys to the big city. Despite the dangers and differences, he recognizes that he now has opportunities he'd never had before. In heaven, we will wonder why we held so tightly to this world.

Jesus also mentioned that persecution puts us on the same path the prophets took. The book of Jeremiah tells how the prophet of that name was beaten and put in stocks (chapter 20), threatened with death (chapter 26), and left to die at the bottom of a muddy cistern (chapter 38).

Polycarp, an early church leader, was told to renounce Jesus or he would be burned at the stake. His response was, "Eighty-six years I have served Christ, and He never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?"

As we wrapped up our class time, we were reminded that we won't really understand what Jesus was telling us until we experience persecution ourselves.

Persecution - The Next Step for Jesus Followers?

July 18, 2010
Matthew 5:10-12
Blessed are those who are persecuted . . .

The beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) can be seen as a sequence. The Beatitude Staircase was presented, based on an idea shown on the web. If a person were to apply the beatitudes in order, perhaps the final step in the sequence is verses 5:10-12, being persecuted. That is, as a person becomes more and more like Jesus, she or he becomes more and more at odds with the world. Since the world is not properly aligned with God and with the kingdom Jesus wants to build, the world will resist efforts to change it. This can result in actual persecution.

The ancient Greek writer Plato, with probably no influence from Hebrew thought and centuries before Jesus lived, discussed the idea of righteousness in his Republic. He cites Socrates, who pointed out that true virtue is good even without rewards. In fact, a truly righteous man would continue to live properly even if the world were to kill him.

But just what is persecution? It is more than just being inconvenienced. We hear of places where Christians are arrested, their families attacked, their jobs lost. In comparison, our occasional troubles with getting permits or having to live by secular laws are only nuisances, not persecution. Persecution seems to be a deliberate attempt to irritate, attack, or destroy a person. The class emphasized that motivation is key. The pressure or testing must be done on purpose.

A natural discussion point might be "When was the last time I was persecuted?" After all, persecution is at least partially defined by the one who suffers it. (One person did point out that people with paranoia will feel persecuted too easily; but even paranoids do face opposition.) During class, someone instead asked us to consider the other side of the question. "When was the last time I persecuted?"

Further defining persecution, the class noted that some persecution may be unintentional. There are power and control issues tied up with the difficulties we face. When we address issues of human rights, we may be especially likely to run counter to those in authority.

1 Peter 2:19-21 points out that not all troubles are "persecution for righteousness' sake." Our own unrighteous actions can create difficulties. We might face opposition for self-satisfaction rather than for our virtue. The beatitude promises blessings to those who suffer because they are living as Jesus wants them to.

This brought us to verse 11. Jesus moved from "behave in a righteous manner" to "for my sake." And the consequences were the same. God will be pleased, we will receive a reward, we will face a hostile world, whether our aim is "being good" or "being like Jesus." This is a pretty bold statement for one human to make to another. We are all used to Jesus saying things like this, because we've heard them for many years. But statements like these are why the early church decided that Jesus must actually be God. Otherwise, Jesus was taking too much authority upon Himself.

The gospel of John (chapter 6) records an incident where some people did get offended by such statements of Jesus. Even then, some remained with Him. They recognized that Jesus was speaking on God's behalf. They decided that the troubling statements ("living for me is the same as being good," "I am spiritual food for you") must have validity as well.

As we ended the session, these were the identified take-aways:

• The blessing talks about being persecuted for Jesus, not persecuted for doing wrong.
• All hard times and disagreements are not persecution.
• We Christians are sometimes accused of being hypocrites; this could be a reason for some of our difficulties.
• Persecution can be instructional.
• Persecution has a negative tone, but we are to be joyful.
• Persecution can stem from misunderstanding. There is a challenge to live above the misunderstanding.

July 11, 2010
Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Our initial discussions covered several topics at once this week.

Creating peace: Christians may not actually create peace, but we can lead others into peace. This can be done on a personal level as well as a social level. That is, individuals need peace within, and we can help them find it. Also, we can try to advance peace between neighbors, co-workers, and family members. James 3:18 says there are those who "sow in peace." This is from a passage that describes people who are at peace with themselves and the world.

Fallen world: This world is broken, so peace cannot be completely achieved. On an international scale, the peace that England achieved in 1938 came at the cost of Czech independence. We need to examine the consequences of any peaceful solutions we accept. As followers of Jesus, we cannot look only to our own happiness while ignoring the effects on other people.

Non-Christian peace: There are ways to create peace that are not truly peaceful. During much of the twentieth century, Mutually Assured Destruction was the key to such international peace as was achieved. The threat of atomic response does not appear to be a Christian method. Again, an apparent international peace can come as the result of conquest, but imposing our will on others by force doesn't appear to be Jesus' method of bringing peace.

Real peace: Peace is more than "absence of conflict." If we are still worried about a situation after conflict is removed, this may not be the peace that God intended. We don't believe Jesus meant, "Just find a way to get along." We are to have more than a facade of peace, more than just an appearance. Jesus constantly stresses how important it is to have our inner selves aligned with God's purposes. If the outer "peace" creates inner turmoil in ourselves or others, then we have not shared God's peace after all.

Peace, truth, justice: The Bible stresses the importance of truth and justice as much as it stresses peace. In this fallen world, these are not easy to balance. Real justice requires correcting those who are wrong, and not allowing them to hurt others. This is not necessarily peaceful. And truth includes honest recognition of our lives, which again is not peaceful for everyone. In our personal lives, God's peace includes forgiveness for our unjust actions and help with recognizing our true natures. This undeserved help is called "grace," and we need to include it in our own efforts to build God's Kingdom. With this larger goal in mind, that of building God's Kingdom, some conflict may be appropriate in order to build a lasting peace.

Last week, we mentioned that peacemakers have real respect for those around them. With our own inner peace, this respect for others gives us a foundation for building peace around us. Our conversations can lead to mutually helpful solutions, creating peace.

The phrase "Children of God" is similar to the phrase Jesus used for James and John, "Sons of Thunder." Those disciples didn't literally have thunder as a father, but there was an obvious connection between their own lives and the noisy, blustery nature of thunder. In the same way, we cannot be "children of God" in quite the same way Jesus is, but there should be a strong connection between our natures and that of God. We might even hope to be seen as "about our Father's business" in this world, as our lives become more like Jesus.

But Jesus says here not that we would BE children of God, though that is mentioned elsewhere (see John 1:12), but that we would be CALLED children of God. Apparently this peacemaking business helps others to recognize God at work in our lives.

There are certainly other ways to recognize God's work, but peacemaking is perhaps one of the surest. Maybe peacemaking is so rare in this world that its presence is a much clearer indication that God is working.

This led to a discussion of being recognized. Later in this sermon, Jesus criticizes those who do good just so that others will praise them. This makes Christ-followers reluctant to receive public recognition for what they do for God. However, in this same sermon Jesus says that others are to see our good works so that they can praise God.

Apparently, it is important that others know that God is present and is working through us. But the importance is for their benefit, not ours. They need to know that a transformed life of peace is possible in this world. We do not need their praise or admiration, but they need to see something worth praising or admiring.

Once again, Jesus brings us back to motives. Are we doing our good deeds for the sake of the Kingdom, so that God's will can be done here on earth? Then let the recognition come as He finds appropriate.

The class mentioned the following points that stood out to them this week:

• Anyone who is a peacemaker can be recognized by the world, whether they are Christ-followers or not.
• Truth and justice are sometimes not the priority of peacemaking. [We didn't have time to discuss this further. Maybe we need to watch out for "peace" that just hides problems.]
• Mercy may trump justice, when we are making peace.

Defining Peace

July 4, 2010
Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers . . .

Before moving on to verse 9, we looked at Isaiah 32:17-18. This passage says that righteousness leads to peace. This was written hundreds of years before Jesus talked about pure hearts (righteousness) and then encouraged us to make peace.

The class defined peace as absence of fear, as reconciliation, as being content and calm. Rather than "making" peace, it was suggested that Jesus's followers might be an influence for peace, or that they accept the peace of God rather than create the peace of God. The peace can be within each of us, or can describe our relationship with those around us, or can be offered to those who need it.

What specific steps can be taken to bring about peace?

• We can bite our tongues, holding back from stirring up more trouble.
• We can intervene when others are fighting. This may involve risk, humility, or sacrifice. And it may ask for compromise somewhere.
• We can generate dialog, either with those who oppose us or among those who disagree with each other.
• We can look for the "other side," trying to see the reasons behind others' actions.
• We can understand our own motives better.
• We can admit we're wrong and apologize for our own contributions to the dispute.
• We can look for "mutual purposes." Usually both sides have some commonalities. If these are stressed, then it may be possible to find ways to cooperate rather than to fight.
• We can be the first to look for reconciliation when there is conflict.
• We can treat others with respect, even if the differences seem "irreconcilable."
• We can help others to find peace within their own hearts as we share the good news, how God wants to transform each of us and to give us inner peace.

Peace should be more than just the absence of conflict. And an "uneasy peace" isn't really peace at all.

How responsible are we for the actions of others? We raised the issue of fair labor practices. If we buy from a company that is operating sweat shops, for instance, are we taking sides against those who are oppressed? Further discussion did point out that we may not have all the facts in many such cases. Finding the real source of conflict can help to make peace.

We left the discussion with a few more points that we can pursue next week:

• As important as peace is, Jesus Himself did point out (Matthew 10:34) that His primary purpose was not to "bring peace, but a sword." Perhaps there are some limits to how much peace can be attained in this fallen world.
• Can we actually make peace, in the sense of creating it?
• How many areas of life can be peaceful at once?
• Are there ways to make peace that aren't Christian?

Seeing God

Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

David assured us that this verse was well worth several weeks of study. Matthew 5:8 is the core of the message the Church of the Nazarene communicates. The heart, the center of our will and motives and personality and thoughts, is to be pure, clean and without sin and with an undivided focus on God and on His kingdom. This purity of heart is a prerequisite to seeing God.

So, what does it mean to "see God"?

1. This can refer to our eternal destiny. When we die, we will go to heaven and "see God" there.
2. This can refer to recognizing God at work in the world today. We can "see God" in events around us.
3. This can refer to understanding God's will. We can "see God" as we discern His plan for us.

The class engaged in a bit of speculation. Will we actually see God even in heaven? We all expect to be aware of Him, but will He still be as unseeable as He was for Moses? Maybe we will have different sensory input altogether, rather than continuing with just earth's abilities. The resurrection promise includes a physical body, but it should be more than just what we are now. We have to admit that we don't really know much about this.

In the New Testament, there were several words available for the word "see." When recalling what Jesus said, Matthew could have used BLEPO or HORAO. BLEPO would have described eye function: The pure in heart will have eyes that detect God. Instead, he used HORAO: The pure in heart will be able to perceive God. This HORAO involves the concept of an "Aha!" moment.

When people HORAO, they understand each other's lives. Purity is the lens through which we understand or relate to God, building the relationship.

Seeing in this sense has to do with clear access to God. Absence of purity creates a dividing wall in our relationship. We still have access to God, but it is harder to recognize Him. There is an impediment to the close relationship He wants us to have with Him.

In the human realm, perhaps this is like a relationship between a parent and a child. Both sides can put up roadblocks. In a relationship with God, we think that only one side would put up such a roadblock. However, there is a warning in Romans 1:28. When people refuse the offer of God's relationship, He does let them have their own way. He "gave them over to a depraved mind." Our sinful actions have consequences, and result in distance from God.

We discussed how God offers access to those who have not heard of Jesus. Is there any opportunity for those people to come to God? The same passage that mentioned "depraved mind" also stressed that God reveals Himself in some way to each individual. The grace of God does touch each person. The Bible itself is written to those who have heard of Jesus; it barely mentions what God offers to other people. Those of us who know God are held to a higher standard (and those who are teachers even more so!).

Isaiah 6:1-7 and Hebrews 12:14 are passages showing that holiness qualifies us to see God, to perceive His plans and actions. This holiness includes ethical purity, keeping our own lives free from rebellion. Another dimension of holiness is "works of mercy," mentioned in Micah 6:8; our holiness needs to bless those around us. And Jesus, in Matthew 5-7, really stressed that holiness has to include the motivations and intentions of the heart, not just outward actions.

In order to live as God calls us and as we really want,

• we need the empowerment of God's Spirit.
• We need a clean, undivided heart.

Holiness gives us clear access to God, with joy in His presence.