What Is The Relationship Between God And Government When It Comes To Protecting Persecuted Christians?

Posted on December 8, 2014 by Pastor Foley

Logo 071414Writes R.C. Sproul, “Most Christians salute the sovereignty of God, but believe in the sovereignty of man.”

That’s the quote that keeps coming to my mind as I think about the ways we Christians are tempted to construe the relationship between God and government when it comes to protecting Christians and the free exercise of their faith. “Governments are God’s chosen instruments to protect religious freedom” is a formulation frequently employed. It’s a formulation that fits well in a worldview where human beings and governments are the primary actors and God, while ultimately active in such matters, is indirectly actively (often through Christians as his “hands and feet.” And voice). Which is why (so the logic goes) we need to appeal to governments (specifically, Western liberal democracies) to intervene to protect Christians.

Archbishop Athanasios Dawood, an Iraqi Christian who is based in the UK, was certainly eerily accurate when in 2010 he predicted (during a service at the Syrian Orthodox Church in London) “If they [Iraqi Christians] stay [in Iraq] they will be finished one by one.” But was he correct in his assessment that governments needed to be the primary and direct protectors of our brothers and sisters in Iraq?

“The Christians are weak – they don’t have militia, they don’t have a (political) party,” he said.

“You know, everybody hates the Christian. Yes, during Saddam Hussein, we were living in peace – nobody attacked us. We had human rights, we had protection from the government but now nobody protects us.”

He accused the US of not delivering on its promises of democracy and human rights.

“Since 2003, there has been no protection for Christians. We’ve lost many people and they’ve bombed our homes, our churches, monasteries,” he said.

“Why are we living now in this country, after we had a promise from America to bring us freedom, democracy?”

The archbishop called on the UK government to grant Christian Iraqis asylum, and called on the Iraqi government to protect Christians from militant attacks.

“Before they killed one, one, one but now, tens, tens. If they do that, they will finish us if we stay in Iraq,” he added.

These are not matters about which to speak lightly, casually, or hypothetically. Archbishop Athanasios Dawood was right: Real Iraqi Christians did stay…and real Iraqi Christians were finished. Was the problem US and UK government inactivity? Is the solution Christians calling more vocally on governments to care more actively about such matters and engage in greater levels of vigilance?

Liena seems to suggest a very different possibility. Liena is a Syrian Christian who is the narrator of the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church video from our sister ministry, Voice of the Martyrs/US. She shares how she has prepared her children for the possibility that violent men may enter their home and kill them unless they renounce their faith in Christ. She counsels her children to maintain their faith even in the event of their parents’ death, and to say only “Jesus loves you, and we forgive you” before they die. And she does not indicate that this is a backup plan to be enacted only in the case of the failure of the local Christian militia. “Am I a good mother for teaching my children such things?” she asks at video’s end.

I suspect Josef Ton, the octagenarian Romanian theologian whom I quoted at length in my post last week on how Christian appeals should be directed to God, not government, would say yes. He wrote about one of his many interrogations for Christian activity this way:

On the 25th of October 1974, I was summoned to the Secret Police Headquarters. They ushered me into a room with a long table, covered with red cloth, having six chairs behind it. In front of it, there was a much shorter table, with one chair behind it facing the long table. I was asked to stand behind the smaller table while six ferocious-looking men came and sat down at the long table and then I sat down behind the smaller one. One of the six men was a Colonel, dressed in full military uniform. That man stood up and read my indictment. It stated that I was accused of committing the crime of “propaganda that endangers the security of the state,” and that offence, according to the penal code, was punishable with 5 to 15 years in prison. Then, the Colonel delivered a speech in which he told me how grave my situation was. When I was finally given a chance to speak, I said, “Mr. Colonel, let me explain to you how I see what is happening here. What is taking place here is not between you and me. It is between me and my God. My Lord obviously has some dealings with me here. I do not yet know what they are. It is very likely that He wants to teach me a few things. I only know, Sir, that you will only do to me what my God has planned for you to do to me. And you will not go one inch beyond that, because you are only instruments in the hands of my God.”
At that moment, I no longer saw six ferocious people with dark, hateful faces in front of me. I saw six puppets, and above them, I saw the hand of my beloved Father pulling six strings. The Colonel did not like my description of the events of that day, but for me it was the best illustration of the sovereignty of God! My Lord is in perfect control, even of His enemies, and He has His sovereign ways of fulfilling His plans even through them. Now, if that is the case, why should I be afraid of them?

One possible cause for fear may be the recognition that our God seems to have a very different set of values from the “life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness” set enshrined in our legal codes. I notice that John 3:16 is cited much more commonly as a favorite Bible verse of encouragement than Matthew 10:28, in which Jesus says, seemingly quite seriously,

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

(Just for context’s sake, it is worth noting that this is the verse that precedes the much more frequently favorited “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.” notice how the sentimental greeting card feel is incinerated when the two verses are read together, as Jesus no doubt intended them to be.)

Is it untrue that Christians today seem to be more afraid of ISIS and North Korea than the Lord Jesus? If so, is it possible that Jesus does not regard this as understandable but rather as an odd and unacceptable affront by believers against his Father’s glory?

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Why Low-Tech Is Better Than High-Tech For North Korea Ministry

Posted on December 5, 2014 by tdillmuth

Logo 071414Q – What are some new high-tech ways that you are getting the gospel into North Korea?

Pastor Tim – Park Sang Hak (famous NK defector) was recently in the news because of his efforts to utilize cutting edge Silicon Valley technology to get information into North Korea. Utilizing technology in NK ministry has also been important for Voice of the Martyrs Korea over the years as well. For example, we use GPS technology to track our balloons, and we constantly improve our launches based on the GPS tracks.

But while we value the benefits of technology, we’ve also learned over the years the surprising lesson that low-tech is the new high-tech and nearly always the best solution for NK ministry.

We are often approached by pioneering techies with impressive proprietary technologies (which they are happy to share with us freely) to get the gospel into NK. We get offers for everything from drones to concealable and disguised devices to electronic Bibles that are encrypted, encoded, and protected beyond detection (and sometimes comprehension). In other closed countries we would probably be all over these cutting edge technologies, but in NK ministry, we’ve found that their effectiveness pales in comparison to much more primitive fare.

Let me explain.

If we utilized custom, high-tech equipment, and it was discovered by the North Korean State Security Agency (a reasonably safe bet, no matter what folks may tell you), the devices would become worse than worthless. Searches would be conducted in both the immediate area and among friends and relations. Every NK who had one of these devices (and, in NK’s principle of guilt by association, every NK associated with someone with such a device) would be targeted by the government. None of the remaining devices would ever get across the border. These devices would become exposed on NK news and in town hall meetings. Ordinary NKs wouldn’t be able to have them, no matter how easily or quickly they could be erased or hidden.

Bottom line – It is not just dangerous; it’s also strategically ineffective.

NK homes are regularly searched overnight without warning. Spies are everywhere in NK, even within the same family. High-tech devices always draw unwanted attention. And of course, the surest way to spread news in NK is to say, “Make sure you don’t tell anyone about this . . .”

That’s why you literally can’t pay NK Christians to use these types of things . . . and believe me, many have tried.

We do like and regularly use things like MP3 players and USBs, but we’ve found that the best devices to use are ones that are already commonly used inside NK. Devices that an average NK would be bringing back across the border, devices that could easily be bought in the marketplace–no special or unique high-tech devices.

But we’ve found that there is an even better method of evangelism and discipleship than these helpful low-tech MP3 players and USBs. It’s a method that actually requires no materials at all – it’s the lowest of low-tech.  In fact, it’s a method that NK Christians have been using for years and years . . . much longer than computers, tablets and MP3 players.

Memorization.

If a North Korean Christian encounters a portion of Scripture, instead of carrying it around with them in paper or electronic form, the best way for them to smuggle it into the country is for them to memorize it.

And they can. (So can you, by the way.) In North Korea, every citizen is required to memorize the hundred stories of Kim Il Sung’s life, in every detail. And when an important speech is released from the leader, citizens are frequently required to memorize it word for word, in just a few days. This is a perfect example of God using for good what the enemy intends for evil. The government trains them to memorize well, and when they encounter the Scriptures, we can help them put their memorization skills to work to memorize the words of life. These NK Christians then become walking Bibles and are able to spread the gospel without the limitations that other means have–including even the highest of high-tech devices.

Not only is memorization the best way for each of us to carry the Scriptures across every closed border, but it is also a powerful way to grow in Christ!  In fact, the Scriptures emphasize that memorizing is foundational to the Christian life.

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Christian Persecution Is Not An Occasion For Outrage And Government Intervention But For Revealing God’s Great Love For His Enemies

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Pastor Foley

Logo 071414“Satan keeps people in darkness by means of their fear of death,” writes Josef Ton, the distinguished octogenarian Romanian theologian and author of the seminal Suffering, Martyrdom, and Rewards in Heaven. “When a witness to Christ demonstrates that she is free from that fear, by accepting to die out of love for the very people who kill her, the bondage of slavery to fear is broken.”

In other words, when with the love and character of Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit we willingly and even joyfully endure taunting, abuse, and death, we spread in blessed contagion the freedom from the fear of death that, according to Hebrews 2:14-15, is back of all of our cowardice as Christians, as well as the cowardice of our human race. As my friend and colleague, Doug McKenzie, CEO of Voice of the Martyrs Canada, says, “This is a faith worth dying for.”

It is not, however, a faith worth killing for, whether that murder comes in the form of “protecting” Christians from martyrdom through military intervention or strongly-worded denunciations and expressions of outrage. “Violence and murder are part of Satan’s nature,” Ton reminds. “Christ could not use violence and murder as His methods of operation.”

What method was left for Christ to use? He was confronting the one who was evil, who used lies to deceive people, who was hateful, and who used all forms of violence and ultimately murder. In stark contrast to this, Jesus was all goodness and truth and love, and He was in no way inclined to use violence and murder. He came with goodness, expressing the truth of God, and doing it in love. But what was His ultimate weapon? We know it, don’t we? His supreme weapon was self-sacrifice, a process by which He absorbed into Himself all the evil, all the deception, and all the hate of the world and died with them on the cross, melting them in His own blood!

Therefore, we should not respond to the persecution of Christians by holding them in admiration and awe, nor should we teach or encourage others to do so. This causes Christians to think of martyrdom as an extroardinary and commendable action, when truly it is distinguishable from the rest of the Christian life in degree but not in kind, i.e., taking up your cross daily across the whole of your lifetime is not different than taking up your cross in a moment, unless you inappropriately spiritualize the daily carrying of the cross.

Nor should we respond to reports of Christian persecution with outrage and anger, as if what was happening was tragic. Outrage and anger are not the weapons with which Christ has armed us. He disallowed their use during his own persecution (crying out for all time, “No more of this!”), and when he is shown addressing a persecutor, there is no outrage in his countenance or speech. When martyrs call out for him to be outraged, they are instructed in no uncertain terms to be patient. There is a purpose for persecution, and Christ himself knows experientially (and perfectly, according to the author of Hebrews) that there is no other way for this purpose to be accomplished. Writes Ton:

Satan no longer has a legal right to anyone, yet people are free to believe his lies and to fulfill his evil desires. Thus, they remain enslaved by him. As Jesus explained to Nicodemus, when the Light came into the world many people preferred to remain in darkness, because their deeds were evil (John 3:19). The Father sent Jesus Christ as a Lamb, that is, as a totally gentle and defenseless being, to meet the cruel and merciless beasts of this world. He was to defeat them with the Word of truth, proclaimed in goodness and love and sealed with self-sacrifice. And He did it! Now, however, He turns to us, His branches. The Lamb of God says to us: Although I have won a major and decisive victory, the war is not yet over. It must continue, so that we may win more people for our Kingdom. You are the ones who must engage in this war! I send you out as lambs, totally defenseless and vulnerable, to the cruel wolves of this world. You are equipped now with the Gospel of Truth, which you will impart to them in goodness and love, and if need be, you will testify to this Truth to the point of self-sacrifice.

Provocatively, Ton notes that self-sacrificial love is not a way that the gospel is spread, but the way, which reminds us once again that martyrdom is the liminal edge of self-sacrificial love but not a different plane. Ton says he learned this through his own suffering:

Jesus addressed me personally when He said: “As My Father sent Me, so send I you.” I came to see that for two thousand years, Christ has been conquering more and more territories on this earth through people who accept to go and preach the Gospel to evil and hateful and cruel people, and who accept to give their very lives in the process. Most of the places conquered by Christ were won when a martyr sprinkled that territory with her blood! In short, I understood that martyrdom is not a tragedy. On the contrary, it is a method of conquest!

Persecuting Christians may be a strategy of the enemy, but enduring persecution in love unto death is God’s strategy, his only one. That we turn to other less costly strategies is a sign that we do not understand the enemy’s power of deception nor the reliance of human beings on sin in all its forms as a life-sustaining oxygen. That we can free the mind of others without suffering in our own bodies is a tragically poor reading of Scripture. The disciples’ hearts may have burned within them when the resurrected Jesus opened their minds to the centrality of divine suffering in Scripture, but it was not until he broke bread–and thus reminded them of his sacrifice unto death in the sacrament given for that express purpose–that they recognized him and were “at once” transformed into evangelists.

As Ton notes, this is why in the early church the believers did not respond to incidents of persecution with calls for government intervention and protection but instead “when a persecution started in Smyrna and some of the Christians were arrested, tortured, and martyred [between A.D. 156 and 163], others rushed to the authorities and tried to turn themselves in so they could become martyrs as well.”

So how should we respond when we hear reports of brothers and sisters being persecuted and martyred?

  1. By praying for the Lord’s continued provision to them in the time of trial.
  2. By giving thanks to God for the “better resurrection” that awaits them.
  3. By repenting at the reminder that suffering disgrace for the Name is a privilege, not a tragedy.
  4. By explaining to others that what is happening is not a tragedy or surprise but rather God’s great love for sinners on display through his children, calling all to repent and believe. Invite them to receive this same love.
  5. By living a life of self-sacrifice so that everything you do is consistent with rather than in stark contrast to those being martyred. This is your reasonable service, nothing more.

We conclude with Ton’s note that

In the cruel act of crucifixion, the true nature of God was revealed. His essence was shown to be perfect love, utterly and unconditionally giving itself to others, even enduring torture and death for them. The glory of God shines through the beauty and splendor of self-sacrifice as nowhere else and, most importantly, this glory of God, the glory of His self-sacrificial love, shines out again and again in each martyrdom. For this reason, John referred to the martyrdom of Peter as the “kind of death” by which Peter “would glorify God” (John 21:19). It was also the reason why Paul was so determined to glorify Christ by his own death (see Philippians 1:20).

So we also should be determined–joyfully determined–to take up the cross, that the glory of God would shine most brightly in our own lives, whether as martyrs in an instant or martyrs across a lifetime.

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