Peace.

Before his conversion, Chang Shen had been known as a gambler, womanizer, and thief. When he was stricken blind in midlife, neighbors said it was the judgment of the gods for his evildoings.

The third chapter of 2 Timothy describes the terrible situation Paul calls the “last days.” These verses speak of the way things were following the coming of the Kingdom of God in Jesus Christ when he first came to earth. They also tell us about the days leading up to his second coming. In the middle of that chapter (verse 12) Paul says: “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

“Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men” (Proverbs 22:29).

People often feel threatened by those whose views are opposed to their own. They may not have the skills or patience to debate and dialogue with these people, so they resort, out of frustration and fear, to some form of coercion to get their way. It may be a violent demonstration or a personal attack, but it seldom bears the mark of the lowly Jesus.

“If you do not denounce this Jesus, you will die on the cross,” Governor Aegaeas fumed. This Christian had caused him personal embarrassment in the eyes of Rome by spreading Christianity throughout the governor’s Greek province and even to his own wife.

Maybe you are like me and sometimes when you read stories about the persecuted church around the world you can’t help but think “I’m so glad we don’t have persecution here in America.” It’s true that most of us will never have to face the kind of violence, danger or threats many of our brothers and sisters face for their faith. But will you face no persecution?

Recently during a meeting of VOM’s department directors and executives, the following devotional was read from “On This Day” by Robert J. Morgan. The story was the entry for June 17 in the book.

We are very familiar with the normal reasons to pray: to worship God, to intercede on behalf of others, and to petition God when we desire something from him. For our prayer to be radical it must go beyond the normal reasons and move into a higher or deeper realm. It needs to be seen as a weapon against evil and for good. It becomes intentionally audacious, going into spiritual battle with powers and forces which we cannot see but whose destructive presence we can sense. When we thrust forward in the power of the Spirit, we will meet opposition of some form in our spiritual lives and perhaps in our work or ministry.

There is a scripture that haunted me in my growing up years. “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required...” (Luke 12:48). It felt like a burden to me. I treated it like a checklist: 1. Did I pray for others in need today? 2. Did I give financially as much as I possibly could? 3. Did I raise awareness about what is going on? 4. Did I tell other people about Jesus because I have the freedom to do so anytime?