True Riches
What I Learned from the Persecuted ChurchBy an Open Doors UK employee
When we think of the Persecuted Church, the next thought that often comes to mind is, "How can we help?". After all, we are the lucky ones, aren't we? We have the freedom to practise our faith freely, to meet together, evangelise and read our bibles with few repercussions, apart from a raised eyebrow or two.
I
thought so too - until I went to visit some persecuted Christians for myself.
Then I was faced with the humbling reality, that they have so much more
to give and teach us, than we could ever teach them.
It is true that the persecuted Christians have so very little in this world, yet they have so much that will last into eternity.
Although, some fall away from their faith because of persecution, the ones that stay faithful have enormous riches they may not even be aware of. Eternal treasure - such as faith, hope and love that will last forever, unlike prophecy, knowledge and many other blessings that God gives us for this life (1 Cor 13:8,13).
I learned a lot about faith, hope and love in South-East Mexico, this summer, where the church is growing fast despite some very challenging circumstances.
Most of the challenges come from the ruling mafia-type landlords (caciques) who have seen their incomes drop as Christians refuse to drink 'posh' - their local, addictive alcoholic drink - after coming to Christ or participate in their pagan rituals demanding offerings sold profitably by them.
As a result, they use any excuse to bring persecution to believers.
I pray and hope that my observations are as encouraging to you as they were to me.
Faith
Hebrews 11.1 says: "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
As I surveyed the Mexican Christians' lack of spiritual teaching materials, teachers, worship aids and material things, I began to realise that their faith was most certainly not in the things that can be seen. In fact there was precious little to see! Their faith was simply in God because God was all they had!
It is this kind of faith that is bringing many people to the Lord in South-East Mexico, but it is not without a cost.
An estimated 38,000 Christians in South-East Mexico have been hounded out of their homes and forced to give up their livelihoods.
Many new converts are faced with the ultimatum to "leave your faith or leave the community".
Imprisonment, beating and expulsion quickly follow for Christians refusing to co-operate.
Sometimes whole villages are displaced.
I asked the pastor of one such church how they managed to keep their faith in such circumstances. He simply said, "It is better for us leave our homes than to leave our Lord," and added "and the Lord always provides another home."
A by-product of this displacement, as it was in the early church, is that the Gospel has spread deeper into many areas, to people who did not know about the saving power of Christ.
Jesus said that we only need faith as small as a grain of mustard seed for God to do great things, but it must be a seed of faith in God and not in ourselves or our own ability.
These people do not necessarily have great faith, but their faith, by necessity is completely grounded in what God can do.
So, despite the meagre resources of the indigenous Mexican Church, God has turned their little seeds into plentiful fruit that will stand the test of eternity. Reminiscent perhaps, of the boy who gave Jesus his five loaves and two fishes?
Faith doesn't ask how our contribution will be of any use ñ faith simply gives, leaving the results to God.
Hope
Jeremiah 29:11,12 says: "I know the plans that I have for you, plans for welfare and not for calamity; to give you a future and a hope."
When you are up against it, when all has been taken from you, hope means believing that there is a purpose in the suffering even if you can't see it - even if you will never understand it on this earth, you will continue to hope in God and in His goodness.
Hope is what keeps 34 Mexican Christian prisoners going. All from the same village, they were rounded up and accused of a massacre that they didn't even witness, never mind commit.
They have already served 5 years of a thirty-five-year sentence.
They miss their families, and their families have struggled to cope without them. Without the comfort of each other, these husbands, wives and children are entirely dependent on God.
Hope
in God is what sustains them - hope that knows, that although bad things
happen, God is good and their suffering is not in vain.
At times it must have felt as if the little seeds they planted have disappeared and died, but hope kept them going.
God is now bringing many people in the prison to Him and providing for, and teaching the women how to make a living, without their men-folk.
Hope continues to keep them going and believing that God will work in all things for their highest good.
Love
"Greater love has no one than this, than one lay down his life for his friends," said Jesus, in John 15:13
Many of the Christians in Mexico, like us here, just carry on with their lives, content to praise God in the safety of their homes and churches.
Many are trying to forget previous past traumatic experiences.
However, I was privileged to meet some who were prepared to give up their hard-won safety and relative comforts, to reach out and lay down their lives for their brothers and sisters in Christ. This is true love.
Pascuala was shot, raped and left for dead as a teenager, with her home burnt to the ground and her family murdered, all because she would not deny her new found Christian faith. Since then, she has tried to comfort and help others.
She has spent her time, visiting women who have been widowed or made homeless because of their faith. She now has hundreds of women who look to her for advice, comfort and help with making a living through craftwork
Love for their Christian brothers and sisters is prompting other Christian leaders to give up their hard-won safety and security to support persecuted and displaced brothers and sisters.
Pastor Antonio puts the number of Christians in his rural jungle area at 33,000 and growing by 20% a year. Although he had been living in relative security, he studied law so that he could support the needs of the new converts more fully, and he is now one of only three pastors in the area who are actively working for the needs of vulnerable new converts.
Pastor Esdras and his wife Marlene experienced both persecution and poverty in the early part of their ministry, but now run a thriving church in the town numbering some 600 people that reaches out into some thirty different rural areas.
However, Esdras and Marlene, ever open to the calling of God, are planning to leave the town for the countryside to better help new Christian converts/villages who are being persecuted for their faith.
Love for those who give us grief
In Matthew 5:44 Jesus exhorts his followers to "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
Miguel
Kashlan had plenty of opportunity to put these words into practice as he
was being violently beaten, scalped and made to walk on hot coals.
During this ordeal, he never stopped speaking about the love and forgiveness of God to his persecutors.
In desperation they cut out his tongue and later his eyes, as even they continued to try and convey the love of God to them, until he finally died as they put an ice pick through his heart.
Initially, his church was devastated, but 20 years later a seminary and thriving church carry on his work, and even his old persecutors are starting to turn to the Lord.
Love for our families
These Mexican Christians I met, are also learning about true love in their families.
Pastor Juan explained that despite enormous ongoing persecution for converting, many people are still choosing to leave their pagan lifestyles and follow Jesus.
The attraction is not the many miracles that they see, but the changed family lives of the believers. This is quite a testimony in a culture where alcoholism, violence and very poor marriages are a common part of life.
Miracles may impress people short-term, but seeing love in action, especially in the family, makes an indelible impression.
God does not want us to be uninformed about the hardships that Christian brothers and sisters suffer for His name, not least of all so that we can join in their prayers for deliverance, and that many can give thanks when they see the results of those prayers.
But, perhaps also, God does not want us to be ignorant, so that we can learn from and be inspired by these brothers and sisters. Clearly from this passage we can see that Paul has learnt more about faith and reliance on God, hope in God's deliverance and love for others, including the Corinthians, to whom he was so keen to pass on the things he had experienced and learned.