The Cost of Following Jesus, Part 2

 

As one of my readers pointed out this week, we in America know little of persecution as believers. We have not experienced the reality of counting the cost of following Jesus.  Can we encourage a Muslim to follow Christ, knowing the cost will  be so high?  Here is a quote from Ziya Meral, a Turkish Christian:  

“For persecuted Christians, suffering turns into affliction when they internalize the horrible feeling that they are alone. When the persecuted Christian begins to believe that most of the global church does not care and will not be there to share his pain, loneliness moves from the physical dimension to an inner anguish.

In fact, even my faith hero, Luther, found himself in the gray zone between suffering and affliction the night before his famous defense, as we see in his prayer: “O Almighty and Everlasting God! How terrible is this world! Behold, it openeth its mouth to swallow me up, and I have so little trust in thee!”

This raises significant questions: Where is God when millions of his children are being persecuted in the most brutal ways? Why does he keep silent in the middle of persecution but speak loudly in the middle of conferences with famous speakers and worship bands? I have prayed many times like Luther: “Bless us, Lord, even curse us! But don’t remain silent!”

Brother Yun, author of the international best-selling book, “Heavenly Man” , has an incredibly powerful testimony of God’s presence with him during times of persecution in China. He has a new book just published, which contain reflections and sermons.  The following is an excerpt from, “Living Water.”

“…After my first arrest, I was thrown in prison and treated very cruelly by the guards and my cellmates. At the beginning, I didn’t understand what was going on. I was confused and cried out to God, as though there had been some kind of mistake. ‘Oh, Lord,’ I cried, ‘do You realize I am in sitting here in prison? Have You forsaken me?’ Soon the Lord showed me that He had certainly not forsaken me, but that my arrest and imprisonment were His will for my life and His calling for me at that time. The Bible declares that God loves the entire world, and Jesus commanded His followers to take the good news into the entire world. The world includes Chinese prisons, where there are thousands of desperate men who need to know Jesus. That is where the Lord chose to send me so that I could be a witness to His truth and grace.

When this understanding became a reality in my life, my whole attitude and perspective was completely transformed. Now, instead of feeling resentment for my situation, I was joyful and thankful! Instead of being depressed and confused, I was full of praise to the Lord….

 

…When the Lord showed me all these things, I made a steadfast commitment that I would always praise Jesus, regardless of my cirucmstances or situation…King David also learned the power of praise during his darkest moments. The Psalms record how David worshipped the Lord even though people were plotting to murder him. David understood the power of praising God, even while under tremendous pressure and danger. He was able to declare, ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth’ (Ps 34:1). Later in the same psalm, he dips into his personal experience and shares, ‘A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken’ (Ps. 34:19-20)……

… The challenges in your life are real, but Jesus is the truth! If you will learn to praise Jesus Christ regardless of your circumstances, you will find inner freedom and joy, and you will have the strength to overcome whatever you are faced with….”.