Many churches are girding up their loins to fight battle.
On Sunday in the middle of worship service at the First Baptist Church of Maryville a man entered into the assembly and shot the preacher in the middle of his sermon. This horrific act of violence has sent churches across the country into a deep panic. Churches are now questioning if their current security is good enough to protect the preacher.
But I ask the question: Is it important for us to protect the preacher or members of the congregation from these acts of violence? “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (II Timothy 3:12)
I don’t have a clear cut answer, but the verses immediately before shed some light on enduring these persecutions. “You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Icononium and at Lystra–which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.” (II Timothy 3:10-11)
Think for a moment some of the things that the Lord rescued Paul from: “Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers, in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.” (II Corinthians 11:24-27)
The Lord delivered Paul from these dire situations and He can deliver us if it is His will. But does that mean that we sit back idly and let the Lord do all the work? No. Often, the Lord works through his disciples to carry out His will. Look at Paul’s life:
Early in Paul’s conversion he was informed in Acts 9:23-25 that the Jews in Damascus were plotting kill him, but the plot was made known to him and the disciples helped him escape the city by night. Who delivered him from the hands of those Jews? The Lord working through the disciples in Damascus.
Also, in Paul’s final attempt to attend Pentecost in Jerusalem he is told by the prophet Agabus that he would be bound and delivered into the hands of the Gentiles. And the disciples who heard this news begged Paul not to go to Jerusalem. “Then Paul answered, ‘What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.’ And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, ‘Let the will of the Lord be done.’” (Acts 21:13-14)
Did the disciples overstep their bounds by begging Paul not to go to Jerusalem? I do not believe so. They didn’t want their friend to suffer, but they were content if it was the will of the Lord.
We too must remember that our job as christians is not to eliminate persecution. Our job is to glorify God–even if we suffer persecution (I Peter 4:16). If one of our members is harmed for preaching or taking a stand for Jesus Christ the Son of God we must realize that it was the Lord’s will that our brother or sister suffer.
So as a church do we have to have the best security cameras? Do we have to have metal detectors that everyone must pass through before entering the building? Do we have to have security guards? No. But if it could deter some from entering and committing acts of violence then by all means take appropriate steps to make the place of worship safe.
But don’t put your trust in humans or their devices to protect you. IF it is the will of the Lord that we should suffer we will suffer no matter what preventative measures we take! Therefore, we all must “live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God,” (I Peter 4:2) since we are not guaranteed tomorrow.
Now is the time for us to mentally prepare ourselves to endure physical persecution. If we do not think about the reality of being physically persecuted now, then when the first wave comes we will not stand. Get ready!
~by Wes Gossett