Shut up and Be Quiet!

Out at Leadership Training last summer, we've been studying through the book of 2Timothy. In chapter 3, we looked at a verse that has been very familiar to me. In 2Tim 3:12 it says "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted . . ." In context, Paul is speaking about his way of life, his sufferings, the trials and struggles he has faced, and is encouraging Timothy with the reminder that these sufferings and persecutions are to be expected and they're a part of living for Jesus in a fallen world.

If we move from the Ancient Text forward a couple of thousand years - we're now in America in 2006. The words, "everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" have a strangely hollow ring for us. Of course we know that in other parts of the country, there are physical sufferings that are happening to Christians and church leaders in places where those ideas are violently opposed, places like China, or Saudi Arabia, or Sudan among many others. In these places it's easy to see the persecution and the average believer in Jesus at least feels the threat of those persecutions. But in America right now, what does persecution look like if it even exists? At this point in our history it certainly isn't physical, and very rarely involves the threat of violence. In this vaccum of persecution that was similar to what the early church faced, there have emerged all sorts of ideas about what persecution might be. I don't believe it is as many young have communicated, that persecution is someone making fun of their Christian Music or their countless Christian meetings they attend. That so rarely happens anyway, I think if someone looks at a Christian the wrong way, they're ready to cry "Persecution!" I don't believe it is persection when a person doesn't like or finds it strange when he observes a weird christian pop-subculture, a Christian ghetto, insulated from the "problems" and the people of the world, accentuated by it's own music, concerts, seminars, t-shirts and bookstores. That's a fair criticism, because in many ways a Christian ghetto is distasteful even to me. There is something about that that is so far from the ideals of the Kingdom.

So what does persecution look like today? These are just my opinions, but I believe, more than anything, it is the pressure that our society and even Christians themselves place upon themselves to SHUT UP! Be quiet, blend in, don't stick out, don't offend, tolerate, don't pass judgement, don't believe something so strongly that it makes others feel insecure. An interesting study would be to find out how much of that pressure comes from society, and how much of that pressure comes from Christians trying too hard to appease our culture in an effort to not offend with a message that Jesus himself said was offensive.

We had a discussion on evangelism with some of the LT students this summer, and many of them were wrestling with not wanting to be pushy or feed into stereotypes that the average person who doesn't follwo Christ may have of Christians - I believe a very good thing to think about. As I looked around the group of people who were having this discussion, I recognized these people as very kind, loving, genuine people in their relationships with one another. But when it came to those who weren't Christians, they were overly concerned about how they might come across to them, not wanting to be seen as overbearing or only concerned about sharing their faith in Jesus. It is almost as if they have placed upon themselves some pressure for relating to the world around them that they don't feel when it comes to their relationships with one another. Why would we be any different when hanging out with a co-worker than what we are when we're hanging out with our friends who follow Christ. I understand that is something we have in common, but we struggle to be the genuine people that God is making us to be in the body of Christ. It is no wonder the world sees us as hypocrites. We are fearful, standoffish when it comes to those around us who don't know Christ, or maybe on the other end trying so hard to relate and connect with them that they can see we're trying so hard to be too cool, or even worldly. But when it comes to our relationships with one another, we're more relaxed comfortable, willing to right a wrong and engage with vulnerabilbity with one another.

We will be persecuted if we want to live godly. The message we proclaim will be offensive, not because we're acting like arrogant, inconsiderate jerks. We need not to add anything offensive in the way we present the message (from our attitudes to our words) But we will be persecuted because we're the same kind of kind, caring, compassionate Christians that we are when we're with one another. Followers of Jesus who are living and proclaiming the life of Jesus which challenges our selfish, self-centered motives for life.

Matt 10:22 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

We're probably so hesitant to be persecuted because we've placed a gag-order on ourselves. The subtle pressure that says, "I don't want to offend, or push someone away." As a result we never give or tell the life-changing message of the gospel. As a result we persecute ourselves to keep the world from doing it because of Jesus.