This is certainly not a happy subject but a necessary one for any Christian who is committed to serving in the church scattered. We are living in a post-Christian American and persecution and suffering for your faith will become an ongoing reality.
Being a committed Christian used to be socially a good thing and would give people a favorable impression of you as a person. Today, if you live out your faith, you can be seen as intolerant at best and a terrorist at worst.
Jesus warned us about all of this so clearly: 19 if you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 remember the word that I said to you: ‘a servant is not greater than his master.’ if they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. John 15:19-20 (ESV)
For years I had this all so wrong and was not willing to admit what was really happening and why. I would say like many other Christians when things were hard, that the devil was attacking me.
The reality was that I was not doing anything supernatural that would require even one demon to be assigned to attack me. I was just suffering the consequences of my own disobedience and not real spiritual warfare.
The next level of truth is when we actually do suffer for doing the truth and spiritual warfare is involved 19 for this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 for what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 for to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 1 Peter 2:19-21 (ESV)
I had clearly been suffering for sin’s sake and my level of spiritual maturity knew nothing of suffering for righteousness sake. It’s at this very point where the Holy Spirit will start to use you the most.
When your co-workers see you get totally blown up and blamed for a major project failure when it was not your fault, and you say nothing, that is powerful. When you do the right thing and suffer and the only one that knows it is the Father, that is even better.
Once you own your disobedience and realize that knowing Christ will mean you will suffer because you did the right thing, then what will come next will be all out war and it is a subject that must be taken seriously.
11 put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:11-12 (ESV)
Please let me remind you that the context for this verse is the ministry of prayer. Also don’t forget that the size of your shield and sword in these spiritual battles is in direct proportion to the amount of truth you have applied in your life not how many sermons or lessons you have heard.
If that phrase against the cosmic powers over this present darkness and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places does not scare you, then you don’t get it. When you try to rescue children out sex trafficking and help redeem anyone out of the domain of darkness, you are walking in enemy occupied territory.
However, God has not given us a spirit of fear and greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. He has sent us on that mission of redemption and restoration with all of His power and authority to be more than conquerors through Him that loves us.
Christian missionaries have been dealing with this level of spiritual warfare for centuries. Now maybe because the time is short, this open evil hostility is being directed towards Christians in North America. Welcome to Christianity for the 21st century and living out your faith in the church scattered.