But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings – what kind of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (II Timothy 3:1-5, 10-17)
As we read the description of the world today and as we are reminded of the power and value of God’s written Word, we are also instructed about suffering and persecution. In the conflict between the kingdom of God and Satan’s kingdom, there should be no surprise that servants of Jesus are bound to face resistance.
Susan and I spent this past weekend at The Billy Graham Training Center in Asheville, North Carolina with our friends from Mission India. Indian nationals Chirie, Kamala, Sam, Prabhu, and John joined almost two hundred American believers to hear of God’s work in India and the enemy’s resistance.
We heard the story of a pastor who had two of his children kidnapped by radical Hindus almost three years ago. He and his wife have had little help from local authorities, and they still have no news about their children.
Saturday morning, Prabhu received a tragic e-mail reporting that another of his fellow pastors in India was attacked and killed. Faithfully, they continue to proclaim Christ and show His love and kindness to their fellow man.
I spoke with Pastor John, our main speaker throughout the weekend, on two different occasions. He was giving encouraging messages from II Corinthians 4 & 5. Being curious about a story he told of a young boy being possessed by a demon in one of the rural villages, I asked him about Satan’s demonic activity. “I have witnessed this hundreds of times in the 350 tribal villages in which we work. Out of fear and superstition, parents invite the spirits into their homes without realizing the evil intent of the devil.” “How do you pray?” I asked. “We pray as teams. Several of us join in prayer until the demon obeys Jesus and leaves. The families then know the power of God.”
Pastor John continued, “It is very important that we follow up quickly with teaching from the Word of God; otherwise they will just want to add Jesus to the long list of Hindu gods. God’s Word is powerful and the Holy Spirit grants understanding. There are many, many people who had never heard of Jesus just a few years ago who are now becoming mature believers. God is gaining momentum in my country.”
Despite persecution, God is building His Church. Light expels darkness and we are told to “let our light shine.” Our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world encourage us to never give up… “Keep telling people about Jesus, keep demonstrating His kindness and character, keep teaching the Word, keep depending on His grace, keep loving the lost, keep praying, keep persevering… keep the faith.”
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Remember Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and give up.” Hebrews 12:1-3