I recently wrote about the campaign by Premier Christian Media to get 100,000 Christians to stand up, sign up, and be counted as a Christian, the objective being to stand against the National Secular Society's move to try and get 100,000 people to sign a certificate to 'de-baptise' themselves.
One response that has arrived shows just how far the persecution of Christians has gone in the West, something that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. Yet should we kowtow to the 'fear factor', or should the threats by Christ's enemies in fact make us stronger and more prepared to stand up and be counted? I have decided against publishing the comments here because I think that to do so would serve no positive purpose, despite the fact that they are genuine concerns by the individual who wrote them. Suffice to say that this person belongs to a church in the USA which, from all that I have learned, is very active in the Lord's work within the community, and which has already come under attack by the enemy for the work that they are doing. When you consider that their are many crazy people who are being used by Satan to disrupt church services, and even to shoot Christians, there is a need for constant vigilance and prayer for protection.
How easy it is to concur with the latter thought, and yet we have the example of Peter who denied Christ three times before the cockerel had crowed twice. When Jesus suggested to Peter that he would deny Him, Peter's reaction was absolutely predictable, protesting most strongly that he would never do such a thing, and yet just a short while afterwards he was doing what he had thought of as the unthinkable. We need to remember this in the case of Christians today who fear reprisal for their faith. How easy it would be to condemn them, yet how easy it would be to be exactly the same when faced with the same challenge.
It brings the question of not only living for Christ but also dying for Christ out of the realms of postulation and into the realms of reality. How would you do when faced with the question? In all probability the only answer for many people is that they don't know what they would say or do until faced with the need to stand up and be counted.
I have signed up myself. But there again, I have always been prepared to put my head over the parapet and declare my faith without fear. This doesn't make me any better than anyone else, simply the same as many and different to others when it comes to declaration of faith. Does it make those who are prepared to stand up and be counted the ones who are in the right? The answer to that is beyond our realm of knowledge I believe. certainly, I have every sympathy with those who are afraid because of the circumstances in which they worship. Consider the huge numbers of Christians who form/ed the 'Underground' church in many countries where it is dangerous to be seen to be worshipping Christ. Their bravery is demonstrated constantly by the fact that they gather to worship God in the name of our Lord Jesus, despite the persecution of Christians.
You see, whatever you decide, whether it is to keep your head down or to put it over the parapet, there are arguments that support both as being right. When it all comes down to the bottom line the thing that is most important of all is to be prepared to reach out in the world and share the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people, and in as many ways, as possible. The way that you are led by the Holy Spirit will be the right way for you.
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