Guarding "Our" Freedom

I've just spent four days with a human rights activist. Life cannot be quite the same after spending considerable time with a human rights activist. This is a man who risks his own life by defending persecuted Christians in Muslim countries. How did he come to this? By being persecuted himself in his own Muslim country. When I say persecuted, I don't mean people said nasty things about him or threw rocks through his window. I'm talking about physical torture, including to the point of being crucified, tied to a cross for 2 1/2 days. In the dark. Alone. His greatest fear was that he would give in and tell them the info they wanted - the names of his fellow believers. By the grace of God he never told them, and by an even greater measure of God's grace he survived and was able to escape to Israel, the one country he had always been told were his enemies. He found them to be his greatest friends and protectors.

As he shared many stories of how Christians are being persecuted, and in some rare cases Messianic Jews whom He also has defended, one begins to see freedom as a great treasure, one we may have taken for granted. We do not fear for our lives when we go to church or synagogue, or meet with others to pray. We are not concerned we are being monitored constantly because of our faith. We in North America in particular are so enormously blessed to be free to worship openly and as we choose. However, that privilege may be slipping away from us. Without going into why, its enough to say that we would do well to pray that our freedom is not lost and that persecution of Christians and Jews is not tolerated in our countries.

I had another experience as a result of being with my human rights activist friend. We were worshiping in church, singing the same songs many of us are familiar with. I came into the church having absorbed some of my friend's deep concern for two Iranian girls who had been arrested and were now in a prison where others have been tortured and died a bloody death. His cell phone rings continually with the persecution issues his organization is dealing with. He had received a call about these two girls as we were riding to the church. He carries these people in his heart with great heaviness. I admit the burden is somewhat contagious and I too was praying for them as we worshiped.

But something was different for me. Maybe I was different. Suddenly, singing about how the Lord had saved me, blessed me, healed me, watches over me... seemed very self-absorbed. True, worship is between each of us and God, but it can also be about "us" and "we" rather than just "me." When Yeshua (Jesus) addressed the congregations in the Book of The Revelation, He addressed them corporately, not individually. Most of Paul's letters are written to entire congregations. When God dealt with Israel, it was always corporately, not individually.

Yes, we all must respond to God ourselves, individually, but the mindset, the paradigm, that God seems to want us to have is that of being a part of others, of being one among sisters and brothers, to be aware that we exist in a "Body" comprised of other persons. Our Western perspective is very individualistic. But the Kingdom of God is that "we" are to be as "one" and with love and concern for others with the same love and concern we have for ourselves. If we say we love God, then as the "Great Commandment" says,we will love our neighbor as we love ourselves. It doesn't say how far that neighborhood extends!

Paul set a priority when he said, "First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men". He didn't seem to think that "first of all" we should be praying for ourselves, for our own well-being, or even for those closest to us, but for "all." He further said to pray, "for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity" (1 Timothy 2:1-3). It would seem that the tranquility of our nation, which would certainly include our freedom, is directly related to our prayers for our leaders. Do you pray for our President and his cabinet, and that all levels of government would be protectors of our freedom and justice?

My friend, in encouraging people to be praying for the persecuted Believers around the world asks, How many of you take a few minutes to drink a cup of coffee or tea (or whatever) each day? Would you take 2 of the 5 minutes of your coffee time to pray for the persecuted church? Would you who are reading this do that too? Would you also pray for the protection of those like my friend who risk their lives for the lives and freedom of other? And would you add another minute to pray for our presidents or prime ministers (as in Israel) and for their governments for wisdom and justice to maintain? Would you do that? And lets pray for each other that God's great grace will keep us faithful, no matter what comes. "This is good and acceptable in the sight of God."

And may the blessings, protection and grace of God be mightily upon you too.