Persecution

"I'm sick of your religion, religion, religion, while you go right on sinning. When you put on your next prayer-performance, I'll be looking the other way. No matter how long or loud or often you pray, I'll not be listening. And do you know why? Because you've been tearing people to pieces, and your hands are bloody. Go home and wash up. Clean up your act. Sweep your lives clean of your evil-doings so I don't have to look at them any longer. Say no to wrong. Learn to do good. Work for justice. Help the down-and-out. Stand up for the homeless. Go to bat for the defenseless." Isaiah 1: 14-17 (The Message)

I've shied away from dealing with the eighth beatitude. "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." This is a tough message; the kingdom of heaven belongs to the persecuted.

Persecution is not something that I have had much experience of. When I was at school I encountered a bit of trouble for my faith - but the worst that ever amounted to was repeatedly having small bits of blu-tac flicked into my hair by one rather obnoxious young girl who took it upon herself to disrupt Christian Union meetings. It was painful to remove - but nothing compared to the ills experienced by many who profess the faith.

Last week a colleague of mine gave me an article from Open Doors magazine. It asks the question are we in enough trouble for our faith? It quotes a Beijing pastor:

"When you become a Christian you identify with God, and his enemies become your enemies. And so you become the object of a pursuit by the world and the devil. That is where the trouble comes from."

So the challenge became: how could the idea be brought back to the UK. "Find the defining evil in your area, in your society," said the pastor. "Become a threat to it through the power of God, and then watch for the persecution."

I'm not sure I know how to deal with this. To go looking for persecution sounds all wrong to me. But I believe in doing what is right for the right motives, and maybe a lack of persecution demonstrates that I'm not actually putting that into practice?