Cyber-Discipleship

Hebrews 13:3

Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also.

I’m going to tell you about something that I find myself guilty of. The writer of the Epistle (letter) to the Hebrews tells us that we are to remember (pray for) those in prison (chains) as though we were in prison with them. I do not do this nearly often enough. Like most Christians, I see it as an over-there problem. Those who truly consider themselves Christians need to stop seeing assaults against Christians, Christianity, and Christian morals as a “their” problem and begin to view this as an “our” problem. The writer goes on to add, “…and those who are mistreated because we are in the body.” Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12, when one part of the body hurts, the whole body hurts. When one part of the body rejoices, the whole body rejoices. When we see Believers persecuted overseas, we need to pray for them like it is our next door neighbor who is being persecuted. We need to pray for them with the same intensity we would pray with if it were our own family being persecuted; even like we, ourselves, are the ones being persecuted.

In my message to First Baptist Church in Caney, I said:

As we read daily headlines of schools attacking the freedoms of Christians, employers limiting the freedom of Christians, people with ungodly agendas harassing Christians, how can we not expect more severe persecution of Christians to come to this country? The same people who are on the college campuses now attempting to silence Christian and Conservative viewpoints are the same people who will be in government tomorrow. What laws do you think they will pass/enforce?

This world is not our home. We are ambassadors, even missionaries, on assignment. As the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews reminds us, “We are looking forward to a city which has foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God.” So as Jesus taught us, let us pray, “Our Father which is in Heaven, your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is being done in Heaven.” Let us all remember to pray for those who are being persecuted, whether here or abroad, not for deliverance but for faith and stamina to represent God well in the face of adversity.