The Godly are Persecuted
II Timothy 3:12

A Sermon by Dr. Neil Chadwick


The Bible is an American all-time best seller. Bibles fill our pew racks, our hotel room lamp stands, our court rooms and of course our living room coffee tables and family room book shelves - no one knows for sure, but surely in America there must be as many Bibles as there are people. (Churches even provide members with a spare Bible so that in our physically depleted conditions we don't have to waste energy carrying a Bible to church on Sunday!)

In spite of this, in American Christianity, there are some Bible verses which just don't seem to apply any more. And we're not talking about verses which tell us to wash feet, wear hats to church, or that women can't wear men's pants. One such verse which we seemingly have relegated to people either long ago or far away is this one: "Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (II Timothy 3:12)

Of course Paul and the other Apostles had it rough: first century Christians were fed to lions and their burning bodies became torches for Roman roads; later century believers were burned at the stake for translating the Bible, or for baptizing people by immersion. But that was then and this is now. We in America have been singularly blessed by God and therefore exempt. So this verse, "Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted," just doesn't apply.

Once in a while a brief news report leaks through our protective shield and we hear about persecution which is going on right now in other parts of the world, in such places as: Vietnam, China, Pakistan, Indonesia, Nigeria, Inner Mongolia, Turkey, Ethiopia, Colombia and India.

In fact, just this week I received a letter from a pastor in India. In it he wrote, "In my outreach ministry, I am facing many problem from the non-Christian people. When I am conducting the street meetings, the non-Christian people are giving me lot of trouble and objecting me not to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ. When I am visiting house to house to pray for the people, I am facing same kind of problems. But, as God has given me burden for the lost souls in India, I cannot sit at home. I have to work as it is still day time. When night comes, no one can work."

In Hyderabad during our last mission trip, there was a break between seminar sessions when I met with Pastor Sudheer Kumar for the first time - he had been referred to me by a US pastor friend of mine. This September 27 I received a letter from him describing a particular preaching endeavor.

    "Our programme is to meet new people in new places. I asked few prayer partners to fast and pray for us - more than 20 were gathered at Nalgonda and prayed. We went to forest area to meet Naxlites, these people are radical anti-government activists. Nowadays situation is very bad with them. They killed many police peoples, government ministers, political leaders, etc. If police people get news regarding us, then definitely they will arrest us. But Lord clearly told to us to go and meet them to preach the gospel.

    "I met this group, 8 to 10 members, one or 2 ladies. A young medical graduate, second grade leader opposed me and Jesus' way. I clearly told to them that this may be my last day or yours, there may be no chance to hear the gospel to you or preach the gospel to me. He kicked on my bosom with the gun. The discussion was held after 11 PM. - around 12 midnight we left that place. After half an hour between 12:30 to 1:00 AM the police people special squad reached that area. Early morning I got news that 3 Naxalites were shot dead. One of them is the opposer. . . .

    "I did not share this thing with any prayer partners even with wife Priscilla. Just I tell to them to pray for all threatens in the ministry. Because it is very secret ministry. If this news leak then I will have to face the problem with police people and also with Naxlites. Now I need physical and mental rest for at least one day. Because we walked much in the valleys and on hills. The discussions also very serious regarding their faith and our faith.

    "I forgot to tell one thing. 4 years back 5 Naxlites were escaped from police fire, one of them is now my co-labourer. He is with me in this gospel trip. In Nalgonda I heard this evening that few Hindu group youth belongs to RSS warned our church believer and threaten to kill, because of his Christian activities.

    "The things in India presently not well with the Hindu groups and government. Your regular prayers are protecting me much and strengthening to go ahead boldly. Extend my love and greetings to family and to saints. Closing now with much love and prayers, Kumar."

Now, while we listen patiently to such reports from abroad, we quickly respond, persecution may be taking place today, but certainly not in the US of A. II Timothy 3:12 doesn't apply.

    Did you know that during the century just closed, the 20th century, 100 million people were martyred for their faith? Did you know that more people were tortured for their faith in Jesus Christ in the 20th century than in all the previous 19 centuries combined? And did you know that right now, an estimated 200 million Christians are facing persecution around the world?

"Ho Hum. Honey, will you give me that remote? That is over there, and we are here in blessed America - it just doesn't apply to us."

The problem is, while we may consider foot washings, hair styles and clothing choices to be non-transferable cultural attributes, we cannot do the same with this comment by Paul. Also, please note that this is not the only time the Apostle alludes to this universalizing of persecution. No doubt Timothy had already heard Paul preach this message in Timothy's home town, "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God." (Acts 14:22) And to the Thessalonian church he wrote, "We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them." (I Thessalonians 3:3)

But Paul was in good company. David, the greatest of all Israel's kings, said, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the LORD delivers him out of them all" (Psalm 34:19), which sounds much like what Jesus said: "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

But still, we don't believe II Timothy 3:12 applies to us. One reason for this is that, in reality, what we believe is less shaped by the Word of God and more shaped by our individual personal experiences. A poll concerning religion in America (taken this year) verified that America is mostly a Christian country:

    83% say they are Christians, and almost half of Christians say they are "born again."
    47% of Americans say they attend religious services at least once a week, and
    40% say they attend prayer meetings or Bible study groups.

    But here's the part that applies to what we're saying this morning. By a margin of almost 3 to 1, respondents chose "an individual's spiritual experience" (69%) over "doctrines and beliefs" (24%) as the most important part of religion.

    The poll asked respondents to rate in importance four items which help people make decisions about their lives. More than three quarters (77%) would rely upon their own personal judgments ahead of anything else. Family and friends ranked second (64%), followed by the Bible (60%). Of these four alternatives, the teachings of their church or synagogue ranked last (51%).

    (Exploring Religious America, A Poll Conducted for "Religion & Ethics Newsweekly" and "U.S. News & World Report" by Mitofsky International and Edison Media Research, March 26 - April 4, 2002)

So then, why should it be surprising that Americans do not take seriously this verse, "Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted"?

However, I'm sure there are people here today who will protest, "But I take the Bible seriously." Really? Then what will you do with II Timothy 3:12?

Certainly you want to claim the first part of the verse and say, "I do want to live a godly life." And you no doubt recognize that this can only be accomplished by living "in Christ Jesus," by "remaining in the vine," as we learned from John 15.

So why is it that there is very little persecution in our lives?

The first thing that comes to mind is that perhaps we have a problem with the labeling - we don't accurately identify what is persecution. Of course we understand that not every trouble or difficulty which comes our way is to be called persecution. Sometimes we suffer from the consequences of our own sinful or foolish ways, at other times we are victims of other people's wrong doing just like everyone else on the block, or due to the frailty and collapse of our own weakened flesh. Persecution is something different. One writer defines it this way: To be persecuted is when a person is "held up to ridicule, or treated with neglect, or excluded from society to which his attainments and manners would otherwise introduce him, or shunned by those who might otherwise value his friendship." (Barnes) We might add to that by saying that persecution is present whenever limitations are placed on our intentional efforts to preach or faithfully live the Gospel.

It may sound like a pun, but Paul wrote these words because Timothy had become intimidated by other people to the extent that he really should have been called "Timid Timothy." Whether the opposition came from inside the church or from outside didn't matter, his ministry of preaching the Gospel was being restricted, perhaps out of fear. Paul is saying, "Get on with it - persecution comes with the territory."

Some of you are aware that we were visited this week by a pastor from another state. When I took him to a prayer meeting on Wednesday morning, one of the other pastors, without knowing anything about the situation, prayed specifically that he would be courageous. This was precisely what was needed. My pastor friend had become the victim of a series of damaging, false accusations, and as a result of this attack, his ministry of over 20 years in that church had become greatly weakened. Call it what you want, it sounds like persecution to me.

The second issue regarding our apparent lack of persecution in America may be simply due to the fact that we are not being faithful to the Gospel. As one commentator put it, "If the church was less worldly it would be more persecuted." (People's New Testament Commentary)

When we forsake worldliness for godliness, the world will take note - then their rejection of God will result in the persecution of the godly who serve as His visible representatives. The absence of persecution may well be a sign of the absence of godliness.

    A number of years ago the "Covenant Players" came to our church and put on a series of short skits and one-act plays. One of them I remember, called "The Evangelist." It told the story of a Christian corporate executive who was preparing to go away for a business conference and was worried that his colleagues would make fun of his being a Christian. His wife encouraged him and promised to pray during the entire time he was at the conference. When he returned home three days later, she excitedly asked how it went. "Everything went great," was all he said. "But I mean about the others making fun of you because you are a Christian." Then he said, "Oh, there was no problem with that - they never found out!"

Paul, in making his case for the universality of persecution, drew attention to his own difficulties while ministering in the very area of Timothy's home town. The story, as told in Acts 13 and 14, goes something like this:

    After preaching in Antioch to both Jews and Gentiles, Paul was run out of town and went to Iconium. There a plot to kill him was uncovered and he went to Lystra where, due to a dramatic healing of a lame man, Paul came dangerously close to being worshipped as a god until the opposition from the former two cities caught up with him, stoned him and left him for dead.

Was Paul telling Timothy it would be the same for him, or for that matter, for us? Should we expect to be stoned? Probably not, but we, along with Timothy should fully expect that there will come some form of persecution, if we are, like Paul, making efforts at preaching the Gospel.

Let me ask, "What is the promise given to those who believe in Jesus Christ?" You might answer, "Eternal life and happiness," and of course you would be correct. But the problem is, we want it now, and if we don't get it now, we come to feel that God has let us down. We have forgotten that "Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."

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