Column: Don’t be surprised when the world turns against faith
Pastor reminds believers of biblical warnings about trials and opposition
Published
Back in the 1960s there was a hit song called “Mama Said There Would Be Days Like This.” We’ve all had them, but last week seemed filled with especially dark days. There was another school shooting, the tragic killing of a young immigrant girl on public transit, and the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a defender of Christian doctrine and what many used to call common sense.
His murder has been met with sadness and outrage across the Christian community. Yet, as difficult as it is to comprehend, there are also voices celebrating his death, saying he had it coming. His defense of biblical values and the traditions of our forefathers is now often labeled hate speech. Many of those who celebrate his passing have never listened to his talks in their entirety — or, if they have, they listened with a prejudiced ear.
But should we be surprised by this? Not according to the apostle Peter, who wrote in the New Testament: “Don’t be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of God and his glory rests on you.”
The apostle Paul echoed this warning to Timothy, his young protégé in ministry: “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”
Those words — boastful, proud, slanderous, brutal — capture the mood of our time, don’t they? But as Peter reminds us: “Don’t be surprised.”
Jesus himself told us the same: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”
The world does not rejoice when one of its own crosses over to Christ. Just ask the apostle Paul. In only a matter of days, he went from being “big man on the Pharisee campus” to “dead man walking” because of his decision to follow Jesus.
Persecution will come in one form or another. It might be a cold shoulder from co-workers, ridicule from relatives, or, in years ahead, something far harsher. But when it comes, remember Peter’s words: “Don’t be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of God and his glory rests on you.”
— Ken Staley is pastor of Faith Church of Pleasant Grove (9:30 a.m.) and Harrisville Methodist Church (11 a.m.), both Global Methodist congregations. He can be reached by text at 918-852-9797.
