but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. - 1Peter 3: 15-16 (ESV)

I want to share with you stories from two different biblical worldviews. One that grasps the understanding of Christian persecution and one that does not. Meriam Yehya Ibrahim was sentenced to die by a Sudanese court in May of this year. Her crime? Converting to Christianity. Eight months pregnant at the time, Ibrahim was given a few days to renounce her Christian faith or die; which she did not. She was also sentenced to 100 lashes for adultery. Did she commit adultery? No, but according to sharia law, since her husband is a Christian her marriage is void. Thanks to international pressure she was not executed and was released only to be charged again with a bogus charge about her travel documents. She is currently in hiding, although she did have to give birth while in prison and in chains. I am also relatively sure the Sudanese prison system does not offer the same cable package as our own.

While ushering in the new year in 2011, 23 worshipers were killed in Egypt by two different bombings. Hundreds more were wounded. Since we invaded Iraq in 2003 the Christian population has suffered unending persecution and their numbers once in excess of 1.5 million have dwindled to 400,000. Yes beloved, there were over 1.5 million Christians in that country we were told to hate so much. Then there is Pastor Saeed Abedini, who sits rotting for the past two years in the Iranian prison renowned for housing the worst criminals. His crime? Building an orphanage. But Iran through secret trials sentenced him to eight years for sharing his Christian faith. I imagine it is safe to say that these brothers and sisters in our faith cling tightly to these verses:

"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: 'They hated me without a cause.' - John 15: 18-25 (ESV)

Circle back around the globe with me and you will find that here in America, we give them plenty of cause to hate Jesus. Two headlines in Christian media screamed out this week - persecution!

Bank Teller Fired for Telling Customers To "Have a Blessed Day."

"I Would Go To Jail Over Jesus' Name," Says Public Official

The horror. The outrage. The collectively unbiblical response on display for all to see that we are so self absorbed in our Christianity. What utter nonsense. Let us first go down to Walton Kentucky where Polly Neace was fired from U.S. Bank, allegedly for telling her customers to have a blessed day. Neace claims no one ever complained but her former employer not only disputes that but further claims she chastised a customer for taking the Lord's name in vain and then tried to explain salvation to them. Neace responded to that charge by saying the customer in question did not complain about that. As if that was the relevant point. She was instructed by her employer to stop using the phrase and was eventually fired. And what was the Christian response from Ms. Neace? What righteous stance did she take following her departure? Did she tell her boss to have a blessed day? Did she thank her employer for 24 years of employment? Did she says prayers for their lost souls? No. She went out and got a lawyer to sue them. Oh, and then she went on Fox News to promote it. This is not persecution beloved. This is an employee who failed to follow the directives of her boss. Period. It is not a sign of the end times. It is a sign that not everyone in this country shares our faith. Were we confused about that? If so, allow me to clarify for you. Not everyone in this country shares our faith. We are not called to impose our faith on an unbelieving culture and then sue them in the name of Jesus either. We are called to share the Gospel but that does not mean saying have a blessed day to everyone you meet and then being offended when some bristle at it. By the way, if the employer allowed it for Neace, he would have to allow religious expression for all employees, regardless of their faith. He would have to allow his Muslim employees to tell customers "Allah bless you." He would have to allow his Buddhist employees to say "Buddha bless you" to the customers. Atheists employees...OK, I guess they would just say have a nice day. The point is that this is a bank, not a temple.

More importantly is the knee-jerk reaction from Christians citing persecution verses like this woman is rotting away in an Iranian prison or giving birth with chains around her ankles. How in the world does this issue advance the cause of Christ? You remember Him right? The one who bled and died for us and we are supposed to represent now? How does being a petulant employee who then sues her boss of 24 years represent Christ? How do you thing unbelievers view this story? I will tell you how. "There go those crazy Christians again!" Beloved, our job is not to use our religion as a wedge to drive away the very people we are supposed to reach for Christ! Also, who is this story about? Is it about Jesus? No. It is about Polly Neace. This is nothing more than self-glorification wrapped up and pseudo-piety. Who would Jesus sue?

Now let us skip over to Carroll County Maryland. Robin Bartlett Frazier is a two-term elected official there who made headlines this week boldly declaring that she would go to jail for Jesus' name sake. Wow. Were competing officials demanding she denounce her faith? Was she sentenced to 100 lashes for daring to claim Jesus as her savior? Uhmm...not quite. It seems that U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles had ruled that sectarian prayers were to be banned from meetings of the Carroll County Commissioner's Board. But Robin Bartlett Frazier was having none of it:

"I think that is an infringement on my freedom of speech and freedom of religion, and I think it's a wrong ruling," she announced. "And just as I wouldn't give up my guns or I wouldn't allow my children to be palm-scanned or I wouldn't give up my property rights with 'PlanMaryland,' I'm not going to give up those rights. But out of respect for my colleagues, I'm not sure how strongly they feel about it, I'm willing to go to jail over it. I believe this is a fundamental of America. And if we cease to believe that our rights come from God, we cease to be America. We've been told to be careful, but we're going to be careful all the way to communism if we don't start standing up and saying 'no.' So, I say no to this ruling."

Well isn't that special? Putting aside the political incoherence of this rambling statement, she has no power or authority to "say no" to the ruling. Undeterred, she plodded on with her opening prayer anyway - thumbing her nose to the courts all in the name of Jesus - glory hallelujah. Perhaps because she is a politician, Bartlett-Frazier could not shut up:

"I didn't want to be directly defiant to the judge," she told CBN News. "I prayed about how I could draw a line, [but] the more I thought about it, the more it made me angry that we would be told not only that we couldn't pray to who we wanted to but that we couldn't use certain words."

Yes, Jesus often taught how we need to draw a line when it comes to unbelievers...oh wait He never said that. And look at the language of this quote. I didn't want to. I prayed about drawing a line. I thought about it. I was angry. Who has this story become about? Is it lifting up Jesus? No. It is lifting up Robin Bartlett Frazier and the egregious infringement upon her faith by people the Bible teaches her are walking in utter darkness. It never ceases to amaze me when the church acts all surprised when the world acts like they are supposed to act. The things of God are foolishness to them! I would have been surprised if a secular judge allowed prayer! That would be news! Bartlett-Frazier continued:

"All of these things are to try and limit religion," she said. "That's what motivates me to stand up for the Lord because we will not be America if we push God out."

So we come to it. This is not about the name of Jesus. It is not about protecting Christians from persecution. It is about the flawed notion of idolizing America and hiding it beneath the veneer of revival. Not being allowed to say an opening prayer at a county board meeting in Carroll County Maryland is not "pushing God out." She is still free to pray herself. She is still free to gather with the other believing board members to pray. Can God only move if He is officially mentioned on the recording of the minutes? Stop the insanity! Did God pack His bags and move out of Maryland after the judge's ruling? Once again, how is this going to be viewed by those we are trying to reach with the Gospel? "There goes those crazy Christians again!" The Gospel is not shoving our faith down the collective throats of the unsaved. To force them to listen to our prayers. Or perhaps Bartlett Frazier forgets these verses:

"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. - Matthew 6: 5-6 (ESV)

You can replace "street corners" with "county board meetings." The Pharisees liked to pray to be seen and be heard. To make a public spectacle of prayer. Self-glorification. That is exactly what is happening here. Does it matter to God if Bartlett-Frazier prayed silently before her meetings as opposed to the public display? Is the prayer less effectual? Is God less inclined to hear it and act on it? Then the insistence on reciting the public prayer had nothing to do with the cause of Christ and everything to do with the self-glorification of Robin Bartlett-Frazier. Then she hides that self-glorification behind the mask of persecution:

"Thinking of what Jesus did for me on the cross, I would not say his name because I might go to jail?" Frazier pondered. "I just couldn't do that."

Right. You just couldn't follow the directives of the authority over you. You just could not pray privately. You had to make this persecution known to all. Look at me, look at me. Meanwhile, no one comes to the cross and you further push away the very people we are charged with reaching with the Gospel. Jesus did not say go to the corners of the earth and make sure all meetings are opened in prayer to me. He did not say go to the corners of the earth and say - have a blessed day! He said to go and make disciples teaching them all you have learned. Unfortunately all we seem to have learned sometimes is how to play the victim of persecution while the real victims are still being martyred every day in this world. We make a mockery of them when we do so.

How did we get to this point? Because much of the American church continues to portray the unsaved as the enemy. I saw a sermon from John Hagee where he screamed that all atheists should "leave his country." Mockingly adding that there are flights leaving every hour - we don't want you here!" That's a heck of an evangelism plan you got there John. Pastors across this country demonizing the unsaved so that we can feel better about our own sin. Let us conclude today with the key verses from Peter. While the Gospel is presented on an offensive front, meaning we take the Gospel to people, our faith is meant to be in a defensive posture. What do you mean preacher? The Gospel is meant to offend. It is meant to divide. Our defense of why we believe in the Gospel is meant as a defense - not an offense. If people ask us why we hope we need to be prepared to defend that hope with gentleness and respect! Not with lawsuits and brash political statements wrapped in piety. Do we understand this today? Apparently not. We would prefer to offend people with the fact that we believe instead of allowing the Gospel to draw or offend those that hear it. We do so with no gentleness or respect either. We do so because we are angry. Or because we think we should be allowed to treat the country as if it were a theocracy. Or because they won't let me say have a blessed day. Or I can't open my council meetings in prayer. Well, I'll show them! I will sue them because that sure is gentle and respectful and represents Christ so well. Or I will make a public spectacle of my disobedience to the legal authority placed over me because that is sure gentle and respectful and represents Christ so well. No it does not. Those who revile our behavior are only put to shame if our behavior is good and is in Christ.

Somewhere in an Iranian prison, Pastor Saeed continues to languish. He has not spent the past two years there because someone said he could not open a meeting in prayer. He is not in chains today because someone said he could not say have a blessed day. He was building an orphanage to help the children of the very people who now persecute him. This Sunday a bomb will go off somewhere around the world slaughtering some of our brothers and sisters. They will not die because of trite and silly reasons. They will die because they refuse to renounce their faith. Suing your boss over "have a nice day" does not necessarily mock the true sacrifices being made today for the cause of Christ. Pretending you are doing it for God when you are really doing it for yourself mocks them. Defending a political operative for defying a judicial order to not open a county board meeting in prayer is our right as Americans. Pretending that it has anything to do with God however shows we hold our true heavenly citizenship in contempt over the America we have made our idol.

Reverend Anthony Wade - July 11, 2014