Prepared for Persecution?

James Coates, a Canadian pastor sits behind bars today. His crime? Gathering the church for consistent, regular worship on Sundays. Unable to see his family, he waits in prison as his totalitarian government decides his fate. However, being the benevolent tyrants they are, they did offer him a deal for an early release. All Pastor Coates has to do is promise 1) that he won’t return to church and 2) refrain from preaching. Do that, and he can walk out of jail a free man.

But he won’t and nor would any faithful minister.

What has happened to Pastor Coates is just one of the many examples of what persecution could look like in this “Brave New World”—where an unmasked, gathered church is a threat to public health and sermons about Biblical definitions regarding gender and sexuality are considered hate speech. I know of many brothers and sisters in America and Canada that have been jailed, fined, and threatened by the authorities for practicing their Biblical convictions. Even myself, have faced the frown of the State for speaking what the Bible says regarding life and the protection of the preborn.

My point: Persecution is here and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop anytime soon.

Now that fact may disturb some of you because we have all enjoyed a relatively free and easy expression of Christianity. Our faith hardly costs us anything if we were honest. Yet, read what the Bible says, to follow Christ is a costly endeavor (Luke. 9:23), and “All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12). It is not a matter of “if” but “when” persecution will occur in your life. It’s going to happen to you in some way or some form if it hasn’t already.

As I meditate on the reality of persecution happening here, I wonder what percentage of churches are worth persecuting? It’s a strange question to ask, I admit, but how many churches in our nation have been and are willing to be counted as it says in Acts 5:41, “worthy to be shamed for the name?” For the most part, there has been a concerted effort to be as safe, comfortable, and non-threatening as possible. To be known as the church with the “friendly face” (covered now by a mask) and to be the nicest gathering in town is the ultimate goal for some. Don’t get me wrong, churches shouldn’t strive to be jerks or obnoxious but historically speaking, “nice” churches don’t get persecuted, only the faithful ones do.

The second thought that comes to mind when talking about persecution is preparedness. Are we prepared to face it, practically? In my pastorate, I could easily find myself in jail for the sermons I have preached and the ministry that I am involved in. In fact, it is a constant theme and a running joke here at EBC that they may have to take up an offering to bail me out of jail because I got myself in trouble for preaching the gospel. But seriously, what if your pastor gets arrested and finds himself in the very same situation as Pastor Coates? Will his family be taken care of? What about other men in the church who will take the reins and lead in the pastor’s absence? If things get really bad, where, when and will you even gather as a church? These are questions for generations, that brothers and sisters throughout the world have had to answer, in places where persecution is at its fiercest like China, the Middle East, and Communist-controlled Russia. Now in 2021, that discussion comes to us here in the West.

Are you a church worth persecuting and are you ready to face it when it comes?

Pray for Pastor James Coates and for the saints that gather at Grace Life Church in Alberta Canada. Pray that we would all remain faithful when the fire of persecution comes and that we would stand, denying all before we ever deny our Lord.