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When The Gospel Means Everything

July 28, 2019 Speaker: Pastor Scott Slaughter Series: 1 THESSALONIANS, End-times Holiness

Topic: Suffering Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1:2–6

Persecution and the belief in Jesus Christ are not strangers to one another. In fact, they go way back. In the midst of Paul’s commendation of the Thessalonians Christians, he is mindful to mention how that they had believed the gospel and held fast to it having “received the word in much affliction (vs. 6).” The persecution had not stopped simply because the Apostle of Christ left. The persecutors turned their attention to the new Christians in Thessalonica after Paul escaped. The truth is, although we have enjoyed relative religious freedom in the West for about two hundred years, persecution of Christ’s followers has continued uninterrupted in many other parts of the world and religious freedom is now being threatened in the West. 

Leah MarieAnn Klett, reporter for the Christian Post, in her article entitle, “Religious Freedom Getting Worse Around the World; Christians Remain Most Persecuted Group: Pew, writes: “Government restrictions on religion have increased across the globe - and Christians and Muslims are persecuted in more countries than any other regions groups, Pew Research Center has found…The study, released Monday, reveals that Christians are the most-harassed religious group in the world, facing persecution in 143 countries….Over the decade from 2007 to 2017, government restrictions on religion - laws, policies, and actions by state officials that restrict religious beliefs and practices - increased markedly around the world.”

Rev. Mark Creech, also writing for the Christian Post, discusses a statement made by Pastor Andrew Brunson in the Washington Examiner. Pastor Brunson spent two years in prison in Turkey having been falsely accused of being a part of a coup attempt. Rev. Brunson stated that he was “astounded at the speed with which the U.S. is imploding.” He went on to predict that persecution of Christians is will follow. 

As we move into this study of 1 Thessalonians it seems only right that we give some special consideration to what it means to suffer for Jesus and for His gospel. We often idealize persecution and suffering when the subject arises in Scripture failing to connect its reality with the here-and-now Christians that occupy our space and time and breath the same air as we. Let us refuse to trivialize the sufferings of our brothers and sisters in our nation and around the world who are placing the gospel above everything, often, even their own lives.