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The fellowship of
his sufferings
December 23, 2007
A news item last week reported a significant meeting between the leaders of PGI
(the Communion of Churches in Indonesia) the Catholic Bishops Conference and the
head of the National Commission on Human Rights (HAM). The meeting concerned the
continuing actions of various groups in threatening and closing down churches in
West Java.
According to the Jakarta Post (15 December 2007) report, “The Protestant and
Catholic leaders submitted a list of 108 houses of worship, notably in West
Java, which they said have been forcibly closed, ransacked, threatened or burned
down since 2004. Perpetrators range from local officials to such radical
organizations as the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) and the Anti-Apostasy Alliance
(AGAP)”.
This week it was also reported that renewed violence had broken out in Northern
Nigeria (a country from which many of our members come). And no doubt the list
could go on. The Barnabas Fund,
amongst others, keeps an eye on places where Christians are under serious
persecution and provides aid in various forms for those who need it.
So what are Christians to do about these kinds of things? Seeking justice and
protection from those in authority is a right course of action. Paul provided
the model when he appealed to the Roman law, on various occasions, to be applied
for his protection. Paul also followed Jesus in being clear that retaliation and
pay back was not on the agenda for Christians.
Patience, perseverance, faithfulness to the call of Christ were basic elements
of Christian behaviour in the face of persecution. That and prayer to our Father
for help and relief. And as well there was (and is) a world-wide fellowship of
brothers and sisters who stand alongside the suffering church in prayer, in
material support and in any other ways that could be helpful.
It is an area that we perhaps should give more thought to. Our location and
knowledge gives us an opportunity to act as brothers and sisters.
But there is another angle as well.
Christians were to bless, to pray for, to do good to those who harmed them. And
part of this, as the history of the church shows, involved the prayer, the
desire, the appeal that those opposed to the gospel might turn to accept and
believe it. This pattern began with Jesus and was copied by Paul and countless
others since then.
The old saying is that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. The
New Testament says that it is the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus that is
the key.
Dale
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