On the Side of Victory

“If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” John 15:20

If we were to pick sides, we would rather be on the side of victory, true victory. On one hand, there are all these people attacking the Church, persecuting the Church, insulting the Church, throughout history, in different corners of the world.  There was Nero who invented all sorts of barbaric torture for the early Christians, making them human torches. The persecution continues today, and there are many unknown martyrs in different parts of the world. Persecution is severe in North Korea, Somalia, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan, Iran, Nigeria, and many more countries. Christian churches are being burned to the ground, homes destroyed, people beheaded for their beliefs. I read a lot of blogs. Sometimes blogs are taken down because people attack the blogger for what they believe in. One lady just said that she wanted to dress modestly because she wanted to follow what it says in the Bible. She got so many acidic comments! I've also seen horrible insults under YouTube videos of pastors preaching the word of God. So much hatred! But that is so trivial compared to organizations dedicated to eradicating Christianity that they are willing to kill young children or train them to kill. 80 % of religious intolerance in the world is directed against Christians according to the study conducted by the Intl. Society for Human Rights.

But just as Nero’s systematic oppression of the followers of Christ made them stronger and more fervent, so today where there is persecution, there is also more growth in the number of Bible believing Christians. According to Ravi Zacharias who used to travel all over, Iran has one of the fastest growing Christian churches in the world!

On the winning side, we have Jesus Christ, who allowed Himself to be crucified so His followers would have not only fullness of life but eternal life. Before He died, He prophesied that He would rise up on the third day (Matthew 27:62-64). It may surprise some to know that there is solid historical evidence that Jesus rose from the dead. The proof is so strong that serious historians of all stripes, even atheists, concede the empty tomb, and the appearance of Jesus after his death. This is why the Christian church was established and grew in spite of the persecution. 

One shrewd Jewish businessman got baptized a Catholic after staying with a Borgia Pope in the Vatican and doing business with the Vatican bank . He was asked why he was becoming a Catholic after witnessing all the scandals and corruption. “I'm a businessman,” he answered, “and I know one thing for sure: no earthly business that stupid or corrupt could possibly last fourteen weeks;  yours has lasted fourteen centuries.  It's a miracle;  I'm convinced!"

Our Church and our faith, and even God is attacked today. But as Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle urges, let us stay calm. “Be fools for Christ. God is the Savior. We do not need to save God. It is God who will save us."