(Editor's Note: Today's Guest Writer is Parker Kathleen May.)
From October 24 - 28, Engage and Global Outreach International are partnering together to present the Orange Letter Campaign. This is your opportunity to reach out to Christians all around the world in a tangible way.
Many of these Christians are missionaries in cultures that persecute them for their faith and are facing trials that Christians in the United States have never experienced.
We are asking you to write short letters of encouragement and prayer that are full of scripture. Remind these Christians that they are not alone in their trials and that the Church around the world is lifting them in prayer.
To send your letter, visit www.engagemagazine.net.
A person’s natural reaction to having someone attack them, whether physically or verbally, is to respond in an equally hostile manner. Because of our human nature, we become filled with anger and bitterness when we are attacked or someone we care for is attacked. Forgiveness is usually the last thing on our minds.
Christians have a long history of persecution, as seen throughout the Bible and other places in history. Jesus even told us in John 15:18-21 that the world will hate us because the world hates Him, and the reason that they hate Him is that they do not understand or know God. Because we chose to follow and worship Jesus, we gained enemies that wish to harm us and see us fail.
It seems justified for Christians to hold a grudge against those who persecute them, but we are told to do otherwise. Matthew 5:44 says, “But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.” It is hard enough to imagine being nice to your enemies, but loving, blessing, and praying for them seems unfathomable. If that is not hard enough, Ephesians 4:32 tells us, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
God has a reason for everything He wants us to do. If we choose not to forgive and treat our persecutors kindly, there could be results that we do not see. An example of this can be seen in the New Testament.
One of the greatest preachers in the New Testament that comes to mind is Paul who went through great trials and tribulations for his faith. In 2 Corinthians, he talks about a thorn in his flesh that he asked the Lord three times to take away. When the Lord told Paul no, he responded by saying in verse nine, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
Paul gladly suffered for the Lord, but that was not always so. Even though he faced much persecution in his life, he also caused much persecution before he found the Lord. During that time, he went by the name Saul, and he was present at the stoning of Stephen and was responsible for sending many followers of Christ to jail. Saul was feared among Christians and responsible for much of their suffering, but that did not mean that he could not change.
When Saul was on his way to Damascus in Acts 9, he was surrounded by a light and heard the voice of Jesus. He felt the fear of the Lord and followed his instructions to go into Damascus. Blindly, he made his way into the city and stayed there for three days. He was soon met by another follower of the Lord named Ananias. From then on, Saul was filled with the Holy Spirit and started to preach the Gospel becoming Paul.
When the Lord called upon Ananias to help Saul, Ananias knew that Saul was a great persecutor of Christians and was afraid, but he still helped him. It must have been hard for him, but there had to be some level of forgiveness and kindness that he gave Saul to help him. What if he did not?
People can change. The persecutor can become the persecuted. Therefore, we should forgive and show kindness because the Lord can save and use anybody. Although we might not like it, everyone deserves a second chance, and one day, they might choose to take it.
