Check out this letter written by Pastor Youcef from prison.
Pastor Youcef's letter really gives us some perspective about American christianity. Here are some thoughts I have about American christianity after reading Pastor Youcef's letter:
1. Does how and what your church teaches you from God's Word prepare you to be willing to lay down your life for the sake of the gospel? Does your church teach you to GLADLY suffer for the gospel?
2. Those who worship in American churches tend to be horrified at the idea of suffering for the cause of Christ, but Pastor Youcef, in the tradition of our first century brothers and sisters, considers it a high honor. Are you willing to lay down your life for Christ? If not, why not?
3. Is the standard of salvation we practice in America the true measure of salvation? In the early church, people were willing to lose jobs, property, and even life for Christ on the day of their salvation. In Iran, you have to be ready to suffer for the faith starting on the day of your salvation. In America, we declare people born again after they have accepted a very simplistic explanation of the gospel and recited a prayer without ever having taken the time to count the cost of becoming a Christ-follower. Why have we separated the two ideas of "Savior" and "Lord"? If you haven't confessed Him as Lord of your life, how are you of Christ?
4. Pastor Youcef mentions to his congregation in his letter that he wants to remind them of the verses they study together EVERYDAY. The Korean church gathers early every morning for prayer. In America, believers wont show up for a weekly or montly prayer gathering at their church. Beyond that, we struggle with choosing between baseball games or going to worship on just one morning a week.
5. While our brothers and sisters around the world practice a christianity that expects them to lay down their life for the cause of Christ, we are asking questions like: "what progams do you have for my kids?", "how does that pastor make me feel?", "what color is the carpet?", "how long are the services?".
6. What are we communicating to our brothers and sisters in places like Yemen, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and China when we are too scared to go on a one week mission trip to Estonia or London, never mind the Middle East, and yet they have to live permanently in those spiriutal climates?
The American church is soft and weak. The metaphor holds: we build cruiseships and not battleships; we pamper customers instead of preparing soldiers. In many ways, I'm ready for persecution to come to the American church. If Billy Graham is correct in claiming up to 80% of Southern Baptists are actually unbelievers, and I tend to agree with him, then our churches will be cut by up to 80% when persecution comes. We will know who is truly of the Lord. Growth formulas, program driven models, and glitzy pomp and circumstance pastors conferences will be gone. We will be exhorting each other to remain faithful even during the moment of our hanging or beheading. We will be figuring out how to support our church members who are unemployed and homeless because of their stand for Christ. We will be reminding each other that Jesus is worth it when our children are taken from us "for their own protection". This is the reality in which many of our brothers and sisters live. To us, their plight is a distant phenomenon, to them, it is simply what it means to be a Christian.
I'm grateful for Pastor Youcef's example to me as a Christ follower. I'm praying for him so much. I'm in awe of him. His joy and confidence in the midst of his suffering, his strong letter of encouragement from his prison cell to his flock, and his determination all indicate there must be a special dispensation of grace given to the martyr by Christ in the final hours. It reminds me of Stephen smiling from ear to ear while being stoned to death. If and when we are ever called on to lay down our lives for the cause of Christ, it will be difficult to be sure, but there will also be the grace of Christ like we have never known it. We would truly participate in His suffering. I pray I will have the faith of Pastor Youcef. God is good.
Pastor Youcef's letter really gives us some perspective about American christianity. Here are some thoughts I have about American christianity after reading Pastor Youcef's letter:
1. Does how and what your church teaches you from God's Word prepare you to be willing to lay down your life for the sake of the gospel? Does your church teach you to GLADLY suffer for the gospel?
2. Those who worship in American churches tend to be horrified at the idea of suffering for the cause of Christ, but Pastor Youcef, in the tradition of our first century brothers and sisters, considers it a high honor. Are you willing to lay down your life for Christ? If not, why not?
3. Is the standard of salvation we practice in America the true measure of salvation? In the early church, people were willing to lose jobs, property, and even life for Christ on the day of their salvation. In Iran, you have to be ready to suffer for the faith starting on the day of your salvation. In America, we declare people born again after they have accepted a very simplistic explanation of the gospel and recited a prayer without ever having taken the time to count the cost of becoming a Christ-follower. Why have we separated the two ideas of "Savior" and "Lord"? If you haven't confessed Him as Lord of your life, how are you of Christ?
4. Pastor Youcef mentions to his congregation in his letter that he wants to remind them of the verses they study together EVERYDAY. The Korean church gathers early every morning for prayer. In America, believers wont show up for a weekly or montly prayer gathering at their church. Beyond that, we struggle with choosing between baseball games or going to worship on just one morning a week.
5. While our brothers and sisters around the world practice a christianity that expects them to lay down their life for the cause of Christ, we are asking questions like: "what progams do you have for my kids?", "how does that pastor make me feel?", "what color is the carpet?", "how long are the services?".
6. What are we communicating to our brothers and sisters in places like Yemen, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and China when we are too scared to go on a one week mission trip to Estonia or London, never mind the Middle East, and yet they have to live permanently in those spiriutal climates?
The American church is soft and weak. The metaphor holds: we build cruiseships and not battleships; we pamper customers instead of preparing soldiers. In many ways, I'm ready for persecution to come to the American church. If Billy Graham is correct in claiming up to 80% of Southern Baptists are actually unbelievers, and I tend to agree with him, then our churches will be cut by up to 80% when persecution comes. We will know who is truly of the Lord. Growth formulas, program driven models, and glitzy pomp and circumstance pastors conferences will be gone. We will be exhorting each other to remain faithful even during the moment of our hanging or beheading. We will be figuring out how to support our church members who are unemployed and homeless because of their stand for Christ. We will be reminding each other that Jesus is worth it when our children are taken from us "for their own protection". This is the reality in which many of our brothers and sisters live. To us, their plight is a distant phenomenon, to them, it is simply what it means to be a Christian.
I'm grateful for Pastor Youcef's example to me as a Christ follower. I'm praying for him so much. I'm in awe of him. His joy and confidence in the midst of his suffering, his strong letter of encouragement from his prison cell to his flock, and his determination all indicate there must be a special dispensation of grace given to the martyr by Christ in the final hours. It reminds me of Stephen smiling from ear to ear while being stoned to death. If and when we are ever called on to lay down our lives for the cause of Christ, it will be difficult to be sure, but there will also be the grace of Christ like we have never known it. We would truly participate in His suffering. I pray I will have the faith of Pastor Youcef. God is good.
Posts
