Mar 12

Written by: Spiritual Formation
3/12/2008 3:20 PM

Hey guys, this is Luke Shortridge. I do a number of things in the Spiritual Formation ministry but my primary job is hanging out with college students while pointing their hearts towards Christ. I’m not exactly sure what I am going to do with this blog in the long run but for now I wanted to share something with you all from my daily devotion.
 
1 Corinthians 4:11-13 Even now we go hungry and thirsty, and we don’t have enough clothes to keep warm. We are often beaten and have no home. We work wearily with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us. We are patient with those who abuse us. We appeal gently when evil things are said about us. Yet we are treated like the world’s garbage, like everybody’s trash—right up to the present moment. (NLT)
 
What does persecution look like for the Christian in America today? I guess asking that question assumes that Christians in America are persecuted… at least to some extent. It certainly seems difficult for us to relate to Paul writing these words.
 
Being constantly hungry and thirsty, not enough clothing to keep warm, being beaten and homeless… that certainly doesn’t describe me. As I write this I am sitting on my couch with “Law and Order” playing over my shoulder.  I just ate a nice bowl of Mac-N-Cheese. My house stays at a steady 71 degrees all year (although slightly warmer if my wife gets a hold of the thermostat!) and my closet is anything but empty.
 
This certainly wasn’t the case for Paul… and I’m aware that it isn’t the case for most Christians in the world today. More Christians have died in the name of Christ during the last 100 years than in the history of the church combined. Persecution still runs ramped in the Middle East, Africa, Asia… especially China, and many other places I’m probably not even aware of.
 
So how do I rectify all of this in my mind? Do I live day to day with a “survivors’ guilt,” feeling bad that God has blessed me in so many ways? I should think not.
 
But at the same time, I need to constantly guard my heart from becoming comfortable. I believe that most Christians in America don’t experience any sort of persecution… even on the most minor levels… because they have allowed themselves to be fully assimilated into the culture. Why stand up for Christ when it is easier to just sit back and watch Hell’s Kitchen (which is my favorite show on TV btw)? Why tell people about Christ when it is easier to talk about Britney Spear’s train wreck VMA performance?
 
I’m not saying culture is evil… I consider myself a student of the culture… but Christians need to stand up and speak out so that they can transform the culture from within. They need to be bold and not shy away from dirty looks, argumentative voices, or even worse. We need to fully utilize the Spirit in which we’ve been entrusted.
 
Just my thoughts… thanks for reading!
 
- Luke

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