One man stood in the town square. His words carried across a crowd that was growing agitated around him. Sensing the danger, he was faced with a decision. Should he moderate his message to try to calm the situation? Should he run as fast as he could, hoping to get away before the mob turned violent? Should he continue, trusting that the God whose gospel he was preaching would protect him? He decided to trust God. This decision almost cost him his life.

Before I finish the story, let me ask you a question. Where do you believe this scene took place? In today’s world, the options are so numerous that it is really an unfair question. It could be in Tehran, Iran; or Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; or Jakarta, Indonesia; or Portland, Oregon; or one of thousands of other cities that have seen Christians attacked, beaten, and sometimes killed for their religious and political beliefs. Truth is, this particular story does not take place in today’s world, but two thousand years ago in the city of Lystra. Paul and his fellow missionary, Barnabas, faced an increasingly hostile audience. When the crowd temperature hit boiling, they pounced on Paul and dragged him out of the city. Picking up rocks, they began to pelt him with them until they thought he was dead. Only God’s miraculous intervention allowed him to stand back up and return to the city.

What would you have done in that situation? As far-fetched as this type of incident may seem to you today, the time is coming when Christians may be faced with the same kind of decision. Recently, Vice President Mike Pence spoke to the graduating class of Liberty University. “Some of the loudest voices for tolerance today have little tolerance for traditional Christian beliefs,” he said. “As you go about your daily life, just be ready because you’re going to be asked not just to tolerate things that violate your faith, you’re going to be asked to endorse them. You’re going to be asked to bow down to the idols of the popular culture.”[1] In other words, if you refuse to call “good” what God does not call “good,” there will be ramifications.

The consequences of going against the cultural group-think can take the form of verbal attacks—something that both Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, have recently experienced. They may be financial attacks—job loss or businesses boycotts. The growing refusal by many states to do business with Alabama, Georgia, and Missouri due to their strong anti-abortion stances is just one example. With the increasing number of assaults on churches and other places of worship, the physical danger of taking a stand for God in America is becoming more and more real.

Paul trusted that God would take care of him, even if the road was bumpy for a time. And even if the bumps got so big that he ended up losing his life, Paul was still going to preach the truth of Christ. He wrote, “For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better” (Philippians 1:21). Paul made his decision, and that is what gave him the courage to reach so many with the truth.

What will you do when the heat is turned up? Vice President Pence encouraged the graduates to “decide here and now that you’re going to stand firm.” In doing so, “You’ll always be prepared to give a reason for the hope that you have, and you’ll do so with gentleness and respect.”[2] Good words and a great challenge.

-Joel

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[1] Chiu, Allyson. “Mike Pence’s Advice to Christian College Grads: Prepare to Be ‘Shunned or Ridiculed for Defending the Teachings of the Bible.’” The Washington Post, WP Company, 13 May 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/05/13/mike-pences-advice-christian-college-grads-prepare-be-shunned-or-ridiculed-defending-teachings-bible/.

[2] Ibid.