Attacks Against Christians

Attacks against Christians – Where do they come from and how do we overcome them?

1 Thessalonians 2:13 – 3:13

25/03/07

audio + powerpoint

Introduction

Have you ever felt like you were under attack? Welcome to normal life as a Christian! One of the least loved promises of the Bible is found in 2 Timothy 3:12 - In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (o/h)

As we journey together through the book of 1 Thessalonians, we come to a section in chapters 2 and 3 which raises the issue of attacks against Christians – where do the come from and how do we overcome them? (o/h)

Read: 1 Thessalonians 2:13 – 3:13

Open in Prayer

Part One – Where do attacks against Christians come from?

Before we answer the question of where do attacks against us come from, we need to quickly identify what they look like (o/h). Attacks against us take 2 basic forms:

1) Opposition (2:14-16)

This type of attack normally comes through people. It might take the form of a rival religious group, or an oppressive government, or harassment in the media, slander and gossip in the community, mischievous lawsuits, underhanded business dealings, discrimination in the workplace and so on. It’s when Christians are being treated badly because of their faith.

Paul says the goal of the Jewish agitators was to try and stop the message about Jesus from being proclaimed to the Gentiles. They were trying to protect the purity of their own religion and also stop a rival religion from being established. You might recall others who stirred up persecution against Christians, such as the metalworkers in Ephesus. Their goal was to protect their income and the status of their goddess, Artemis. Or persecution from the Roman Empire, which was attempting to maintain the unity of the empire by insisting that the emperor must be worshipped along with whatever other gods people chose. Each of these sources of opposition had different motives, but one goal: they wanted to stop the message about Jesus from being shared. As long as Christians were being fairly quiet and keeping to themselves, they were safe. As soon as they started sharing the message publicly and seeing people’s lives changed through accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour, then persecution would inevitably follow. In fact, as Paul pointed out in his letter to Timothy, even living a godly life – which is a witness to Jesus – is enough to make you a target for opposition.

2) Seduction (3:5)

This type of attack is one that seeks to use our own sinfulness against us. Even though Christians are saved from sin, we are not yet completely saved – it is a work in progress that will only finish when Jesus returns in power to destroy sin and death forever. Until then, we are susceptible to making wrong choices that take us away from God’s good plan for our lives. Choices that corrupt our witness and prevent us from living a godly life.

Temptation is the art of making garbage look delicious. It is the ability to tune in to a person’s desires and use them against him or her. Satan tried to discover desires within Jesus that he could manipulate. He tried to find a desire for power, for physical satisfaction, for reassurance and respect. All he found was that Jesus desired to please His Father.

Before receiving Timothy’s report, Paul was worried that Satan had managed to tune in to the desires of the Thessalonian Christians in order to tempt them from the faith. Did some crave wealth? Did some chase respect and the good opinion of others? Did some crave physical pleasures?

This has brought us to the point of answering our main question: Where do attacks against Christians come from? (o/h)

Attacks against Christians stem from Satan (2:17-18)

When Paul describes how his travel plans were thwarted by Satan, he does not go into details about how that occurred. It was through opposition of some sort. It may have been because of the Jewish agitators still present in Thessalonica. It could have been because Jason and others had posted bond, and would lose it if Paul came back – a form of financial opposition. Whatever it looked like, Paul says that it came from Satan.

The Bible portrays Satan as the head of an organisation of angels who rejected God’s authority and are at work in the world to usurp His rule and His plans. For that reason they stand against the church, and seek to destroy the church in any way they can, through opposition and seduction. Satan is not like God – he is not everywhere and doesn’t know everything. However he is the ruler of the spiritual forces that stand opposed to God and God’s people.

As a result, around the world we see all sorts of different strategies being used against the church. In some places it is the fear of litigation for speaking the truth, as has been the case in Australia recently when 2 pastors accurately taught about some of the less well-known teachings within the Qur’an and were charged with religious vilification. In others it take the form of kidnappings, tortures and murders. Sometimes it is being excluded from opportunities in business, sporting or social groups. Sometimes it involves being the target of jokes or offensive behaviour. When things like this happen we tend to look at the people who are doing it as though they are responsible. The Bible never spells out exactly how it is that Satan and his angels exercise their control over the world systems, but it is clear that this world is under Satan’s control, and that the people of this world need to be rescued from the dominion of their hidden master.

Ephesians 6:12 says this (o/h)

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

So if this is the case, what are we to do about it?

The Apostle Peter explains in 1 Peter 5:6-9:

^6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. ^7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

^8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ^9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

James the brother of Jesus echoes the same truth in James 4:7:

^7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

So what is the first step. Peter said it was to humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand. James said that it was to submit ourselves to God. The same truth in different words. In Ephesians 6:10, Paul starts his discussion of spiritual warfare on exactly the same note.

“be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.”

The first lesson in overcoming Satan’s attack is that we are not the point. It’s not about our strength or our desires. People who demand to be in control of their own lives actually belong in Satan’s kingdom. People who think that they can make it on their own belong in Satan’s kingdom. God’s kingdom consists of those who have accepted that Jesus is Saviour and Lord. As our Saviour it is His strength that we need to survive. As our Lord it is His will that we follow. And so instead of trying to be strong in ourselves we submit ourselves to the one who has already overcome Satan.

(o/h) – We must stop focussing on ourselves.

This is easy to say but tough to do. To stop focussing on yourself leaves no room to wallow in self-pity. It leaves no room to do your own thing. It leaves no room for treating others badly, no matter how they might have treated you. On the positive side it leaves no room for wallowing in guilt either, because your failures are no longer the point.

To stop focussing on ourselves protects us from temptation because we are not focussed on our own desires but on pleasing God. It protects us from opposition because it reminds us that God is the only one with the power to affect eternity and our destiny. No matter what Satan throws at us we are safe in God’s hands. The Bible says that God has the power to take Satan’s attacks against us and turn them around so they actually work for our good! The greatest attack Satan ever mounted against God’s kingdom was when He succeeded in having Jesus nailed to a cross. Imagine the victory that Satan thought he had won. The all powerful Creator of the Universe, invulnerable to anything that Satan might concoct, dares to take on human form, and in doing so makes Himself vulnerable. Satan seizes the opportunity and succeeds in having the God-man killed. VICTORY!! THE FORCES OF EVIL HAVE OVERCOME GOD HIMSELF!

But then God the Father raises Jesus from the dead, and in doing so rescues millions upon millions of people from the kingdom of darkness and brings them into the kingdom of light. Satan’s greatest victory is turned into his greatest defeat. That’s the power of God at work! That’s the power that we can access when we stop focussing on ourselves and start focussing on Jesus.

The second part of this lesson is that it means that other people are not the point either (o/h) – we must stop focussing on others. Instead of getting angry and bitter toward people and how they have attacked us or tempted us away from Christ, we begin to see them as victims of a more malicious enemy. It means we can replace anger toward those people with sadness and even mercy. Instead of a desire to retaliate or seek revenge or punishment our desire becomes more to seek their salvation. The story of Paul and Silas with the Philippian Jailer is a good example of this principle. However we don’t just seek salvation for people who don’t have it, but also for those who do. Salvation is something you receive and something you grow in. When Christians sin against us, we must also seek to help them grow in their salvation (eg. 2 Tim 3:16).

So if we must not focus on ourselves or on others, what should we do?

We must stand firm in our faith (o/h)

In other words, as we have already said, we focus on Jesus instead. What did Paul do when he feared for the wellbeing of the Thessalonians? He wasn’t sure if they’d crumbled under opposition or been seduced by temptation.

He sent Timothy to strengthen their faith.

1 Thessalonians 3:2-3

We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God’s fellow worker ^ in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, ^3 so that no one would be unsettled by these trials.

In Ephesians, 1 Peter and James the exact same language is used: “Stand firm” “Resist the devil”. It’s referring to a faith which is solid, unmoving. No matter what Satan does to you, no matter what cunning lies he tells you, no matter what tempting enticements he offers you – do not move from what you know is true. Stand firm in your faith. Keep looking at Jesus. Keep remembering what He has done for you. Keep thinking about what He has in store for you. Keep hold of His promises.

Sometimes in life we go through intense trials and temptations that make it really hard to keep our eyes on Jesus. I have gone through such times of discouragement that I have even doubted my own salvation and the work God has called me to. I have been knocked about and Satan at times has seemed to have been on the verge of victory. I have almost given up on the church because in my depressed state of mind it has seemed as though the church is no different to any other club. I have almost given up on preaching because it doesn’t seem to make any difference to how people actually live. I have almost given up on leadership because no matter what I do it seems someone is pulling in the other direction. I have almost given up on visiting because people still seem to think I don’t care. I have almost given up offering biblical counsel because people will always find some reason not to do what the Bible says anyway. I have doubted my salvation because of my despair over sin.

What is it that has kept me safe? The first thing is that my faith is based on the Word of God. No matter what Satan is able to achieve in my circumstances - or even within the church - that creates doubts in my mind; even when I have felt so low that it has been hard to sense the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life; still I have a faith that is grounded in the truth. And so I come, much like King David in the Psalms, with an anguished heart and I meditate on the Scriptures that point me to Jesus. And slowly God heals my wounds, encourages my heart, teaches and grows me and helps me to stand firm.

Finally, we must devote ourselves to prayer (o/h)

It is no coincidence that Paul closes this section of the letter with a prayer for the Thessalonians. Prayer is powerful and effective in the spiritual battle that we are in. 1 Peter 5:7 says: “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

Ephesians 6:18 says:

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

We have already talked about the importance of prayer at the beginning of this series in Thessalonians, so I won’t go over it again. There is also an article in this week’s Friendly Messenger on that topic.

We need to recognise that we are in a spiritual battle. If we really want to stand firm against all kinds of attacks against us, and if we want to see other people coming to faith in Jesus Christ, we have to be people of prayer. Prayer is not something we do at church and Bible study, or even during our daily devotions. Prayer is the constant communion of spirit that we have with God as we recognise His presence in our lives. It is talking with Him as our constant companion. It is allowing Him to exercise His role as our Lord as He is given the opportunity to influence our thinking and behaviour. It is relying on Him as our helper and also the helper of those we pray for.

Do you want to be able to stand firm as a Christian no matter what? Do you want to overcome the attacks of your enemy? Stop focussing on yourself or on others. Focus on Jesus by standing firm in your faith and devoting yourself to prayer.

I want to close by reading Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians in Ephesians 1:15-23:

^15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, ^16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. ^17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. ^18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ^19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, ^20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ^21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. ^22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, ^23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Jesus can handle whatever it is that you are facing! Trust Him.