Do Not be Surprised

There’s a lot of talk these days of the church in Canada being persecuted. With the surrounding culture having moved far from the Judeo-Christian values that once defined our country, Christians are facing antagonistic if not hostile opposition to what they believe and the ethics they seek to live by. But is it persecution? Can Christians in Canada today claim the mantle that the Apostles, Reformers, missionaries, and martyrs of the past claimed? Are Canadian Christians experiencing the persecution that their brothers and sisters in Islamic, Hindu, and Communist countries are facing today where the threat of shunning, financial loss, beatings, imprisonment, and even death are real?

The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Colossians, “Remember my chains.” It was an appeal to his fellow believers to pray for him as he sat in prison for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. And with that simple line, we are inspired by the martyrs of the past, and we are reminded of the plight of persecuted Christians around the world today.

This two-message series will take the format of a dialogue between me and Jordan Coros, our interim youth director. Together we will look at persecution from the days of the Bible, through history, and into our modern day in an attempt to help us understand what constitutes real persecution, to prepare our hearts for what may be coming in Canada, and to chart a God-honouring course of action in support of persecuted believers around the world.