Suffering for Jesus

I read this excerpt today and it made me think.  It was said in the context of Chinese Christians denouncing their faith in Jesus when being persecuted by their government.  There were many who did not, of course, but this was just a small part of what was said.

Your not becoming a traitor and your resistance in times of intensive trial depends upon your earlier Christian life.

When, after the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, the Lord appeared to Ananias, He told him how to teach a new convert: "I will show him how many things he must suffer for my Name's sake" (Acts 9:16).

Every Christian church that does not teach its members the main religious science, sufferology, does not fulfill its duties.  Impose upon yourself mortification. Learn to suffer and not to yield. The time may come when you will need this knowledge. -- Richard Wurmbrand as quoted in The Voice of the Martyrs, pg. 10 - June 2011

Why do you believe it matters that we endure a trial and resist denouncing our faith even under intense pressure?  Is that crazy? Would something like taqiyya be more sensible in getting through this world?  I remember in a book I read last year that Maimonides thought it foolish of his people to go through suffering when they could easily "convert" in name only in order to be left alone. 

First Book of the Year: The Orthodox Church

I started reading two books yesterday and the very first one of the New Year is The Orthodox Church by Timothy Ware. Both Amber and Daniel have recommended this book, it made my Amazon wishlist and I got it within a few days of my adding it there thanks to The Family's Need for Christmas Gift Suggestions for Me!  Everybody cheer now.

I can tell this is going to be one of those books I have to read a bit slowly because it's all new to me.  I plan to not get bogged down in detailed notes, preferring to jot key thoughts and interesting tidbits that took my attention instead.  Feel free to expound upon anything here or in future notes if you wish.

Right off the bat on page one, the author caught my attention when he said "Christians in the west, both Roman and Reformed, generally start by asking the same questions, although they may disagree about the answers. In Orthodoxy, however, it is not merely the answers that are different - the questions themselves are not the same as in the west." 

Huh?

Immediately I wanted to know: "what do you mean? what different questions?", but of course I must read the book to find the answers!

Although I've always considered myself as a Protestant to be very different from Catholics, in Orthodox views we "appear as two sides of the same coin" and the Pope is the first Protestant!    (p.2)

Orthodoxy means "right belief" and "right glory/worship" and the Orthodox "regard their Church as the Church which guards and teaches the true belief about God and which glorifies Him with right worship."  (pg. 8)

Also in the introduction the author mentions briefly that the Oriental and Eastern Orthodox churches split. This book mainly discusses the latter. He notes how the eastern expansion of the church was thwarted by this division and later the split with the Roman Catholic church kept it from expanding westward.  So it moved north...thus you find Russia, Romania, Bulgaria and surrounding areas home to large numbers of Orthodox Christians.  (pg.5)

Much of the time the Church was part of the State. (pg. 7) This reminds me of other books I've read where the religion and state were very closely tied in the past. People identified themselves mainly by religious labels in those days.

Although the Patriarch of Constantinople (known as the Ecumenical [or universal] Patriarch) holds a high honorary position, there is no equivalent to the Catholic Pope in Orthodox Christianity. (pg. 7)

In speaking of the Church and how people tend to think of it, the author notes Ignatius "thought of the Church as a Eucharistic society, which only realizes its true nature when it celebrates the Supper of the Lord, receiving His Body and Blood in the sacrament. But the Eucharist is something that can only happen locally - in each particular community gathered round its bishop; and at every local celebration of the Eucharist it is the whole Christ who is present, not just part of Him. Therefore each local community, as it celebrates the Eucharist Sunday by Sunday, is the Church in its fullness." (pg. 13)


Obviously this caught my attention since I noted it, but as to its meaning...I'm still trying to figure it out.  "Realizes its true nature"  -- what's this?  And what does he mean by stressing the "whole Christ" is present rather than merely a part of Him?  Why is celebrating the Eucharist "the Church in its fullness"?  Maybe the rest of the book sheds light these topics, but for now I'm pondering these words.



The three types of martyrdom was interesting:
1. White -- abandoning everything you love for the sake of God ; I'm guessing this is like a nun or monk possibly even a missionary who leaves his country and the comforts of home and family being near to serve God on a foreign field

2. Green -- freeing yourself of evil desires by fasting, laboring, or "suffer[ing] toil in penance and repentance"  -- I remembered a blog discussion a few weeks ago about unmarried Muslim men controlling sexual urges by fasting when I saw this description (note: sex is not an evil desire; however outside of marriage, sex is frowned on and considered sinful in some religions)

3. Red --  enduring "a Cross or death for Christ's sake"   (pg.15) -- I believe these are the ones most of us think of when we hear the word martyr (I do anyway); think shaheed in Islam



The Orthodox Church believes councils are important. In fact, "it believes that the council is the chief organ whereby God has chosen to guide His people. ... In the Church there is neither dictatorship nor individualism, but harmony and unanimity; its members remain free but not isolated, for they are united in love, in faith, and in sacramental communion. ... In a true council no single member arbitrarily imposes his will upon the rest, but each consults with the others, and in this way they all freely achieve a 'common mind.'"  (pg. 15)

I liked that description of councils actually.  I've noticed how the East tends to be more about community and family whereas the West often stresses individualism (although I'd be wrong to say family and society are thrown out the window as family is very important to most of us despite what outsiders may think.)  "Free but not isolated" sounds quite good actually.

On the negative side: I wonder if all these men who make up the council (I'm assuming women are not part of this) "freely achieve a 'common mind'" that keeps women as second-class residents of this planet whose main purpose in life is to serve men and breed children.  I suppose I'll have to read more and make up my mind.


Thoughts?

Matthew 20:1-16 -- The "Unfairness" of God

"It's not fair!"

"Life is just not fair!"

Have you ever heard these words before?  Maybe if you are like me, you've heard them come from your own mouth a time or two. Or maybe you've heard this from your child and had to give him or her the ol' "you're right so get over it" speech (or a variation of it) that I heard from my mom.

I can't explain or really understand why some people have good lots in life while others struggle merely to survive. Why some have the touch that makes most everything turn to gold while still others seem to be born losers. Why was I born in a country at a time where I don't have to struggle for my rights to vote, have a career or the freedom to express myself even if I'm critical of my own government and leaders?  I live in a nation where I can worship God freely, in a church and read my Bible without having to look over my shoulder to see if the police are coming to take it away because they hate what I believe God is saying to me.

I've read stories out of China where people in rural areas hide their Bibles because authorities there want to confiscate and burn these illegal books and imprison those who have them!  I can't imagine such an existence because I've always had freedom.  Likely I've even taken this freedom for granted wrongly believing it's the way most people in the world live.

Then I hear from my friends in Syria who can't legally access certain websites like Facebook, Blogger (this blog!!), YouTube and Amazon because that country wants to control its people or something!

Back to fairness, I was reading this passage in Matthew 20 and wanted to ask to whom you could most relate in these verses and what your thoughts were on this parable that Jesus told concerning what the kingdom of heaven is like.

¹ “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ² He agreed to pay them a denarius [the usual daily wage for a day laborer] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

   ³ “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. ⁴ He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ ⁵ So they went.

   “He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. ⁶ About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

   ⁷ “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

   “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

   ⁸ “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

   ⁹ “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. ¹⁰ So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. ¹¹ When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ¹² ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

   ¹³ “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. ¹⁵ Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

   ¹⁶ “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Did you find yourself identifying with the workers who had been slaving away in the hot sun all day thinking they should have received more than those who had only worked one hour?  "It's not fair! We worked all day and these guys only worked an hour and you are paying them the same!"  Or were you OK with being paid the exact same since you agreed upon the usual daily wage and that is what your employee paid? It wasn't as if he broke his promise, right?  

Who will admit to being envious because the employee was generous and paid those who worked only 1 hour the same as those working 8 or 10 or 12?  Don't you think the employee was unfair for having paid everyone the same when some worked much harder and longer than others?

How does this parable relate to the kingdom of heaven since this is what Jesus said the whole point of it was?  And what does "so the last will be first, and the first will be last" mean? 

What lessons can we learn from this parable?  What "lessons" do you think the Chinese person who has to hide his faith might know from his situation that I might not know as one who has taken these freedoms for granted?  Do you see how in some ways he may have the advantage?  I daresay it makes a stronger believer if one realizes confiscation of property, torture and imprisonment are at stake for faith in Jesus Christ as opposed to one like me who believes in a nation that is favorable to Jesus.  Adversity tends to make stronger - more dedicated - believers. I admire my brothers and sisters in Christ who have faith in spite of opposition and unfairness.

Do you agree with how I titled this post? Do you believe this parable demonstrates the "unfairness" of God?  Do you agree that His "unfairness" can be a good thing? If you don't like the title, how would you rephrase it?


Thoughts on any of this?