Great Resistance to the World

Sunday, April 28, 2019

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.”

John 15:18–20

In December of 2018 a pastor in China, Wang Yi, was arrested by the government as part of their crackdown on the spread of Christianity in the Communist country. He was charged with “inciting subversion of state power” which carries a sentence of up to fifteen years in jail. Having learned that he was likely to be arrested, Wang Yi took the time to write a powerful letter to the members of his church.

“This does not mean that my personal and church disobedience is a political act in any sense of activism or civil disobedience. Because I have no intention of changing any of China’s systems and laws. As a pastor, the only thing I care about is the disobedience of faith, the shock of sinful humanity, and the testimony of the cross of Christ. As a pastor, my disobedience is part of the Gospel mission. The great mission of Christ requires our great resistance to the world. The purpose of resisting is not to change the world, but to witness another world.”

At a time when some Christians in America are trying to become more and more like the world, there are Christians in other countries who are willing to go to jail rather than conform. The witness of Christ living in us should be so precious that we will never give it up.

Today's Growth Principle: 

God does not call us to be accepted by the world, but to stand out from it as His children.