The afflicted church
Save me, O Lord, from my enemies,
I have fled to you for refuge. Psalm 143:9
Read Revelation 2:8—11
Tonight I am given the opportunity to sit with brothers and sisters of another time and place. Well, the place is Izmir in Turkey. I imagine myself into the situation. These Christians are alive in the Lord, even rich in the Lord. But they are poor to their neighbours, partly because their neighbours see to it that they are poor. Their faith puts them apart. They have been cut off from the good jobs. Advancement is blocked. They get no sympathy from the Jewish enclave. They call them heretics. So, will it be Christ who will be at their centre, or is it time to find a happy medium? Surely nothing is achieved if I make myself awkward. They talk of prison. Must it come to that? Can I ever foresee that today? In what situation would I make myself that awkward?
Loving God, I thank you for all those, my brothers and sisters, who have suffered for your name. For the early martyrs, from the time of Christ, from among the apostles, who were faithful unto death. For Stephen. For James. For those who accepted poverty rather than popularity. For those who were never understood by their neighbours. For the unnamed faithful ever since, for those as I pray this night, who suffer imprisonment and torture at the hands of oppressive regimes and hostile families. You promise the crown of life. Prepare me for testing. Put me to faithfulness. Lead me to conquer in Christ.