The Thunder Rolls

It’s midnight ten and I can’t fall asleep.

It’s lightning and thundering outside and the time seems right for some introspection in the midst of political and social turmoil in the U.S.

I traveled to China a couple of times in the last year and it wrecked my life in a good way. I had the opportunity to experience and see things that most never will in their lifetime, one of those things being just a small taste of the persecuted church. The church in China is a lot different than what you see here in the states. What they care about is a lot different too.

When you talk church state-side with someone outside of the church, sentiments of bigotry and hypocrisy come up and rightly so. Time and time again what Christians talk about what they’re are against and why they’re against it more than they talk about how Jesus is actively at work in an individual’s or communities’ life. The outside world knowing what the church is against instead of Jesus who the church is for is a travesty.

I’m a student minister in a church and I hear more about social-cultural issues outside of Sunday’s and Wednesday’s than I ever do about Jesus moving in the life of the community or an individual. I can recount numerous stories and incidences about social and political issues being discussed but sadly I can only recall one Jesus life-changing story I’ve heard from someone this year.

When it’s church time (which is a totally absurd concept) people are all about Jesus. When it’s any other hour or day of the week its about yelling at the politician and social issue you disagree with. It’s disheartening. Something has gone terribly wrong if this is the final destination of our faith.

In China, something has gone terribly right. Chinese Christians literally risking their lives to be Christian. If you don’t understand why Jesus is worth following, then risking your life for him probably doesn’t make sense to you. If you do know why he’s worth following then read on.

Just this past week, the Chinese government ordered a church to be bulldozed down. The pastor’s wife ran into the building hoping it would stop demolition crews from tearing down the church. It didn’t, the demolition crew moved forward and she lost her life in the process of the crew bulldozing the building over her. That’s a tame story of some of the atrocities committed against Christians in China and across the rest of the world.

Just Google “Chinese Christians in Black Jails.” The stories are overwhelming of people being killed, tortured, and their family harmed simply because they believe in Jesus. Despite fear, they choose to love their captors and enemies. All of this is in the pursuit of others getting to know a real Jesus who gives peace beyond the pain of communism. These are people who know what’s worth fighting for.

In my home country however, Starbucks red cups, bathrooms, boycotts, LGTBQi relations, Republicans vs Democrats, religious protection laws, CNN vs Fox News, and hatred of liberalism dominate the conversation (to be fair, that’s not all American-christians but it’s definitely many). This version of Christianity seems foreign to me and to be honest, it makes me sick inside.

We’re more worried about our safety than we are people knowing the life-changing love of Christ.

The worst part… we’re bold enough to decry persecution. SMH. A.k.a. Shaking my head. The man being forced to renounce his baptism or face instant execution on a beach is persecution. The man being forced to renounce his faith or soldiers opening fire on his wife and kids is persecution. The government choosing to allow gays to marry is not. If you think the government or society is what holds families together and will save them then oh my.

I flip to memories of China forever etched in my heart any time these sorts of conversations come up. I get frustrated because we have no idea what persecution even is let alone the right to claim we’re persecuted. We worship safety and comfort over the good news. I usually keep to myself but maybe it’s time for me to change that. We can be busy whining about the government not conforming to our standards or we can be salt and light to a generation who so desperately needs it. If someone else coming to know Jesus costs me my life isn’t that worth it?

It’s not right on my part, but like a storm brewing up, I just want to burst forth in anger and angrily shout at everyone around me, “What the hell is wrong with you people?! You’re more invested and you spend more time in your anger because of liberal media and government decisions than you are making it your personal mission to serve any and all hoping they experience the peace and life Jesus brings.” Maybe I shouldn’t be cursing in my head, but I’m just being transparent and while I’m being transparent, there’s a stronger word bouncing around than hell. We’ve totally missed it.

I’m sick of the conversation that’s fear-driven about how Christian’s are losing their ground in the United States. Even if we are, we still have more opportunity than most around the world to make a positive impact but instead we waste time and energy on complaining about people rather than helping them. It’s absolutely maddening. I’m not convinced you’d find Jesus in a modern day church on Sunday. I’ve got this gut feeling he’s hanging out with the rejected, the despised, those we’re afraid of, those cast out by our standards and that scares me. I want to be where Jesus is. I’ll take Jesus and peace over comfort and safety any day of the week.

When kids are going hungry in cities around us, when the confused have no light to turn to because we’ve turned the light off, when people suffer and we’re not there to help others whether it’s their fault or not, we’ve plain and simple turned our backs on Jesus. Jesus when did we see you hungry, thirsty, or in prison? We don’t know. We were too busy being angry and frustrated at the culture around us. Can I just reiterate that perfect love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18)? Fear-driven Christianity isn’t Christianity at all. It’s just another cult among the many where fear is our god.

There’s a reason why Paul says what he says in 1 Corinthians 2:2.

For I didn’t think it was a good idea to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. –HCSB

Getting caught up in anything other than Jesus leads us astray and if you think Jesus is here to make you feel good about your political and social views, you are not following Jesus. I just don’t see Jesus sitting on the couch yelling at CNN. A million dollars says he’s out serving and ministering to those we’re yelling at and about on the TV and all those we’re frustrated at.

While Christians around the world give up their life so others can know Jesus and the life he gives, I refuse to be caught up in not having my way socially and politically. I can complain or I can serve. I can fear or I can be on mission. It’s high time for some Made in China Christianity in my life. There’s nothing pleasant about it or even all that appealing but it’s right. We’re called to shoulder our cross.

So, it has grown quite and the storms have passed for the night. It’s 2:25am now. My mind is still yet focused. I know many around me will continue to be bent out of shape about bathrooms, gays, pedophiles, celebrities boycotting states over religious liberty bills and the likes, and while they invest their thinking, time, energy, and anger into these things, I can at least choose Jesus. I won’t masquerade my personal safety in Jesus either.

I’ll choose not to latch onto whatever grievance I have with society around me and instead I’ll choose Jesus who is walking into the mess. Faith expressing itself through love (Galatians 5:6) is the only thing that counts in this life so let’s do it well. Others knowing the peace and love of Jesus is more important to me than my liberties or self comfort. I must resolve to only know Christ and Christ crucified.