Mission Statement
Holy Ghost Ministries is a non-denominational ministry dedicated to preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ (Matthew
28:18-20), shoing the love of Christ to people through humanitarian projects (Matthew 25:34-40), and teaching unity in the
body of Christ according to the teachings of Jesus (John 17:20-23).
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Listening
to the Holy Spirit "Persecution in America?"
September 2009 |
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Persecution
in America?
Dear Friends and Partners,
Are Christians facing persecution in America? It is well documented that there
is persecution of Christians in many places in the world today - but what about
in America? Recently I experienced what might be termed low level persecution.
I felt led to share this with you and deal with the issue openly. It is likely
that many of you have experienced something similar.
The incident occurred when I responded to someone who sent me an e-mail unsolicited.
In fact, he sent the e-mail to several people and my address happened to have been
included. The man was making statements of his opinion about political matters,
but within his message he inferred that the writer of an earlier message was not
intelligent enough to verify facts of the matter about which he/she was forwarding
information to others. He personally attacked a woman at issue in the e-mail debate,
calling her a liar and he went on to chastise Christians in such a way as to simply
encourage them to be silent - which was his goal in the first place.
Normally, I never respond to people that are quite obviously trying to provoke a
response out of Christians, but I was somewhat tired of having non-Christians openly
chastise people of faith for their beliefs and use rhetoric that is blatantly condescending
to others. Unbelievers speak harshly of Christians claiming that we are not tolerant,
but then try to intimidate Christians to keep them from speaking openly about their
opinions and faith - a very intolerant action in and of itself. Knowing that I
risked being spoken ill of by the person, I responded. And, just as I thought,
the unbeliever became furious and began to attack me personally just as he had attacked
the person earlier. After spewing his venom and condescension for everyone to see,
he then began to write to me only and his words became even angrier and he started
using curse words and vulgarity. This from a person that did not know me personally
and wrote to me unsolicited in the first place. Where has decorum gone in our society?
What did I learn from this event? There were several things. First, the person
pretended at first to be sympathetic to Christian opinions, but then went on to
tell me that he had long since "abandoned Jesus and the Church" and simply had
no use for them anymore - showing his true beliefs very clearly. He feigned empathy
with Christians, though he really felt ill toward Christians in the first place.
Second, there are simply some people, Christians and non-Christians, who have lost
the ability to debate issues honorably and respectfully. When you see, read or
hear someone that immediately begins to tear down another person, or quickly does
so in the discourse, giving no real answer to the issues at hand - you are witnessing
a tactic that people use to kill the messenger because they cannot refute the evidence
or argument given about the issues at hand.
Third, though I used several opportunities to turn the person towards the love of
Christ and peace, even acknowledging my respect for his defense of his opinions,
the person seemed to become even angrier. It was as if the nicer my response to
him, the worse his rage became. This was because he wanted to provoke a Christian
publicly, baiting them into a trap for other Christians to see - thereby teaching
believers a lesson that they should simply be quiet and not interject their opinions
into public debate. An outcome that is not acceptable morally or legally in the
United States of America which guarantees every person the First Amendment right
of Free Speech - including Christians.
Lastly, I learned that the intolerance towards Christians and our beliefs is growing
in our nation. This person's demeanor with me is one example of the growing ferocious
nature of personal attacks against Christians in general. In the past few months,
the tide has turned considerably anti-Christian in America. There has been legislation
introduced that could be used to prosecute preachers who speak about the sin of
homosexuality from their pulpits, categorizing the message that homosexuality is
a sin as so called "hate speech" against homosexuals. The Biblical definition
of marriage which is between one man and one woman is under an all out assault with
a few states legalizing gay marriage and many judges using their bench to legislate
rather than interpret existing laws. Churches have been vandalized by radical homosexual
activists and in some instances church services have been disrupted by activists
that barge into churches to cause trouble and invoke fear upon Christians. The
movement to remove Christian prayer from our public life as a nation continues
with legal battles over prayers offered at graduations and public meetings. School
prayer is still a hotly debated issue all over the nation with people suffering
persecution in many instances. All of this is being done to silence the voice of
God in our nation.
I leave you with encouragement from the scriptures. Fear not to speak up for Jesus
Christ, for if you shall confess Him before men, He will confess you before the
Father. Do not allow the spirit of antichrist and the people who are influenced
by satan to intimidate you into silence.
Matthew 5:11-12 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all
kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is
your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were
before you.
1 Peter 4:14
14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the
Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
Isaiah 51:7 "Hear me, you who know what is right,
you people who have my law in your hearts:
Do not fear the reproach of men
or be terrified by their insults.
Persecution never begins with isolation, injury and open hostility - it begins with
hateful ideas in someone's mind, which they then put into words, and ultimately
leads to action. The Word of God says that the Truth will set us free. May every
good and decent person have the courage to speak the truth in the face of evil everywhere
in the world. And may God anoint leaders of our nations that will bring peace to
all mankind.
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His
Servant,
Jason Rapert
Holy Ghost Ministries
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