On Sunday evening, August 3, I had the privilege of preaching at our former church, Placerita Baptist Church in Newhall, California. The topic for the night was “The Persecuted Work of Christ: The Painful Path to Glory.” We looked together at Jesus’ discourse in John 15 and noticed four facts about persecution:

1. The Promise of Persecution (Jn. 15:18-21)

2. The Pinnacle of Persecution (Jn. 15:18-21)

3. The Purpose of Persecution (Jn. 15:22-25)

4. The Paraclete of Persecution (Jn. 15:26-27)

Studying and preaching this passage really opened my eyes to the importance of Christ’s persecution, the dark reality of persecution over twenty centuries of Christianity, and the tremendous value of the Holy Spirit in times of affliction.

You can download or listen to the sermon here.

As you may have noticed, things have been pretty quiet around here lately. Natalie, the kids, and I just returned from a week of vacation with my in-laws in Central California. We had a wonderful time with them, and I have some special memories I plan to share later on the blog. But no matter how good a vacation is, there’s just no place like home.

As we pulled into the driveway last night, I think all of us were excited to be home. Even little Heidi was grinning from ear-to-ear when I showed her the nursery and laid her down on the living room floor to play.

The joy of a comfortable home, a familiar bed, and a regular routine reminded me last night that all those who know Christ are awaiting a future day when we will arrive “home” once and for all. In this life, Christians are permanent travelers; Peter calls us “aliens and strangers” (1 Pet. 2:11). But Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us (Jn. 14:3), and it is actually better to leave this body and be at home with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8).

When Jesus calls us home to be with Him in heaven, we will experience the most joyful and satisfying homecoming ever.

While scanning through Paul Marshall’s book Their Blood Cries Out, I came across this excellent quote. It shows the poisonous nature of the therapeutic gospel and prosperity gospel in times of suffering. Marshall here sounds very similar to David Wells, and helps explain why so many American Christians are apathetic to global persecution today.

Clearly, a positive outlook can have value in dealing with most of our ordinary day-to-day frustrations. But if God is always supposed to provide relief, then suffering Christians seem to make God appear untrustworthy and the product unreliable. Why hasn’t Christianity “worked” for the Sudanese the way it does in America? How can the prayers of suffering Christians in Vietnam remain unanswered?

Historically, the heart of the evangelical gospel has been “Christ died for your sins,” not the modern preoccupation “Christ died for your problems.” If religious teaching becomes a promise of psychological benefits, then a seemingly logical conclusion is that suffering stems from a lack of faith…

But what does this mean for those who struggle against adversity, persecution, and poverty? If obedience is the key to the future, then they must somehow have failed, somehow have fallen short of God’s best, somehow been disobedient. What does it say of the apostle Paul, writing letters from a prison cell, not to mention Jesus, who was markedly “unsuccessful.” He found himself betrayed, abandoned, and hung on a cross.

These are not the only tendencies in evangelicalism. But they are the dominant ones. They are the themes that dominate the best-seller lists, the magazines, the TV shows, and all-too-many of the churches. The result is a faith that has its eyes turned resolutely inward.

Self-absorption is clearly not the only reason western evangelicals remain unconcerned about their persecuted counterparts across the sea. But it certainly contributes to the apathy. (pp. 155-56)

Donna Ascol has finally written an update on her husband Tom, who was struck by lighting two weeks ago. You can read her message here. It sounds like Tom is making a slow and difficult – but steady – recovery. Please continue to keep him in your prayers.

I was convicted over my own lack of sensitivity toward the elderly and infirm as I read this paragraph:

We understand more about the mysteries of the human body and how many people suffer from real symptoms that cannot be viewed by casual observers. Even as Tom struggled through the airport, I wondered how many travelers were aware of his struggle. I doubt that those who were frustrated by his slow gait and halting steps stopped to consider what might be going on inside of him. I pray that God would help me to be more compassionate to those who struggle internally.