Fifty-two

I’m sure some of you are aware last week was Banned Books Week (September 21st – 27th). With that in mind, I’ve been thinking about banned books all week. I looked up famous banned/censored books. What I’ve always found interesting about banned books is that a lot of the time the books that are banned are wonderful, beautiful books such as: Uncle Tom’s Cabin, To Kill a Mocking Bird, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, A Wrinkle in Time, etc. etc. Some of these books were banned because they came against social norms or were labeled as racist or because of their religious content.

The most popular reasons books are banned is for their sexual content, language, and violence, which is understandable in some cases, especially for certain age groups, but another reason is one I mentioned above: religious content. I was a little surprised to find books, famous books, that were banned because they had relgious ideas. And that’s where my post today is going to start. Once I started seeing more and more books banned because of their religious content, my interest sparked into looking up the Bible as a banned book.

What I’ve gathered is that the Bible has been banned or censored in 52 countries. North Korea being the number one and most severe. The next 10 countries are labeled as extreme. There are 195 countries in the world today, and over 1/4 of them have banned the Bible.

Why?

The Bible is dangerous. The Gospel is dangerous. It challenges the status quo. It challenges people’s beliefs and lifestyles and asks them to be better and different and selfless. There are numerous reasons the Bible is banned, but the most important one is this: the Devil doesn’t want it there. He doesn’t want it in any of our hands because the Bible tells us everything we need to know about our faith.

My mind was turning, and I felt a new, refreshed compassion and urgency for believers in countries where it’s dangerous. We deal with bits of persecution, and honestly, I think it’s growing. There are stories of people being told they can’t have Bible studies in their homes or kids being told to put their Bibles away at school, even when it’s their free time.

So persecution comes in many forms and none of it should be belittled. But Christians in North Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, and so many other places risk their lives all because they believe in Jesus. In many places if people even have a Bible on them they could get put in prison. Some people are killed because of their faith. Take a look at these verses:

“For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.” 

1 Corinthians 4:9-13

 “We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything."  

2 Corinthians 6:3-10

The apostles faced fierce persecution, not unlike many Christians face today. It’s sometimes easy for us to forget that other Christians are persecuted and taken to jail or killed because of their faith because we don’t deal with the fear of death or jail. But it’s real, and we need to be aware of it, and we need to pray.

Today I want to ask you something. When was the last time you prayed for Christians in other countries or even people you go to church with? When was the last time you prayed for the President? The Prime Minister? Governors and mayors? Senators? Parliament? Leaders all over the world? All of us forget to, but this is a challenge to you and to me. Let’s pray every chance we can. And when we pray, let’s believe wholeheartedly.

“… The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” 

James 5:16

Prayer is powerful because our God is powerful. Let’s strive to be people of prayer.

(image from: http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large-5/vintage-world-map-michal-bednarek.jpg)

Those Awkward Elevator (or Lift) Moments

We’ve all had them, haven’t we? We’re standing alone in an elevator, or a lift for those Anglicized people out there, and a herd of people walk in or we walk into the elevator into a mass of people, and no one is talking. The quiet classical music only makes matters worse because it tells us it’s only there to help alleviate the silence of the elevator. People look down at their phones absent-mindedly or are suddenly quite fascinated by their shoes.

Why do those moments in the lift have to be that way? The simple answer is they don’t. But the broader answer is that for whatever reason, we don’t find it within our comfort zone or time schedule to at least smile at the person next to us. I want to challenge that thinking or way of life. What if we took ahold of every opportunity to share and show God’s love? How different would your day be? But more importantly, how different would the person you smile at or say a kind word to be?

“Be careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” Ephesians 5:15-17 (NIV) 

 “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:5-6 (NIV) 

The Bible clearly tells us to take hold of every opportunity that comes our way because as Jesus said in Matthew chapter five, we are the salt of the Earth. What does being salt mean? Well, what does salt do? Salt makes food taste better: we are to make the world better by spreading God’s love and his truth. We are here to finish what Jesus started. We’re his hands and feet that are empowered by the Holy Spirit to do everything Jesus did while here and more. However, I feel like we keep standing in the elevator, waiting for our floor to come so we can check out and go on about our day.

But that’s wrong. If we proclaim to be Jesus’ disciples and that’s our lifestyle, then we’re falling very short of what Jesus asked us to do. Compare that to what Jesus said in Mark 16:15-18:

“He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach to gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.’” (NIV)

Let me begin by saying this: do not go pick up a deadly snake and drink poison to prove a point. I know you’re all smart, but Jesus was only saying that if they were bitten or were poisoned, they would be okay. It’s not a license to go be stupid.

Anyway. Isn’t the difference here drastic? Jesus told us to go. Notice how many times the word will is spoken in that verse? Nine times. That’s a lot, and it’s important. Merriam-Webster says the word will is used to express inevitability. We will speak with new tongues. We will lay hands on the sick and they will recover. We will cast out demons. We will do it all in his name. It’s inevitable. What he said will happen, always. So don’t be afraid. Rely on him and not on yourself.

I know it seems daunting to think about talking to strangers, but think about it this way: you’re living intentionally. And it’s really not that hard. Living intentionally doesn’t mean you’re running up to strangers and annoying them, but it means you’re taking advantage of every opportunity that presents itself. Every day when I get up, I try to remember to pray for divine opportunities to come across my path and for the Holy Spirit to give me guidance and the words to speak when they do. Once you start praying that, they’ll happen, and you’ll remember you prayed, and you won’t be so caught off guard. You’ll remember you prayed for it to happen and take advantage of it.

Here’s an example of something that happened to me recently.

When I went to Northern Ireland, we had some free time and we went to Belfast. While there, we made a Starbucks run and I was waiting in line for the restroom and I didn’t like the silence, so I said to the lady behind me, “Are you out shopping today?” And the conversation started from there. I didn’t know where it was going, but for whatever reason I knew I couldn’t take the silence anymore. Because she could automatically tell I was American she asked what I was doing and so I told her about the CreativeLab.

            She said, “So you’re a Christian?”

            I smiled and said I was.

            She nodded sadly and said, “Many people in my family are Christians and I’ve tried it, but it just hasn’t worked for me.” Her reply broke my heart, but it made me see why I had to speak to her. And I remembered I’d been praying for divine opportunities, so I decided to take advantage of it.

            “Well, I couldn’t live without Jesus,” I said. “He’s amazing and I’m more amazed by his love everyday.” I encouraged her to go to church and the conversation ended. It’s as simple as that. We say we love Jesus and he’s all we need, but it’s time to show it.

            My challenge to you today is to begin praying for the Holy Spirit to guide you to people to share his love and hope with (that’s all a divine opportunity is), and to live intentionally. When an opportunity comes, take ahold of it because it’s what we’re here to do.

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” Romans 10:14-15 (NIV)

Have beautiful feet, my friends.