Learning from the Persecuted ChurchSample

Radical Hope

Hope is unquestionably one of the most powerful forces in the world.  As long as a person has hope, they can persevere. Hope enables heroic efforts in the midst of insurmountable odds. Hope stirs passion. Hope energizes the will. Hope sustains life.  Conversely, without hope, we are defeated. Our passion will dry up, the will is broken, and life will seem to have no purpose or meaning. Hope is both powerful and essential. As such, our great enemy seeks to destroy our hope. Through the witness of the Persecuted Church, we can see how God takes Satan's schemes and uses them for His eternal purposes and for our good.

The enemy desires to make our lives seem hopeless. He wants us to feel like there is nothing in our world that has beauty, value, or possibility. He tries to accomplish this in different ways, but primarily through our hardships. His plan is to make life hard to the point that we can focus on nothing else but our struggles. If difficulties are all we see, our hope quickly fades. The testimonies of the Persecuted Church are a reminder to us that God is still faithful and He is working for our good.

The Persecuted church helps us understand the truth of Romans 5, which begins with tribulations, but ends with a hope that does not disappoint. They have learned that it is through tribulations we learn to persevere, and through perseverance we develop the strength of our character. A life of continual ease does not enable us to know who we are or how we would react in times of struggles. It doesn’t give us the chance to experience God’s faithfulness in a time of crisis. Tribulations provide this opportunity. When we develop an assurance of God’s faithfulness, we will never be without hope. In fact, we will have a hope that is confident and steadfast. This type of hope will win every battle.