Brad Alles

As this series on preparing for a post-Christian culture comes to a close, this final installment will lead to next series of blogs on persecution.  As Christians prepare spiritually for what lies ahead, the topic of persecution is a difficult but necessary reality to grasp.

Peter says the following in 1 Peter 1:13: “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Peter knew that persecution comes with the territory of following Christ.  He himself was told by Jesus that he would one day die for Christ.  In John 21:18-19, Jesus informed Peter that he would die by crucifixion:

“Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”  Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

Notice Jesus’ final word–a command to follow Him.  In the next series of blogs we will see that persecution is a normal part of the Christian walk.  In America, we are not used to this.  But we have been the exception to the rule.  The Church has always lived with persecution.  Are we willing to live and die for Christ, or suffer in His name?  That’s what Peter meant in his epistle when he said to prepare your minds for action.

An excellent resource to help you in preparing your heart and mind for suffering is J. Paul Nyquist’s book Prepare: Living Your Faith in an Increasingly Hostile Culture.  I encourage you to read it.

In our next series, we’ll delve into persecution in more detail.  Until then, “set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”