God Bless America
This year the United States of America celebrates her 250th birthday as a nation. Some have called the founding of the USA an "experiment" because of the uncertainty of whether a democratic republic would endure the test of time (heritage.org). A quarter-millennium is a decent track record for determining the success of an experiment, but that is still young when compared to other civilizations. For example, China and Egypt trace their roots thousands of years before Christ.
One of the unique characteristics of the American experiment is laid out in the first amendment of the Constitution, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" (constitution.congress.gov). Christians, and non-Christians alike, flocked to this new nation to flee persecution and found the freedom to practice their faith. God bless America.
Christians have fled persecution since its earliest days. James opened his letter with an address, "To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings" (1:1, ESV). Even amid persecution, James calls us to "count it all joy" because those trials of faith "produce steadfastness" (1:2-3). Even though freedom of religion is etched into the founding documents of the USA, some still experience persecution through their family, friends, workplace, culture, etc. Also, religious persecution is still active around the world and sometimes imposed by government. Let us pray for Christians in those contexts and thank God for a context free of religious persecution (1 Tim 2:1-2).
James learned well from his Lord's teaching in the opening paragraph of Jesus' most famous sermon on the mount, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matt 5:10-12). The disciples of Jesus can find blessing even in the midst of persecution which Jesus told us to anticipate.
With the encouragement Jesus and James offer, it might be hard ask God in prayer to bring persecution on us because of our faith. That sounds counter to any prayer heard in the assembly. A more familiar prayer might be something like, "Thank you for allowing us to worship without fear of persecution." Give thanks in all things including when we have the freedom of something so precious like religion.
Jesus and the apostles never promised freedom from persecution, but quite the opposite. Jesus emphasized to his disciples when he sent them out, "You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved" (10:22). After Jesus ascended into heaven and the disciples continued to preach, they were persecuted just like Jesus prophesied, but they had a peculiar response to it. Consider Luke's account of one such instance, "When they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus" (Acts 5:40-42). The apostles taught through their actions that they would speak about Jesus with or without the freedom to so.
On this 250th birthday of the USA, thank God for the freedom to speak openly about faith in Jesus Christ, thankful for the freedom from persecution, and thankful for those who continue to share the gospel even in a context of persecution. Jesus assured the disciples they would encounter persecution and taught them how to respond in the face of it. This fourth of July, thank God for blessing this nation during its short time in the world with an open-door policy for faith, but a readiness for adversity. Consider how to take advantage of the freedom this country offers to further advance the good news of Jesus' life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and hope in the second coming.
-Casey McDonald