by Jack P. Carter

(June 2023)

When you think of the challenges the church has faced over the many centuries of its existence,
the forms of those challenges will likely depend on the period in question. If, for example, one is
thinking of a person who lived in the first century when direct persecution was not uncommon,
that challenge will likely be depicted in scenes of meeting in secret and dealing with the fear of
being caught and sent to jail—or worse. This isn’t too hard to imagine, seeing that there are
places in the world even now that face this very threat.
The reality of external persecution is not only mentioned several times in scripture by different
authors but also by Christ Himself. Understanding this in advance can give the believer the
opportunity to prepare mind, heart, and soul to face opposition—while at the same time looking
to Christ as our example of what responding to opposition should look like.
This is not to say that simply getting ready will make the experience minor or trivial. But it
certainly gives significant weight to the importance of being well grounded—before the fact.
The apostle Paul warned several of the recipients of his letters that there would be
persecution—something he himself was very familiar with. I can only imagine his frustration
when he also had to deal with the fact that there were very significant conflicts within a given
congregation. The warnings about Judaizers were certainly necessary, but one of the greatest
difficulties was when there was a lack of love. To have to remind about the dangers of bitterness,
slander, jealousy, etc. made a rigorous endeavor to encourage churches so much more difficult.
Perhaps one of the more significant issues that has plagued the church all these years has been a
resistance to the practice of forgiveness. Jesus spent a lot of time talking about the importance of
forgiveness. Not only was this matter presented as crucial to our relationship with our heavenly
Father, but our own willingness to forgive is also a matter of salvation.
It isn’t because we don’t necessarily understand what forgiveness is and its importance. When
we are the ones seeking forgiveness, it is clear as day as to how it should work. However, we
somehow think (whether consciously or not) when we are the ones doing the forgiving that we
can create stipulations or provisos. There may be individuals we have a tougher time forgiving
than we do others, even though it is for the same offense. There are offenses of greater
magnitude where one might find themselves saying unconsciously, “I will forgive until…” or “I
will forgive unless…” Wherever there are caveats, there is a heart problem.
Unforgiveness is probably one of the most devastating actions that any church, family, group of
acquaintances, etc. can be affected by. It drives wedges between the people (often groups of
people), it grows bitterness in the heart, it erodes the effectiveness of a church, it makes an
elder’s work ten times more difficult, and can result in much more damage than any external
persecution could inflict.
The truly ironic part of all of this is that the one unwilling to forgive is in the greatest danger of
all, even though they feel wholly justified in their disposition. That justification can at times be
expressed with words such as, “Well, you don’t know what they did to me,” or “You don’t know
what they said to me,” or “I have a three-strikes-and-you’re-out rule.” Did they forget the
warning? “For if you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive
you. But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions”
(Matthew 6:14-15).

Persecution comes in many forms and has resulted in people experiencing a kind of prison. How
strange indeed if anyone demanded to be locked up. Consider these following thoughts:
“Freedom Forsaken”
The craftsman wields his tools with skill
To build and make so strong
A structure that withstands all things
Endures through time so long
Each piece is set in place so firm
With all precision honed
One by one the bars are placed
And set in solid stone
Then the gate completes the task
The only way inside
The prison is now ready for
The punished to reside
But wouldn’t it be strange to see
The builder was the one
Who chose to stay inside the walls
When the work was done?
The key is in his able hand
He stands so proud and firm
And refuses to unlock the gate
He serves his prison term
Compare this scene to one today
A proud unyielding heart
Who made with his own skillful hand
Such sad and foolish art
Materials that made the walls
Aren’t such that you can hold
This is made of bitter roots
And hurtful words so cold
The bars were set with deep resolve
So he cannot get out
The stone is made of broken trust
And nurtured with his doubt
The stone is meant to always stand

The passage of his time
To keep out all who mean him harm
The words of those unkind
Forgiveness is the key in hand
For all those in his past
Escape and freedom for this man
Could happen very fast
But when a man locks himself
Inside a bitter cage
Refusing to forgive will make
A prison of his rage
Satan is bent on our destruction. If he can cause people to wilt under the threat of persecution, he
will try to use that. But if he can worm his way into the heart, he will use that. How much of his
work are we doing for him? The testing of our faith can come in many ways, but the test of
whether we have a forgiving heart is one of the most effective ways we can reflect Christ and
defeat Satan.

jack@rockymountainchristian.com