Persecution Rev 2 8-11.doc

8/14/2019 Persecution Rev 2 8-11.doc

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2ndLast Sunday of the Church Year 18 Nov

2012

Dr Lutz Ackermann (Friedenskirche, Hillbrow)

Persecution

(Rev 2!"##)

$race be with %ou and &eace o' the one who was and is

and is to come Amen

*o the an+el o' the church in m%rna write

*his is the messa+e 'rom the one who is the

'irst and the last, who died and lived a+ain -

know %our troubles. - know that %ou are &oor"""

but reall% %ou are rich/ - know the evil thin+s

said a+ainst %ou b% those who claim to be 0ews

but are not. the% are a +rou& that belon+s to

atan/ Don1t be a'raid o' an%thin+ %ou are aboutto su''er Listen/ *he Devil will &ut %ou to the

test b% havin+ some o' %ou thrown into &rison,

and %our troubles will last ten da%s e 'aith'ul

to me, even i' it means death, and - will +ive %ou

li'e as %our &rize o' victor% -' %ou have ears,

then, listen to what the &irit sa%s to the

churches/ *hose who win the victor% will notbe hurt b% the second death

(Rev 2!"##)

3n Frida%, when - +ot back home 'rom the church o''ice,

- 'ound the house in a bi+ mess omeone had broken

2012 REVDDRLUTZACKERMANN FRIEDENSKIRCHE, HILLBROW


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into the house and randoml% searched most o' the

wardrobes and cu&boards and bo4es in most o' the

rooms -t seems that the% had taken onl% a 'ew items like

some cash and some 5eweller%, but it was not a nice'eelin+ to see, how the% had treated m% stu'' and

intruded m% s&ace -nsurance can re&lace material

values, but not sentimental values o, 'or e4am&le, one

rin+ is missin+ 6% +rand'ather +ave it to me in #7!2,

when - 'inished school o that cannot be re&laced

ut with other thin+s it is not about loss For e4am&le

these stoles the% are the ones, m% wi'e and - wore on theda% o' our ordination And now - 'ound them carelessl%

thrown to the +round And that shows here was

someone who does not care at all about what is

im&ortant, what is meanin+'ul, what is sacred to another

&erson

- am not tellin+ this, because it is such an unusual stor%

i' %ou live in 0ohannesbur+, %ou can &robabl% have

stories like this ever% da% ut - am mentionin+ it,

because it reminds me o' ver% di''erent situations Here

&eo&le break into houses 'or material reasons, to steal

stu'' ut then &eo&le can also tres&ass and violate

someone else8s di+nit% and &rivac% 'or another reason to

humiliate their victims

o, 'or e4am&le, in &arts o' 9i+eria, where :hristians

and 6uslims live in nei+hbourin+ communities, -

&ersonall% know some :hristians, who have e4&erienced

attacks on their lives and their &ro&ert%, not because o'

material reasons, but because others wanted to &unish

them 'or somethin+ the% said or did &ublicl%



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o even in our da% and a+e there are &laces in this world

where &eo&le e4&erience what can onl% be described as

&ersecution And normall% it is because o' what the%

believe or stand 'or ometimes is a circle o' &er&etrationand retaliation, like man% thin+s that ha&&en between

$aza and -srael these da%s or the situation in the north

o' 9i+eria ut there are other situations, where

sometimes a minorit% is literall% 'i+htin+ 'or survival

under the constant threat o' &ersecution, o'ten su''erin+

silentl% And sometimes the% want silence, because the%

know the louder the% com&lain, the worse is it +oin+ to+et with the &ersecution

9ow that is not somethin+ new *he words we heard

earlier 'rom the book o' revelation earlier s&eak clearl%

o' such a situation o' &ersecution Let me remind %ou,

that in the 'irst and second centur%, the :hristian 'aith

be+an as a movement within 0udaism 9ow, even in a

situation o' occu&ation b% the Roman ;m&ire, the 0ewsen5o%ed a certain 'reedom ahweh in their s%na+o+ues

9ow when some o' the 0ews started 'ollowin+ 0esus,

there was a &roblem the% were much more radical in

their belie's and would not easil% com&romise with the

:esar"cult o' the Romans o the% =uickl% became the

victims o' Roman &ersecution At the same time, those

0ews who did not believe in 0esus were anno%ed because

automaticall% blame 'ell on them, too And so the%



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distanced themselves 'rom that newl% 'ormin+ +rou& o'

:hristians

o now this +u% b% the name o' 0ohn was writin+ letters

to those con+re+ations which 'ound themselves in themiddle o' this on+oin+ &ersecution And he was so sure

that what he was writin+ came directl% 'rom $od that he

even &ut these words o' e4hortation, consolation and

encoura+ement in the 'irst &erson, as comin+ directl%

'rom the Lord 0esus

9ow, be'ore we look a little bit more at what he has tosa%, we need to ask ourselves is this relevant 'or us?

A'ter all, we live in a countr%, where ever%one is at least

o''iciall% 'ree to believe, whatever the% want @ as lon+ as

that does not lead to them violatin+ the 'reedom o'

others 9o"one must be discriminated a+ainst because o'

their race, nationalit%, +ender, their 'aith or their se4ual

orientation And b% and lar+e, - think we can sa%, that is

the case


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ourselves 'or the storm% times -t is be'ore the 'i+ht that

we need to train i' time &ersecution never 'ar awa%,

modern A'rican e4am&les 6anche, teve ikoB

Here, o' course, a tem&tation is that not havin+ 'irsthand e4&erience o' &ersecution we mi+ht end u& as

wish'ul mart%rs C


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others ometimes we ma% 'eel it like a threat when

we become too trans&arent -n an a+e where others

can +oo+le some nonsense we have &osted on

'acebook or somewhere online lon+ a+o (and whichwe ma%be we have come to re+ret/), too much

trans&arenc% seems scar% ut make no mistake,

the Lord o' Lords, the one who is the Al&ha and the

3me+a, he knows us better even than we do

ourselves And the wonder'ul thin+ is he looks at

us and throu+h us with the +aze o' his love i' time

aside CAslanBE) And then, thirdl%, he 5um&s ri+ht into it 9o &uss%"

'ootin+ around here is what8s +oin+ on *rouble,

&ersecution, su''erin+ and even im&risonment He

doesn8t sa% CA+, it8s not that bad or Ccom&ared to

others %ou are still =uite ok 9o such &atronizin+

nonsense, no chea& consolation, no =uick 'i4

ometimes we need to be 'orced to 'ace realit% as itis. but 'ace it with coura+e

) ut 'ourthl% then, he s&eaks o' ho&e this is not

+oin+ to last 'orever Don8t +ive u&/


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Documents

Persecution Rev 2 8-11.doc