Christian Citizenship (Biblical Reasons Why I Want to Be a Christian in a Multi-Faith Nation) Part 17

 

This post is part 17 of a series on Christian citizenship, and why I believe mixing Christian identity with American identity is bad for both. I hope to give you little bite-sized thoughts, which represent themes you'll find throughout the Bible and historic Christian teachings.

I hope they make you think.

Here is today's reason I want to live as a Christian in a multi-faith nation.

When told by religious authorities to stop preaching in Jesus’ name, Peter says, “we must obey God rather than any human authority.” (Acts 5:29) The first generation of Christians knew they would have to see the difference between human authorities and God’s will, and that they would have to go with what God says. Jesus prepared them, by saying they would be persecuted, imprisoned, and "placed before kings and governors because of my name". Jesus says, "this will give you an opportunity to testify." (Luke 21:13). 

If the disciples of Jesus had met only friendly religious authorities and secular leaders, if they had only been offered power and privilege because of Jesus' name, their faith would have remained weak. They would never have had to choose to obey God over any human authority. They would never have had the opportunity to testify. 

Sometimes our faith becomes stronger, and our witness bolder, in difficult situations where Jesus and our surrounding culture do not see eye to eye. Rather than seeking to make life uniquely easy for Christians in the public sphere, it's better to see the difficulties as opportunities to testify. 

For a word about prayer in secular settings, check out tomorrow's post.