when to flee, when to stay john 15.20 and second timothy 3.12 are both very clear that believers will face persecution. its not a matter of if, but when. if we are living rightly and being bold in proclaiming the message of Jesus, then we will be mocked, hated, ridiculed, and sometimes physically harmed. i think sometimes people seek these things in an effort to feel more holy or righteous, but Jesus never says to seek suffering, but rather to persevere and know that it will come.
but, my question is, when to flee and when to stay? as you read the gospels and acts you see that sometimes Jesus flees and sometimes he stays to face persecution. for Jesus, i think it is much more clear as to the timing of when he fled and when he embraced the persecution. Jesus was on a mission and fled when His mission wasn’t finished and, in the end, stayed when He knew His time had come. but, how did paul make those decisions. we know that paul was beaten, flogged, stoned, etc, but we also see times when he fled (acts 17.10). why did he decide sometimes to flee and sometimes to stay?
i actually don’t have an answer. there doesn’t seem to be one in acts. it seems like sometimes he is willing to keep preaching until he is imprisoned and sometimes he flees in the night. i often wonder what i would do if the russians came back to czech and a lock-down occurred…would we flee and go back to the states to avoid persecution? or would we stay to continue to message of Jesus.
i really don’t know.
sabbath i’m not the best at taking a sabbath. i used to be way worse, but getting married has forced me to prioritize and to make an effort to take full days off. but, i am still in the mindset that during the busy seasons, its ok to work everyday, because sometimes life is just busier. i still think that’s true to some degree and that there is grace and sabbath rest that we can find in Jesus, but i was struck in reading this week.
“six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.” _ exodus 34.21
i don’t know anything about farming, but i can imagine that there are seasons that are much more chill than others. when plowing and preparing the ground, while difficult work, it is all preparatory for the harvest time, which is where you bring the fruit in. or maybe its the opposite, the plowing and prep is the hard work, while the reaping is the easy work (that’s true, spiritually isn’t it?). but regardless, the message is clear…take a sabbath no matter what time of year it is. rest whether you are in your busy season or your light season.
