Crying Wolf

A shepherd-boy, who watched a flock of sheep near a village, brought out the villagers three or four times by crying out, “Wolf! Wolf!” and when his neighbors came to help him, laughed at them for their pains. The Wolf, however, did truly come at last. The Shepherd-boy, now really alarmed, shouted in terror: “Pray, do come and help me”; but no one paid any heed to his cries…

Moral: There is no believing a liar, even when he speaks the truth.

That fable came to me when reading the two items below. Just substitute the word “wolf” with persecution.

With that done, I’d be forced to change the moral to one something along this line:

Moral: Only those who live righteously for God need worry about persecution. (Matthew 5:10)

Or in ‘PJ-talk’: To my American brothers and sisters, most of us don’t know “yet” what real persecution is.

• From Barth Notes: Persecution in Comparative Perspective with WorldNetDaily

WorldNetDaily reports on how Christians are persecuted in North Korea, noting:

“Christians are the target of fierce government action, and once caught, are not regarded as human,” said a veteran observer of North Korea who cannot be identified for security purposes. “Last year we had evidence that some were used as guinea pigs to test chemical and biological weapons.”

WorldNetDaily reports on how Christians are persecuted in the USA, noting:

The overt homosexual participation in Obama’s presidential inaugural events by ‘Bishop’ Vickie Eugene Robinson, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., and a homosexual marching band.

The first example comes from Open Doors; the second from a list compiled by the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission.

• The second item is a column at the Associated Baptist Press: Blessed are the Persecuted: Where persecution is real, it’s intense

Some Christians in the United States are quick to cry “persecution” if courts, schools or businesses fail to favor their religion above others. But in places around the world where Christians face beatings, economic reprisal, imprisonment or even death because of their faith, Americans’ claims of religious persecution in the United States ring hollow….

I hope you’ll read the rest here.

The column speaks about real persecution of Christians around the world, for the sake of Christ,…not the so-called Christians, groups, and activists we hear from in the US who continually “Cry Wolf” or “Katy bar the door!” over what they want you to believe is ‘real Christian’ persecution for Christ’s sake.

The author, Robert Marus, ends his column with an interesting question,

One day, our sisters and brothers who have lived in contexts of dire persecution will meet their Master face to face and hear those consoling words from his mouth: ‘Well done good and faithful servant, enter into the rest prepared for you.’ Will we hear those same words?”

Related is a very good message at Grace Bible Church, Blessed are Those Persecuted for Righteousness Sake

If I may add, take note of the section titled: Persecution that is Undeserved.

“If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you…. If they persecuted Me they will persecute you… for they do not know the One who sent Me.” John 15:19-21

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:10