Be Not Afraid || Matt 10:24–39 & Rom 6:1b–11

Kia ora, and welcome to the St. Francis Church

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As a church, we are learning to faithfully follow

Jesus by practicing His way at His pace. For

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among us, head to stfrancis .co .nz. Grace and

peace. Good morning everybody. I present the

following state of affairs to you. I live in

a country where being a Christian... or owning

a Bible is a serious crime and will be severely

punished. If my Christian faith is discovered,

I could be killed on the spot. If I am not killed,

I will be deported to a labor camp and punished

with years of hard labor that few survive. The

authorities are likely to round up my extended

family and punish them too. even if they aren't

Christians. It's impossible for me to gather

for worship or prayer, and even secret worship

and prayer put us Christians at great risk. Unfortunately,

this state of affairs is not a made -up story

or one that existed many years ago. It exists

today in North Korea. And similar situations

exist elsewhere in the world. And these facts

are recorded by an organization called Open Doors.

And this is a non -denominational Christian mission

that supports persecuted Christians throughout

the world. And other facts recorded by Open Doors

are as follows. It's said that around 70 million

Christians have been martyred for their faith.

during the last 2 ,000 years, more than half

occurring during the last century. In recent

years, an average of about 4 ,000 to 5 ,000 Christians

worldwide are killed annually for faith -related

reasons. Of the 10 countries with the most extreme

persecution, seven are the result of Islamic

oppression. Now today's reading, read by Belinda

from Matthew, continues the instructions that

Jesus gave to his disciples when he sent them

out on their mission. And Matthew's gospel was

in fact written some 50 years after Jesus' actual

ministry. And so the instructions reflect the

situation of the late 1st century AD. And by

then, the Romans had brutally destroyed Jerusalem.

The rest of the Orthodox Jewish community bitterly

resented the Christian community, and so many

Christians had been martyred by that time. So

the message that Jesus conveys through Matthew's

words is a reality check to his disciples, that

being a committed Christian can bring real danger

and hardship. So Jesus says, and as you can see

from that map, We can just go back. You can see

the concentration in red. North Africa, Asia,

Middle East is where the greatest persecution

of Christians takes place. So what does Jesus

say? How much more will they malign those of

Jesus' household? Do not think that I've come

to bring peace to the earth. I've come to bring

a sword. all that persecution inflicted on the

Christians. One's foes will be members of one's

own household as in North Korea people betray

their own family. Whoever does not take up the

cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Now

we in New Zealand are fortunate to live in circumstances

very different from those of many of our persecuted

brothers and sisters overseas. But I think that

Jesus' message is relevant also to us. And if

we look at the census statistics, 60 years ago,

1966, some 90 % of the population in New Zealand

identified as being Christian. In the most recent

census, 2023, less than one third of the population

identified as being Christian. 90 % to 30%. and

yet we have the freedom to practice our faith

openly. So a key message that I take from Jesus'

message today, his gospel today, is that we carry

a responsibility, the responsibility of exercising

our religious freedom to be brave enough to express

our beliefs openly and without embarrassment.

I should be unafraid to express my commitment

to a loving God, the values of Christ, a Holy

Spirit at work, the sanctity of all life, the

development of the spiritual life, and the hope

of life after death. The Reverend Phil Austin

said, people still prefer comfort, to challenge.

People generally prefer the pipe and slippers,

the comfortable and familiar, the lamington and

tea approach to life, rather than speaking out.

Speaking out for our faith in what we believe.

We want the kind of peace which is vibrant, alive

and ablaze with the glory of God. Peace is not

the absence of trouble, but it is the presence

of God. And meanwhile, there continue to be brave

and committed Christians in North Korea and other

countries. These Christian groups continue to

meet in secret. They whisper their prayers in

biblical texts because they cannot have anything

in writing. found in their homes. Otherwise they'll

be killed or severely punished. And these brave

people, I think, hold fast to the promise that

Jesus made to his persecuted and yet to be persecuted

disciples. Because Jesus said, do not fear those

who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Even

the hairs of your head, are all counted. So do

not be afraid. Those who lose their life for

my sake will find it.