Jun 1990 - Editorial

"The cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, bring when thou comest, and the books, especially the parchments" (2 Tim. 4:13). It may well have been in Troas that Paul was arrested; probably a summary, unceremonious operation without even time or opportunity to collect his most important personal possessions - a warm cloak, his books, and notebooks. Though we have little detail, his imprisonment can have had little about it that was pleasant: Nero had fastened on to the Christians as scapegoats for his own suspected crime of burning Rome. And the apostle found himself caught up in the succeeding holocaust: But the Lord stood by him when others fled, and ultimately he is believed to have suffered execution by beheading.

A cloak, books, parchments: a longing and a sacrifice repeated over and over in our own day in communist (and other) prisons as servants of Christ gladly suffered for His Name. It must be a source of great thanksgiving to all fellow-members of the Body of Christ, that many of our brothers and sisters are beginning to enjoy relief from their suffering. Sadly, the motivation of some communist country leaders in relaxing pressure on Christian believers owes nothing to spiritual awakening, as FOCUS makes clear this month. Just as the apostle rejoiced in the proclamation of Christ even from flawed motives (Phil. 1:15-19), so today we take thankful satisfaction in the sovereign mercy of the Lord to His own persecuted ones, even though it be channelled through unworthy agents.

And the challenge is re-awakened in our hearts, disciples of the Lord who know little or nothing of suffering for the Name: the challenge to unstinted devotion and service for the Master, when the dangers of being "at ease in Zion" never cease to threaten the brightness of the flame of loyalty. "To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" - Truly?

unknown | Jun 1990
Editorial