stop hiding

     Recently I read how someone on facebook was "so blessed that we live in America where we can worship freely", unlike another country where they face persecution.  I wrote about this in another post on here.  Why do we have freedom in America?   It is NOT so we can indulge ourselves in luxury and waste and hide from the pain of the rest of the world, that much I know.  In 1 Timothy 6 it says that those who are rich should be rich in good deeds.  We are extremely rich, and must use the freedom we have to do good to the rest of our brothers and sisters who are suffering.  In Hebrews 13:3 it says that we should remember those in prison as though we were there too, and those who suffer as though we did also.  Do you do this?  Do I?  Do we really care about those that are hurting and in pain and beaten and killed for their faith?  We must stop using America as an excuse and place to hide from the troubles of others; we must join them to every degree possible and help them through their struggle.
     In general, we need to STOP saying how we are thankful for our freedoms here in America IF we are unwilling to go on to praying for and caring about people who are suffering in other places.   "What do you mean, stop saying we are thankful for something?"  I mean it, in that if we won't go on and then do something about others' concerns and hurt, we are very self focused and it's not a thanks God is very honored by.  When we say thanks in this self focused way we isolate ourselves from our brothers and sisters around the world as though we live in special place, and "Oh, it's just so sad others suffer the way they do."  We don't live in special place, and we aren't getting off, but God has an assignment we must do, and we better get after it.  We ARE suffering too, because they suffer, and we must join those in their physical suffering by agonizing for them, and stop thinking we got off easy.  We are part of the same body, and therefore, we are in pain and we ought to be realizing that the whole body is taking a blow from its enemy; we must begin to pray for the world in such a way that we won't stop until there is no more suffering anywhere, "But that will take until the Lord comes back." Exactly! 
     "But it's wrong to not be thankful."  Yes, and they would be thankful where they live if their toil and terror was lifted, as we should be here since we don't have much at all of it.  But if they suddenly became as self focused as Americans, they too would need to be shown a better way, and a bigger world.  The way most of us thank God for "our" freedoms is thanking Him for all the wrong things in that it is a shallow thanks, untempered by the pain of others and the great call of God to join them (Hebrews 13:3).   How can we thank God for "our" freedoms, and stop there, when someone in Nigeria is being murdered for their faith, or someone in China is being put into a mental hospital because of their preaching?  So is being an American more important, or is being a disciple of Jesus?  If being a disciple is more important, than until those in China can preach without concern, and North Korea, and Burma, etc, etc, etc, we are not really free at all.  It means we must begin to see the body of Christ as bigger than my congregation, or the Christians in America.  And we must value being a disciple of Jesus more than being an American.  I wrote a rather strong blog about this here: Reflections on Being a disciple of Jesus who is from America.  So while we have the respite here we do, yes, breathe a word of thanks, and then continue in that prayer until the whole world is free.
    Brothers and sisters, let's stop hiding behind the red, white and blue, and start suffering for our Savior along with all those who call on His name from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.