You Are Our Joy
When you see WHY we stay faithful to Christ you can never be without true pity and love for those who hate you.
St. Basil said, “And so let us be glad and bear with patience everything the world throws at us, secure in the knowledge that it is then that we are most in the mind of God.”
What a blessing to read and know, especially in a moment in human history when those who control the popular narrative fed us daily have decided that Christ-followers are “dangerous.” Of course, true Christ-followers ARE dangerous, but not for the reasons made popular by those gripped by parasitic and cancerous delusions.
No, what makes true Christ-followers dangerous is their steadfastness and faithfulness in the face of the shifting sands of morality unmoored to wisdom. And that very faithfulness, even in the face of scorn and hatred, fills faithful fathers with joy.
But we should never let the world's scorn make us bitter and hateful. On the contrary, as we see the ultimate end of all things, we should love those who hate us because their hatred destroys them. Their rejection of Christ is to their detriment, and we are called to pity “those who oppose themselves.”
Look at our lesson in 1 Thessalonians 2:14-20:
Brethren, you became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus which are in Judea; for you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all men by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they may be saved – so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But God’s wrath has come upon them at last! But since we were bereft of you, brethren, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face; because we wanted to come to you – I, Paul, again and again – but Satan hindered us. For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.
St. Paul is writing to the Church in Thessaloniki and commending them for their faithfulness despite opposition. Paul reveals the reality that all this opposition from people deluded by unbelief will end up being damnation to these people gripped by their hatred for Christ.
It seems that these Thessalonians were being persecuted for their faith in Christ by their Gentile neighbors, just like Paul was persecuted by his Jewish tribe for faith in Christ. Of course, anytime people make choices that seem to go against their “tribe,” it is bound to stir up discomfort and trouble. But these Gentile believers didn’t let the anger and fear of their community sway them away from Christ!
Paul says that these believers imitated the faithful Christ-followers in Judea. Imitation is an excellent source of understanding behaviors passed from one person to the next. By imitating the saints' lives and Jesus, we become like Christ in our actions, attitudes, and choices.
But, almost as an aside, St. Paul reveals the ultimate end of those who choose to imitate the evil one. He shows the results of living a life motivated by fear and unbelief. And the list is terrifying! It seems with every act of persecution, every denial of Christ and His saving message, every rejection of the peace and transformation of life offered to these persecutors fills “up the measure of their sins.” And God’s wrath has come upon them at last!
What form does this wrath take?
In their squinting at the brightness of the Sun that they can no longer avoid by hiding their lives in the darkness that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ has destroyed.
Paul longs to see these precious people because he loves them. He calls them his “glory and joy” because their faithfulness in the face of hatred and persecution is a witness to their true communion with Jesus Christ.
Stories of the martyred saints can indeed be disturbing. Today, we remember St. Paramon and the 370 Christians killed with him for their Christian Faith. Why remember such atrocities? Not out of some morbid fascination with human evil but to see past the temporary into the eternal. St. Paramon is a powerful example of this. He lived in the middle of the third century in Bithynia. A certain ruler in the area named Aquilinus had a sickness, and he wanted his pagan gods to heal him. He thought that forcing 370 Christians to deny their faith and sacrifice to the false gods would please his gods, and they would make him well. When these faithful refused, he slaughtered them. Upon seeing this evil, St. Paramon cried out against such injustice and joined his fellow believers in martyrdom. But he would not stay silent in the face of such evil.
Today, can you stay faithful despite the world pressing you to give in to criticism, hatred, and delusion? Is your relationship with Jesus growing in strength and faithfulness because you actively seek to be more faithful and attentive to your faith? Turning toward the Light and allowing that Light to drive all darkness from your heart is the only way to avoid the foolish moment when you come into the Light unprepared to live in the Light forever! It’s WHY living a Normal Orthodox life changes everything!
P.S. Enlisted by Christ through faith and through your fervent love, you cut down the ranks of all the wicked enemies; and upon receiving the crown of victory, O wise Paramon and most godly Philumenus, you dwell now together with Angel's hosts.
Fr. Barnabas Powell is the parish priest at Sts. Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene Greek Orthodox Church in Cumming, GA. He is also the founder of Faith Encouraged Ministries and produces the Faith Encouraged Daily Devotional on Substack. Watch the Faith Encouraged YouTube Channel here - https://www.youtube.com/@FaithEncouragedTV
