Nelson, Mitchell, Clements - praying for their persecutors
As we look at some more of the unsung heroes of the early Methodist movement as found in William Bardsley Brash's book Methodism, let's note that in those days, those preachers had to deal with a great deal of persecution, and yet they carried on.
In fact one of them, John Nelson, refused to get violent, and even when he was asked to become a soldier he said, "I shall not fight. I cannot bow my knee before the Lord to pray for a man and get up and kill him. I know God both hears me speak and sees me act, and I should not expect the lot of a hypocrite if my actions contradicted my prayers."
Courage in the Face of Persecution
Then there was Thomas Mitchell, who was brutally beaten by a mob, who painted him white and threw him into a pond. But he survived. He said this: "From the beginning to the end, my mind was in perfect peace. I found no anger or resentment, but could heartily pray for my persecutors."
Similarly, a man named W. Clements had both of his arms broken by bullets, and yet while he was being treated, said, "I'm as happy as I can be out of paradise."
These men took Jesus' words quite literally about forgiving those who persecute you and praying for them, turning the other cheek. For me, that's pretty inspiring.
Responding to Evil with Grace
We live in a pretty dangerous country here in South Africa. There's lots of crime, lots of violence. While I pray that none of us are ever touched by such violence, I also pray that if we are, we will have the courage to stand on Jesus' words - to forgive, and not to resent those who hurt us.
Jesus Himself on the cross looked down at those who crucified Him and said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
Friends, like Him and like these great early Methodist leaders, let's not resent people who persecute us. Let's pray for them and love them with the help of God's great Holy Spirit. Surely then we will be following in Jesus' footsteps in a faithful way.
Paul warns Timothy of the misguided notion that the Christian faith takes away all your struggle. In fact, difficulties abound for the real Christian – but they are very much worth the trouble.