Another practical implication of Christian Mysticism is shrugging off persecution.
Jesus warned it was coming. Fallen human nature craves control and plunder, and divine revelation condemns that. We are duty bound to prophesy against those things. Anytime we start trying to set people free from such things, we threaten the existing institutions, which inevitably trend toward control and plunder (AKA enslavement). TPTB feeding off the existing system will always attack anyone who seeks the freedom and welfare of those TPTB control and plunder. It’s the fundamental reason why they crucified Jesus. It’s called persecution.
But our focus is not on fighting back against persecution. Sure, there are some among us called to answer, even debate, the persecutors. Still, the primary focus of what we do is celebrate the deliverance of the Lord. God needs no defenders; His Biblical Law is its own reward. We revel in His mercy and give thanks. Then we stand back and see what His power can do. This is our default approach to things.
The holiness of Christ will always be against the establishment. It’s not possible to establish anything in this fallen world without moral compromise. The very nature of this world system is hostile to divine revelation. There is no way to avoid the conflict; following Christ means shaking the establishment. It means walking out from under the control of the human political system because that system can never long permit free consciousness. It’s a relentless desire to control every factor that affects control and plunder. Serving the Lord means aligning yourself against all human systems.
What happens when you try to form a system consistent with the Word? It either compromises with the world, or it is attacked by the world. Any congregation of people with a common interest becomes an asset the system must control. But if you truly follow the Word, your congregation would be well nigh impossible to seize. The life of the Kingdom Eternal will never yield itself to human control. The moment you try to bring in human habits of organization, you have fundamentally changed the nature of the group. It becomes a human institution, subject to human leverage. The only system consistent with the Word is the very thing our carnal nature hates.
We must guard against the fleshly nature that demands something our human abilities can manipulate. It’s very frustrating, but you have to let go with your intellect and your hands, and let your heart run the show. Radix Fidem will never be anything more than a handful of people who love each other and share a commitment to something not of this world. What binds us together is ethereal; it’s no more than the gossamer links of heart-led volition. There’s nothing for human hands to attack and seize.
What’s left is our communications. This is what they will attack. We should expect some really nasty stuff intruding into our virtual spaces. Right now we have a lot of advantages, because networking itself does not easily yield to their kind of controls. God is our publicist and He brings to our message the people He wants to read it. The Devil will bring a lot of people who reject our message, and will attempt various ways to control it. Online persecution is still persecution, because the message itself is their enemy. In the long run, they won’t accomplish much. In the day-to-day, it can look bad at times, but the Lord won’t allow anyone to snuff out His voice in the hearts of His people.
Individuals among us will certainly suffer some significant sorrow, even death. But for Christian Mystics, death is the final reward in this life. We long to be with Our Lord in person, but only on His terms. We’ll gladly die when His time for us comes. Until then, we seek His power to withstand persecution. Fully embracing the meaning of Christian Mysticism makes the wait tolerable.
When you set your foot on this path, you set aside all human advantage. You take what God provides and drive forward against enslavement. We get free and draw others after us. The attraction is the power to overcome this world. Sure, God miraculously grants things that this world can see and understand, but for reasons it cannot. Don’t get lost in the miracles, because that leaves you still enslaved in this world. See the miraculous provisions as mere symbols, expendable to God. He can move mountains without batting an eye, and anything you need to shine His glory is easily granted.
None of it matters at all compared to the treasure of your heart set free to hear His voice, and the assurance your home is elsewhere.
