‘“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.‘ (Matt. 5:10-12, NASB)
I feel so unqualified to write this, but I stand on the authority of the word of God, and if anything, at least hope to put forward the encouragement of the Bible on this matter.
The history of the Church of Christ is one wrought with much grace, but also much affliction. From imprisonment, to stoning, to beheadings, to crucifixions, to being made prey for violent creatures; these are some of the overt expressions of enmity towards God that mankind has exhibited over the years. The more covert expressions vary from mocking, false accusations, temptations, and discrimination, to name a few. However, whether overtly or covertly, there is unmistakable hostility towards the people of God.
The Bible speaks plainly that there are only two sides to be taken: Christ’s, or not Christ’s. The Lord of the Sabbath draws a line in the sand and will excuse no blurring of it; only those who cross over to His side and testify to this stance will be allowed into His rest—the assurance of salvation in this lifetime, and the realization of said salvation in eternity.
The world is described as being in the clutches of the evil one, who has the minds of the deceived clouded in darkness and enslaved to his will:
‘…with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.’ (2 Tim. 2:25-26, NASB)
‘And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.’ (Eph. 2:1-2, NASB)
Upon coming to know Christ, the believer is said to have been freed from the clutches of the evil one, and given a new identity and citizenship:
‘…For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.’ (Col. 1:13-14, NASB)
‘For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ…’ (Phil. 3:20, NASB)
From the time Jesus declared, “It is finished,” (John 19:30) the deathly blow to the kingdom of darkness was dealt. It signalled justification for all who believe in Christ Jesus, and the adoption of those who put their trust in Him. If you do not have this relationship with the Lord Jesus, reader, you are still in the kingdom of darkness under the rule of that great deceiver; worst still, you are in danger of the very judgment of God that leads to the fiery pits of Hell. I hope you would take this moment to consider your soul and the eternity that awaits you, for ‘it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,’ (Heb. 9:27) and this is a reality you must face whether you believe it or not.
The Struggle
With the victory of God’s people already assured (John 16:33b; Rev. 21:5-7), the adversary of all mankind seeks to do as much damage as he can—intimidating those who believe so that they might reconsider this Jesus, and persuading those who don’t so that they might resist this Jesus. Do not be deceived reader, the devil is real and he is active; he is on the prowl like a lion seeking its prey (1 Pet. 5:8), and his efforts must be resisted and not ignored (Jas. 4:7).
While a powerful being, he does not compare to the Eternal One who created him; it is God Himself building His Kingdom, His Church, and ‘the gates of hell won’t prevail against it’ (Matt. 16:18b), but oh, it will try.
There are a lot of exhortations, reminders, and warnings about the efforts to sway us:
2 Tim. 3:12 – ‘Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.’ (NASB)
1 Peter 4:12-13 – ‘Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.’ (NASB)
John 15:18-20 – ‘“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.’ (NASB)
‘Don’t be surprised by your trials,’ Peter writes above; ‘We do not wrestle against flesh and blood,’ Paul reminds (Eph. 6:12). The opposition the child of God faces is promised and expected; it is the out-working of the spiritual warfare that is going on in this brief interlude we call life before the Glorious King’s return. In light of this, we are called to pay more attention to our spiritual selves—disciplining ourselves (1 Tim 4:7-8), girding up our armour (Eph. 6:10-11), welding our Sword (Eph. 6:17b), and dwelling before the throne of Grace through prayer (Heb. 4:16).
Do not let anyone fool you into thinking a life lived with Christ is one of ease and comfort. It is one of much strife and a constant struggle to reach for a higher standard than what everyone around settles for (1 Pet. 1:13-16). It is a forsaking of positions and possessions, in the sense that all else is counted as loss and worthless compared to knowing Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:7-10).
The Application
‘The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.’ (Rom. 8:16-17, NASB, emphasis added)
Paul says we will experience the glory of God if we are prepared to suffer with—or for—Him (an exhortation he also gives in 2 Tim. 2:12a). But he doesn’t stop there; he goes on to say, in light of enjoying the glory of God and in light of the folly of comparing our brief lives to eternity, ‘…I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.’ (Rom. 8:18, NASB)
All believers will face persecution in one form or the other, and while some are placed in extreme circumstances that require them to strive with opposition to the point of laying down their lives (Heb. 12:3-4), others are called to simply stand by what they profess (1 Pet. 3:15-16).
Be it social or physical death, we must not shy away from the inevitable friction that comes from the sword of division that is faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour—and I do not say this lightly. Like the darkest moments before the dawn of the new day, so also shall this world revel in increasing darkness before the Light of the world returns (Matt. 24:9-14).
We are not called to ignore it when things are going hard because of our faith and stance, but rather ‘count it all joy’ (Jas. 1:2-4). We might be hard-pressed, but we find our peace in Him (Phil 4:6-7; Ps. 91:14-16).
1 Pet. 4:19 – ‘Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.’ (NASB)
Phil. 1:29 – ‘For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for Him.’ (NLT, emphasis added)
(To my brothers and sisters in Christ dealing with some trial or persecution right now, my heart goes out to you. Know that you are in my prayers, and I hope this post is of a little encouragement to you.)
