Persecution of the church began when the first worshipers gathered and will continue until Jesus comes again. When you feel the sting of persecution for the first time, you may feel like a swarm of bees has attacked you. You wonder why this is happening, especially when doing God’s work.
The good news is that the Lord is with us in this battle. He gives us the strength to endure and fulfill His plans. Satan can’t get to God, so he makes every attempt to destroy the Lord’s faithful believers who are carrying out His work on the earth.
The early church was just in its infancy when persecution began to refine them like gold in a furnace. Saul, who would later come to faith and be known as Paul, was an early persecutor of the church and was there when Stephen was martyred. Our enemy did not stop with one believer being martyred and now ramped up a much greater persecution. Acts 8:2A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. [1]
Blessings of Persecution
Jesus tells us there is a silver lining in being persecuted for the faith. Luke 6:22 What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. 23 When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way. [2]
Think about how believers in the early church grew in their faith as they suffered for Christ. How many people through time have also grown in faith through persecution? Being left out or slandered is not unusual because you have taken the narrow road to follow Jesus. There can be great heartache when we face rejection for following Jesus, but we must always keep our eye on Him, who heals our broken hearts. In addition, when persecuted because of our faith, it is tangible evidence that our faith and relationship with the Lord are genuine.
Leading a Holy Life
A person who leads a holy life will eventually collide with the world. In this world, the Lord calls us to be the light as He is the light to be an example to others, even those who may persecute us. We may not be able to control what others think or say, but we can control how we live our lives.
When persecution broke out in the early church, God would use this time to strengthen their faith so they could make a more significant impact in His Kingdom. The Lord continues to use persecution to strengthen our faith today. To learn more about the persecution of the church, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/the-samaritan-pentecost
[1-2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.