THE BENEFITS OF PERSECUTION

 

 Persecution is defined as a situation in which one is harassed or punished in a manner designed to injure, grieve, discourage, or afflict; to cause to suffer because of one’s belief.

The truth is, persecution is part of a Christian’s life because our Savior was persecuted, and He told us in advance: “Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you” (John 15:20). Philippians 1:29 also reminds us, “For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.” The early church was not exempt and neither will we be.

So, what are some of the reasons the early church was persecuted? They were persecuted because they were Jesus’ disciples! The Jewish people refused to accept Jesus’ claim that He is the Son of God-the Messiah; they wanted nothing to do with His teachings. Therefore, His followers became targets for persecution.

The Jews saw Jesus as someone who did not uphold their laws as given by Moses, and they wanted nothing to do with Him or His followers. Consequently, His followers were persecuted, and they fled from city to city. Anywhere they went, they faced issues like beatings, stoning, being falsely accused of things they hadn’t said or done, and being jailed. For instance, Stephen, one of the first seven selected deacons (see Acts 6:5-6) was stoned to death; the apostle Paul was beaten and jailed on many occasions. On his second missionary journey, he delivered a slave girl from demon-possession; that meant a financial loss for her masters, who made money through her fortune-telling (see Acts 16:16-19). These people started a riot that led to the city officials ordering Paul and Silas stripped, severely beaten, and thrown into prison (see Acts 16:22-24).

That was then, but how about now? How are we persecuted? Different forms of persecution take place in different parts of the world. But in general, there’s teasing, name-calling, false accusations, imprisonment, property confiscation, and even death. For a lot of these situations, there’s no justice for the Christians in the courts.

The Scriptures tell us: “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). It’s easy to be thankful when everything is going well and we feel no discomfort, emotionally or physically. But ‘all circumstances’ include persecution. Should we be thankful when we are hurting? Yes! Because it is God’s will for us, and again, “We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28). Believe it or not, being thankful in the face of pain is doable. For example, the apostles were flogged, threatened, and jailed for all the miraculous signs they were performing. When they were released from jail, they left rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus (see Acts 5:41).  

So, what good does suffering for Jesus do? We get the opportunity to prove to ourselves and others that He cares, provides, and sustains us. And that also leads us to trust Him even more. People around us are blessed with courage as they see our response to situations. Paul wrote to the Philippian church from prison expressing joy over the result of his imprisonment: “Everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News…. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear” (Philippians 1:12, 14). Wow!

Again, when we suffer persecution, unbelievers, even those involved in persecuting us, are convicted. An example is when a jailer was charged with keeping Paul and Silas under guard. The jailer almost killed himself in the night when there was a massive earthquake that shook the prison to its foundations, opening all the doors; he assumed the prisoners had escaped. But when he learned they were still there, he was surprised they did not seize that opportunity to escape. That proved to him that they were genuine men of God, and so he asked them: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30).

They told him what to do, and shared the gospel with him and his family. Paul and Silas baptized the jailer and his family that night (Acts 16:31-33). If these men had not been thrown into prison, the jailer and his family would not have come to salvation at the time they did; Paul and Silas’ persecution has led to the salvation of others. God works in amazing ways! So, let’s not frown on persecution, but seek strength to be faithful in the midst of it.  

Persecution is not fun by any means. In fact, it is painful and sometimes deadly. But being Christians, we can’t escape from it. Paul, knowing what following Christ entailed, frequently asked the churches to pray for him for protection and boldness to share the Word. Similarly, let’s pray for each other that we will each be filled with the fruit of our salvation, which is the righteous character produced in our lives by the Spirit (see Philippians 1:12), and strength and courage to remain faithful and be an encouragement to as many as possible. Many Christians all over the world are suffering, and it seems things are only going to get worse with time. But let’s remember, God has a plan for the church! Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!