Persecution in USA: Part II - Persecution Promised

In the last post, I told you of a news story where Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation is seeking to outlaw evangelism in the US Military calling it “spiritual rape” by “fundamentalist Christian religious predators” (FoxNews).  In another similar story, Weinstein's group petitioned the military to prohibit Bibles that had been printed with the emblems of our service branches on the cover calling them "a national security risk" (FoxNews).  From organized boycotts against businesses that uphold family values; the government deporting a Christian homeschooling family who fled their homeland to avoid persecution; universities prohibiting pro-life or Christian clubs; or, attempts at controlling speech or Christian displays in public, a mild form of persecution in the US is underway.      

Last post, I briefly reviewed the historical context of our nation’s Christian heritage.  By no means was it intended to be a full discourse on US history but to merely highlight the fact that our founders’ established our nation on Christian principles.  I suggested that the tide in America is changing as the political and cultural environment calls good those things that are dark and visa versa.  The question remains, if the culture is moving anti-Christian, how do we respond when persecution comes?  Here we must look to scripture.  

The next couple of posts will focus on three Ps - Promise, Purpose, and Passion.  We begin with the Promise of Persecution

Promise of Persecution

First, we must remember that persecution is the expected norm for Christ’s church.  Jesus encouraged His disciples, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you...A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:18-20) (also compare Matthew 10:24-25).  Remember from my previous post titled “A Slave of Christ,” when you see the word servant, it usually means slave.  Jesus is saying, if they persecute Me, your Master, why should they not persecute you my slave.  So that you do not think this is an isolated teaching consider:

Gospel Teachings

• Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Mat 10:28)
• And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. (Mat 10:38)
• Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. (Mk 8:34-35)
• You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. (Luke 21:17)
• You will be hated by all for my name’s sake...by your endurance you will gain your lives. (Luke 21:17,19)
• They will put you out of the synagogues.  Indeed the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.  And when they do these things because they have not known the Father nor me.  But I have told you these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. (John 16:2-4)

The Book of Acts
I love reading the Book of Acts.  All of the hate and persecution He warned of came to fruition in the early church.  These first believers were so courageous under amazing circumstances.  They were repeatedly arrested, imprisoned, beaten, and in some cases martyred.  All the while, the church grew.  Due to the dispersion of the believers through the persecution in Jerusalem, the Gospel of Jesus Christ spread throughout the region.  To recap all the verses highlighting persecution in the Books of Acts would be to lengthy for this post.  

John and Peter were first arrested as they taught the people (Acts 4:1-3).  Their boldness before the Sanhedrin marveled the leaders as they “realized that they [John and Peter] had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).  I love that verse because it gives me hope that I too can grow in spirit as I spend time with Him.   The council tried to silence them by threatening them (Acts 4:16-21) but it was to no avail (Acts 4:20, 29-31).  

Stephen, the first martyr, after boldly delivering an convicting sermon (Acts 7:1-53) that cut the people to the heart (Acts 7:54), was stoned to death as he looked to God and repeated Jesus own words, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin” (Acts 7:55-60).

Saul, a persecutor of the church (Acts 8:1, 9:1-2) was directly confronted by Jesus (Acts 9:3-5).  Through this life changing conversion Saul, afterward called Paul, delivers the Gospel throughout the region.  During his ministry he suffered many abuses for his faith (2 Cor 11:23-33) up until his martyrdom in Rome.      

Understanding the context of the Book of Acts and the ongoing challenges or persecution of these believers is important to understanding the message and teachings of many of the epistles.  For example, Phillipians, Galatians, Ephesians, and Philemon are all thought to have been written while Paul was imprisoned in Rome around A.D. 62., sometime after Acts 28:16.  

Epistle Teachings
What may surprise Christians today is virtually very book of the New Testament discusses false teachers, suffering, and persecution.  This will not be an exhaustive reference list rather a sampling from each book of the NT. 

• We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Rom 5:3-5)
• God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Cor 1:9) [Being called into His fellowship is being called into the cross (Mat 16:24)] 
• If we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer.  Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. (2 Cor 1:6)
• As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ (Gal 6:12)
• For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you gentiles...I ask that you do not loose heart at my tribulations for your, which is your glory (Eph 3:1,13)
• For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake (Phil 1:29)
• I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church (Col 1:24)
• And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. (1 Thes 1:6-7)
• We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, because your faith grows exceedingly...so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure (2 Thes 1:3-4)
• For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe (1 Tim 4:10)
• Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God (2 Tim 1:8)
• Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus...(Philemon 1:1)
• Remember the prisoners as if chained with them - those who are mistreated - since you yourselves are in the body also. (Heb 13:3)  [This does not refer to all incarcerated but the context is specifically to the brethren who are suffering for His name’s sake.]
• My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials (Jam 1:2)
• Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you: but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy (1 Pet 4:12)
• I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. (2 Pet 1:13-14)
• Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you (1 John 3:13)
• I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church.  (3 John 1:9-10)
• I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan, “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer.  Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days.  Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. (Rev 2:9-10)

Jesus clearly warned us persecution would occur and should be expected.  Throughout the Book of Acts we see his promises come to fruition as as persecution was normal for early believers.  But the body of Christ still suffers today.  The American church has grown soft lukewarm.    
       
The early church was married to poverty, prisons, and persecutions.  Today, the church is married to prosperity, personality, and popularity. 

- Evangelist Leonard Ravenhill

We must regain the attitude of the early church by wholly submitting ourselves to the servitude for our living God.  For in-depth study of the theology of persecution see The Shadow of the Cross by Glenn Penner and the Voice of the Martyrs online classroom.

Next week we will examine the purpose of persecution.

JS