Few things survive adversity. The church however is an exception, especially when it comes to the issue of persecution. When going through times of persecution, the church has grown. It is still growing today, particularly in nations or regions hostile to Christianity. For example, there are large underground churches in Iran, China, and North Korea. In those countries, members cling to Bibles and attend illegal worship services, knowing full well that it could all come to an end any day. That was a situation the early church was all too familiar with in the centuries following Jesus’ resurrection.
What is persecution?
Before we go any further, let us examine the meaning of “persecution.” To “persecute” someone means to harass or punish in a manner designed to injure, grieve, or afflict. Members of the early church experienced this firsthand. The Bible tells us that the first persecution of the church began during events recorded in Acts 4.
At this point, the church had grown from a few dozen believers to as many as five thousand, and the Jewish rulers that did not acknowledge Jesus as Lord laid hands on the believers and put them in jail. Not long after, Peter proclaimed that “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). This was after James, the brother of John, had been executed by Herod.
In short, Peter responded properly. He trusted God in those moments. So did the believers in Jerusalem that were scattered throughout the region during what the Bible describes as “great persecution against the church” (Acts 8:1). One of them, Phillip, did not panic. Instead, he made the best of his situation. Because of this, the Lord was able to use Phillip to reach people for Christ. There was a servant from Ethiopia that needed help understanding the scriptures he was carrying with him on his trek to Jerusalem. Phillip told him about Jesus, led him to the Lord, and went on to baptize him during a time of persecution.
Yet another example of someone persevering through persecution is the Apostle Paul. In Acts 16, after Paul and Silas were detained for teaching and preaching about Jesus, we read that Paul and Silas prayed and sang God’s praises – at midnight – in their cell. Perhaps this was due to Paul having been told about the time Christ instructed the disciples to “rejoice” in persecution, understanding that Jesus and the prophets went through similar things for the sake of the church (Matthew 5:12).
This was not the last time Paul experienced persecution. He writes in 2 Corinthians 11:25 that he had been beaten with reeds, stoned, suffered a shipwreck, and spent a night and a day in the deep. This was the same Paul that later wrote the Philippians – from a prison cell – to say that he learned to become content in whatever situation in which he had found himself. Later in his ministry, Paul told Timothy that everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12). When that time comes for us, we should remember how Jesus, Peter, and Paul responded. Jesus was not ugly to his captors. Jesus never said a bad word to those beating and mocking him. Neither did Peter nor Paul. All three of them, along with other believers, most likely prayed for their persecutors. Jesus tells us to do exactly that in Matthew 5:44:
But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.
Paul gives a similar instruction in Romans 12:14: “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”
Persecution Grows Our Faith and Provides a Witness
When we do these things we grow not only our faith, but we provide a good witness to those who persecute us. As I’m writing this, I cannot help but think of Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Colorado. Phillips has been in and out of courtrooms for his decision not to design cakes for same-sex weddings and gender transitions. Phillips has also been mocked for not wanting to make Halloween cakes, not to mention a cake depicting Satan smoking marijuana. Phillips says these designs would violate his sincerely held religious beliefs, and while Phillips has expressed in media calls with his attorneys that he feels he is being harassed, I’ve never heard him say a bad word about anyone.
I pray that we learn from Jack Phillips. I pray that we learn from the examples of believers as recorded in God’s Word. If you did not pick up on this already, the book of Acts, (the Acts of the Apostles), is a great place to read about the early days of the church and, more importantly, how believers acted in that time of crisis. Let’s be ready to put these examples into practice when we are persecuted. Remember, we will be persecuted. Our actions could influence those around us, much like Jesus, Peter, Paul, and Jack Phillips continue to influence and inspire people today.
