What an edifying thought to meditate on today! Yet, the Bible says: “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life will be persecuted”. (2 Timothy 3:12) Persecution is not the same as tribulation, which is another promise that each one of us can look forward to. Persecution has to do with the harassing, oppressive treatment and aggressive assault from one person to another because of one’s religion, race or beliefs. Tribulation, on the other hand, has to do with the mere going through difficult times, such as natural disasters, economic woes, or political conflicts. When Jesus taught, in the Beatitudes, about persecution, He qualified the blessing granted to those who were persecuted for the sake of righteousness. (Matthew 5:10)
My question for all of us is: Do we qualify to be persecuted? Throughout history, Christians have always been persecuted. In some generations and in some places, it is more intense that in others. You may say that in your nation or in today’s Western society, there is freedom of religion, tolerance of varied belief systems and thus no persecution. Maybe the truth is that we have so blended into the culture of our society that we are not different enough to be persecuted. I am sure that even in the 1st century one could avoid persecution if they really wanted to. They could keep their faith to themselves and just quietly go about their life. To be persecuted, one must qualify for it.
The reasons we see in the Bible for persecution are these: Preaching about the cross, openly identifying with Jesus as your Lord and Savior, living righteously and doing good all the time. Having a life-style of putting Jesus first and obeying His Word, no matter what others may think, provokes opposition. Shortly after the Day of Pentecost the Apostles were jailed for their public preaching of the Gospel. The religious leaders commanded that they cease speaking about Jesus and severely beat them. The Apostles rejoiced that they were privileged to suffer persecution, as Jesus had suffered, and went right back to preaching about Jesus. The Church never lost its boldness in preaching the Gospel, even though persecution spread them around the world.
It is hard to find any praise for the “secret believers” in the history of the Church. All the heroes of the faith are those who suffered persecution and yet remained faithful to the Lord. If there is any warning given to believers it is this: “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.” (Luke 6:26) Of course, we need to be sure we are suffering persecution for righteousness sake and not because of bad attitudes and behavior. We need to reflect Jesus at all times and be prepared for opposition. I like Bob Dylan’s lyrics to his song: “Are You Ready?” Verse 2 goes like this: Am I ready to lay down my life for the brethren, and to take up my cross? Have I surrendered to the will of God, or am I still acting like the boss?
You can avoid persecution and controversy by watering down the Gospel and removing the message of the cross from the content of your preaching. Just don’t talk about denying yourself or requiring repentance and you will be safe. In avoiding persecution, you will also avoid seeing the power of God transform peoples’ lives. The message of the cross is the power of God to all those who believe. Are you willing to suffer opposition and malicious persecution to see the sinners saved? Are you ready?
Scriptures to meditate on:
Matthew 5:10; Acts 5:18; 8:4; John 9:22; I Peter 4:14, 16