“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way. Matthew 5:11-12 NLT

As believers in Jesus Christ, we are not exempt from persecution and exclusion. We live in a world that thrives in darkness and is comfortable with it. Everything that opposes its nature, way of life, and does not conform is seen as a threat. Jesus stated that believers will be persecuted, hated, and even killed for believing in Him, and those who kill those who believe will do so thinking they are doing a service to God. 

For you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God. John 16.2

Persecution Vs. Opposition 

Before we proceed any further, we must understand the difference between opposition and persecution. As believers and followers of Jesus Christ, who walk and belong to the kingdom of Light, anything that opposes the truth will oppose our message and our beliefs. 

Persecute means to harass or punish in a manner designed to injure, grieve, or afflict. Specifically: to cause to suffer because of belief.¹

Opposition: resistance or dissent, expressed in action or argument.²

The Gospel message will always face opposition because it goes against the culture and system of this world. Nonetheless, persecution for believing the gospel goes beyond opposition; it is when the believer is being harassed and punished for believing differently from the world or its system. 

The Persecuted Church

If we read the Bible and history, we can find that the church has faced times of persecution since Pentecost. In Acts, we read that the first believers faced persecution from the religious leaders of the day, those who adhered to the Law of Moses. 

Stephen, the first martyr of the church in Jerusalem, was stoned to death by a mob after being arrested and addressing the Jewish council. 

54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together[a] at him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:54-60 ESV (Emphasis added). 

After Stephen’s martyrdom, the Bible describes the church’s persecution as a great wave of persecution (Acts 8.1-3), which resulted in believers being scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. The result of the believers being scarred was the spreading of the gospel whenever they went (Acts 8.4).

Jesus Command When Facing Persecution 

Our Lord Jesus Christ commands us in Matthew 10.23: “When you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next. I tell you the truth, the Son of Man will return before you have reached all the towns of Israel.” This is the command the believers followed when they faced persecution. They moved to other towns and cities, and by doing this, they had new opportunities to preach and share the gospel. 

Phillip was one of those believers who moved to Samaria due to persecution. His preaching of the gospel brought many people to the faith as they “believed Phillip’s message of Good News concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. As a result, many men and women were baptized” (Acts 8:12). 

The Upside-down Kingdom

“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” Tertullian

Something that I have learned by reading the Bible and have seen throughout history is that when the Church of Jesus Christ faces persecution, it grows. 

Persecution brings growth. In Acts 8, we read that the believers were scattered to other parts of Judea and Samaria, which gave them the opportunity to preach the Gospel and make disciples. This results in the Church growing and increasing in numbers. 

Paul, one of the Jewish leaders who was present when Stephen was stoned and who led the persecution and killings of believers in Jerusalem and Samaria (Acts 8.1, 3), was later converted to a believer in Jesus Christ. Paul went from threatening and harassing the believers for their faith and testimony to preaching and proclaiming the same faith. 

3 As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” 5 “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! 6 Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

There is nothing impossible that our Savior, Lord, and God cannot do. 

Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, take the persecution of His believers seriously. If you are persecuting His church and people, note that you are personally persecuting Him. 

The Reward: The Crown of Life

Within the seven letters to the Churches in thebook of Revelation, we find the Letter to the Church of Smyrna. This church was facing suffering, poverty, and opposition. Yet they were about to suffer even more, but Jesus’ message to them still rings true to this day, to “remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2.10b). 

Even if we are killed or put to death because of our faith in Jesus Christ, we have the assurance of eternal life and the crown of Life given by Jesus!  

As believers, we are also called to endure until the end, and we will be saved (Matthew 10.22).

When you are persecuted, opposed or harassed for your faith, do not shrink back and leave the faith. There is power and encouragement for the journey, and the most important thing to be aware of is that the Lord is with you; for He said, “and be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28.20). 

A letter to the persecuted church:

I see your faith and the need of a miracle. I see the lack you face every day for the sake of my name. 

You go hungry, and no one seems to care, but I see you. Hold fast to your testimony, your faith in me as the Son of the Almighty. I have not forsaken you or abandoned you. 

You are mine and forever will be mine. My desire is to hold you close to my chest, as that time comes and my coming draws close, hold fast to your faith. 

I know you don’t have anything, yet you are rich in faith. I know you lack in everything in life, you for to you I have given the kingdom. 

Hold fast to your faith. 

1. Merriam-Webster Dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/persecuting ↩︎
2. Google search, https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=opposition&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8 ↩︎