“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Matthew 5:10-12
How can I be sure to stand against persecution?
I was told that a group of believers were having an illegal
meeting an unregistered church assembly in Russia. There came a loud knock at the
door and it was thrown open by several uniformed and armed Russian soldiers.
The frightened people were shocked when one of the soldier shouted, "Those
of you who are not willing to die for you Jesus, leave now!" There was a
moments stillness as the reality of the threat sank in. Suddenly several people
quickly jumped to their feet and ran out of the meeting into the dark, but most
of the little group remained. The soldiers then closed and locked the door,
stacked their weapons in a corner and sat down. One of them then motioned to
the pastor to continue the service saying "Now we can truly worship the
Lord with you who are truly brothers and sisters in Christ."
What would you have done?
How do you know?
What would you have done?
How do you know?
Here are some thoughts for preparing to face persecution:
Acknowledge the Facts
Watching the rapid rise of violence against Christians must shock you into the reality that you may be called upon to suffer or even die for your faith.
The sooner you acknowledge that the sooner you can begin to change your mindset and your lifestyle.
While we argue that it is extreme or even crazy, Muslims are energized by the idea of being martyrs for their faith. They believe that for them death is better than life.
As Christians, when are we going to face the fact that our life AFTER death will certainly be better than the abundant life God has given us here. Everyone of us is going to die. Not one of us will get out alive. So, why should we shrink from the possibility of dying for our faith knowing what awaits us on the other side?
Acknowledge Your Fears
Admit your fears and come to grips with them. Make commitments ahead of time when you aren't under pressure. Be like Jesus, who settled His fate in the desert and in Gethsemane before He had to face the brutality and torture.
Be like Daniel who purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself or deny his God.
“He is no fool who
gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” – Jim Elliott
Acknowledge Your
Faith
Memorize the promises of God and remind yourself of the reality of your faith. Here are a few of His precious promises:
“From the Jews
five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was
stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the
deep; in journeys often, in perils of
waters, in perils of
robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the
Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the
wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among
false brethren; in weariness and toil, in
sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and
nakedness—“ II Corinthians
11:24-27
“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is
common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you
to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make
the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
I Corinthains 10:13
“But the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith” Galatians 5:22
“Finally, my brethren, be strong
in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God,
that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For
we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God,
that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to
stand.” Ephesians 6:10-13
“In this you
greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been
grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your
faith, being much more
precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to
praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom
having not seen you love. Though
now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible
and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the
salvation of your souls.” I Peter 1:6-9
Acknowledge His
Faithfulness
God has ALWAYS been faithful to His people. Often He delivered them from their troubles while other times He gave them grace to endure because He had something better for them.
“Others
were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better
resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of
chains and imprisonment. They were
stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They
wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted,
tormented— of
whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and
caves of the earth. And
all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the
promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not
be made perfect apart from us.” Hebrews 11:34-40
If you will face the facts about your own
mortality and deal with the reality of death, if you will prepare yourself for
the possibility of suffering, if you will strengthen your faith and trust His
faithfulness completely you WILL be able to stand strong in the face of
persecution.