Will I face persecution? Will you face persecution?
The Bible gives us a clear answer. Here it is, along with three other truths about persecution.
Truth #1: All Christians will face persecution.
I desperately want to convince myself that persecution is something that happens “over there,” that it could never happen to me, in my zip code.
While I do want to acknowledge that as an American I enjoy a level of religious freedom that is a rare gift and that many Christian brothers and sisters around the world will face hardships I never will, I also need to wrestle with this hard truth.
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Tim. 3:12).
I desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus. Don’t you?
The Bible promises that will have consequences.
No matter how much we want it to, the world won’t welcome Christianity with open arms. They never have, and until Christ’s return, they never will.
Jesus didn’t trick His followers into thinking faith in Him would feel like riding in a parade. Instead, He called it a narrow road. It’s a steep climb, and there aren’t a lot of cheerleaders.
Last week I showed you where the Bible calls persecution a blessing. Perhaps one reason why that is true is that it forces us to ask:
Will I still follow Jesus when it’s hard?
Do I still want to be a Christian when it costs me?
Is it worth loving Christ to lose friends and influence?
My answers are:
Yes, yes, and yes! How about you?
Truth #2: Persecution does not mean God has abandoned us.
Just because God allows us to endure hard things for His sake does not mean He has left us to fend for ourselves.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? . . . No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us (Rom. 8:35, 37).
Persecution cannot separate us from God’s love. Nothing can!
Truth #3: Persecution is an opportunity.
First Peter 4:16 urges us not to waste our suffering in Christ. Instead, we should see it as a chance to bring God glory.
When someone questions your faith, it’s an opportunity to share why you believe what you do. If we stopped seeing suffering as something to be avoided and started seeing it as a starting point to share the gospel, what might change?
Truth #4: We don’t need to be afraid of persecution.
Revelation 2:10 says, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
No matter what persecution is around the corner for Christians in our country and in our world, we don’t have to respond with fear. The God who endured every possible persecution for our sake will never stop fighting for us.
Written by: Erin Davis
