“Rejoicing in Persecution” (Matt 5:10-12) - Follow Me VIII –

Persecution Today

According to 2022 World Watch list, in just the last year there have been over 360 million Christians living in places where they experience high levels of persecution and discrimination – 5,898 Christians killed for their faith, 5,110 churches and other Christian buildings attacked, 4,765 believers detained without trial, arrested, sentenced or imprisoned. These numbers are heart-breaking. From a global standpoint, Christian persecution is very real. But as for many of us living in the U.S. may wonder whether Jesus’ words about persecution are still relevant today, as modern society became so tolerant. My answer is that these verses are relevant and not at all outdated. My reason for saying this is taken from the words of Paul in 2 Timothy 3:12, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” The immediate context of Paul’s words is this:

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- having a form of godliness but denying its power (vv. 1-5).

Don’t these verses describe what’s happening in today’s world? In this very context, Paul says that everyone who wants to live all out for Christ will be persecuted.

Why Persecution Comes

Why does then persecution come? Is persecution necessary? Persecution is the clash between two irreconcilable value systems, between the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God. When our life is devoted to righteousness or godliness, we will be reviled or persecuted. For instance,

·       If we are spiritually minded, we will expose the worldly-mindedness of those around us.

·       If we walk humbly with our God, we will expose the evil of pride.

·       If we live simply and godly, we will show the folly of luxury.

·       If we pursue love – the love for God and our neighbor, our life will be a statement against the love of self and of money.

·       If we pursue self-control, our life will indict excess eating. 

Two Responses to a Godly Life

When we desire to live a godly life, there are two possible responses people can have who are around us. One is conversion, and the other is persecution. We see this pattern throughout the Bible, particularly in the Book of Acts. Wherever the good news is preached, there is great joy, new life, revival, conversion. But also, there is always great opposition, violence, hatred, persecution. Why? Because two different value systems collide.

John Bunyan, in his book Pilgrim’s Progress, effectively describes what would happen to us when we resolve to follow Jesus and his teaching in this world. On their journey Christian and Faithful arrived at the town, called Vanity. In that town is promoted a fair called Vanity Fair. At this fair they sell such merchandise as houses, land, honors, promotions, titles, countries, kingdoms, gold, silver, lusts, and pleasures of all sorts. And along with all this, at this fair there is constant, round-the-clock entertainment like juggling, cheats, games, plays, clowns, and other amusements of every kind. Here visitors can also find free offers that include thefts, murders, adulteries, perjuries, and all of them are available at the fair. When the Pilgrims arrived, they were clothed with garments different from any available at that fair. When the people saw them, they stared at them and said they were lunatics, strange and unusual. One mocking merchant observed the strange behavior of Faithful and Christian and said to them, “What will you buy?” The pilgrims said, “We buy the truth.” Some mocked, some taunted, some reviled. There was a great commotion. After this, Faithful and Christian were taken to the judge, Lord Hate-good, for further investigation. At the court, several witnesses came forward for their testimonies against the Pilgrims. Since Faithful so boldly proclaimed the truth at the court, he was condemned to death.  First they scourged him, then they beat him, then they lanced his flesh with knives. After that, they stoned him with stones, then pricked him with their swords, and last of all they burned him to ashes at the stake. But that’s not the end of the story. After this, Christian was released and was joined by another pilgrim by the name of Hopeful, who observed all the sufferings Christian and Faithful had endured at the fair and decided to follow Christ. This Hopeful also told Christian, that there were many more of the people in the fair who would follow him after some time. Persecution and conversion. These are the two possible responses to a godly life.

Blessed are the Persecuted

So we should all examine and ask ourselves, “Is my life bearing fruit of persecution or conversion? Is my light bright enough so that the people around me may see it and move toward one or the other of these two polls: persecution or conversion?” In today’s passage Jesus gives us the words of encouragement: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.” The Apostle Paul also encourages Timothy and all followers of Christ with these words: “But as for you, keep your head in all situations, endure suffering (persecution), work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you… the Lord will rescue you from every evil attack and will bring you safely to his heavenly kingdom” (2 Tim 4:5, 18).

When Corrie Ten Boom was a child, she was having a difficult time dealing with the fact that her farther would die one day. Corrie burst into tears, “I need you! You can’t die! You can’t!” The father sat down on the edge of the narrow bed and said gently, "Corrie, when you and I go to Amsterdam-when do I give you your ticket?" She sniffed a few times, considering this, then said, "Why, just before we get on the train." The father said, “Exactly. And our wise Father in heaven knows when we're going to need things, too. Don't run out ahead of Him, Corrie. When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you will look into your heart and find the strength you need – just in time.” I don’t know about you, but for me, there are times when I become anxious about suffering. In particular, I become anxious when standing up for the truth or living a godly life would cost my relationships. But today we are reassured that God gives us tickets of grace to get through any given situation.

Rejoicing in Persecution

We may struggle. We may fall at times. But we will never down for long, because the Lord holds us by the hand. We are surrounded by God’s grace. We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who have finished the race. Let us look to these great men and women of faith in Hebrews 11. Let us look to the martyrs. Most of all, let us look to Jesus, who endured the cross for the joy set before him.

As I close, I want to share with you Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s poem “Who Am I.” Bonhoeffer was a German pastor known for his opposition to Nazi regime. He wrote this poem just one month before he was executed:

Who am I? They often tell me

I would step from my cells confinement

calmly, cheerfully, firmly,

like a squire from his country-house.

 

Who am I? They often tell me

I would talk to my warden

freely and friendly and clearly,

as though it were mine to command.

 

Who am I? They also tell me

I would bear the days of misfortune

equably, smilingly, proudly,

like one accustomed to win.

 

Am I then really that which other men tell of?

Or am I only what I myself know of myself?

Restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,

struggling for breath, as though hands were compressing my throat,

yearning for colors, for flowers, for the voices of birds,

thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness,

tossing in expectations of great events,

powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,

weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,

faint, and ready to say farewell to it all.

 

Who am I? This or the other?

Am I one person today and tomorrow another?

Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,

and before myself a contemptible woebegone weakling?

Or is something within me still like a beaten army

fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?

 

Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.

Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am thine!

 

As he left his prison room on the way to the gallows in 1945, he said to his fellow Christians in the room, “This is the end — for me the beginning of life.” Ten years later the camp doctor wrote,

At the place of execution, he again said a short prayer and then climbed the steps to the gallows, brave and composed. His death ensued after a few seconds. In the almost fifty years that I worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God (Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Biography, 830).

When we desire to follow Jesus and live a godly life in this godless world, we will be persecuted. We will continue to experience difficulties. But let us not lose heart. Let us hold fast to the words of Jesus, “In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!" (John 16:33) Let us set our hearts on the kingdom of heaven. Let us rejoice even in persecution because our reward in heaven is great. Let us shine that people may see the light and glorify our Father in heaven. Amen.