As we discuss the varying nature of persecution we must remember that Satan is the author of persecution. These types of persecution we’ll discuss are merely his visible attacks he incites against believers through human agents. We must always keep in mind the malicious activist behind the actors. The actors have been taken captive by him to do his will. So in the midst of persecution we must love the very ones who are doing us harm. And we must see the real enemy as that old serpent who goes to wage “war with…(those) who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus” as Revelation 12:17 tells us.
Again, we will speak today about the visible attacks carried out by his captives. Remember though that there are other forms of persecution incited by Satan we will not discuss except to mention them. There are attacks such as physical illness, mental anxiety and depression, and other things that keep us from pursuing God’s work of freeing the captives from the devil’s hand. The book of Job is a good example of these invisible attacks. Understand that all of these are part of the spiritual warfare by which Satan is seeking to render ineffective God’s servants.
The key idea of this message is that we mustn’t be fooled to think that there is only one kind of persecution. Satan uses various forms of persecution to prevent believers from carrying out God’s work to bring people to Himself. Satan tailors his works according to the weaknesses of the person he persecutes. Remember, though, in our weakness God shows Himself strong.
1. Intimidation
One of the means Satan uses to silence believers is intimidation. There are those people who are apt to clam up because they experience some heavy-handed tactics from Satan. We see some instances of this in the book of Acts. In Acts 4:18-21; we note the arrest of Peter and John. Luke says, “When [the leaders of the Jews] had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard. When they had threatened further, they let them go.’” And in Acts 9:1, we see the tactic of Saul of Tarsus before his conversion, “Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest.” Notice in these cases Satan used people of authority to intimidate. This still happens today. We have many people of authority (individuals with PhDs, famous, or rich people) who tell us to stop speaking about Christianity. You can’t really believe this book can you? Why it has so many errors in it and I should know because I have my doctorate.
This tactic of Satan can be very effective, as a first level of contact with believers. There is a shock value in intimidation. If you are not expecting to be on the receiving end of persecution then it may muzzle you. Intimidation causes you to wonder whether what you are doing is truly right. And intimidation can come in unexpected places. I remember as a new believer, I made a suggestion to our campus group to go door to door through the dorm rooms and give the students a survey so we could share the Gospel with them. The campus minister told me this was unacceptable because you really needed to get to know someone before you could really tell them about Jesus. Well that through me for a loop. Here I was, a new Christian, being told that I shouldn’t go and tell people about the Lord until I got to know them. Well, how was I going to get to know all these people on campus? But the Lord confirmed to me that I should go and share the Gospel with them anyway. And I did. After all, the Gospel of Mark didn’t say get to know every creature but preach the Gospel to every creature. Matthew didn’t say, “make friends of all the nations” but “to make disciples of all the nations.”
We can experience intimidation in various ways. A threat from an employer to fire you if you speak about Christ in the break room, even though everyone else is free to speak on whatever topic they may like. A threatened lawsuit or threat of arrest are possible means of intimidation to stop the Christian message. In this country, believers have been dragged off by police in instances where the person was doing nothing but speaking or preaching the Gospel in a public area. Like I mentioned, intimidation may even come from fellow Christians, who for one reason or another will not encourage someone else to share the Gospel.
Peter tells us in his first letter, 3:15, when he says, “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.” To prepare for intimidation we need to set up Christ as Lord in our hearts. Peter is probably alluding to Isaiah 8, where God tells the people of Israel not to fear what others fear or be in dread, but to regard the LORD as holy and let Him be your fear so that He will be your sanctuary, refuge or hiding place. As we regard God as the One to be feared, we see that man’s tactics of intimidation will not be feared. If we reverence God will not cave into pressure from men. But secondly, Peter also says that we are to prepare a defense. We need to be ready to speak about our faith in Christ and not shy away from it. We need to boldly but gently answer those who need Christ around us regardless of the attitude of others.
2. Torture
A second type of persecution the Scripture mentions is torture. Now this is a little more persuasive than intimidation. The author of Hebrews mentioned this in chapter 11 of his epistle. In verses 35-37, of this chapter, known for its presentation of those with genuine faith, he says, “Others were tortured, not accepting release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonments. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being, afflicted, ill-treated.”
Remember that this includes physical and mental harm given to an individual for their faith in Christ. And there are different kinds of torture. In this country there are isolated incidents of it. Throughout the world, however, such incidents of torture are prevalent. The over 150,000 Christians murdered for their faith last year doesn’t take into account those who were simply tortured and either remain in custody or were released.
3. Confiscation of property
Another type of persecution noted in the Word is the confiscation of property. In chapter 10 of his letter, the author of Hebrews mentions this. He says in verse 34, “You showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one.” Through the ages people have seen it as a great means of gain to persecute Christians by seizing their property. The inquisitions that took place from the 13th to the 19th centuries under the pretense of a religious straightening up were filled with the seizure of the accused’ property. The seized or stolen property was turned over to the papal church by which it enriched itself greatly.
If you remember from our Wednesday night prayer meeting, we noted some time ago, that the missionary we support from Thailand described how several families from the churches in that country were forced to evacuate their homes and leave their property behind. Think with me for a moment. Assume the persecution that has been heating up in America comes to our towns. Now we live in a small town. We have enjoyed great favor in the eyes of the town leadership. But let’s say that the financial straits our commonwealth and its towns find themselves in cause them to see Christians as a wonderful way to line their pockets with cash. Oh this might be fanciful for the time we find ourselves in (just yet), but what if you were charged for being a Christian and forced to pay some great sum because of your bigoted and uncharitable ways toward people of other persuasions. Would you stand true to your convictions or would you grow silent in the face of such opposition? Don’t think this time is too far off. The pro-homosexual laws in the Netherlands and Canada have already cut off freedom of speech in that area. And if this becomes the case here what is it we are going to do with the passages that condemn homosexuality as sin? Shall we cut them out of our Bible? Remember a few weeks ago I said that truth is compromised one shred at a time until you have no truth left. To compromise with one aspect of truth will inevitably lead to another. And it will result in the shedding of truth altogether.
Will you allow your possessions to be taken from you, joyfully because you know that you have a better possession and a lasting one? It has been taking place in other countries for centuries. Families broken up, children removed and property taken; is your faith strong enough to encounter this? Can your trust in the Lord to provide grace in the midst of this allow you to be calm and rested in His care?
We have enjoyed a great season of refreshing in this country, in part perhaps, because our forefathers used the freedoms we have to spread the Gospel. They used their resources for the furtherance of the Gospel. But maybe this freedom we have had in the Gospel will be gone because, instead of using our freedom for the propagation of the Gospel we have used it to simply fill ourselves. Will God empty us of our possessions to remove our self-reliance? I hope that He need not. But are you ready to stand and be counted in this way should God call for it?
4. Unjust punishment
A fourth form of persecution spoken of in the Scripture is unjust punishment. Peter says in his first letter 2:19, “For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly.” Our stand for Christ may cause us to be unjustly punished. The fact that we might need to refuse to do wrong because of our conscience toward God may cause us trouble. In this passage, Peter is speaking in the context of working relationships. You may be fired or reprimanded if you don’t obey your boss because of your convictions as a Christian. These things that take place for the sake of Christ are just not fair. They’re not right. But Peter says that we have been called to follow in Jesus’ steps. He committed no sin; no deceit was found in His mouth. Yet when He was reviled, He didn’t revile in return. While suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously. When we see this taking place, when judgment is not being fairly meted out to us then we can entrust ourselves to God who does judge justly. We can understand that this finds favor with God and that God will make all these things right in the proper time. If not now on earth then He will surely right them when He returns.
5. Slander
A fifth kind of persecution is slander. Peter mentions this several times in his first letter. In 2:12, he tells us to keep our behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the things in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. Peter says that our good will be spoken of as evil. He says, though, that we are to continue to do good so that God will be glorified. Being spoken evil of is no excuse for retaliating or returning evil for evil. On the contrary we are to bless when we are cursed. Peter says that the slander comes because those whom we knew before Christ are surprised that we do not continue with them in their debauchery. And what is it they do? In 4:4 Peter says that they will malign us. They will accuse us of that which is unseemly. They will equate our good with that which is improper.
I remember when I was in ROTC, there was a chief petty officer who taught our navigation course. It was my practice, if I arrived early to any class (unless it right before an exam) to take out my Bible and read until the class started. One day as I was reading the Chief came in and began to berate me in front of the class. He told me that this kind of pornography was not allowed in his class. He treated what was a good thing, reading the Scripture as evil. The conviction of his own heart caused him to slander me in front of my peers. However, God still worked in the midst of this, but that’s a story for another time.
6. Ridicule/Mocking
Still another form of persecution that hits closer to home for many of you is ridicule or mocking. You probably have never been tortured for your faith or have had your things taken because you were a Christian but if you have tried to live in earnest as a believer you may very well have been mocked. Your faith in Christ may make you the brunt of jokes. Your stand for Jesus, being misunderstood, may cause people to make fun of you. In Jude 18, Jude tells us, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” Peter, in his second letter, 3:3-7, notes that these mockers will ask, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” We should recognize that there will always be those who make fun of anything Christian. Why is this? It is a spiritual battle. And it is satanically energized. I can remember when we lived in Minnesota and our governor, Jesse Ventura, made a statement calling Christians weak-minded individuals. Now stop for a moment and analyze this with me. Here is a former professional wrestler calling someone else weak-minded. Why don’t you hear people saying, “Buddhists are weak-minded,” or “Hindus are weak-minded?” This is a spiritual attack directed against Christians to cause them to be silent about their faith.
After Ron became a Christian, there were those at his workplace who mocked him. They made little wooden crosses and put them on his dashboard to make fun of him. This isn’t new. The apostles spoke about it. There are instances of it recorded through history and we see the evidence of it today. Let’s not be caught off guard because of it. Let’s recognize that it will happen to us if we are going to live for Christ and stand for Him and speak His name. It will take place from those we don’t know and from those we know best. It comes in many forms, including the ever-present question, “How can you believe in something like that?” Recognize that ridicule will come in its various forms.
7. Martyrdom
Lastly, I wanted to speak about the ultimate form of persecution, called martyrdom. The Scripture mentions this in many places. The Lord spoke to Peter in John 21 telling him that he would be crucified. And in Peter’s last epistle he tells his readers in 1:14, that he knew the laying aside of his earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to him.”
It seems that those whom Satan cannot silence he seeks to kill. Of course, he may only do so under the directing hand of God. We do not know the reason why God allows some to be martyred and keeps others for longer service here on earth. We only know that, as the Apostle Paul has said, to live is Christ and to die is gain. That to depart and be with Christ is very much better, yet God may have fruitful labor left for us to accomplish by our life rather than by our death. And if you don’t suffer martyrdom you have work to do here for Christ.
But here is one thing that is often overlooked in this discussion about martyrdom. In Philippians 1:20, Paul says that he wished, “according to [his] earnest expectation and hope, that [he would] not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in [his] body, whether by life or by death.” Let me ask you a question. Are you willing to die for Christ? What people often miss in this discussion about martyrdom is that they tell the Lord they are willing to die for Him, but they are not willing to live for Him. They think wistfully of standing in the stadium before a crowd of hungry lions and even hungrier spectators waiting for the lions to pounce. They think of that one ultimate sacrifice. But they will not speak out about Christ. They won’t take a stand for Him at their workplace. They’ll not talk about issues of right and wrong and put their necks on the line, so to speak, for the name of Jesus NOW. Just get out of your mind about dying for Christ until you are firm in your living for Him. We ought to hope that as Paul said, Christ should be exalted in my body whether by life or by death.
Don’t put your commitment to Christ off until some make believe time of dying for Him if you never enter into the stadium of daily living for Him. If you won’t face the lions of ridicule and mocking head on then don’t think about the lions of martyrdom. It won’t happen. For it was those who lived for Christ to whom God gave opportunity to die for Christ. So don’t puff yourself up thinking that you are something because you have committed yourself to die for Christ if you will not right now commit yourself to live for Him and live for Him out rightly and boldly by His grace. Until you are resigned to suffer in the mocking and ridicule and intimidation and take it like a Christian then don’t think about that glorious day of being killed for Him. Don’t pretend to be a Christian unless you will live like one. You who claim faith in Jesus Christ as your banner make it known to others. Stand for Him regardless of what persecution awaits you. Whether it is sickness or ridicule or seizure of your assets or martyrdom, live for Him, today. Speak of Him, now. Understand that all kinds of persecution may come your way if you desire to be godly in Christ Jesus. Satan does not want us to live for Christ. And he will seek to make it unbearable for us in the way he knows we most detest. So stand firm in the grace of God that He supplies for those who will stand for Him.