Our response in the midst of persecution is not inherited. We do not have an automatic right response because we are Christians. We need to be taught the right way to respond and put it into practice lest we cease to be salt in the way that we ought to be. Remember, that salt on the tongue is pleasant but salt in a wound is not. Our response must be driven by God’s grace not by our fleshly reaction. And so it is very important that we understand just how we are to respond in the midst of persecution.
The key idea of this message is that the Christian’s response in persecution is to be one of a supernatural character. The right response in persecution can only come about by the believer’s dependence upon the Holy Spirit. God gives us clear instruction in the Scripture as to how we are to respond to persecution by teaching and example.
1. We Are to Pray for Them
The first example we find in Scripture as to how we are to respond to persecution deals with our response toward those who persecute us. The Scripture says that we are to pray for them. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus notes in His Sermon on the Mount that we are to pray for those who persecute us. In chapter 5, verses 43-46 He says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends the rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”
Our natural response to persecution is to become bitter or resentful toward those who mistreat us. We find it hard to forgive them. Yet Jesus calls for us to pray for them. Praying for those who seek our harm accomplishes several important things. First, it causes us to remember, as we have been saying all along, that these people are not the real enemies. They are simply, as Paul notes in 2 Timothy 2:26, those who have “been held captive by [the devil] to do his will.” When we recognize they are merely the devil’s pawns, it causes us to have mercy and pity upon such individuals. We know that if they were freed to believe the truth they would not do such wicked things. They are greatly in need of God’s mercy and light. The apostle Paul was a serious persecutor of the church before his conversion. He noted his own great need for God’s mercy in 1 Timothy 1:12ff, when he said, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted in unbelief.” We mustn’t think of these people as enemies but as those in need of the mercy of God lest they find themselves, as Paul did, fighting against God.
The second thing it accomplishes is that it makes it clear to others that we are God’s children. Jesus says that we show ourselves to be God’s children when we don’t retaliate. Why? God is like this. We reflect His character when we do this. God allows His goodness to cover everyone. He doesn’t withhold the sunlight from those who slight Him or take His name in vain. He doesn’t prevent rain from falling on the crops of the wicked. He shows His kindness to everyone, not just to those who have experienced His redeeming favor. And when we pray for those who persecute us we are behaving like our heavenly Father.
When Jesus says, “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” He is describing the fact that love of our enemies is a characteristic of God that we are to imitate. It is natural to love those who love you. So how are we any different if we simply love those who love us and are most like us? But when we show God’s love to those who hate us and seek to harm us we reflect the character of God to the world.
There is another reason we should pray for those who persecute us. They need Christ and prayer is the vehicle God uses to cause them to come to know Him. In 1 Timothy 2, the apostle Paul asks that we pray… because (as he notes in verse 4) he “desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.” God has ordained the means of prayer to win people to Christ. At the end of Acts 7, as Stephen was being stoned to death, he prayed, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Luke shows us, by the very next phrase, who the prayer reached. “Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death.” Saul was singled out as one to whom the mercy of the Lord would come through Stephen’s prayer. We don’t know who the Lord will save because of our prayer. But we must understand the power of praying for those who persecute us. For God is able to save, what we may think of as, the least likely candidate for salvation. When Saul was saved, people in Damascus couldn’t believe it. When Saul was saved, people in Jerusalem couldn’t believe it. They had to be shown that Saul’s conversion was genuine. He was one hard cookie, yet God was able to save him. And He uses prayer. We need to pray for those who persecute us. We need to pray for the salvation of those we know who are lost.
2. We Are to Do Good to Them
The second example we find in Scripture as to how we are to respond to persecution also deals with our response toward those who persecute us. We are to do good to them. What? You mean not only do I need to pray for them, but I also need to do what is good for them? Yup! In 1 Peter 3:8, Peter tells us, “All of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.” Returning evil for evil might be considered a natural response. Not returning evil for evil might be considered a stoic response. But giving a blessing in return for evil is truly a supernatural response. This, however, is our necessary response as Christians. Peter says that we were called for this purpose to inherit a blessing. Or in the idea that Peter is portraying, we were called to share the blessing of salvation with others. Why have you been saved? It is certainly not to live for yourself. We have been saved to live for Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. And He has given us marching orders. He has told us that we have been saved for the purpose of reaching others with the Gospel.
Now when a friend or co-worker maligns you for your Christianity what will you do? How are you going to respond? As Peter says here, you need to find some way to do good to him. You should find out the needs of this person. As you pray for them ask God for the opportunity to do good to them. And take the opportunity whenever you have.
Some of you asked what happened to the Navy chief, I mentioned last week, who ridiculed me and called me a pornographer for reading the Bible before his class started. When he asked me to put it away I could have pointed out the fact that others were reading material that didn’t pertain to the class. I could have threatened in return. If I had desired, I could have appealed to the executive officer who was a believer. I could have told him to mind his own business and that I was on my time. But what did I do? I respected his wishes. I put the Bible away. I smiled. I told him, “alright chief.” Now even my classmates saw how unfair it was. They complained to me about it. I told them that it wasn’t something to be upset about. And I sought to be an exemplary student because my testimony as a Christian was on the line. I wanted to be sure that I followed what Paul said in Philippians 2, that I should do all things without murmuring and complaining so that I would shine as a light in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. What was the outcome of all this? Well that’s a story for another time. But I’ll tell you now. For some reason my response softened his heart. I began to speak with him after class. I found out that his wife was a believer. And at the end of the semester I was able to give him a Bible that he accepted from me. And he placed it on his desk. Did he ever become a believer? I don’t know that. But let me ask you this. Would he have been soft toward the Gospel had I gone over his head? Would he have listened to me if I sued him to let me open my Bible before class? Do you think he would have taken a Bible from me if I had been belligerent to him? I don’t think so. Do good to those who persecute you.
In Romans 12:20-21, the apostle Paul says, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” We lower ourselves from the position of a child of God when we seek retaliation for a wrong someone has done to us because we are Christians. Before you respond to a situation in which someone has wronged you, first seek the Lord’s point of view. How many times have you given someone a reply before you had opportunity to seek the Lord’s wisdom in a matter? Look for ways to do good to those who persecute you. Seek their benefit. They will never come to know the Lord unless you show the grace and mercy of God to them yourself.
3. Sing Praise and Rejoice
The next example we find in Scripture as to how we are to respond to persecution is that we are to sing praise and rejoice. In Acts 16, Paul and Silas cast the demon out of a girl. Were the people thankful for this? No, verse 22 says, “The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” What is fascinating about this passage is that in the midst of the horrific and unjustified treatment of these two men, we find them praying and singing hymns of praise! Why were they able to rejoice? They knew that God was going to do a great thing in their midst. They didn’t know what God was going to do, but they knew God was in control. And they understood that if Satan sought to stop them then God was going to do something special through them.
And what took place? As they sang praises, God shook that prison by an earthquake. This gave Paul and Silas an opportunity to present the Gospel to the jailer and his family. And this expanded the newly formed church in the city of Philippi. It was God’s plan to reach out to this area in Europe and Satan sought to prevent the Gospel’s reach into this new region. Satan wanted the light of the Gospel to never be lit in it.
I also think, that because Paul and Silas responded the way they did, with prayer and praise, they were able to reach the prisoners with the gospel. Were they converted by this? I don’t know. But the passage says, “and the prisoners were listening to them.” I think that is the response of people who see the gospel truly lived out in the midst of persecution. Do you think they would have paid attention to Paul and Silas if they had been moaning and complaining? No, because this was the normal response of all the other prisoners. But when they saw and heard these men, when they recognized the difference between Paul and Silas, and all the others they wanted to know what made them different. And so they listened. It is important for us to praise God and rejoice in the midst of persecution. Praise from the mouth of a persecuted saint is God’s light in the midst of a dark place. Praise to God in the midst of persecution brings joy to the heart of the believer and allows him to let that light shine in front of others.
Look also at the end of Acts 5. Starting in verse 40, Luke says, “after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.” What was the result of their praise at suffering shame for the name of Jesus? The beginning of chapter 6 says that at that time the number of disciples was increasing. Because they did not stop speaking for the Lord, and they continued to rejoice in Him, God brought about a greater harvest. He worked through their perseverance to bring others into the kingdom of light.
Listen when Satan opposes us, especially in a way intended to seriously depress us or cause us to doubt our faith, then know that God wants to do something special through us. God waits to see if we will praise Him in the midst of the difficulty so that His name is honored. We need to pray, sing praise to Him and rejoice in the midst of our persecution.
I remember the story of a believer in Africa who was bringing people to Christ. It was illegal to baptize people where he was. As he came up out of a river after baptizing a convert the police arrested him and brought him to jail. He immediately began sharing the gospel with those around him in prison and saw many people converted to Christ. There was a water hole in the courtyard of the prison for the prisoners to wash in. After two weeks, he had baptized many men in that water hole. The warden called this man in and said to him, “Outside you baptized one person. In here you have baptized many. You are more dangerous in prison than outside.” So they released him and drove him to the edge of the province and let him go. The evangelist exclaimed, “Two weeks of room and board, 20 converts and 50 miles of free transportation. Praise the Lord!”
It is easy to get discouraged in the midst of persecution. After all, it doesn’t make sense to expect difficulty when we want to do what’s right? Some might think that God is somehow punishing them for some unknown reason. But we need to keep in mind that this is a spiritual battle. Satan seeks to dissuade us from bringing the light of the Gospel to those in need. And he will use this as a vehicle to do it. Continue to pray, sing praise and rejoice in the midst of persecution. Praise will shake the very foundation of the prison in which Satan seeks to keep us.
4. Don’t Be Anxious
The fourth response we are to have in relation to persecution is don’t be anxious. In Matthew 10:17-20 Jesus speaks of a time when there would be great persecution taking place. He says, “Beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; and you will even be brought before governors and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.”
There is a principle here we need to understand. We must not be concerned about the consequences that will come to us because we freely and boldly share the Gospel. In fact, Jesus says that the Father may even allow you opportunity to share your testimony in the midst of this.
So don’t be worried about it. Don’t fret about it. Don’t be anxious that you might lose your job or that someone might be offended and physically harm you. Don’t worry that you won’t know what to say. Allow the Spirit of God to provide your defense. There are issues today that are taboo to be on the wrong side of, but the Scripture clearly speaks against them. It’s ok to speak about diversity as long as your diversity doesn’t conflict with their diversity. But don’t feel threatened when people speak about these things. Don’t allow anxiety to keep you from discussing them from the perspective of God’s Word. Ask the Spirit of God to give you the words to say. Don’t be anxious about it. There are matters of righteousness of which we should speak in our workplace, our neighborhood and among our family. We should not be fearful about repercussions from it.
Too often we defeat ourselves before issues come up by worrying about what others will think about us if we say this or that. Or we kill ourselves trying to come up with clever responses when we should be relying on the Holy Spirit to give us the wisdom to speak. Often times we feel overwhelmed by friends or family members who can speak better than us. It causes us to shut up and give the devil the victory. The precious promise of the Holy Spirit’s intervention should cause us to shed our fear of speaking. In the midst of these circumstances call out to the Lord to give you the wisdom you need.
5. Persevere
The final response in persecution we are to have is to persevere. In Romans 12:12, Paul tells us that we are to be “persevering in tribulation.” Also in 1 Corinthians 4:12 he says, “when we are persecuted, we endure.” There is a need for perseverance in persecution. We must understand that the very reason Satan seeks to bring persecution into our lives is to get us to give up. He wants us to lay our armor down and say, “It’s not worth the effort.” He wants us to focus on the pain instead of the glorious truth of the battle and the reward of the one who perseveres. The outcome of many a battle has been lost because of a lack of perseverance on the part of the army. A demoralized army would rather flee than fight. And this undisciplined flight has caused the destruction of many an army. Satan knows that the battle for a soul is often won by the attrition of apathy.
During World War II, the Tokyo Rose radio announcers (for there were many of them) would report anti-American propaganda in an attempt to demoralize the troops and minimize their ardor to fight for their country. Well, Satan has his Tokyo Roses. He has people poised to seek to demoralize us in this fight to liberate the souls of men from the prince of darkness. We mustn’t lose heart in fighting against this wicked foe. Remember that the closer you are to the battle lines the more intense the propaganda will be. You need to persevere. Now think of all the ways in which you have been discouraged from sharing the gospel with those around you.
Think about every time you have backed down or lost your zeal for seeing others saved? What has been the final cause of it? It is a lack of perseverance. You don’t want to continue to experience the ridicule or pain or difficult circumstance you know standing up for your faith will cause you. But you must. You must persevere if you are to effectively reach people for Jesus Christ.
The Scripture gives us some vital responses we need to maintain in dealing with persecution. Don’t let the attacks of the devil, in whatever form they may come, cause you to remove yourself from the battle. Keep praying and doing good for those who oppose you because you are a believer. Keep praising God and rejoicing in the midst of persecution and trials. Don’t be anxious but seek the wisdom of the Holy Spirit of God to give you the words to say. And persevere in the midst of every evil attempt to silence your stand for Christ.