…and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourging, yes also chains and imprisonment. 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 destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.
Hebrews 11:35-39
Like the above, the New Testament is riddled with accounts of Christians being persecuted. In our culture, we are spared from all but minor, personal confrontations. Such are not worth mentioning when compared with the persecution we read of in the history of the church and even present circumstances our brethren are facing in other parts of the world.
Have you ever considered what it would be like to be arrested, losing your freedom and then to have your head cut from your body because you stood up for the Lord? Disturbing?...Yes, but this is what John the Baptist faced, Mark 6:17-29. James, the brother of the apostle John, also died this way, Acts 12:2.
What would it be like to be surrounded by an angry mob who pelted you with stones until you died? That’s what happened to Stephen, Acts 7:54-60.
What would it be like to be bound, stretched out to expose your back and then be beaten? Jesus’ apostles were arrested, jailed and beaten for preaching the gospel of Jesus, Acts 4:1-3, 5:17-41, and 16:22-24. The apostle Paul alone recounted numerous occasions of beatings and a host of other difficult circumstances he had endured, 2nd Corinthians 11:23-28.
The church at Jerusalem was persecuted to the point of being scattered, Acts 8:1. The church at Thessalonica was persecuted, 2nd Thessalonians 1:4. The churches in Smyrna, and Pergamum were persecuted, suffering imprisonment and martyrdom, Revelation 2:9-13.
Antipas of Pergamum was specifically mentioned as one killed for the cause of Christ and later we are shown the souls of those under the altar of God who were slain and were themselves told that others of their brethren would be killed also, Revelation 6:9-11.
In over 20 years of preaching, I have wondered at our ‘softness‘. Perhaps if we were persecuted as the saints of old, we would toughen up a bit. But as it stands, doesn’t it make you wonder at our lack of commitment to the cause of Christ in view of our freedoms?
If these persecuted saints had the freedoms we enjoy, what do you think they would do with them? If they had the right to meet twice on Sunday with their like-minded brethren and once more in the middle of the week, what do you think they would choose to do?
If they had Bibles, not just a few fragile scrolls of apostolic letters, but Bibles complete with both the Old and New Covenants, do you think they would pore over them night and day until they knew them by heart? Would they bring them to worship and Bible study? Would they respect the assemblies enough to make the effort to be there on time and come with joy in their hearts to see so many brothers and sisters in Christ?
Do we have anything to learn from them?
Marty Kessler