When I say persecution is your lot, I’m not laying a curse, I’m only echoing what Jesus said to his disciples, of which we are also, in the first part of Matthew 10:22.
“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake…”
I wish I could tell you that all things will go smoothly and crisply for you after you get saved or that you will have no troubles or trials, like what some zealous soul winners say to their prospective converts, giving them a false hope that walking with Jesus is a walk in the park. But Jesus himself didn’t promise us that.
Your baptism into Christ is an automatic sign-up for hatred and persecution. Jesus didn’t sugar-coat his words or try to make it sound less offensive. He stated it point-blank. Timothy said the same. I love how the Amplified Version puts it:
“Indeed, all who delight in pursuing righteousness and are determined to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be hunted and persecuted [because of their faith].” (2 Timothy 3:12 AMP)
Hunted, persecuted because of your faith.
If the world hated Jesus so much that they attempted to terminate him on different occasions, how much more his followers? We will surely not be patted on the back and cheered on. We too will suffer hate.
The gospel is offensive!
Like how a dog rages and barks at the sound of a stranger approaching his territory, the world will rage at the bearers of the gospel. It will surely offend. It will stir anger, it will trigger hate, it will rouse disgust, it will provoke wicked reactions from those on the other side of light.
The kind of persecution we’ll all face might vary. It could be demonstrated as dislike from your colleagues for no justifiable reason. They don’t like how you speak the exact truth, how you exclude yourself from their corporate coup, and spoil their official mischief. Because of that, they connive to set you up and give an evil report about you to your superiors like they did to Stephen.
It can also come in the form of denial of a job or a business opportunity because of your faith. You have all the credentials and even exceed the criteria for qualifying but just because you wear the tag “Christian”, you cannot pass.
For another, persecution can be brutal, like it’s happening in some parts of the world—the kind Stephen, John the Baptist, and the early apostles experienced. They are physically harassed, butchered and shot in the head for not denying Jesus. Or in a region, the authorities wake up on a Sunday morning to enforce a law that bans the open practice of Christianity, and anyone caught violating it will be arrested and imprisoned for life.
And for some of us who can’t even recall an instance when we were tried for our faith or the ones we remember aren’t worthy to be called persecution, it doesn’t mean we are forever immune to it. Don’t get too comfortable with being liked by everyone and favoured by all situations and systems. You cannot tell when persecution will strike!
But whichever variant of persecution you suffer—mild or severe, Scriptures call you Blessed!
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10)
It’s a blessing to suffer for Christ’s sake. Do you remember how the Apostles reacted after they were threatened and beaten for preaching Jesus?
They rejoiced! They counted it a privilege! They felt blessed to share in what Christ suffered.
Persecution is not to scare you, but to strengthen your faith.
Also, “If you endure and stand firm to the end, you’ll be saved,” Jesus said in the latter part of verse 22 of Matthew 10.
