10 “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.”‘ Revelation 2:10, 11.
This was the concluding part of the letter Jesus Christ sent to the persecuted church in Smyrna. According to the Scriptures, there is something up for grabs for any Christian who overcomes persecution; certainly, his patience, endurance, loyalty, etc. will be duly rewarded.
The present generation of Christians can draw on the wealth of experience from the early Christians to overcome the persecution that comes their way. The early community of Christians, as recorded in the Bible, went through difficult times of persecution; they were generally hated by the Jews; purging and arbitrary arrest were exercised on them frequently. In short, the persecution that the early Christians went through was so sore, yet they overcame them and Christianity has survived to this day. How did they overcome persecution?
1. Do not be afraid of persecution
Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer: Jesus wrote to the persecuted church in Smyrna, saying, “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. (Revelation 2:10.)” Do not be afraid of persecution; face persecution with all boldness like a gallant soldier of Christ. Do not be afraid of the imprisonment, the hatred, the arrests, the interrogation, death, etc. which pertain to persecution.
Do not be afraid of persecutors: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28.” Persecutors are the instruments the devil uses to persecute Christians. A persecutor could be the government, religious leaders, Islamists, terrorists, etc.; it could also come from the unbelievers in your family, in your community, etc. Do not fear them at all, for, after all, the worse thing they can do to you is to take your life and nothing more. The early Christians overcame persecution with courage drawn from the word of God and we should do the same today.
2. Prayer in times of persecution
This was written about the early Christians – And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. (Acts 2:42) They were prayerful people; their fervent prayer helped and saved them through the tough times of persecution. Reference –
- Prayer restored imprisoned Peter to liberty – ‘Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.’ Acts 12:5
- Prayer solicited Divine assistance for the early Christians. In Acts 4:23-31, the threatened Christians prayed for boldness and the Spirit of God granted it to them.
At any point in your Christian life, when persecution rears its ugly head in your life, be it from your family, or from your community or from the state, you cannot win without prayer. Pray to ask for Divine help.
3. Fellowshipping in unity
Christianity would have been snuffed out had it not been that the early Christians were united and did everything with one accord. It is written about them –
- Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, (Acts 2:44)
- And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. (Acts 2:42. Also Acts 1:14; Acts 2:1, Acts 2:46; Acts 4:24; Acts 5:12)
Fellowshipping with one another and doing things with one accord makes Christianity become a force, formidable and cannot be dissolved by the menaces of persecution. In recent history, during the Rwandan holocaust, though some Christians failed miserably, others remained united despite ethnic differences to save the lives of one another. During the holocaust, one Sr. Felicitas Niyitegeka of the Auxiliaires de l’Apostolat in Gisenyi put her life on the line to smuggle some Christians of the Tutsi tribe across the border into Democratic Republic of Congo before she herself was executed by a militant militia in retaliation. Some Christians also put their lives on the line by making their homes a hideout for their fellow Christians to save them from the bloodthirsty militia. The Christian unity should supersede tribal, racial and ethnic differences.
4. The help of the Holy Spirit
God does not leave us to ourselves in the presence of persecution. He lives up to His word – “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit we have received, who dwells in every Christian is a ready and a sure source of help during the hard times of persecution. He helped the early Christians to overcome persecution. This is how: it is written –
“Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” (Luke 12:11,12)
The Holy Spirit inspired powerful messages from the early Christians when they were brought before authorities for interrogation. This Scripture was fulfilled several times in the lives of many Christians across the centuries, including:
• Stephen, Acts 7:2-54
• Peter, Acts 4:8
• Paul, Acts 22:1-21; Ac 23:1-6; Ac 25:7-11; Ac 26:1-27
The Holy Spirit answers prayer for Divine assistance so that Christians can stand all manner of persecutions. In times of persecution, the early church called upon the Lord and the Spirit of the Lord came to their aid –
29 “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word,” … 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. Acts 4:23-31
NB: The Holy Spirit still works in many ways to help us overcome challenges to become victors. He is not limited to this way or that way. He operates in diverse ways to ensure our victory. The present-day Christian should lean on Him for support just like what the early Christians did.
5. Migration
Migration from the face of persecution was widely practiced by the early Christians. It may be the last thing to resort to depending on the intensity of the persecution. Initially, the persecuted Christians still resided in Jerusalem until the death of Stephen when a more aggressive wave of persecution was unleashed against them. Many were forced to travel out of Jerusalem to other safe places, and they continued spreading the word as they went from one place to another. Reference –
‘Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only.’ (Acts 11:19)
It is not that the Christians who migrated from Jerusalem, where they were persecuted, to other places were cowards. Actually, Jesus Christ taught them to do so. Jesus taught Christians the practice of ‘Migration in the presence of persecution’, saying,
When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. (Matthew 10:23)
Interestingly, during this great migration of Christians in the wake of persecution, Christianity, which was then centralized in Jerusalem and in Israel, was decentralized, spreading to foreign lands.
CONCLUSION
Since time immemorial, persecution has never been able to stop the faithful Christians from serving God; rather the faithful Christians overcome persecution. The present-day Christians face many persecutions as part of their challenges in following Jesus, yet it is expected of them to overcome for they have the help of the Spirit of God and the Bible at their disposal. With these and more, they are bound to overcome persecution. Persecution in any form does not appear to be a nice experience; it is very unwelcomed; no Christian really desires to be persecuted. However, Jesus taught otherwise; He said that Christians should be glad when they are persecuted –
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:10-12)
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
- In what ways have you been persecuted?
- How did you stand in the days of persecution? From where do you draw your inspiration to stand?
- Did you feel the help of the Holy Spirit in the hard times of persecution?
- If you knew beforehand that you were going to be persecuted to death, would you still continue to be a Christian? Why?