A mother tried to prepare her son for the push-back against his faith at college. When he returned from his first semester, his mother asked him if he had been mistreated. He said, “No. I never let on like I was a Christian and nobody asked.” He missed the point. I wonder: has our faith in Christ provoked opposition? How should we feel about that? Will our faith, and for that matter the church survive?
Perhaps you have read the post-mortem. Some of my friends and acquaintances are worried about the future of the church. Apparently, the church is on its way out. Any minute now, it will fail. That is what some say. The history of the church makes a different case.
One of the early church fathers, Tertullian wrote, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” As Paul and Barnabas continued to preach, the gospel spread like wildfire through the whole area. This agitated the religious leaders and caused even greater opposition. In response the Christians were filled with joy. Why?
Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad for great is your reward in heaven. In the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Let everyone who knows you, know you love Jesus. God will strengthen you for any persecution you may face.
