Faith Over Fear of the FutureSample

In a World of Persecution, BE PREPARED

When you are put to the test, will you rise to the challenge?

In the first centuries AD, the followers of Jesus experienced bouts of intense persecution and martyrdom from the Jewish and Roman authorities. Four hundred years ago, believers braved a treacherous ocean passage to reach a distant and sometimes hostile land where they hoped for the freedom to worship God as their consciences dictated. Those of us who live in the country they helped to establish still enjoy the constitutional right to religious freedom.

But persecution and martyrdom are not problems of the distant past. We are living in a time when persecution of Christians is rising to a fever pitch in countries with atheist or Muslim majorities. Believers in Asia, the Middle East, and many African countries are arrested, imprisoned, mistreated, and executed at an alarming rate. And growing intolerance of Christian beliefs in Western Europe and North America has led to increased harassment and even legal action taken against individuals and institutions that seek to spread the gospel.

Sometime after his experiences in that Macedonian prison, the apostle Paul wrote these words to the Christians in the city of Rome: “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).

Suffering and glory—two concepts that seem totally opposed to each other! Yet here they appear as friends.

Based on his experiences, Paul determined that the sufferings of the present time are a slight thing in comparison with the glory he will experience one day in heaven.

The same is and will be true for you and me. One day in eternity, our sufferings will reveal God’s glory because we’ll look back at this moment that seemed so terrible, so large, and so unbearable—and we will realize it was nothing in comparison to the wonders of God and all the blessings He has in store for us.

What are we to do in the face of this opposition to Christ and his followers? Prepare and pray. Because we cannot be caught sleeping when persecution comes knocking at our door. Whether we are free or behind bars, our message is the same. It’s Jesus! And Jesus is Lord! Therefore, in a world of persecution, be prepared.