The Reality Of Christian Persecution (Part 1)

THE REALITY OF CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION

(Part 1)

Acts 4:1-4

A woman in India watches as her sister is dragged off by Hindu nationalists. She doesn’t know if her sister is alive or dead. A man in a North Korean prison camp is shaken awake after being beaten unconscious; the beatings begin again. A woman in Nigeria runs for her life. She has escaped from Boko Haram, who kidnapped her. She is pregnant, and when she returns home, her community will reject her and her baby. A group of children are laughing and talking as they come down to their church’s sanctuary after eating together. Instantly, many of them are killed by a bomb blast. It’s Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka. These people don’t live in the same region, or even on the same continent. But they share an important characteristic: They are all Christians, and they suffer because of their faith.

While Christian persecution takes many forms, it is defined as “any hostility experienced as a result of identification with Jesus Christ.” From Sudan to Russia, from Nigeria to North Korea, from Colombia to India, followers of Christianity are targeted for their faith. They are attacked; they are discriminated against at work and at school; they risk sexual violence, torture, arrest and much more.

In just the last year (2021), there have been over 340 million Christians living in places where they experience high levels of persecution and discrimination, 4,761 Christians killed for their faith, 4,488 churches and other Christian buildings attacked, 4,277 believers detained without trial, arrested, sentenced or imprisoned. These numbers are heart-breaking. And yet, they do not tell the whole story. James says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” (James 1:2-4)

Representatives from Open Door USA, state “that joy is what we see when we hear and work with Christians all over the world who suffer because they serve Jesus. God cares for His people, and He will never leave or forsake them.” (Source: https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/)

Acts chapters 4-8 chronicles the persecution that was experienced by some of the very first members of Christ’s Church. The Apostles were arrested, threatened and beaten severely for their refusal to cease preaching the Gospel. Rather than being discouraged and becoming fearful to the point of abandoning their work for Jesus, the Apostles “rejoiced that they were counted worth to suffer” for the cause of Christ.

It is likely that no one in attendance today has ever faced physical persecution for their faith in Jesus. However, it is important for us to know that persecution is a reality and these verses show us how to respond if/when we are persecuted for the cause of Christ. I would like to look to Acts 4:1-4 and examine “The Reality Of Christian Persecution”.

In this passage, Peter & John are arrested as a result of peaching Jesus to the crowd that had assembled at Solomon’s Colonnade. This crowd had gathered in response to the miraculous healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate. (3:11-26) When the religious leaders learned of the work of the Apostles, they were furious, and they persecuted the servants of Christ.

The opposition that was prevalent in the early church continues today. I would like to begin by considering the fact that:

CHRISTIANS WILL FACE OPPOSITION & PERSECITION AS THEY MINISTER FOR THE LORD

v1 Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

The message that Peter preached at Solomon’s Colonnade would be the spark that ignited the first persecution of the Christian church. He proclaimed that Jesus was the Promised Messiah and even though He had been rejected and crucified by the Jewish people and their leaders, God had “raised up His Servant Jesus”. By this time, Jesus has been resurrected from the dead and glorified. After His resurrection, Jesus had been seen by many witnesses, taught His Apostles, ascended to Heaven and was currently seated at the right hand of the Father. These truths were rejected by the religious leaders in Jerusalem, and they vehemently opposed the preaching of the Apostles. This shows us:

A. THE SOURCE OF CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION

In those days, the Sadducees were the leaders of the Jews and the Apostles’ message blatantly contradicted their stated beliefs. The Sadducees were skeptics who rejected all the Old Testament except the Pentateuch (the books of Moses); they also did not believe in the resurrection from the dead. To complicate matters even further, the Sadducees had formed an alliance with the Roman government. By cooperating with the Romans, they were able to maintain their positions of power, influence, and wealth.