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You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12 CSB)

The word “persecution” in English is related to the word “prosecution.” They both share the same connection to the Latin word persequi meaning “to hunt down,” “to pursue,” and “to proceed against.” The Greek word in the New Testament, dioko, means “to pursue with all haste.”  Persecution is more than a casual questioning or a circumstantial rejection. It is the deliberate, intentional, pursuit to bring legal forces to bear against Christ-followers.

How can this be a blessing, or a cause for happiness?

The right attitude must come first

Christ only mentioned this in the Sermon on the Mount after He had first given the eight beatitudes. They describe the attitudes and actions of the Christ-follower: (1) Confession and repentance, or admission of personal spiritual poverty, (2) mourning for our sins and the fallenness of this world, (3) meekness, or surrender of our rights to God, (4) the development of spiritual appetites for God, (5) being merciful to others, (6) pure in heart, being cleansed within by the grace of God in Christ, (7) and sharing the gospel of peace in this world. Only then did Christ add the eight beatitude of being persecuted for righteousness.

In persecution we will go one of two ways: we will become bitter at the unfairness of it all, or we will become grateful for the privilege to endure persecution for the sake of the name of Christ. There is no middle ground. So the first step of letting persecution be a blessing, or a source of happiness, is to go through the first seven beatitudes. Meekness, for example, means the acceptance of what God has entrusted to us to endure, and in our hearts bow to Him in worship in the midst of the challenges of life. Any person who is not meek will become bitter in persecution.

Valuing what heaven thinks

The second insight in this passage above is that the one who rejoices in persecution delights in what heaven delights in. He or she trusts that when they are going through moments of persecution that God is watching, that the angels are watching and cheering us on. This does not speak only of a reward in heaven when we die for being faithful during persecution here on earth. It also describes the joy of the Christian today as he experiences the comfort of what God in heaven thinks of his life.

In Revelation martyrs are often mentioned, and this describes God’s attentiveness to all believers who endure persecution for their faith. God provides unique comfort and peace to the persecuted. It is amazing to read of the great joy on the faces of many martyrs in their moments of death. Though they were unhappy about the injustices done to themselves and to their loved ones, they still experienced incredible peace at that moment of death.

For example, the Boxer Rebellion of China started in 1900 and turned violent against Western missionaries and Chinese converts. Thousands were martyred for their faith – burned alive, brutalised by mobs, beheaded and run through with swords, and other cruelties. Yet the testimonies of their deaths describe the joy of many of them, preaching the gospel to the end, singing Christian songs, praying and praising the Lord.

The fellowship of the persecuted

Another cause of rejoicing in persecution is the company of the persecuted include some of the greatest men and women of faith in history. It is true that some have invited their own persecution by disrespecting local laws and customs. If they had only been more sensitive to local customs, or taken to heart the words of Romans 13 about the authority God gives to rulers, some would have escaped persecution. But not all.

The majority of those who are persecuted for their faith have been in these circumstances because they have been faithful to the Lord. Courage and boldness should characterise Christians of all nations.  This characteristic of boldness is not self-pity but love – love for the Lord, for the world, and for the Word of God.

Sermon on the Mount

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil…

Matthew 6:13

We are not ready for any and all temptations. We are wise to realize this, to be aware of our weaknesses, to “not think too highly” of ourselves, but rather think of ourselves “with sober judgment” (Rom. 12:3), realizing areas in our lives where we need to grow more. Our task as followers to Christ is to be faithful to the things that God has called us to do, where God has called us to be, and to let Him use these circumstances and people to mature us and strengthen us.

Jude wrote of those in the First Century churches who had the opposite spirit, who “slander celestial beings” and “speak abusively against whatever they do not understand” (Jude 8,10). He mentioned that even Michael the Archangel was careful in disputing with Satan and “did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him” (Jude 9).

Martin Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” addresses Satan when it says, “His craft and power are great and armed with cruel hate. On earth is not his equal.” (Gross Macht und viel List Sein grausam Ruestic ist. Auf Erd ist nicht seinsgleichen.) We are not Satan’s equal, and we would be foolish to suppose ourselves to be. Our confidence is in the grace, protection, strength, and power of God, for He is certainly the Superior to Satan.

We humans are typically passionate about our own advancement, about our reputation, our careers, our projects, and anything that has our name attached to it. We would be wise, however, if we were even more passionate about the work of God within us and through us to others. If we were focused on our spiritual growth and maturity, then we would also be focused on the needs of others, how we can help others. Often we leap at opportunities we are not ready for, and we feel sad and rejected when the position goes to another. We should instead be grateful for God’s protection, that God did not want to put us into a situation we were not ready to handle.

To Baruch the Lord said, “Should you then seek great things for yourself? Seek them not” (Jeremiah 45:5). To seek great things for ourselves will surely lead us into ways of temptation, and will work against the purposes of God.

“May God’s will be done” – even if it means my abasement, or even my death. Peter wrote, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your cares on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7). Selfish ambition is a burden we are not meant to carry. Let others fight your battles, instead you go about fighting for God, seeking to do good for others. Let God deliver you from temptation through the proper exercise of His leadership in your life.

Gospel of Matthew, Sermon on the Mount temptation