WCC Sunday 25 Sep
Persecution Comes
Reading: Acts 4: 1-22
On Sunday mornings we are currently looking at the early church, in the first few years after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. What were the characteristics of this church? How did it operate and grow? What principles governed its life and ministry? And in particular, what does God want to teach us from their experience? Today we are considering an aspect of the life of that early Church that has been reflected in the experience of the Church worldwide through the millennia right up to the present day. If we are honest it is an aspect of the Church life that we’d prefer not to experience. Certainly we don’t pray for it, and typically we look for ways to avoid it. And yet Jesus told us that we are blessed indeed when it happens to us, and we should rejoice and be glad. I speak, of course, of persecution, and here is what Jesus said about it:-.
“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, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matt 5: 11-12)
Today we are looking at the coming of persecution to the infant church. And to start with let’s take some time to consider the context.
Context
After Jesus’ ascension to heaven the small company of his disciples had gathered in Jerusalem as Jesus had instructed them to await the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. On that great and momentous Day of Pentecost they received power from on high, and in one day they experienced a 2500% increase in their numbers. Here is Luke’s summary of what things were like in the days and weeks that followed.
“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2: 46-47)
Glorious, joyful days indeed. And for a time it seemed that things were only going to get better and better. For God started performing wonderful healings, and through these provided the opportunity to proclaim the good news of salvation through Jesus to more and more people. One of the first healings was of a man crippled from birth, and as a result of this and the explanation Peter gave to the amazed crowd, more than two thousand others joined the church (Acts 4: 4). But that was just the start of a fresh wave of blessing. Here are a couple of Luke’s commentaries on what happened next.
“More and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. As a result, people brought those who were ill into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing those who were ill and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.” (Acts 5: 14-16)
“So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.” (Acts 6:7)
Wonderful days indeed! Wouldn’t you like to be part of something like that? When we pray for revival, is it not for a similar outpouring of God’s grace that we long for? And yet, even as this was going on storm clouds were gathering. Even as Peter preached after the lame man was healed opposition was building up. As we saw in our Bible reading this morning, Peter and John were arrested and kept in jail overnight. But the next day they were released, for the authorities found themselves powerless in the light of the undoubted miracle that had taken place, and the enthusiastic response of the people. And then some time later, after more healings and further growth in the number of believers, the apostles were arrested again, and this time they were flogged before being released, and ordered once again to stop preaching about Jesus. But if anything this motivated the apostles to preach even more boldly, for Luke says,
“The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.” (Acts 5: 41-42)
Nevertheless the storm clouds were increasing in strength. Not long after this one of the newly appointed deacons, Stephen, was used by God powerfully both in seeing miracles take place and in preaching with great authority. He too was arrested, this time on trumped up charges, and the authorities were successful in stirring up the people against him. This time Stephen was not released, but instead stoned to death. This terrible event marked the commencement of intense persecution against the church. Luke says,
“On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.” (Acts 8: 1)
Overnight normal church activity and ministry was brought to an abrupt end. For an extended period of time there were no more gatherings of thousands of believers in the temple courts. No more breaking bread in homes in Jerusalem, or eating together with glad and sincere hearts. No more enjoying the favour of all the people. No more daily distribution of food under the direction of the deacons. Everyone except for the apostles was scattered abroad. The whole congregation fled for their lives away from Jerusalem.
What did I ask earlier? “Wouldn’t you like to be part of something like that? ” It’s not quite what we hope for and pray for, is it? And yet listen to what Luke had to say about the effect of this devastating disruption to the church’s ministry.
“Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. … So there was great joy in that city.” (Acts 8: 4-8)
“Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.” (Acts 11: 19-21)
Now, I want to focus on a few things that God teaches us about persecution in the Bible.
1. We should expect persecution
In his second letter to Timothy Paul said:-
“In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Tim 3: 12-13)
Persecution, in one form or another, will come to everyone who seeks to follow Jesus and confess him as Saviour and Lord. It comes as the great deceiver, Satan the evil one, opposes the purposes of God and the advance of Christ’s kingdom. Paul said to Timothy that Satan deceives those who do not know God and uses them in his attacks on God’s people. Persecution may take the form of pressure and persuasion, criticism, ridicule, opposition of various kinds, hindrance, false accusations, stirring up others against you, legal challenges and penalties, and physical violence.
Anything that others do to try to dissuade us from following Jesus is persecution.
2. We should rejoice under persecution
“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.” (1 Peter 4: 12-16)
As I read these words I am conscious that it goes against all our natural instincts. When we experience hostility, opposition and frustration our natural response is dismay, troubled hearts and despondency. How did we feel as a church, for example, when our Rector and Youth Pastor were excluded from chaplaincy work in the local schools because of our adherence to Scripture? How have we felt as a church when the process of separation from the SEC has encountered hurdle after hurdle? When ordeals and setbacks come our natural response is dismay. But Peter bids us first of all to check that we are behaving in a Christ like way, and then we are to rejoice in fervent praise and worship. Joy should be our response, not troubled hearts and discouragement!
Let me ask you this question. What would be a clear sign that the Holy Spirit of glory and of God was resting upon you? You might say, “If I pray and someone is miraculously healed that would be a sure sign.” Or perhaps, “If I receive a powerful prophetic message from God that speaks directly into a situation of need, surely that would be a clear sign.” But Peter says, when you experience a testing ordeal because of your faith, when you are insulted because you follow Jesus, when you suffer because you live for him, then you know for sure that the Holy Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
I think this is an important lesson for us as a church in these days. The instruction of Jesus, repeated by Peter and others, is to rejoice when the tests come. This means quite simply that it is a choice that we make and a step of faith that we take. And when we do, Peter says, we are filled with joy that is inexpressible and glorious (1 Pet 1: 8). The alternative is to follow our natural instincts and give way to despondency and discouragement.
3. God uses persecution for his glory
God does not send persecution, but he allows it to come to His people in order to accomplish his greater purposes. And one of those purposes is to make us fruitful.
We have read this morning how the early church, scattered and pursued by their enemies, proclaimed the good news of Jesus wherever they went, and a great number of people believed in Jesus. Under the sovereign purposes of our heavenly Father persecution did not destroy the church or even set it back; instead the church grew strongly in an ever increasing number of places.
Let me share with you a present day example of this principle at work. The church in China has suffered intense persecution for many decades. In the second half of the twentieth century the Chinese government imposed severe restrictions on faith groups, and the church in China was largely driven underground. Many, many Christians have been imprisoned or executed for their faith. It seemed for a time that the government was taking a more benevolent approach, but at the present time the persecution of Christians, and indeed many other faith groups, seems to have intensified.
On 15th September 2020 The Economist newspaper published this graph of the growth of protestant Christianity in China over this period of intense persecution.
From 1949 to 2020 the growth has been almost exponential. The data was taken from official Chinese government statistics, and it is reckoned that the true numbers are significantly higher. Even using the official statistics the total number of Christians in China, if we include both Catholics and Protestants (48m), exceeds that in either France (36m) or Germany (46m).
God’s purpose for us individually and as a church is fruitfulness. Fruitfulness each in our own personal walk with Jesus, and fruitfulness as a church as we bear witness to the saving power of the cross in this community and further afield.
Jesus spoke of this fruitfulness during his last supper with his disciples before his crucifixion.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” (John 15: 1-2)
Notice how Jesus specifically refers to himself – every branch in me, he said. It is His body the Father is pruning, His church here on earth, and the purpose is to make us even more fruitful.
I don’t have any experience of pruning grape vines. But I do have experience of pruning blackcurrant bushes. A few years ago we purchased a single blackcurrant bush from a local garden centre, and planted it in our back garden. After it had fruited the first time I pruned it. My objective was to remove any branches that were competing with others for space or light, and to encourage future healthy growth. But the branches I removed were not discarded. I placed them in good compost in pots, and cared for them through the winter. The following season I planted them into new locations. We now have seven blackcurrant bushes instead of one, all producing fruit.
The blackcurrant bush could not feel or speak, but if it had been able to no doubt it would have cried out in protest. “Why are you doing this? I don’t deserve this! Please let me be!”
God’s purpose in pruning us is to achieve greater fruitfulness. He uses many different ways to accomplish His purpose. Persecution is one of them, but the list is far wider than this. Jesus spoke of insults; Peter spoke of a fiery ordeal and suffering, and also trials of various kinds. Paul spoke of light and momentary troubles. But whatever the trial or cause of suffering in every case the scripture exhorts us to rejoice because of what God achieves through it – an eternal weight of glory, a reward in heaven that cannot perish, spoil or fade, fruit that will last, faith that is tested and genuine, a crown of life.
Over the last few years we, along with others, have experienced significant trial and setback through the Covid-19 restrictions. For a time the doors of our churches were firmly closed, and even now congregational numbers are not what they used to be. We wouldn’t describe this as persecution, but it does seem to fit very well into the light and momentary troubles Paul spoke of (see 2 Cor 4: 17). It is not hard to see one way by which this trial is being used by God to achieve great fruitfulness. For, as a consequence of the Covid restrictions, we along with a multitude of other churches are now live streaming our services every week, with the potential for anyone in the world to be reached with God’s word and touched by His Spirit.
How are you responding to trials and setbacks? What do you feel when reminded that an increasing number of people in our nation no longer look upon our faith in Jesus and his word as something to admire but as something to be derided or even condemned? As things have got tough have you become more troubled and more discouraged? This morning, as we allow God’s word to guide us and His Spirit to minister to us, determine to respond positively to what he bids us to do, to rejoice with joy inexpressible and glorious, to praise him that we are counted worthy to endure trial, however small or great, for his name’s sake.
