What Qualifies as Persecution Against The Church?
As a Christian, have you ever been persecuted for your beliefs in Jesus Christ? What is persecution against the church and why does it happen?
These are some of the questions that I will answer in this Bible study.
Hi, I’m Leroy from Blogging About The Word. Happy to have you as we continue our Book of Acts Bible study.
So, when we talk about persecution against the Church, what are we talking about? Persecution against the Church takes on various forms, but irrespective of how it materializes it always possesses a unique feature and objective.
Thus, persecution against the church is any law or action that intends to harm, hurt, oppress or restrict its operation in some way. That’s what I mean by oppression against the Church.
What Is The Church?
I’m not talking about the Roman Catholic Church. When I or the Holy Bible mentions the Church, this refers to the global body of Christians who believes and knows, wholeheartedly, that Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God and worships and serves him as such!
We do everything calling on his name: Jesus Christ.
First, we are baptized calling on the name, Jesus Christ. This act is in obedience to him and it simultaneously confers his authority on us.
We are his agents!
Next, before we eat our meals or any other foods, we bless it in the omnipotent name of Jesus Christ. Also, whenever we greet others, we do it calling on that lovely name, Jesus!
What’s In a Name?
Additionally, whenever we pray to the Lord we channel our prayers to Him via the name of Jesus.
We pronounce blessings on ourselves and others using this awesome name, Jesus Christ.
Believers, in Jesus Christ, don’t baptize their young children under 12 years old. Instead, we have a Spirit-filled man or woman of God declare and decree a blessing on them.
Later, at age 12 or older they could experience Born of Water.
Finally, we do all calling on the name of our Savior. So, if you could think of any other activities, we may engage in, even those we conduct calling on his mighty name.
Because we have taken on his name and we belong to him.
Alleluia to the name of Jesus Christ!
Examples of Persecutions Against The Body of Christ
It can be against a member of the church, or it can be against the body of believers. Okay, and this can happen in a particular country, a particular location, and at different times.
Consequently, if a country passes a statute outlawing the gathering or the congregating of believers, that is considered persecution.
Or makes it illegal to own or possess a Bible. That would qualify as persecution or even some law that states that the church should only be held for one hour per week.
Or restricting its operation in one way or the other.
At some point, during the infancy of the First Century Church, it faced great persecution. However, its oppression will not cease until the persecutor becomes the persecuted.
Who Was The Most Infamous Persecutor of The 1st Century Church?
The murder of Deacon Stephen ushered in Saul of Tarsus, the infamous first-century persecutor of the church. Everybody knows about Saul.
He consented to the death of the brilliant and holy Deacon Stephen by securing the murderers’ clothes as they committed their evil deeds.
I’ll be reading from the Scripture and the main scripture I’m going to use is Acts 8:1-4 and that’s where we have reached in this Book of Acts Bible study.
And Saul Was Consenting Unto His Death
“And Saul was consenting unto his death. [That’s Stephen’s death] and at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.”
Acts 8:1
As a result of the persecution against the church that was in Jerusalem, its members were scattered throughout the regions but the apostles were not scattered, all except the leaders, the apostles.
So, “… devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.”
Acts 8:2
That means great men of God buried Stephen with great sadness.
But,
“As for Saul, he made [havoc] of the church, [he persecuted the church, how?] entering into every house, and haling men and women committing them to prison.”
Acts 8:3
So, Saul of Tarsus persecuted the church. He entered into their homes then tied them up, bound them, men and women and then transported them to lockups and then caused them to be imprisoned.
He wasn’t just doing this to one home or two homes. Every house, every home, he would enter into and if people there were calling on the name of Jesus, they were believing in Jesus, believers of Jesus Christ, he would arrest them.
Yes! That’s how horrible it was. That’s why it said great persecution.
But Why Does Persecution Against The Church Arise?
“Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.”
Acts 8:4
So because of the persecution that the church of Jerusalem experienced at the hands of Saul of Tarsus, they were all scattered abroad except for the apostles and wherever they went they preached the word of God.
But why does persecution against the church arise? What is its purpose? Do you realize what happened?
The Lord told them that they should make disciples of all the world but still, they were in Jerusalem, they were not going out.
They were not preaching and teaching, although he had told them that repentance and remission of sin must first be taught in Jerusalem, in his name, and then in all other parts of the world.
How To Handle Persecution?
They had accomplished that first part. They had taught remission and repentance in Jerusalem.
Peter did that on the day of Pentecost. But they were not going out and preaching to everybody.
As a result, the persecution came from Saul. This started to happen and this is what I want us to realize, that when the church faces persecution it’s usually because of the word of God.
The word is tested; the word is tried. They faced persecution because they did not do as the Lord had taught them.
They had done it in part but they had not done it fully, so the persecution came and, because of the persecution, they were forced to preach and teach wherever they go.
So in fact, the persecution of the church caused the word of God to come true. They accomplished what the Lord told them to do.
Persecution Of The Church Comes To Test & Try This!
Ultimately then, persecution of the church comes to test and try the Word of God. It comes to accomplish the Word of God.
If you are good ground, remember we talked about the word, it falls on four types of ground right? There are good ground, stony ground, ground with thorns, and by the wayside.
Those are the four different types of hearts. So if you are good ground and producing one hundredfold harvest, that means that you are a productive Christian.
You’ll be spreading the word, and you’ll be doing the work of God.
For example, say you received a word that you should never be sick, for, Christ took all your sicknesses and diseases and nailed them to the cross.
That’s a word you heard, and received into your spirit.
Reasons For Persecution Against The Church?
Additionally, you received the word that by all the beating and the flogging that Jesus endured, you are healed because he endured those things for you so you don’t have to go through them.
Nevertheless, soon after you heard that word that you shouldn’t be sick, you started to see symptoms of sickness and pain and illness.
That has come to test that word that you have just received. It has come to snatch the word from your heart and if you allow your faith to lapse, despite the symptoms, you will be sick.
But if you hold on to your faith even while experiencing symptoms of sickness and pain, I want to tell you that those signs will evaporate, because the sole purpose of them is to persecute you because you have received a word.
Anytime you receive a word from God you enter into persecution.
Any time at all and it comes immediately as you receive that word because it needs to pull that word from your heart and if it can succeed in pulling that word from your heart you’ll never believe it and your situation will worsen.
When Persecution Against The Church Happens?
So when you hear a word or receive a word, look out for persecution and if it happens to a believer it will happen to the body of Christ.
Anytime you receive a word man, from God, you just continue to confess and believe the word of God, regardless of whatever symptoms may surface, you will be well if you continue to believe and to confess your wellness, despite being sick.
How I Reject The Flu?
There was a time in my life when every week I’ll be sniffling and coughing because I was having the flu, then I received the word that I shouldn’t take that flu.
You realize what I said? Take it, shouldn’t accept it and I would confess my wellness while sniffling and sneezing and it would disappear and I tell you once that word dropped down into my heart, that I should never have that flu.
It’s going 45 years now that I have not had the flu, not even a little sniffling nor a little coughing, because I know and I believe that word that I received.
I will not be sick, I will not have the flu, I will not accept the flu, I will not take it because Jesus bore that sickness and those diseases on the cross and by his stripes, I am healed.
I’m well from all sicknesses and all diseases and I’ve been confessing this for years and I want you to know that anytime you face persecution, it’s because you have received a word from God.
How You Respond to Persecution Affects This!
Now, so the persecution has arisen to prove the word of God that you have received. But how you deal with persecution for the word’s sake impacts your faith in it, negatively or positively.
Thus the aim of it is for Christians to relinquish the Word of God that he or she believes in.
“Yea, and all that will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
2 Timothy 3:12
I’ll read this again, “Yea, and all that will live Godly in Christ shall suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12.
You have to be in Christ, you will suffer persecution, that’s the extent of this study, so let me conclude.
Conclusion
Persecution is oppression. It’s any law, action, or behavior, that restricts the church, oppresses the church, oppresses a believer, in one way or the other you are persecuted, you are oppressed.
Persecution comes to steal the word from your heart.
It comes to test the word that you have received, so anytime you receive a word from God you will be persecuted for that word and if that persecution overcomes you, then your faith was tiny.
Develop great faith to keep that word and during your persecution for the word’s sake. Confess the word and believe it until it drops down into your heart.
And I tell you, you will be a formidable foe of Satan because when the word of God is in your heart Satan is afraid of you because you are fearless as a lion you are bold as a lion because the word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword.
It’s the power of God in your heart, at your disposal.
I hope this was helpful to you and as you go through your daily life, keep the word of God at the forefront of your mind and in your heart, it is your sword, it is your shield, it’s the power of God that we cannot do without.
I want to thank you for your time. God bless you and I hope to see you, the Lord willing, in another Bible study soon.
Blessings.
