Faith in the Fire of Persecution

PHONES

BIBLES

PATIENCE (government, etc.)

Every year, the Christian human rights watch group Open Doors lists the top 50 countries in the world where it is most dangerous to be a Christian.

For the last three decades, North Korea has held the top spot. It more dangerous to be a Christian in North Korea than anywhere else in the world.

But things have changed. No longer is North Korea the most dangerous place to be a Christian. Now Afghanistan is the number one country in the world where it is most dangerous to be a Christian.

Open Doors is quick to point out in their report that this is not because things in North Korea have improved. They haven’t. In fact, persecution has increased there from last year.

So it’s not an indication of improvement in North Korea. It’s an indication of how terrible things are in Afghanistan under the iron fist of the Taliban.

But it’s not just in Afghanistan or North Korea where persecution is on the rise. According to the new report from Open Doors, persecution has increased across the globe.

Persecution on the rise

In 2021, 1,000 more Christians were killed for being Christians than the previous year.

In 2021, 1,000 more Christians were arrested or detained for being Christians than the previous year.

In 2021, 600 more churches were closed or attacked than in 2020.

In fact, 360 million Christians, one in seven Christians worldwide, live in countries with dangerously high levels of Christian persecution. If you live somewhere in Asia, it’s 2 in five.

PAUSE

Let all of this remind us, church, that persecution is not a thing of the past. Persecution is not something our world is gradually leaving behind; it is increasing. Persecution is not just a vestige of an intolerant past; it is happening in the present.

The book of Acts reminds us, frequently, of this truth. The early church was constantly coming up against the authority of the government, whether in Jerusalem or in Rome. But it is not a hopeless picture we’re given. And that’s what we see today in Acts 5:17-42.

Today’s roadmap:

Persecution is norm, not exception

God is present and active within the persecuted church

Persecution strengthens the church

Persecution will not hinder the church

#1: Persecution of the church is the norm, not the exception

Look with me at verse 17: “But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy, they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison.”

So look with me then at verses 12-16:

And at this point, in verse 17, we read: “Now the high priest rose up…and filled with jealousy, they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison.” So what angered the high priest? They had already been arrested once in chapter 4. They had already been warned to stop preaching and teaching Jesus once, in chapter 4. They had already been released with a threat that if they do it again, they could expect the full force of the law. And what do they do in those last verses of chapter 4? They do it again. And again and again. They won’t be deterred.

So they’re arrested again.

But this time rather than being released by the guards, the Lord himself shows up. Look carefully with me at verses 19-20 “During the night, an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, ‘Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life’” (Acts 5:19-20).

The Lord himself enters their cell. The Lord himself escorts them out. The Lord himself commissions them. And the commission he gives them is a deliberate defiance of the Jewish leaders and guards who had arrested them.

Note this: Jesus is not afraid of His enemies. Jesus does not cower before them. True, Jesus loves His enemies. True, Jesus prayed for his enemies and instructs us to do the same. Jesus does forgive His enemies and He expects us to do the same. Jesus will forgive the worst of His enemies if they would but come to Him in faith. But fear His enemies — no, He won’t do that. In fact, Jesus gave us this command about whom we should fear:

Matthew 10:28 ESV

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

But the thing here I really want you to see is that there is no indication whatsoever in these first five verses that the persecution they experience is anything other than what they expect. They aren’t shocked by being arrested. They don’t act like it’s a strange thing for the servants of God to be mocked and harmed by the enemies of God. We consider that a strange thing today; they did not.

But really that shouldn’t surprise us. Why should that not surprise us? Why should it not surprise us when Christians are harassed, and their pastors detained, their churches attacked or destroyed?

Why persecution does not shock us:

Jesus promised persecution (John 15:20-21)

Jesus blessed persecution (Matt. 5:10-12)

John 15:20–21 ESV

Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.

Matthew 5:10–12 ESV

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

That’s why the apostles aren’t shocked by being arrested. Persecution is the norm, not the exception. And this means two things for us:

If persecution is the norm, we focus on loving our enemies, not getting back at them

You’ll notice that the apostles don’t stand up and demand their rights. They don’t stage a protest on the steps of the temple. They will stand up for the rights of others, but their rights they will gladly lay down in the service of Christ and for the sake of His gospel. Protests and riots don’t change anyone’s heart; lawsuits don’t convince anyone of the goodness and beauty of Jesus.

But loving our enemies, praying for those who persecute us, really seeking to do them good, that is what changes hearts, because that is God’s way of changing hearts. And when Christians do that, you can be sure He is at work through them. It’s his kindness that leads us to repentance, Paul reminds us in Romans; it’s not his wrath.

Some of you, I’m willing to bet, really don’t like much of what I’m saying right now. Some of you — your blood is starting to boil hearing me talk about loving our enemies and turning our cheek. You need to understand that I’m not saying that Christians have to submit to violence.

What I am saying is that we are called to respond to violence in a way that is like Jesus responded to violence. Peter sliced off the ear of one of the guards who arrested Jesus. Jesus didn’t cheer Peter or say “Well done.” He rebuked Peter: “No more of this.” It’s the state’s job to retaliate when we are attacked by another country. When they do that, they’re fulfilling their God-given duty to protect us and other nations. But it’s the Christian’s calling to respond to individual violence differently.

“It is the price of being a Christian that one must be prepared to obey God rather than men -- and bear the cost of doing so.” [I. Howard Marshall, TCNT, p126]

If persecution is the norm, then we focus on loving our enemies, not getting back at them.

The other thing this means is that if persecution is the norm, we must prepare for it.

If persecution is the norm, we must prepare for it

I read a story last week about a high school gymnastics coach who took his team to four second place finishes between 1987 and 1995 and one first place finish in 1996. He was elected into the gymnastics coaches Hall of Fame.

It’s interesting to read about how he did this. In short, he taught his team to play under extreme pressure. He did this by making practices extremely high pressure. The first thing he did was to say, “Ok, look, if you perform in practice in any way short of perfection, there will be consequences. If anyone messes up a route, everyone does push-ups.

The second thing he did was to instruct the gymnasts to try to make their teammates nervous, to try to rattle them while they placed.

Now that may see extreme and even unkind, but what coach Kafka wanted to do was make his practices so difficult that competition at the state level would be easy by comparison. He said this in an interview: “My gymnasts started to feel that competing in real meets was a breeze compared to practice.” In other words, they prepared early for the day of high pressure down the road.

And in the same way, we need to prepare ourselves and each other for persecution. I don’t know what it will look like in this country in 10 years. Maybe things are better, maybe they’re worse. But I look at my own heart and I don’t think I’m ready to face persecution. I need training. I’m willing to bet some of you do too. So we prepare ourselves now.

Persecution is the norm, not the exception.

#2: God is present and active within the persecuted church

If I painted a bleak picture of things, this is where it gets brighter. The reality is that while God calls us to face persecution, He never calls us to face it alone.

Look with me beginning with the second half of verse 21 down through verse 23. “Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.”

So these dudes are sitting in session. The Sanhedrin was a group of guys who were basically high-ranking religious leaders. Here’s a little bit of Bible history for you:

The Sanhedrin:

The highest Jewish court

71 members

Means “to sit together”

Perhaps named after the Roman senate

And it was their job to rule on religious matters with legal significance. It was the highest court in the land, the final place of appeal. Well here, the Sanhedrin is meeting together, about the apostles, to deliberate their case and figure out what to do with them. Now Luke wants us to see the humor in this, I think. Read with me verses 22-25.

Acts 5:21b–25 ESV

But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.” Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to. And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.”

Now at the outset here, we know something they don’t know. We know that at this moment, as they’ve gathered in session, figuring out what to do about the apostles, and they reach a decision, and they send for the apostles to be brought from the prison, and they’re going to charge them and threaten them again to stop teaching and preaching in the name of Jesus, we know something they don’t know - we know that as they’re doing that, the apostles are already out of jail, up and about in the temple, doing precisely what the Sanhedrin has gathered together to figure out how they can stop - preaching and teaching in the temple about Jesus.

And it’s interesting to me how God’s miraculous rescue of the apostles absolutely stumps the religious leaders. Because the miraculous is not missed by the Sanhedrin. In fact, they seemed almost a little creeped out by this, and Luke indicates that they’re not quite sure where all of this will end up. And yet just as they’re experiencing this distress and turning these things over in their minds, right then someone comes to tell them, “Hey, those guy you imprisoned — yeah, they’re in the temple and they’re teaching.”

Church, the Lord rescued His servants so flawlessly — and miraculously — that the ones charged with guarding their cell didn’t even know they were gone until hours later!

Is this a miracle? What do you think? How do we define a miracle? There’s actually biblical criteria for a miracle. A miracle isn’t just anything doesn’t seem to make sense, or something that amazes us.

What is a miracle?

“An act or event that occurs outside the bounds of the normal or natural order.”

“An occurrence that demonstrates God’s involvement in the course of human affairs.”

Now let’s examine it and see if it holds up. Look with me at verse 23 at the report of the guards who go to fetch the apostles. This is eyewitness testimony: “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.” Is it outside the bounds of natural order for human beings to go through iron gates that are locked without disturbing the door or moving the lock? Yes. Is it an occurrence that demonstrates God’s involvement in the course of natural affairs? Absolutely.

Note this, church. The Lord is with His people. The Lord is with us. One of the reasons, I think, that the Holy Spirit included stories like this one is to show us if we are called to face persecution, God will show up in really remarkable ways. You may not feel like you can withstand persecution right now. That’s okay. If you belong to Christ, He will give you what you need when you need it — and not before.

The Lord of heaven and earth is present and active within the persecuted church in Acts, and He will be present and active in our midst if and when we become part of the persecuted church around the world.

Persecution is the norm, not the exception. God is present and active within the persecuted church. Next, persecution strengthens the church.

#3: Persecution strengthens the church

An issue of Discipleship Journal tells the story of a pastor in Romania. This pastor, whose name is Joseph Ton, had just preached a sermon calling for Christians to stop submitting to government control over their churches. This is Communist Romania, right? Not a friendly place for believers, like most of the Soviet Union when it existed. This pastor was bold and he published that sermon publically, knowing the authorities would see it. Tapes of his sermon began to circulate not just within his community but all across Romania.

And when the inevitable day came that his sermon reached the hands of local government officials and they arrested him, he was ready with a response. They asked him to renounce his sermon, to say that he no longer believers what he said is true. His response was, “No, sir! I won’t do that!”

The government official was surprised not so much by what he said but how he said it. He said it with such force and conviction — not to mention it was an outright refusal to comply with the secret police.

The guard asked him, wanted to give him every chance, “Aren’t you aware that I can use force against you?”

This is the pastor’s response:

“Sir, let me explain that to you. You see, your supreme weapon is killing. My supreme weapon is dying…You know that my sermons are spread all over the country on tapes. When you kill me, I only sprinkle them with my blood. They will speak 10 times louder after that, because everybody will say, ‘That preacher meant [what he said in that sermon]…because he sealed it with his blood.’ So go on, sir, kill me. When you kill me, I win the supreme victory.

The article says the secret police released him because he knew that killing him would do far worse than letting his sermon circulate publically. [Larson p339]

That is an example of how persecution strengthens the church.

Look at the example Luke gives us in verses 27-32. First we see the charges given:

“And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high prierst questioned them, saying, ‘We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us’” (Acts 5:27-28 ESV).

Now stop here and notice this with me. The high priest is almost prophetic here, although he certainly doesn’t intend to be. He says “you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching”. He’s probably exaggerating slightly, but the point is clear: we told you to stop, but you have only increased your teaching, to the point that practically everyone in Jersusalem has heard about Jesus.

What’s fascinating is that this is exactly what Jesus had told Peter and the others to do! Remember that?

Acts 1:8 ESV

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

This is what we call irony. And I wonder, don’t you think Peter and the apostles had to feel encouraged by that? He didn’t mean to encourage them, but he was basically saying “Well done good and faithful servant. You’re fulfilled your calling.”

Now we see the response of the apostles. Peter leads the way and speaks for the group. This is what he says: “We must obey God rather than men.” There’s more confidence in Peter’s voice this time. Previously, this is what he said:

Acts 4:19–20 ESV

But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

Now he’s more sure of himself. It’s not “whether it is right in the sight of God to do what you say rather than what God says, that’s for you to judge.” This time it’s just simply “We must obey God rather than man.”

Church, the Lord expects us to be obedient citizens. I believe that the vast majority of the time, our attitude should be one of obedience to the law.

That’s not just my opinion. That’s what the Bible says. In fact, Peter himself many years later says the same thing. 1 Peter 2:13-14

1 Peter 2:13–14 ESV

Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.

So on the one hand we’re to “be subject to every human institution”, including government, and on other hand we “must obey God rather than men.” Is that a contradiction? How are we to make sense of those two statements, both of which come from the Bible and in fact from the same person.

As Christians, we are called to do whatever legitimate authority says we must do, so far as we are able to do so without also disobeying God.

So for instance, we need to abide by the speed limit (Travis). God’s word says nothing about cars and miles per hour. So if they tell you to go 45, then we should go 45.

But if the government were to begin to tell us not to talk about Jesus in public, if they were to tell how we can and cannot worship here, if they were to ask us to renounce our faith in Christ or anything like any of that, that is where the line is drawn. That’s when 1 Peter 2:13-14 no longer applies to us. That’s when Acts 5:29 does apply to us: “we must obey God rather than men.” Government is our authority. But it is not our highest authority - that’s God. And if obedience to government requires us to disobey God, well, then, it’s God that we choose, no questions or debate. We obey God and we disobey government.

We will do it respectfully - no name calling or insults. We do it confidently with no uncertainty. We do it compassionately, praying for the salvation of our government even as we refuse to obey them. But we absolutely will do it - with no questions in our mind.

There was no question in Peter’s mind either. Peter is confident now in his God, far more confident than before. And so Peter, strengthened by the previous persecution in Acts 4, and now motivated to be faithful and strong this time, too, in Acts 5, keeps right on preaching. Like, literally. He doesn’t stop with verse 29. He goes on in verses 30-32 to preach a mini-sermon to the highest ranking religious leaders in Jerusalem.

Note what he says in his sermon. “The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him” (Acts 5:30-32 ESV).

#4: Persecution will not hinder the purposes of God for His church

Look with me at verses 33-34: “When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.” Peter would not be the last preacher to make someone mad with his preaching. But the Lord was merciful to Peter and raised up a distraction. Gamaliel was a man who was a rabbi, a teacher, one of the most respected teachers in Jerusalem.

And Gamaliel has an idea for the council to consider. Look at verse 35-37: “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone.”

His idea is basically this: every other revolution in recent history has failed. Theudas failed. Judas the Galilean failed. Both men were killed, Gamaliel says, and all of their followers dispersed, and their movement came to nothing. This movement will too, Gamaliel says. Of course we know he was wrong. But God uses Gamaliel and his counsel to distract their attention away from the apostles and let them be.

Now follow his logic. How do those two examples play into how the council should handle the Christians? “For if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” Are you tracking with Gamaliel? He’s saying this: Look, one of two things are going to happen. Either this movement is of God or it isn’t. If it isn’t of God, it’ll burn itself out. If it is of God, you won’t be able to stop it, and you might be found opposing God if you try to stop it.

Persecution will not hinder the purposes of God for his church.

During the 2016 election, tensions were really high. I think that’s why some believers said some of the things they said. For example, some people said that the future of the church in the US depended on who ended up in the White House. They actually said, “If a Democrat is in the White House, that will be the end of Christianity in the United States.”

My piont is not to make a political point. My point is to say that the Lord Jesus is not dependent on what happens in Washington. The success or failure of the church is not dependent on who is in the White House. Either we believe this or we don’t. If we don’t believe this, then let’s stop thinking way. If we do believe this, why are we here? Because we obviously don’t believe the God that we worship is actually in control. That would mean He isn’t sovereign, it would mean He isn’t all-powerful. It would also mean He is not faithful. Why are we here worshiping Him?

Jesus said this about the success of His church: “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18).

Persecution will not hinder the purposes of God for His church. Nowhere do we dsee that more clearly than here in the last two verses of our text, verses 41-42:“They left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.” Keep in mind, these men were arrested twice, threatened more than twice, dishonored publicly. Yet they saw it as cause for rejoicing. And out of their joy and trust in God, they kept on doing - did not cease, Luke says — what they had been called to do - preaching and teaching that the Christ is Jesus.

Persecution does not hinder the purposes of God for His church.

And this means two things for us. It means, first of all, that if persecution comes to the United States, it will be okay. Let me share a quote with you I found last week:

“Yes, it is possible that Christians in the United States will lose status or influence, perhaps even a measure of freedom, in the coming years. If that happens, we will join the ranks of millions of other Christians throughout the world and over the course of church history, men and women who have experienced social ostracism and governmental pressure as “normal”.

The other thing this means for us? There will always be faithful Christians. God always preserves a remnant for Himself. God always has a witness. Sometimes we get to thinking that it’s just us, that we’re the only ones who are truly faithful, that everyone else is going the way of the world.

“There are millions of Christians who have not and will never bow the knee to Baal. We belong to a church that will outlast all empires, and we stand in a long line of men and women who rejoiced to suffer for the name of Savior. What’s a lion in a coliseum next to the Lion of Judah?”

Conclusion and call for response

Persecution is the norm not the exception. God is present and active in the midst of His people in persecution. Persecution strengthens faith and commitment. And persecution does not hinder the purposes of God for His church.

So what is God calling us to this morning as a response to what He has shown us in His word? I think He’s calling us not first and foremost to hve a gfreater commitment. I think He’s calling us first and foremost to deeper faith. Trust comes before commitment. You and I will never be able to commit ourselves and our lives and those who love to a God who we don’t trust. God is saying to us, “I am faithful. I am trustworthy. I will show up when things get hard. I will not ask you to take a costly stand for me and then abandon you when it gets costly. I will be with you. You can trust me.”

So that’s the takeaway, at least for me this morning. Spend some time thanking God for His faithfulness. Ask Him to show you where you’re not trusting Him. Ask him to give you grace and strength to lean on him wholeheartedly. And then, as a church, we will be ready to commit ourselves to Him no matter what the future holds, because we have seen the evidence that He is faithful.