Remain Faithful

When persecution comes, it will:

Come from people who think they are doing the right thing.

Cause stress and heartache.

3. Accuse you of doing wrong.

How do we handle persecution?

Remain faithful.

Faithful in our commitment to Christ.

Faithful in our witness of the grace of Christ.

Faithful in our worship of the greatness of Christ.

Faithful in trusting the promises of Christ.

People want to declare us irrational. Rodney Stark in The Rise of Christianity (p. 169) states “Rational choice involves weighing the anticipated costs and benefits of actions and then seeking to act so as to maximize net benefits.”

Saint Polycarp was a 2nd century Christian bishop of Smyrna. According to the Martyrdom of Polycarp, he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to touch him. It is recorded that he had been a disciple of John the Apostle