Opening illustration: Video clip of persecuted Christians worldwide.
Let us turn to 1 Peter 4 and check out what to expect while being persecuted for Christ.
Introduction: In the nature of things persecution must have been a much more daunting experience for Gentiles than it was for the Jews. The average Gentile had little experience of it; but the Jews have always been the most persecuted people upon earth; persecution has been part of their heritage. Peter was writing to Christians who were Gentiles, and he had to try to help them by showing them persecution in its true terms. It is never easy to be a Christian. The Christian life can still bring its own loneliness, its own unpopularity, its own problems, its own sacrifices, and its own persecutions. It is; therefore, well to have certain great principles in our minds.
First Peter was probably written just after that persecution began, toward the end of A.D 64. The believers were experiencing a "fiery ordeal" indeed (1 Peter 4: 12). So the apostle Peter told them how to respond to suffering. In a way it sums up all his previous instruction about that subject.
Expectations during persecution ~
1. Suffering is Inevitable (v. 12)
Throughout his letter Peter says that persecution is inevitable. In fact, the surprise would be if it didn’t come: the apostle John said, "Do not marvel, brethren, if the world hates you" (1 John 3: 13), Jesus said to His disciples, "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you" (John 15: 18), and the apostle Paul said, "All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Timothy 3: 12).
Suffering can tempt us to doubt God’s love. If someone like Nero rolled our children in pitch and used them as human torches, we might wonder about God’s love. In the midst of such persecution the enemy might echo in our ears these vile words once uttered by Job’s wife: "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!" (Job 2:9). So Peter wrote to assure the believers of his day --and ours--of God’s unfailing love.
It shouldn’t shock us that life is difficult. When someone takes issue with our testimony, when employees at work are hostile toward us, or when our neighbors have a vendetta against us, it’s no surprise since suffering is corollary to the Christian faith. That’s because following Christ promises suffering, not immunity from it. Instead of saying Jesus wants us all to be happy, healthy, and wealthy, and will solve all our worldly problems, we need to say truthfully to the ungodly, "You’re in desperate need of Jesus Christ because you’re on your way to an eternal hell. You have the choice of suffering in hell forever or suffering here for a while as a Christian."
Yet some want to live under the illusion that being a Christian and serving the church eliminates every difficulty. Rather, when God effectively uses us as we’re faithful to His Word, we will arouse animosity. In the words of the apostle Paul, "We are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life" (2 Cor. 2: 15-16).
Believers are willing to endure adversity because they know it proves the genuineness of their faith, which will be rewarded at Christ’s appearing. So the fiery trial doesn’t refer to just any trouble but to persecution for living the Christian faith. The message of our trial getting really heated up in coming times is apparent and can’t be ruled out.
Suffering for righteousness’ sake reveals who’s really a true believer. Christ illustrated that point in the parable of the soils: A sower scattered some seed on stony ground, and a plant grew quickly but its roots didn’t grow deeply since the soil was shallow. Consequently, under the punishing rays of the sun, the plant died without ever bearing fruit (Matthew 13:5-6).
Our Lord was describing a shallow response to the gospel--not allowing the Word to penetrate the depths of one’s heart. Persecution revealed it to be nothing but a superficial profession (vv. 20-21). That’s why the persecuted church is the pure church. Through tribulation our Lord purges and cleanses the church of its chaff.
Illustration: Graham Stuart Staines (1941-January 1999) was an Australian missionary who was burnt to death along with his two sons Philip (aged 9) and Timothy (aged 7) while sleeping in his station wagon at Manoharpur village in Keonjhar district in Orissa, India in January 1999. On the night of 22 January 1999, Graham Staines had attended a jungle camp, an annual gathering of Christians of the area to strengthen fellowship and for teaching. In the night he was sleeping in his station wagon when it was set afire by a mob. Graham and his two minor sons were burnt alive. In 2003, the Hindu activist Dara Singh was convicted of leading the gang. Graham was survived by his wife and daughter who forgave the killers during their first court hearing. Instead of a death sentence they were given life imprisonment.
Graham and his family’s faith were tested by the latter and his sons losing their lives for Christ. In a very subtle way persecution of the saints has been going on here in our country. We can already see the persecution of Christians coming our way in the USA. How will we stand up to it?
How to react? (v. 13)
(a) Rejoice ~ "To the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you." "Keep on rejoicing" indicates the attitude we’re to have in the midst of trials. Anything the world brings against us for the sake of righteousness is cause for rejoicing. Jesus emphasized that by saying, "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5: 10-12).
But as you partake of the sufferings of Christ, while you suffer for his sake, rejoice in hope of more abundant glory. For the measure of glory answers the measure of suffering; and much more abundantly. "To the degree" indicates that our eternal reward is a direct reflection of our earthly suffering.
(b) Glad with exceeding Joy ~ We must understand that the cross is the way to the crown. When He returns, believers will "rejoice with exultation." Peter twice uses the term "rejoice" (Gk., chairo) in this verse but the second time it’s qualified by "exultation" (Gk., agallomai), a reference to rapturous joy. The sense of the verse is, "Keep on being happy, for if you do so, some day you’ll be ecstatic!" If we’re faithful to Christ by sharing in His sufferings in this life, we’ll experience a joy that surpasses all others when He returns.
2. Criticism and Accusation (v. 14)
Reproaches and cruel mocking were always one part of their sufferings. The Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you - The same Spirit which was upon Christ, Luke 4: 18. He is here termed, the Spirit of glory, conquering all reproach and shame, and the Spirit of God, whose Son, Jesus Christ is. "Reviled" means "to heap insults upon." In the Old Testament and Septuagint it speaks of reproach heaped on God and His people by the ungodly, and in the New Testament it refers to indignities and mistreatments against Christ--the things that He endured at the hands of sinners. Since His name sums up all that He is, "for the name of Christ" indicates we represent all that He is. It also implies we’re publicly proclaiming His name, which is what causes the hostility. So the verse is speaking of those who are reviled for proclaiming the name of Christ. In the days of the early church, the lost would exclaim with exasperation, "Christians are always talking about that name!" (cf. Acts 4: 17-18; 17: 6). And if we identify with the name of Jesus Christ and tell others about Him, we’ll be reproached and insulted, just as our brothers and sisters in the early church were.
What are the consequences? (v. 14)
(a) It is the source of blessing ~ "Blessed" means "fortunate." As we just observed, we’ll gain an eternal weight of glory for the privilege of sharing Christ’s sufferings (cf. Luke 6: 22-23). We’re also fortunate because "the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon [us]" (v. 14). That’s a reference to the objective presence and power of the Holy Spirit, not our subjective happiness.
(b) God is glorified ~ "Glory" refers to the Spirit’s essential attribute. To many of the Jewish believers in the early church, it would be a reminder of the Shekinah, a symbol of God’s presence. At the inauguration of the Tabernacle and Temple, "the glory of the Lord [His presence or Shekinah] filled the house of the Lord" (1 Kings 8: 11). So we are privileged to have God’s presence with us when we suffer for Christ: we become like Moses, whose face was shining with the glory of God (Ex. 33:29), or like the Tabernacle, so laden with God’s glory "that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud" (1 Kings 8:11). As the Shekinah rested in the Tabernacle and the Temple, so long ago the Spirit in His glorious splendor and power rested upon suffering Christians. "Rests" (1 Pet. 4:14) speaks of refreshment in the sense of taking over for us as the dominant power in the midst of our suffering.
That rest came upon Stephen, a deacon in the Jerusalem church. As he stood before the Sanhedrin to give a defense for his faith, the religious leaders "saw his face like the face of an angel," signifying serenity, tranquility, and a gentle joy unaffected by hostility (Acts 6:15). The leaders became infuriated as Stephen explained the Scriptures to them, but Stephen unaffected by it all, "gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, ’Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God’" (7: 55-56).
The Spirit took control of his life, allowing him the matchless privilege of seeing Christ in His glory, and he became oblivious to all else. As his enemies stoned him to death, "he called upon the Lord and said, ’Lord Jesus, receive my spirit’.... Do not hold this sin against them!’ And having said this, he fell asleep" (7: 59-60).
In the Foxe’s Book of Martyrs it’s natural to wonder, How could those martyred Christians transcend such enormous physical pain? Apparently the Spirit of God’s glory rested upon them, taking them beyond the physical realm.
Illustration: In 1988, Wally Magdangal was pastoring an underground church in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He was a Filipino lay pastor of Christian foreign workers wishing to gather for worship. In 1992, soon after the conclusion of the Gulf War, the house church had grown to over three hundred worshipers, the largest church in the country. The Saudi government became alarmed at the positive impact the church was having and Wally was arrested. While he was in prison, Wally was tortured, abused, and eventually falsely charged with blaspheming Muhammad and Islam. He was tried before the Saudi Arabian High Court and was sentenced to death by public hanging scheduled to take place on Christmas Day 1992. Throughout his terrible ordeal, Wally refused to renounce his faith in Jesus Christ. Outcries from several foreign governments and agencies, including President Fidel Ramos of the Philippines, Amnesty International, and members of the U.S. Congress were made on behalf of Wally to the Saudi Government. And then just a few hours before his scheduled execution, Wally Magdangal miraculously was granted a reprieve. The Saudi Government decided to deport him to the Philippines instead. Today, Wally is itinerant preacher, sharing how the Lord delivered him from persecution. So, perhaps for some in America, the church seems to be irrelevant, but it can still strike fear into the enemies of the Gospel!
Caution (v. 15):- Not to suffer as a
• murderer
• thief
• evil doer
• busy body (gossiper / tale carrier)
3. Suffer with Honor & Willingly (vs. 16 – 19)
It is not shameful to suffer for being a Christian. When Peter and John were persecuted for preaching the ‘Good News,’ they rejoiced because such persecution was a mark of God’s approval of their works (Acts 5: 41). Don’t seek out suffering, and don’t try to avoid it. Instead keep doing what is right regardless of suffering it might bring.
• Ashamed of being a Christian so as to refuse to suffer on account of it.
• Ashamed that he is despised and maltreated.
In verses 17 & 18 it does not refer to final judgment but to God’s refining discipline (Heb. 12: 7). Let all who suffer, not for evil doing but for righteousness sake, keep on in well doing and commit their souls to the care of the all seeing and faithful God.
Illustrations: Christians taken as slaves in Sudan and are deprived of their private parts. Breasts of nursing women are chopped off. Parents see the slow demise of their babies … These are ones who stood up for their faith and ours. What were we doing when they had to deal with it? What will we do? Where will we run to? All these persecutions are sooner or later going to overtake us right here in the US and we will not know how to grapple with it … We can already see and foresee what is about to come. The reason why I can say it is true; because I have already traveled that road and know how it comes and what it does … Will we be able to handle it? Time to get prepared! Are we are as to what is at stake? When the rubber will meet the road most will give up their faith and run away. What about us?
How to respond?
• Glorify God [1 Thessalonians 5: 18]
• Be in awe of God [how He deals with the ungodly]
• Commit our souls to Him [to leave everything in his hand, faithfully performing every duty, and not being anxious for the result]
• Do good ~ results from being a Christian, it is a godly thing as the Word of God says that no one is good except God.
Application: The time is coming (not far away) when Christians will be persecuted right here, openly. How do I know it? I have already traveled that road before. It is already happening in a subtle way. What will we do? How will we react? If it can happen in other parts of the world, it can happen here too, no matter what laws or regulations govern the land. After all they are human made laws and will surely have loop holes and shortcomings which ungodly men and women will capitalize on.
Will we be a people who will crumple under its weight and run away and denounce Christ like all the disciples quit when Jesus was being taken for trial or betray Him in troubled times like Judas. The Word of God tells us that in the last days many believers will fall away and even many of the elect will betray Christ. I will encourage you to be a people after God’s own heart and stand your ground no matter what comes our way ~ just like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Let us not try to run and find a way to escape persecution but face it like Jesus did, knowing that persecution is inevitable, but we can rejoice and be glad in it. At the same time being criticized and accused falsely for that is the work of Satan, knowing we’ll be blessed and God will be glorified through it. Let us be cautious that we’ll not suffer for evil doings but suffer with honor and willingly for Christ our Lord and Savior.
May God give you His strength to go all the way.
