Persecution: A Moment That Demands Reflection
I was shocked a few weeks ago at the passing of Charlie Kirk. For those who may not know who he was, he was a political activist, and much more importantly, he was a Christian. Although many mourn his loss, those of us who shared his faith have taken it even harder.
Why?
Because we see a historical precedent holding true. Sometimes God’s people are mistreated. Persecution is the word we use for these events.
At times, the result of persecution is extreme and unsavory. It sometimes ends the way it did for Charlie, in death.
Charlie Kirk is now one of those who stand around the throne of God, singing His glory. He’s no longer with us, and his absence is sorely felt.
But is this simply a tragedy? Is there something more to Charlie’s death than just a shocking murder? Can persecution be positive?
Tertullian said it best:
“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
As shocking and tragic as Charlie’s death is, those of us who have the same Lord and Savior, and those of us who hold to the same truths he did, know his death will only spawn more believers and create a healthier church.
How do we know this? Let’s look at the facts:
Persecution in Scripture: A Theology of the Suffering of Martyrs
We don’t have to search the Scriptures for very long before we find evidence of persecution. The Old Testament overflows with examples. David, Jeremiah, Daniel and other names litter the pages of biblical history.
With this in mind, we’re going to limit our study to Church history. Of course, there’s no better church history than the Bible.
Jesus’ Example (John 15:18–20; Matthew 5:10–12)
What better example to start with than the most persecuted Man in church history, Jesus Christ! He’s the ultimate example not simply because He was abused while on this earth, ultimately being crucified. He’s the ultimate example because He took upon Himself the sin that we should have all paid for (1 Peter 2:24).
Jesus took all the abuses of hell so that we could enjoy the blessings of heaven.
So it shouldn’t surprise us that Jesus, the God-Man, often taught on persecution. He mentioned His own ignominious end on a few occasions (Matthew 20:19, John 2:19–20). He also proved the truth of His own words as everything unfolded just as He said (Matthew 27).
To prepare His disciples for persecution, Jesus taught them to endure hardship. In Matthew 5:10-12, Jesus instructed His followers with this important tidbit of truth:
“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:10–12, NASB 95)
To punctuate this message, Jesus also uttered these words in the Gospel of John:
“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” (John 15:18–20, NASB 95)
There are two main thoughts that dominate both of these passages. First, the world hates those who follow Christ. It hated Christ, so it will hate us just as much.
The second thought may seem more disturbing. Because the world hates us, it will abuse us just like it did Jesus. This abuse is called “persecution.”
Jesus’ words were more than prophecies about His own end. He intended for His followers to take them to heart so that persecution wouldn’t take them by surprise. Persecution will come. It’s a matter of when not if.
Jesus was the first in a long line of persecuted Christians. Yet, more than anyone else, we can say that our Lord and Savior’s blood is truly the seed of the church. It’s His blood that cleanses and saves us (Hebrews 9:14, 1 John 1:7). No one else can claim that much significance for the church.
The blood of Jesus Christ has propelled many others to spill their own blood as well. Although their blood doesn’t hold the same significance, they still exemplify what Jesus did for all of us. Let’s look at a few of them.
Stephen
Stephen was an early preacher and deacon in the church (Acts 6). From what we can gather from God’s Word, he was a man who knew how to deliver the unvarnished truth. How do we know he was effective? Those who hated him murdered him (Acts 7–8).
Was his death a tragedy? I’m sure his church thought so, and we would be monsters to think his death had no impact on the church of his day.
Despite the tragedy of his death and the loss of his talent to the church, it not only endured, but flourished as a young man named Saul of Tarsis did his worst to eradicate the church.
The church should have died with Stephen. Instead, it grew exponentially. It even consumed Saul and his aspirations. Saul was wondrously and gloriously saved and became the Apostle Paul.
Now how about that? Not only did Stephen’s death have the opposite effect, it ended up weakening the movement that tried to destroy the church. As it turns out, it even turned one of its leaders to Stephen’s Lord and Savior.
In other words, Stephen’s blood seeded the church.
The Apostle Paul (Philippians 1:29; 2 Timothy 3:12)
Since we’re on the subject of Saul of Tarsus, let’s talk about him for a moment. In a supreme turn of irony, Saul himself endured persecution and died for the cause of Christ.
This shouldn’t surprise us. Jesus Himself predicted this would happen:
“Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”” (Acts 9:15–16, NASB 95)
God spoke these words to Ananias, a believer during that time. His instructions to that man were clear. Speak kindly to Saul and accept him as a brother.
Let’s just say that Ananias already knew Saul’s reputation, so it’s understandable why he wouldn’t want to meet Saul. So in unrelated news, Ananias protested, and God made His instructions even clearer to Ananias.
God didn’t mince words. He said Saul, who soon became Paul, would suffer for the name of Jesus, the very name Saul had persecuted. The persecutor would become the persecuted.
How did Paul feel about all this? Was he bitter because he had to suffer for the sake of Jesus? Nope. Here are his own words:
“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.” (Colossians 1:24, NASB 95)
What a turnaround! He suffered for the very name he so hated. That’s the power of Jesus Christ!
Ultimately, Paul gave his life for the cause of Christ. Although the Bible doesn’t tell us his demise, history tells us he was beheaded because he was just too bold in preaching Jesus. And Paul’s life and death motivated many to follow our Lord.
In other words, Paul’s blood seeded the church.
Other Apostles
In Revelation 6:9–11, we find bold believers who gave their lives for the cause of Christ. Regardless of how you interpret this book, it’s clear these are believers who lost their lives. Why? Because they had the audacity to stand up and be counted for Christ.
One biblical example is the Apostle James, who lost his life because a corrupt politician wanted his poll numbers to spike (Acts 12). He was the first of the Apostles to pass on to his eternal glory.
Peter was also captured and imprisoned by the same corrupt politician. Although he didn’t die the same way James did, he still endured difficulty at the hands of those who wanted to kill him. Ultimately, history tells us that Peter also died for the name of Christ.
These men were the first of many whose testimony isn’t forgotten. Church history is littered with those like James and Peter who stood strong in their testimony for Christ.
They knew something very important. “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
Historical Echoes: The Church Grows Through Persecution
Early Church Persecution
This type of behavior toward followers of Jesus continued into the early church period. Tertullian, the man whose quotation began this discussion, witnessed this condition firsthand.
Although he didn’t die a martyr’s death, he spoke energetically against Roman persecution of Christians. Because he tirelessly defended the Christian faith in this way, many around him saw martyrdom as a badge of honor rather than a mark of shame.
Perhaps it was Justin Martyr who inspired Tertullian to speak out in the first place. Born Flavius Justinus early in the second century, Justin spoke boldly against the paganism of his time. He was captured and executed because he spoke so effectively against Roman paganism.
Before he was beheaded, he said, “No one who is rightly minded turns from true belief to false.” Because of his unwavering testimony, he was given the title “Justin Martyr,” and those after him who gave their lives this way bore the moniker “martyr” proudly. He motivated men like Tertullian to spread the truth, regardless of the peril of persecution it brought.
There are others from this early period, but I think you get the picture. The post-apostolic church experienced persecution. They didn’t shy away. They met it head-on and paid the price.
Reformation and Missionary Movements
During the Middle Ages, true religion experienced a dark time. Religion became nothing more than just a “thing” that people did. It was a cultural way of life, and it showed in the dead formalism that corrupted the church.
Soon, bold believers emerged who wanted to live for the glory of God as the Bible commanded. One of these was John Huss. He spoke to the idea that Christians should obey the Word of God. He was rewarded by burning at the stake for his earnest desire to please God.
What’s most interesting is that it wasn’t pagans or cultists who burned Huss. It was a corrupted form of the church that murdered him simply because they didn’t want to give up their stranglehold on the people they controlled. Huss died because wicked religionists didn’t want to lose their power. This demonstrated a shift in the way persecution shook out.
Centuries later, a powerful missionary movement arose, motivating many to proclaim the gospel to those who hadn’t heard it. Some went into places that were very dangerous. One of those was Philip James Elliot, but most people know him as Jim Elliot.
Elliot led a team of young men deep into the jungles of Ecuador. He, along with Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Pete Fleming, and Roger Youderian, located the Auca tribe and preached the gospel to them.
Their reward for such a service? The Aucas murdered them, leaving their bodies strewn across a beach. These men are heroes of the faith because they endured severe persecution and death because of their faith.
Just one comment before we move forward: There is a happy ending to this story. Those men’s wives pushed their way into the same jungle and preached the gospel to the Aucas. The result? God used those women to bring salvation to a tribe that wouldn’t have had the light of the gospel.
God used the guilt of those men’s deaths to prick the hearts of those who needed Jesus. He used brave women who overcame persecution, anger and bitterness to win the lost.
How can this be? They understood an important fact.
“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
Modern Martyrs
Still today, believers all over the globe give their lives simply because they love Jesus. Those in countries that have no religious freedom find severe persecution as their reward for faithful service to Jesus.
Charlie Kirk is just one of many in this modern era. He stands with multitudes who have given their last ounce of devotion for their Savior.
Their blood continues to seed the church.
The Gospel in the Face of Persecution
What Martyrdom Says to the Church
What does this tell us? First, it demonstrates how precious the truth is. It’s worth dying for. Jesus died on the cross to make the truth of salvation known. What could be more worth dying for than that?
It also tells us that we emulate our Lord the most when we do what He did. He suffered greatly for the truth. He died for the truth. We should be ready to as well. We aren’t greater than our Lord. We should ready ourselves for whatever outcome He desires for us.
This also tells us that we don’t have to be bitter because of our circumstances. Christ suffered and died readily. Others exemplified God in this way. They didn’t complain about or resist what God allowed. They gladly suffered for their faith. We can’t be bitter. We must be better because of persecution.
Why?
Our blood shed for Christ will become the seed of the church.
What It Says to the World
There’s also a definitive answer to the world in all this. The church, bought and paid for by the blood of Christ, will not die. It can’t be silenced. Christ sustains it and produces more of the same through the blood of the saints.
What’s most important is our response. While the world subdues and murders, Christians continue to preach the truth of Christ, thankful for His gift of grace despite persecution. The world looks on, puzzled by a reaction of grace rather than vengeance.
The world harms. We forgive. God is glorified.
How?
“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
Erika Kirk’s Response
There’s no better modern example of a grace-filled response to persecution than Erica Kirk. In the wake of her husband’s death, she forgave the man who shot him.
Does she have no feelings? She certainly has. Did she not love her husband enough to care about his death? She certainly did. What led her to forgive her husband’s murderer?
The first part of the answer is simple. She loves Jesus, whom she wants to obey. Jesus commanded us to love our enemies. Of course, Erika would forgive her husband’s killer on those grounds alone.
The second part of the answer isn’t as simple. Erika understands that, as Christians, we are all under scrutiny. The world, the flesh and the Devil would love nothing more than to see the church, every member, wiped from the face of this planet.
We forgive because, in some strange way, we understand that this kind of persecution does nothing less than spread the seed of the church and make it grander and more beautiful.
In other words, Erica understands that the blood of her husband and many others like him is the seed of the church.
Do you?
What Will We Do in the Face of Persecution?
So some of you may be thinking, “Bill, how is there any encouragement in this? I mean, if I’m slated to die, where do I find joy? Those are fair questions. Let’s consider them for a moment:
For the Fearful
Do you fear persecution? Are you afraid you’ll end up like Charlie Kirk? Consider this: God is near to the persecuted. Let’s not forget our Lord’s words:
“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Did you catch that? When we endure persecution, we prove we belong to God’s kingdom. Now how awesome is that?
And not just that, it also shows that we will one day see our Lord who uttered these words. If we are willing to suffer as He did, we prove we belong to Him. Once more, remember what Jesus said:
“If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”
Enduring persecution labels a true follower of Jesus Christ. Persecution doesn’t save us, but it sure shows that we are saved. We belong to our Master, who also endured persecution.
What’s the point? Martyrdom is not a failure. It isn’t something for us to fear. It’s the mark of a real believer. Charlie earned that badge.
Are we that willing to stand up for the truth? Are we willing to give our all just as Charlie and many others have?
For the Bold
What we need to do is claim this victory. No, I never wanted to see Charlie Kirk die. In fact, it was a shock to me. I’ve heard of countless other Christians who have died for their faith. I weep every time I hear it.
So what do I mean by victory? Every time someone dies for the faith, the seed is planted, and God is glorified. We should yearn to give Christ our all.
For the Church
Now, just one caveat. This doesn’t mean we should seek out persecution. There’s no such thing as a professional, full-time martyr.
What this does mean is that we should always we ready to give our all for Christ. That’s what He did for us. We should ready ourselves for no less.
Why?
“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
We won’t win this world as sunshine saints. Our bruised and bloodied Savior won our salvation because He endured. Let’s endure as well, winning the world despite the presence of persecution.
Because one day our blood may become the seed of the church, and Christ’s church will grow, and God will be glorified.
What a glorious day!
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