Acts 8:1 On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
In the history of the world, from the fall of man, truth has been persecuted and deception has been celebrated. The apostles and disciples of Jesus preached about the resurrection of Christ and salvation through the cross. The early church was severely persecuted. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go (Acts 4:40). The young Pharisee Saul was breathing murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.
In the first century, during the time of Nero the Roman Emperor, Christians were crucified, thrown to wild animals, and burnt as human torches. The devil fought tooth and nail through the wicked generation to persecute and obliterate the truth but the more he oppressed, the more the Gospel spread like wildfire.
This is the mysterious, miraculous power of Jesus Christ. Divine intervention will turn the bad, ugly, and dreadful into a blessing to generations. The disciples scattered and spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Thomas, the disciple of Jesus landed on the shores of South India and preached the saving grace of Jesus Christ. He was stoned to death in Madras by the Hindu priests in 72AD. James was beheaded by King Herod Agrippa in 44AD. Peter was crucified upside down in Rome in 64AD. Andrew was crucified in 69AD. Simon and Jude were martyred in Persia in 79AD. Except for John, who died a natural death around 100 AD, all the other apostles were martyred. However, before their deaths, the Gospel had already spread far and wide, to the ends of the earth.
As great persecution advanced the Gospel, the persecution, pain and pejorative mistreatment will pave the way for our promotion.
The mysterious path to progression:
1. Pressure: Cooking meat in a pressure cooker tenderizes the meat. Similarly, pressurizing circumstances tenderizes and humbles our heart. We must use the pressures in our workplace or family to mellow and prepare us for divine elevation.
2. Persecution: Persecution is the pathway to liberty. During severe persecution, the church recorded tremendous growth. “So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily” (Acts 16:5). In persecution, don’t get bitter. God will use persecution to expand our boundaries and multiply our blessings. It may be that the LORD will look on the wrong done to me, and that the LORD will repay me with good for his cursing today” (2 Samuel 16:12).
3. Promotion: Stand on the promises of God when you are persecuted for the truth. The Lord will set a table of nobility before the same colleagues and envious associates who persecuted us and He will anoint our head with honour.
Pressure and persecution is the pathway to promotion; His ways are mysterious.
Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Prayer: Father of Comfort, help my pressurizing challenges pave the path for my promotion. Help me win over persecution with patience and love. Amen.
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