From the beginning, Christ’s church has been persecuted. The account of the first martyr,

Stephen, was recorded in Acts 7.

Martyrdom continues to this day. According to the Voice of the Martyrs website, Christians are

persecuted for their faith in approximately seventy hostile, restricted or monitored countries. The

Voice of the Martyrs organization helps more than four million of these Christians annually. And

while the United States is not listed in these categories, it does seem that our culture is

increasingly anti-Christian.

Being mocked and feeling persecuted as a believer does not feel good. When Saul encountered

Jesus on the road to Damascus, the Lord told him that Saul was, in fact, persecuting Jesus.

Jesus informed his disciples,

“If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you.  If you were of the

world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world,

but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke 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 they will do all these things to

you on account of my name, because they don’t know the one who sent me. If I had not

come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now they have no excuse for

their sin. The one who hates me also hates my Father. If I had not done the works among

them that no one else has done, they would not be guilty of sin. Now they have seen and

hated both me and my Father. But this happened so that the statement written in their

law might be fulfilled: They hated me for no reason.” (John 15:18-25 CSB)

Christ-followers will be hated just as Christ was. Christ’s yoke may be easy, but the Christian life

is not always easy. The more we are like Jesus, the less we will be like those who don’t know

Him. They may not like us, they may hate us, and they may make life very difficult. Through it

all, we must remember that it is Jesus that they are persecuting.



Be willing to live an uncomfortable life. Be willing to follow Jesus. Be willing to face persecution.

By LaRaine Rice