Perseverance and Persecution

What does it mean to persevere? The word itself means to “continue in a course of action in spite of difficulty or with little or no indication of success.” Perseverance is an action word that describes the way a person lives. It is the action of the one who has the qualities of endurance and patience. It communicates to us that the one who perseveres has endured a task or trial for a period of time with some measure of difficulty or distress. We have many examples of perseverance given to us in the Scriptures or illustrated for us in society. It could be the marathon runner, the gladiator fighting to the death, or the soldier in battle. It also could be the mother raising her children, the father working hard to provide for his family, the pastor shepherding his church, the firefighter extinguishing the flames of a house fire, or the politician taking a stand for morality in a Godless culture. In the passage below, we have the idea of perseverance illustrated.

“Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” –Matthew 24:9-14

What you've just read is a small portion of the Lord Jesus instruction to his followers on the idea of persecution. Persecution means that Christians will suffer at the hand of unbelievers because of their faith. Jesus promised this to all those who would follow him. Paul echoes the same thing to Timothy by saying that “all who will live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Here Jesus says that there is coming a time when the unbelieving world will be angry with Christians, they will hate them, and the world will will afflict them physically, and they will even kill Christians for their faith. There is coming a time when Christians won’t even trust each other. Instead professing Christians will betray and hate other Christians. There will be deception by false teachers, and Christian love will grow cold. There is suffering in store for Christians in the world. Jesus says here that the one that endures to the end will be saved. Jesus is not advocating that in order to be saved eternally you must endure to the end. This would be a works-based salvation. Rather, he is describing a future time of persecution called the great tribulation. During this time persecution will become so intense that there will be many professors of Christianity that will apostatize and leave the faith. What Jesus means here is that those who endure—those that persevere through this time of intense tribulation—shall be saved at the second advent of Jesus Christ. Jesus will return to the earth and put an end to all the fighting and persecution that will occur.

While this passage describes for us a yet future time of suffering for Christians, we can be encouraged right now to learn to persevere. Perseverance is connected with the Christian life. After all, once a person trusts in Christ for salvation, they begin a journey that will last the rest of life. Perseverance means that you will continue in your Christian faith until your dying breath. It means that you will remain faithful to the Lord your whole life. Perseverance is the idea of continuance. It is the idea of moving forward, running the spiritual race, walking with the Lord with patience and endurance. In the Scriptures God clearly communicates that He wants Christians to persevere. Peter tells us to grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul told Timothy to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews urges us to go on to perfection, to keep moving forward and not to draw back. James tells us to let the trials of life perfect us by giving us endurance.

Think of the coming tribulation and of those who will suffer to the point of death for the Lord Jesus. Christians we need to pray that we will gain that sort of perseverance in our faith. Are you persevering? Are you gaining the qualities of endurance and patience in your life? Let the trials of your life and the suffering at the hands of unbelievers encourage you to keep moving forward and not to draw back. Don’t be discouraged. Be a good soldier. Endure hardship for the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Living Godly in Christ Jesus

The other day I was going through my Bible reading plan, and read 2 Timothy chapter 3, verse 12, which says,

"Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."


This sentence has stuck in my head. When I read this verse, I can't help but ask, am I really living godly in Christ Jesus? In North America we really don't suffer very much. You have to wonder why. "All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." This is a promise. If we are really living godly lives, the way we are intended to live, we are going to suffer persecution. If you're not suffering, examine your own life and see why. We can never be too holy, despite what some people may think. We must press on towards the goal, which is holiness.

The disciples and Christians that we read about in the book of Acts suffered. Why? Because they were completely obedient to Jesus' commands. He said preach the gospel. They preached the gospel, and they suffered for it. Think about this today. If you're not suffering persecution, it's possible that you're not living the godly life you should be.

The Commands of Christ - Matthew 10:21-23

"Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes." -Matthew 10:21-23

Who is this command to?

Jesus is instructing his disciples right before he sent them out to do ministry in the surrounding areas.

What does this command require?

When the disciples were persecuted, they were commanded to flee to another city.

What truths do we learn through this command?

It almost seems that Jesus is teaching the disciples to avoid persecution. But He is not. Jesus starts verse 23 with a sure statement--'When they persecute you'. So this command is not about avoiding persecution. Persecution will come. When it does, run to the next city. We learn here that persecution is an excellent motivator for spreading the gospel. When Christ had risen, and Christianity was becoming more known, persecution started. This persecution caused believers to scatter to other towns, regions, even other countries. Because of this dispersion of the many disciples, and because these new disciples were faithful in making disciples wherever they went, Christianity spread like wildfire throughout the Roman world and even into Asia. Persecution is a great tool for spreading the gospel and growing the church.

I think that there is a question pressing on your mind at this point. Is this command relevant to us? When we are persecuted for preaching the gospel of Christ, are we to flee to the next city? This is a tough question. I have come to this conclusion: Your time is better spent finding a place to preach the gospel where the people will receive it, than to have the gospel message trampled by your persecutors and for you to be beaten and bruised for preaching. I say that cautiously, for many will be persecuted for preaching and will continue to preach faithfully in the face of extreme persecution. I come back to Matthew 7:6 and 10:14. Jesus gives permission for the disciples to 'shake the dust from their feet' when they left a city or a household that would not hear the gospel message. Just think about it and try to find a balance. Yes, we are called to endure through our trials, even persecution. But at the same time, we must have discernment as to whether or not the message is being received. There might be some households or cities in which it is impossible to make disciples because of their sinfulness and rejection of the gospel.

What are the consequences for disobedience?

I'm having a hard time putting this into words, but let me take a stab at it: If the disciples disobeyed this, they would face death for their preaching. The gospel message would not spread like Jesus intended.