Phil Cox

The Beatitudes


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The Beatitudes - Part 8

Blessed are the persecuted

12th July 2008

The eighth beatitude is:

Matthew 5v10
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

How can it make sense for persecution to be a blessing?

I have to say that I am unqualified to write about this. And so is almost anyone living in this country. We don’t really know what persecution is.

But our brothers in Christ all over the world know persecution. Even today, many are beaten, made homeless, imprisoned, tortured and executed for the crime of loving the Lord Jesus Christ. In some countries, for example, it’s a crime punishable by death to convert from Islam to Christianity. In Marxist countries, governments have attempted to eradicate Christians completely. They’ve failed, of course, particularly in China, where the church is now growing fast. But Chinese Christians continue to suffer greatly. In many places, such as North Korea, the persecution is getting worse.

I just typed “Persecution of Christians” into Google, and got 474,000 hits. Here are just a few:

For a small but typical example of continuing persecution in China, see http://www.opendoorsuk.org/advocacy/weihan.asp

Serious persecution continues in Laos. See http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/news/?NewsID=1754

And also in Ethiopia, see http://www.compassdirect.org/en/display.php?page=news⟨=en&length=long&idelement=5287&backpage=summaries&critere=&countryname=&rowcur=

http://www.opendoorsuk.org/resources/SB/secret_believers.asp provides information on a book about the persecution faced by Moslems who convert to Christianity.

The following video of persecution in Indonesia is very disturbing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eKOB1ZPGnk

Many countries persecute Christians, but perhaps the worst is North Korea. See http://northkoreanchristians.com

If you study some of these web sites, you’ll see that the persecuted church is continuing to speak the truth and to pray for their oppressors. We cannot know what it feels like. We cannot imagine how we would cope. But our brothers and sisters across the world are remaining faithful to Jesus, enduring terrible injustice and pain. They alone have the right to explain how it is blessed to be persecuted.

And England also knew persecution of Christians at one time. Tragically, much of this came from people who also considered themselves to be Christians – most infamously, Queen Mary, known as Bloody Mary. Mary was enthroned in 1553 and reigned until 1558. In that short reign, she executed at least 200 people for believing the Bible, burning many of them at the stake.

In Oxford, a cross has been placed in the middle of one of the main shopping streets, to mark the place where Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley were burnt on 16th October 1555. They had been bishops in the Church of England, but Mary had them tried as Protestants.

As he was being tied to the stake, Ridley prayed, "Oh, heavenly Father, I give unto thee most hearty thanks that thou hast called me to be a professor of thee, even unto death. I beseech thee, Lord God, have mercy on this realm of England, and deliver it from all her enemies."

As the flames rose, Latimer encouraged Ridley, "Be of good comfort, Mr. Ridley, and play the man! We shall this day light such a candle by God's grace, in England, as I trust never shall be put out."

How can the persecuted rejoice? I’m not sure that I could. I suspect I would need the powerful help of God. But Latimer and Ridley – and many others through the ages and across the world – rejoiced in their persecution. They rejoiced that their suffering was not in vain – it was part of God’s plan and would bear fruit.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus went on to explain:

Matthew 5v11-12
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

So we see that when Christians are persecuted for their faith in Jesus, they can rejoice because they’re in good company. The Old Testament prophets of God were also persecuted. Jesus Himself was persecuted. And many New Testament saints have been persecuted.

And we our assured that our suffering will not only bear fruit for others, but also for ourselves; great is our reward in heaven.

Romans 8v16-18
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Sharing in suffering is part of the deal. All Christ’s disciples must be prepared to embrace it:

Matthew 16v24-25
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.

As Paul wrote:

Philippians 3v10-11
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Of course, you and I do know some low-level persecution. We may be teased or even shunned at work, or in school. We may be passed over for promotion or taken advantage of in other ways. We may be insulted. Worse, we may hear our Lord and His Kingdom insulted. And we too can rejoice. In our little way, we too are sharing in Christ’s sufferings.

But take note: Jesus doesn't say "blessed are those who are persecuted because they're a pain in the neck" or "Blessed are those who are persecuted because they're totally insensitive and try to say something deeply spiritual or encouraging at precisely the wrong moment".

We are blessed if we are persecuted for His sake. That is, for doing what Christ would do in our situation, in the way that Christ would do it.