One factor that always comes into play when the light of the church grows brighter is that those living in darkness become more threatened by it because they love the darkness more than the light. For this reason, they will attack those who walk in the light. Therefore, Christians must always be prepared for persecution, and those who are not prepared for it are not prepared for the times. How do we prepare for this?
First, we should never be surprised by any kind of attack, but rather embrace it as an indication that God considers us worthy of it. That's right. Persecution is an indication that God considers you worthy of the kingdom of God, as we read in II Thessalonians 1:4-5:
This is a plain indication of God's righteous judgment so that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering.
Remember what the apostles did after the Sanhedrin had them flogged? It says in Acts 5:41: "So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name." It is a great honor to suffer for the name of the Lord. In fact, it is one of the greatest honors we can receive in this life. This is such an honor that it says Moses chose to suffer affliction with the people of God because he esteemed the reproach of Christ as greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt (see Hebrews11:24-26). Think about that. Moses turned down the greatest treasures in the known world at the time for the sake of sharing in the reproach of Christ, yet we often do almost anything to avoid them!
Of course, we do not want to provoke people into persecuting us, but let it be the result of living in and proclaiming the light. When it does come, we should not only embrace it, but rejoice in it. The only reason why we would not do this is because we still love the approval of men more than God.
Persecution and harassment is the normal state of Christianity and is the condition that most Christians around the world live in continually and have throughout the ages. The brighter our light becomes, the stronger we become, but the more we will have to fight with resolve and courage. However, this is not a negative thing. There can be no victory without a battle, and the bigger the battle, the bigger the victory will be. We also have the great encouragement that we are on the side that cannot lose if we remain faithful. Again, true warriors run to the sound of battle, not away from it. This is not because they necessarily like conflict, but they have learned its benefits, and they have confidence in the victory.
Like many others, our ministry has been embattled from the beginning, and we seldom have any rest from it. When there seems to be a lull in the attacks, it is a little disconcerting. Of course, many go to church for comfort and personal encouragement, which is understandable with all of the pressures of daily life in these times. However, these often flee a church which is being persecuted because their real devotion is for comfort rather than truth and righteousness. These often fail to understand true comfort and peace, which is far more than the world can ever give us—the comfort and peace of knowing that our lives are pleasing to God, and we are doing His will.
If we will stop living for ourselves, but live for Him as we are commanded, He will give His life to us, which is a far better trade. If we will fight the good fight of faith and stand for His truth without compromise, He will fight our personal battles, and He never loses. This does not mean that we will not have any personal problems, but for those who have learned to fight spiritually, they know the strength of the hand of the Lord, they believe His promise to always lead them in His triumph, and they therefore can deal with any problems much better.
