Some Ways on How Christians Should Deal with Persecution

As Peter warned in 2 Peter 3:3-6 saying, "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming?  For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: but the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the Day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men."  

There will be websites, TV programs, print media and so on that will WRONGFULLY criminalize Christianity to no end until the end of time.  So what should be done?  Here are some ways to deal with wrongful persecution:

1.) It's best to stay calm.  

David quoted in Psalm 39:1 saying, "I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.  I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred."  However don't forget verse 9 which says, "I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it."  Remember that a Christian must always rely on God's strength to guide their actions.  Never mind the waves, look up to Jesus.  Peter nearly drowned because he did not stay calm.

2.) Remembering Matthew 5:11-12, "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."  

Being falsely persecuted would lead to bearing fruit in the Christian life.  Remember, the more persecution Christianity suffered, the more it grew instead.  The dark forces like the Roman Inquisition and the Communist governments did its best to try and end Christianity through various torture methods, many Christians died awful deaths but it did not curb the growth of Christianity.  As said, from the time of the apostles up to the present time, Christianity will only increase when it faces persecution.  Remember that the increase may soon include the very tormentors of Christians who try to destroy Christian.  Because they were truly saved, they could not renounce their faith in Jesus Christ (1 John 2:19).

3.) Remembering revenge leads nowhere, leave it to God Himself to take care of the battle.  

Romans 12:14-20 says, "Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.  Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.  Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.  Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.  Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the LORD.  Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.  Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."  Deuteronomy 32:35 says, "To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste."  Repaying evil with kindness causes wicked men to usually feel more humiliated than when being struck back.  Most people do a LOT of wrong things because they seek revenge- take Peter for instance when he cut off the man's ear or when Samson struck revenge against the Philistines- it only made the situation worse.  But of course, this does not negate self-defense and capital punishment as revenge is all about taking the law into one's hands.  

4.) Remembering that Peter 3:14-17 says, "But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:  Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.  For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing."  

By sanctifying God in the hearts and being ready with all facts and figures, every accuser will be forced to shut up especially those that accuse Christians openly (some pretend to be Christians).  The persecutors are usually seeking for attention so they do what they want, they show off their nasty behavior and all, making fun of Christians here and there but by not minding them at all, they don't get their satisfaction.  It's all about the attitude of, "You can talk about me all that you please, I'll talk about you when I'm on my knees, all my sins are washed away, praise the LORD."  Christians should not mind about what's being said against them, they should just mind the work of the LORD until He comes.

5.) Remembering that Jesus said in John 15:18-19, "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."  

That is, when problems come, the song, "This World is Not My Home" should be the attitude of Christians.  This world will just pass away, God's Word will NEVER pass away.

6.) Being not ashamed of the persecution. 1 Peter 4:16 says, "Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf."  

The world may scorn, laugh, mock and do what it wants with the believer but it's only for the blessing of this, knowing that God will punish EVERY false witness and injustice thereafter.  He has allowed injustice for the reason of keeping Christians on track and to let sinful man suffer the consequences of their sinful actions.

7.) Being diligent in studying the Bible and never study it without the Holy Spirit.  

2 Timothy 2:15 says, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."  People love to misquote the Bible as well to justify their heresies.  Remembering the Inquisition, the priest would read some Scriptures before the condemned person to justify what they are doing.  The same method is still being done today by the parodies of Christianity against the real Christians- that is using the Bible to justify their wrong actions.  With the knowledge of the Bible against them, Christians become a greater threat to the evil of their day than the evil of their day is a threat to them.

8.) Overall, remember God is still in charge.  

Problems will make us look down but when they reach the neck, a Christian is forced to look up.  Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose."  God has allowed everything from persecution to blessings and letting the cycle spin not to destroy but to edify the Christian.  Unless a Christian faces problems, their devotion from God dwindles so God uses these situations to bring a Christian back on track.  Unless a Christian does not get rewarded, he/she will also lose motivation.  It's all about God keeping everything in balance.


See also:

Wrongfully Criminalizing Christianity