Have you ever been persecuted for taking a stand for Jesus? Well, if you have, the Bible not only says that you are blessed, but it also says you should rejoice! On the surface you may be wondering how can I rejoice and what kind of blessing will I receive when my feelings are hurt, my name is slandered, and in some cases I may even suffer financial hardship, when for example I may lose my job over taking a stand for Christ.
Pastor John Stott gives us a glimpse of what not to do when we are persecuted for the sake of Christ: “How did Jesus expect His disciples to react under persecution? (In Matthew 5:12 He said), ‘Rejoice and be glad!’ We are not to retaliate like an unbeliever, nor sulk like a child, nor lick our wound in self-pity like a dog, nor just grin and bear it like a Stoic, still less pretend we enjoy it like a masochist. What then? We are to rejoice as a Christian should and even ‘leap for joy’ (Lk. 6:23).”1
What really struck me about Stott’s quote was the phrase from (Luke 6:23) – “leap for joy.” The full context of this phrase can be seen in (Luke 6:22-23) which reads: “Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.”
Imagine being hated, excluded, insulted, and called evil, and then told that if it is for sharing Christ, you should leap for joy. Clearly, the world would think you are crazy. However, as Christians our entire worldview revolves around doing things to please Jesus and advance His kingdom.
(1 Peter 4:12-14) has helped me greatly in understanding why I should leap for joy when being persecuted for the sake of the gospel. These precious verses read: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”
Just knowing that the Spirit of glory rests on me when I am persecuted for the sake of Christ allows me to, yes, leap for joy, because what can be more awesome than knowing that God’s glory is surrounding me. And since the chief end of life is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, when we go through suffering for the sake of Christ, not only are we participating in this glory, but according to (Luke 6:22-23) we will receive a great reward in heaven!
Think of it this way. We get to glorify God now, in the present, through enduring our persecutions, which brings great joy, and we also are accumulating amazing future rewards in heaven.
Finally, while no one wants persecution, because it doesn’t feel good, Christian joy trumps negative feelings every time because when we know that we are pleasing the Creator of the universe, joy will automatically flood our souls and this my friends is the highest blessing that a believer can experience this side of eternity!
1 John Stott – How did Jesus expect His disciples to react under…