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Humble Hero
What to Do When Persecution Comes
The disciples of Christ would be betrayed even by members of
their own households. “You will be hated by all for My name’s sake.
But he who endures to the end will be saved.” But He instructed
them not to expose themselves to persecution unnecessarily. He
Himself often left one field of labor for another in order to escape
from those who wanted to take His life. So His servants were not to
be discouraged by persecution, but to look for a place where they
could still work for souls.
But whatever the danger, Christ’s followers must not hide their
principles. They cannot remain uncommitted until they are sure it
is safe to profess the truth. Jesus said, “Whatever I tell you in the
dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the
housetops.”
Jesus never purchased peace by compromise. His heart over-
flowed with love for the whole human race, but He never tolerated
their sins. He was too much their Friend to remain silent while they
were following a course that would ruin their souls. He worked
to help people be true to themselves, true to their higher, eternal
interest. The servants of Christ, called to the same work, should be
careful that, in trying to prevent conflict, they do not surrender truth.
We can never obtain real peace by compromising principle. And no
one can be true to principle without stirring up opposition. Jesus
told His disciples, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot
kill the soul.” Their only fear should be to surrender truth, betraying
the trust with which God has honored them.
Satan works to fill our hearts with doubt. He tempts us to sin
and then to regard ourselves as too evil to approach our heavenly
Father. The Lord understands all this. Jesus assures His disciples
of God’s sympathy, that not a sigh is breathed, not a pain felt, not a
grief pierces the soul, but the throb vibrates to the Father’s heart.
The Bible shows us God in His high and holy place (
Isaiah
57:15
), not inactive, not in silence and solitude, but surrounded by
thousands of holy beings waiting to do His will. Through channels
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we cannot understand, He is in active communication with every
part of His domain, including this speck of a world. God is leaning
forward from His throne to hear the cry of the oppressed. To every