The Blessing of Persecution

The abuse of Jesus in the house of Caiaphas

In 1997, while in Hong Kong to write about the British handover of that city to the mainland government, I visited the pastor of one of the largest house churches in China with a missionary friend who knew him. Pastor Lamb, as he was called, was in his 70s at the time. He told me he had spent half his life in prison for preaching the gospel. I asked him if the Public Security Bureau still came around to observe his activities.

“Not so much now,” he replied.

“Why not?” I asked.

“Because,” he said, “every time they threw me in prison, the church grew.”

We Americans know nothing about such persecution. We think we are being persecuted when a newspaper editorial criticizes us, or someone uses the Lord’s name in vain in our presence, or calls us religious fanatics. Most of the world understands persecution in terms of jail, torture, beheadings, and ostracism from family and friends.

Jesus said, “A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20).

In effect, this means that if you are being persecuted, it isn’t you they are persecuting; rather, it is Jesus in you who is their target. Jesus exposes sin. He is the “smell of death” (2 Cor. 2:16) to those who are perishing, as my pastor, Dr. Robert Norris, once preached in a sermon. People don’t like the smell of death, which, it might be argued is their smell, not ours, because we are alive in Christ and they are dead in their sins. Some try to get rid of the “smell” by persecuting believers. Read more