Truth

Happy are those who have been persecuted for righteousness sake, since the kingdom of the heavens belongs to them. NO MAN’S lips ever demanded of his followers such service as do the lips of Jesus Christ.

His followers could expect to be persecuted, delivered up before synagogue courts, haled before kings and governors and some would be put to death. “You will be objects of hatred by all people because of my name,” said Jesus. “If anyone wants to come after me, let him disown himself and pick up his torture stake and continually follow me.

These words well characterize the lives of Christians from the first century on. Today we witness their fulfillment in the lives of Jehovah’s witnesses around the world. They have been banned in many nations.

They have suffered vicious persecution. Thousands of their homes have been burned and hundreds of their Kingdom Halls have been demolished. Their women have been brutally beaten, and their menfolk have died from beatings or have been killed outright. Their children have been unjustly taken away from them.

This because they insist on worshiping God in the manner that Jesus and his apostles did, that is, by keeping themselves neutral as to the political affairs of this world. Still such persecution has not embittered them against God or their persecutors. They have not risen up in revolt against their persecutors and repaid them evil for evil, nor will they.

Neither has persecution caused Jehovah’s witnesses to stop serving God, nor will it. Many in the world have been amazed at the attitude of Jehovah’s witnesses toward persecution and their persecutors. Some may have wondered why they are not more aggressive, more vengeful, giving rise to serious questions, such as:

What should the Christian attitude be toward persecution? How do you view it? Are you puzzled by it? Does it frighten or sadden you? Are such sufferings meaningless? What should be the proper attitude of a Christian toward his persecutors? Answers to these and other questions will explain why Jehovah’s witnesses have remained peaceful and triumphant in the face of persecution.

Christians know that God’s hand is not short. They believe he can protect, deliver and sustain those who love him. One thing is certain. As Jehovah’s dedicated servants, Christians are under God’s care and are not entirely at the mercy of the Devil. Why, if they were, they would not be here today as Jehovah’s witnesses. They are on earth as God’s protected servants, even as Job himself was protected.

God may, however, permit the Christian to be tested, to suffer, or even to die. But, regardless of what Jehovah allows, if we are faithful, we are assured of his love, for which we are very thankful.In his Sermon on the Mount Jesus declared:

“Happy are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, since the kingdom of the heavens belongs to them. Happy are you when people reproach you and persecute you and lyingly say every sort of wicked thing against you for my sake. Rejoice and leap for joy, since your reward is great in the heavens; for in that way they persecuted the prophets prior to you.”

Therefore, persecution is a cause for rejoicing, for leaping for joy, according to Jesus, since the kingdom of the heavens belongs to such kind; since their reward is great in the heavens. Christian sufferings also put them in the distinguished and noble company of the prophets and of Jesus Christ and his apostles—men who suffered for their faith in God.

To be classed in the company of these men is indeed no small honor and a true cause for rejoicing, for leaping for joy! The Christian attitude toward persecution should be that exemplified by Christ.

The apostle Peter wrote: “In fact, to this course you were called, because even Christ suffered for you, leaving you a model for you to follow his steps closely. He committed no sin, nor was deception found in his mouth. When he was being reviled, he did not go reviling in return. When he was suffering, he did not go threatening, but kept on committing himself to the one who judges righteously.

He himself bore our sins in his own body upon the stake, in order that we might be done with sins and live to righteousness. And ‘by his stripes you were healed.’” This nonviolent example was productive and full of meaning.

Through suffering God made the Chief Agent of mankind’s salvation perfect. “Although he was a Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered; and after he had been made perfect be became responsible for everlasting salvation to all those obeying him.” His faithfulness until death sealed the doom of Satan and his wicked system of things and opened the way for a heavenly Kingdom government.

It provided a ransom by means of which mankind can gain everlasting life on a paradise earth. True, Christ suffered, but who today for a moment would pity him for the faith in God that he demonstrated, that brought these benefits and led to his triumph and immortality in the heavens?

Speaking of Christ, Paul wrote: “For the joy that was set before him he endured a torture stake, despising shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” “Indeed,” says the apostle, “consider closely the one who has endured such contrary talk by sinners against their own interests, that you may not get tired and give out in your souls.”

The apostle Peter also urged Christians to rejoice when persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Peter writes: “Beloved ones, do not be puzzled at the burning among you, which is happening to you for a trial, as though a strange thing were befalling you.

On the contrary, go on rejoicing forasmuch as you are sharers in the sufferings of the Christ, that you may rejoice and be overjoyed also during the revelation of his glory. If you are being reproached for the name of Christ, you are happy, because the spirit of glory, even the spirit of God, is resting upon you. However, let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a busybody in other people’s matters. But if he suffers as a Christian, let him not feel shame, but let him keep on glorifying God in this name.” (1 Pet. 4:12-16) Is this your attitude?

In suffering, often there comes a rare sense of Jehovah’s favor by means of his spirit, a realization that he has asked you to play a very important part in the vindication of his name, Word and purpose. This realization brings a deep joy.

There also may come a rare sense of faith, which can make of the Christian a better servant, a more active witness, a more serene person. It all depends on how the Christian meets persecution and what he does with it. Pain is beneficent when it brings about correction of what is wrong. This is a good thing. But unproductive suffering caused from wrongdoing is sad indeed! Its end can only be further misery.

What, then, is the purpose of enduring persecution? Peter answers: “In this fact you are greatly rejoicing, though for a little while at present, if it must be, you have been grieved by various trials, in order that the tested quality of your faith, of much greater value than gold that perishes despite its being proved by fire, may be found a cause for praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Though you never saw him, you love him. Though you are not looking upon him at present, yet you exercise faith in him and are greatly rejoicing with an unspeakable and glorified joy, as you receive the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Pet. 1:6-9) Peter says persecution is to test the quality of the Christian’s faith so that he may be found faithful and receive the end result of faith, namely, the salvation of his soul. So persecution does serve a worthy purpose.

To endure persecution the Christian must place full confidence in Jehovah. God will strengthen him and make him happy in the outcome. He or she should never neglect to pray to Jehovah in his own behalf and in the behalf of his Christian brothers & sisters who also may be enduring trials. When praying he or she should not blame Jehovah for the persecution, simply because God does not persecute any innocent one.

Satan and his wicked organization are the ones who persecute. However, God has allowed persecution to establish before all creation Christian loyalty to his universal sovereignty. By enduring persecution the Christian in this way upholds Jehovah’s name and Word.

Again, keep in mind that we will suffer for what we believe in. It will come from our parents. It will come from our friends. It will come from our family. It will come from those in the world. It will come in all directions. Sad thing is, the only thing we want to do is serve God. We want to serve God. We want to serve GOD. WE WANT TO SERVE GOD.

Is there harm in that? A person might think that he is protecting those he loves by keeping them away from God. By keeping them away from the Truth. Until he or she opens his or her eyes and learns scripture, he or she will never see the light. Will never see the truth. Reminds me of Paul.

Paul himself had met this Jesus Christ years after his resurrection from death. This miraculous meeting helped to change Paul from being a persecutor of Christ’s followers to becoming a faithful follower of him. Paul was therefore a witness to the fact that the Almighty God had resurrected Jesus Christ out of death and had transformed him into a glorious spirit person in the invisible heavens.

Paul describes his experience: “I am the least of the apostles, and I am not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the congregation of God. But by God’s undeserved kindness I am what I am. And his undeserved kindness that was toward me did not prove to be in vain, but I labored in excess of them all, yet not I but the undeserved kindness of God that is with me.”—1 Corinthians 15:9, 10.

So even the Apostles Paul persecuted those that followed Jesus because he did not understand the truth. We can expect the same from those that love us. It's not that they don't love us. They do but like Paul, they just don't understand. We have a choice to make though. Serve God or not to Serve God. The choice is ours...........

I close today's post with these words I mentioned in the beginning:

Happy are those who have been persecuted for righteousness sake, since the kingdom of the heavens belongs to them