The Persecuted (1)
The eighth blessing is that blessed are those who are persecuted. This is quite opposite compared to the worldly sense.
- We will also receive persecutions
Who wants to be persecuted? People say it is blessing not to be persecuted. But our Lord says blessed are those who are persecuted. Then does it mean that you should want to be persecuted? Or should you try to avoid persecution?
You don’t need to avoid persecution since blessed are those who are persecuted. Did the men of God such as Daniel avoid persecution? He just received the persecution. How about his three friends? They did not avoid it. They consequently received enormous blessing. Did Abraham avoid persecution? How about Moses? How about the apostle Paul? How about Peter? They did not. When persecution came upon them by the will of God they did not avoid it by compromising with the world.
Blessed are those who are persecuted. Who wants to be persecuted to the extent of being despised, insulted, beaten and even killed instead of enjoying people’s respect and comfortable life? Nevertheless, God says that being persecuted is true and everlasting blessing. Those who preach the gospel generally say, “Please accept Jesus Christ and gain salvation” or “You receive blessings if you believe in God.” You also say, “If you believe in the Lord, you will receive blessing in your business and in your work place, have your problem solved and be successful whatever you do.”
But Philippians 1:29 says, “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” If we believe in the Lord, we will receive not only salvation and blessings but also sufferings. Jesus said in Mark 10:29-30, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.”
As we forsake everything for the Lord, we will receive blessings in this age and the age to come, as well as persecutions. We received so many persecutions. But did we try to avoid them? If it is allowed by God, we receive it. Why? It is because we know it will be our blessings. Why, then, do we face hardships if we believe in the Lord? To believe in the Lord and live according to the word is spiritually an act of light, and the master of this world in which we are living is the enemy devil and Satan, the ruler of darkness.
As the darkness goes away when there is light, the more people believe in the Lord who is light, the less the area of darkness becomes in this world that is controlled by Satan. Thus, the enemy devil and Satan controls the worldly people who belong to darkness, because God said to the serpent, “you will eat dust all the days of your life.”
So, they control fleshly people to persecute those believers who dwell in light so that they might fall away from faith in the Lord to leave the light. So, if you live in the light and are loved by God, you will be persecuted. The fleshly people try to kill your faith being instigated by Satan. They try to hinder you from doing the right thing, receiving salvation, and spreading the gospel. So, today, there are many people who condemn others as heretical if there are works of God. Please do not follow them. There is a problem with your salvation if you stand against the Holy Spirit.
- Two kinds of persecutions
There are two kinds of persecutions that believers in the Lord receive. The first is, as said in verse 10 from today’s scripture, receiving persecution for the righteousness. The second is as said in verse 11, receiving persecution for the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, let us delve into what it is to receive persecutions for the righteousness, and why blessed is he who is persecuted for righteousness.
1) Being persecuted for righteousness
Being persecuted for righteousness is when you live according to God’s Word, for the truth, light, and goodness. 2 Timothy 3:12 says, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” As said, those who believe in the Lord and lead a good Christian life would be persecuted.
You can avoid persecutions although you believe in the Lord, only if you compromise with the world, not leading a good life in faith. Why was Daniel thrown into lion’s den? He was a man of unceasing prayer. Those who were jealous of him looked for a way to kill him, and made a decree that nobody could pray to anybody else except for asking the king for 30 days. It was to kill Daniel. If he violated it, he would be thrown into lion’s den.
Daniel knew about this decree, so he could avoid the persecution only if he stopped praying for 30 days. He didn’t have to be a prey of lions. But because he could not commit a sin of ceasing prayer to God to keep the law of this world, he gave thanks to God in his prayer knowing that he would be thrown into lion’s den. Knowing that he would be thrown into lion’s den because of that, he gave thanks to God in his prayer.
It was the same with his three friends. They would not have been persecuted only if they had bowed down once to the idol set up by the king. But to keep the righteousness of God, they chose to be thrown into the fiery furnace and to be burned by the fire. They kept their righteousness, the word of God and His commandments.
2) Being persecuted for the Lord, Jesus Christ
Also, in the New Testament times, when the gospel was preached for the first time, there were a lot of persecutions. They had to overcome severe hardships not to deny the name of the Lord. They could recover their family, fame, authority, and wealth or rather receive a great reward only if they said they did not believe in Jesus. But they chose to be persecuted for righteousness.
Numerous people were tortured, became preys of ferocious animals, or were crucified. Even in Korea, there were many martyrs. Even after the freedom of religion is guaranteed by the law, many believers were persecuted. Some of them were hated, cursed, beaten, or even dumped out from their homes or villages. Even today, some of the members were cursed, beaten, and persecuted in other ways.
Not only physical threats, but there are many other kinds of persecutions when believers begin a good Christian life. For example, when you were in the world, you would meet your friends to drink alcohol and talk about bad things. But after you receive God’s grace, you try to quit drinking and act in holiness, so your friends do not like it. So, they become disappointed or talk badly about you. Even when there is a sports event or fellowship of your company on Sundays, you cannot attend them because you have to keep the Sabbath. When there are ancestor-worshipping ceremonies at your not-yet-evangelized homes, you do not bow down.
Others go to the hospital and take medicines when they get sick. But you pray with faith. Others cheat other people to some extent but you act in honesty by the word of God. All these things may bring about persecutions in this world.
John 3:20-21 says, “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”
On the one hand, those who are good in their heart are touched by others who act in righteousness according to God’s Word and come to church. On the other hand, those who are evil think of others who act in righteousness foolish, and so they hate and persecute them. Sometimes, they try to persuade the believers. “Why do you have to believe to the extreme? I know a born Christian or an elder and a deacon who sometimes do not attend church on Sundays. Some other believers even drink and smoke.” “Isn’t it just that you can believe in your heart?”
They say worshipping ancestors is not idol-worshipping but a good tradition, so we should bow down. Some say, “You can enter the same heavenly kingdom even if you do not keep the Sabbath so strictly or pray.” Some people say, “Why do you have to believe in such a way?”
But you believe in the Lord in the correct way, so you cannot do any unrighteous thing even by persuasion of the worldly people.
You cannot disappoint God even if it means you lose your job. Even if your relatives may be disappointed, you cannot do any unrighteousness that God hates. Even if you have to receive persecution, you choose to live according to God’s Word.
God the Father has given His one and only Son for us, and Jesus died for us on the cross. Thinking of that love, we can never compromise with the world to choose the easy way. You certainly know that there is heaven and hell, so you should never fall into hell or receive a shameful salvation by doing unrighteousness along with the worldly people.