Perspective on Persecution: Practical Suggestions
My heart is heavy as I write, but at the same time it is buoyed up by God’s Word and His work in our midst. Although we were saddened by the signage outside CT, how much greater is the joy of two salvations in one week!
Blogging about persecution is all the rage, so I’ll piggyback off Tom’s, Dar’s, and Joe’s recent blogs. I have a few anecdotes to add, but mostly I want to suggest specific ways we can learn to handle to persecution faithfully and graciously.
First I want to share my experiences with the limitation of Christian free speech, which I would not call persecution, but which illustrate the anti-Christian atmosphere in the education system. I taught British literature and the textbook included an excerpt from the King James Bible. The parable of the prodigal son appeared along with offerings from other sacred texts, which had nothing to do with British lit. I was excited about the opportunity to teach the prodigal son since it’s a beautiful picture of God’s grace. When the kids opened their books to it, they asked, “Are we allowed to read this?” and “Can we talk about God?” The latter question came up throughout the year when there was a connection between their reading and a spiritual topic. I assured them of our right to free speech, and pointed out the parable was in the textbook, after all.
Another instance occurred in the teacher work room (the new name for the teacher’s lounge) between two teachers who often touted their liberal beliefs.
The conversation went something like this:
“One of the juniors I had in government was driving me crazy today. I wish she could just go to study hall.”
“What was she doing?”
“She wanted me to come to her church fundraiser.”
The teacher’s eyes rolled. “They just don’t understand that not everyone’s interested in supporting that stuff.”
“I know. I told her no and she didn’t understand. I wanted to say, ‘Your church is nice for you, but not everyone wants to be a part of your religion.’”
“These Christians are just so clueless. They think everyone should believe as they do and worship their judgmental God. It’s so intolerant.”
“Yeah, I’ve had kids ask me to sponsor missions trips and all kinds of crap like that. Why would I want to support you going to proselytize in someone else’s culture?”
“Exactly.”
Intolerant, huh? These politically correct, Democratic educators wouldn’t speak about Jews, Muslims, blacks, or Asians that way, but they saw nothing wrong with cursing Christians in the presence of others who might (and do) follow Christ. Argument seemed fruitless so I remained quiet, but I wish they knew they insulted me under the banner of tolerance.
Second, I wanted to comment on Dar’s balanced view of American Christian persecution. We don’t suffer like those in many countries, where conversion to Christianity is a crime. But certainly we experience a degree of oppression, especially in the free speech arena. I think we need to learn about the consequences other believers face by signing up for Voice of the Martyrs free monthly newsletter. You also get a free book, Tortured for Christ, when you sign up at persecution.org. Here’s why I think everyone should receive and read these newsletters:
1. We should be aware of what global persecution looks like to get a perspective on our own suffering.
2. We should pray for these fellow believers who are facing dire circumstances. Our prayers can help them to be released from jail and/or torture, comfort them in their suffering, and increase their spiritual fruit. We should just pray against persecution, but that they would remain faithful and that God will work powerfully through it.
3. We can learn so much from how they view and handle persecution. It is clear in many of the issues that Christians in other countries expect persecution and view it as completely normal. When they accept Christ they realize they will likely be beaten or imprisoned for their beliefs. And they truly “consider it all joy” despite the pain and suffering because they experience God’s love and often see more people come to know Jesus. They also pray faithfully for their persecutors, and some have been led to Christ.
Third, we need to learn what the Bible has to say about persecution. I suggest we not only become familiar with the theology of persecution, but also memorize a few verses about persecution and spiritual warfare. Dar’s blog included 1 Peter 4:1-19 and there’s a video of Keith’s recent teaching. There is almost an overwhelming amount of verses on the topic, but that just shows how normal persecution is and how important it is that we handle it correctly, as an opportunity for the gospel.
I want to share Ephesians 6:10-18 because we need to remember that our struggle is not against people—school principles, police officers, or angry parents—but Satan and his forces. Certainly the evil day is upon us and the devil’s schemes are against us. This passage reminds us to fight with righteousness, truth, faith, the gospel of salvation, the Word of God, and prayer. In a word, we battle with love:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.
My last suggestion about learning to handle persecution is to read books about missionaries. Many wrote first-hand accounts of the struggles they faced on the field. A few suggestions:
1. Evidence Not Seen by Darlene Deibler Rose. She was imprisoned and malnourished but clung to God, and He came through.
2. Through the Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot. It’s the first-hand account of the story depicted in the film End of the Spear and illustrates Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s statement that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” Although written by a woman, this is not a “girly” book and includes many excerpts from the husbands’ journals about their flights over the Amazon jungles.
3. The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. She wasn’t a missionary but this Dutch Christian hid Jews during the Holocaust and paid the price for opposing the Nazi Germany.
4. Secret Believers by Brother Andrew. This fictionalized compilation of true stories shows the conversions, growth, and persecution of Muslim Background Believers (MBBs). It’s an eye-opening look at what Muslims face when they come to Christ.
5. Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret by Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor, Hudson Taylor’s grandson and wife. He pioneered the Inland China missions movement of the 1800s and is the spiritual grandfather of the rapidly growing underground church movement in China. He experienced many obstacles in war-torn, third-world China and his diaries share the spiritual secret that kept him going.
6. The Peace Child by Don Richardson. He took his wife and young children to the Indonesian jungle to reach a cannibal tribe whose highest value was betrayal. The author will likely teach at the upcoming Perspectives course (perspectives.org).
There are many more books; please post other suggestions in the comments. Reading about these ordinary people who lived William Carey’s admonition to “expect great things from God; attempt great things for God” can give us the courage to enter with them into the “fellowship of Christ’s suffering” (Philippians 3:15).

















