Preparing For Persecution XXVIII

 If you think you’re going to get a fair shake from the godless, you’ve got another thing coming. The same goes for those within the household of faith with hidden agendas, vested interests, and pursuits other than the glory of God. It doesn’t matter what the thing they value more than Jesus is, whether a specific denomination, a theological bend, or a particular individual; they will fight tooth and nail to defend it and are willing to use nefarious means to silence any opposition.

Then you have the profiteers. Those who see the children of God as so many bleating sheep ready to be sheered and fleeced because not only are many of them gullible, they won’t do anything about it once they realize they’ve been taken to the cleaners. The profiteers know they have no credibility or standing, so they attempt to employ those who’ve amassed some sort of trust equity to shill their products and try to sell people worthless things. You may get a nice kickback from selling self-assembly nuclear bunkers or radiation-deflecting underoos, but is it worth the price of your integrity and credibility? If you believe in the product, it’s one thing; if you’re in it for nothing more than filthy lucre, that’s wholly different.

You can’t defend God with lies. It’s not that people don’t try; it’s that it’s impossible to do so. Men can band together, form coalitions, try to shout the truth down, and become vitriolic when you don’t fall in line, but God is still God, He is still on the throne, and He knows the intent of men’s hearts.

The ego and pride of unteachable men led to Stephen’s stoning, and though he tried his best to open their eyes so that they might see the truth, they would not. Their hearts were hard as stone, their minds were made up, and though his face looked as that of an angel, and his words cut them to their hearts, their reaction was one of hatred and their intent one of murder.

You can’t control how those to whom you speak the truth will react to it. Your duty is to speak the truth of Christ’s power to save, restore, and reconcile men unto God; how they respond to it is solely on them. The presumption that everyone will welcome the message with open arms and consider you a friend for speaking truth into their lives is demonstrably false. Yes, some will receive the message, but some will reject it and do so violently. You must be prepared for either outcome and willing to endure the backlash of the hard-hearted when their rejection is made manifest.

Jesus commands us to love those who hate us, to have compassion for their fallen state, and to do our utmost to bring them to truth, light, and life, even at the risk of our comfort, well-being, or lives. He never said it would be easy; He just said it is what we must do. For anyone who believes it’s easy to love one’s enemies, they’ve never had a true enemy. An enemy is not someone who is passive, indifferent, or otherwise neutral regarding your well-being but someone who is actively trying to undermine and destroy you. That some of your enemies will turn out to be those whom you once called brother or sister is doubly painful, and I say this as someone who has lived it.

It is undeniable that Stephen is an example, a prototype of what it means to walk humbly with God and suffer well. Just as Stephen had his heroes, we, too, have ours, and the entire point of it is to look upon their lives and learn from them. Stephen knew the history of God’s people. He highlighted those to whom he looked up and took the time to learn everything he could from their lived experiences walking with God. It’s an odd thing that we know more about baseball stats or the football rosters of our favorite teams than we know about the Word of God, the things Jesus said, and the things the forerunners of the faith had to endure for the sake of Christ.

We learn about things we respect. We learn about things we value. We learn about things that we deem needful. How is it that learning the Bible is so far down the list for so many calling themselves Christians and followers of Christ? Stephen didn’t mumble himself through a weak defense of his position. He knew what he was talking about, and it showed. It was largely the reason those who heard him despised him, so because they could not refute his arguments.

While growing up, there wasn’t much for us to do as children. Gaming consoles hadn’t yet made an appearance on the scene, so our primary entertainment was playing chicken with some rusty lawn darts a neighbor gave us rather than throw away. It was fun for a while until my middle brother Sergiu decided he wouldn’t move, and I planted a lawn dart in his foot. After that, we were prohibited from using them, so we switched to rocks. We’d stand a few feet apart and toss rocks at each other’s heads; whoever flinched or moved was the loser. I never said we were overly bright, but it was entertaining, and no, we weren’t throwing underhand. I mention this only because I know what it’s like to have a rock bounce off your kisser, and even then, it was a small rock compared to what they were using to stone Stephen.

Being stoned to death is not like being beheaded or speared through the heart. It takes time for the individual to expire depending on how many people do the throwing, how big the rocks are, and how violently they are throwing them. Given that the same people who stoned Stephen were the ones who gnashed at him with their teeth, chances are they weren’t holding back.

Through it all, Stephen never once prayed for himself but rather for those who were slowly murdering him because that’s what it was. Imagine being surrounded by men whom you once considered brothers, lobbing stones at your head, being struck over and over, yet having the presence of mind to pray for them. It’s one of those details that is often overlooked but one that is profoundly impacting if you think through it for a breath.

Just as Stephen was not alone during his final moments, neither will any of God’s children if they must walk the road of persecution and martyrdom. He looked up and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. In his darkest hour, God’s presence was made manifest. He was not absentee; He was not otherwise engaged; He was present and revealed His glory to Stephen as he gave his full measure for the sake of Christ Jesus his Lord.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr. 

Posted on 7 May 2024 | 10:50 am