Acts 5-6:7

Acts 5-6:7

Here we see the Gospel of Jesus being spread among the people even in the midst of great opposition.  The lives of the apostles were threatened; they were jailed, and beaten all for the sake of the Gospel. 

“Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.  And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.” (Acts 5:41-42 ESV)

I often wonder how I would act if faced with the threat of jail, a beating, or death.  Would I react as the Apostles did – joyful for being “worthy” to suffer for Jesus? and continue to preach the Gospel in spite of these threats? – or would I recoil in fear and hide away in shame of my cowardice?

Of course, I would like to think that I would be brave and that the Holy Spirit would empower me to stand up to any opposition that I would encounter, but that is easy to say as I sit on comfy bed typing up this blog about the Bible in a country where persecution is limited to some bitter people on the internet or the occasional political scuffle. 

But, real persecution of Christians happens every day around the world.  In fact, on the day that I am typing this up, a man that was held for six months in a North Korean prison for leaving a Bible at a club, was released and returned to the State of Ohio (If you are interested in finding out more about this story, click here). 

The question remains, would you be bold in the face of persecution?  Would you stand up amidst threats of death and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus?  These are real queries that need to be asked; for the day may come you will be deemed worthy to suffer for Jesus.