If we have placed our faith in Jesus, the real Jesus, not some mystical New Age representation of a lesser god among many, and our singular faith has caused hardship, even persecution, that is nothing compared to the suffering of those who are recorded in biblical history who suffered unimagined grief, sorrow, even martyrdom because of their faith.
The writer of Hebrews wrote of Moses and his suffering, “He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith, he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:26-27). Moses was born 1,400 years before Jesus was physically born into this world, yet he remained focused on the one who was invisible.
Moses wasn’t alone. Others kept their eyes on the pre-incarnate Christ, and they paid dearly for their faith. “There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted, and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground” (vs. 35-38). These are the ones who make up the great cloud of witnesses who look upon our lives as we focus our attention on Jesus and engage our faith in the challenges we now face.
The suffering did not stop at the end of the Old Testament. Suffering and persecution have always marked a life of faith. At some point, all who look upon Jesus and place their hope in Him alone will suffer to some degree varying levels of persecution. That suffering is motivated by Satan, who cannot stand to see faith exhibited, especially the most powerful kind of faith that puts its hope in the one who is invisible to the natural eye but present in the hearts of those who have assurance in things not yet seen in this realm.
As I write these words, a feeling of hope has deepened in my soul, empowered by the testimony of those who have gone before us. This kind of hope is used by the Lord to prepare us for what is to come.
I recently heard the testimony of a Chinese believer who had escaped China. She related that believers in China were praying for America to fall so that we would turn our hearts back to God. As hard as this might be to understand, those prayers had a redemptive purpose. Only in times of persecution can deeper levels of faith be expressed – the kind of faith that expands God’s Kingdom one man and one woman at a time, fulfilling The Great Commission.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Garris Elkins
Featured Image by Jose P. Ortiz on Unsplash
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