Jesus knew that after his death, his followers would face lots of opposition as they worked to spread the gospel in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 1:8). So he prepared them for it. Jesus taught them at least six things about handling opposition to their faith. These are the same things that will prepare us to spread the gospel in the face of opposition today. In this post we’ll cover the first three things Jesus taught about handling opposition to our faith.
- Rejoice. Matthew 5:10-12, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven…” If we focus on the temporary discomfort that comes with opposition we’ll get discouraged and quit spreading the gospel. If we’re going to keep at it we’ve got to instead focus on the eternal rewards that come with sharing our faith. We don’t rejoice in the actual persecution, rather in what the persecution is producing in our lives – Christ like character now and eternal rewards later.
- Remember You’re Not Alone. Matthew 28:20, “…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” If we believe the lie that we’re all alone we’ll get discouraged and probably quit trying to spread the gospel like Jesus wants us to. If we’re going to keep at it we’ve got to remember that 1) Jesus is always with us and that 2) there are other Christians around the world who are also experiencing the same (or worse) opposition as they work to spread the gospel (1 Peter 5:9).
- Don’t be Surprised. John 15:18-20, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also…” If we don’t realize that opposition is the normal Christian experience we might be disillusioned to the point that we stop trying to spread the gospel. Though prosperity gospel preachers will tell you that serving Christ is a guarantee that you’ll be healthy and wealthy, Jesus says that serving him will guarantee persecution. If we keep this in mind we won’t be thrown for such a loop when the promised persecution comes to pay us a visit.