Let’s look at a couple of passages because it’s pertinent that our mind is renewed as it relates to persecution and suffering.  I’m not saying we need to be like Ignatius and look for ways to get martyred.  We know that practically, in the Scriptures, we can see on numerous occasions that when persecution came and became so intense, the people fled; amen?  We are not mandated by the Scriptures to remain in a place geographically and be annihilated to show our faith is in Jesus.  The Scriptures are too clear about those who found ways of fleeing, in being able to continue to perpetuate the ministry of the kingdom of God, to preach this gospel into all the world.  In fact, it was that persecution, the Scripture makes clear to us in the book of Acts, that brought people from Jerusalem to Antioch which caused one of the great revivals.  And it became the seat of the Gentile outreach for the world; amen?  And that was started—those people were reached in Antioch because of those who were being persecuted fleeing to that region.  Now, we want to recognize that as part of the Scripture.

We see in the life of the Apostle Paul there were times when he chose to remain, and he was beaten, stoned, and left for dead.  Paul, who was ready to rise up and walk back into the arena.  There is no telling what kind of a riot that would have caused.  His associates finally convinced him that wasn’t the wise way to handle this.  Paul was not attached to this world.  He was ready to go get killed in a heartbeat; amen?  In fact, he wrestled with that dilemma in the ministry when he was writing back to the church and saying, “I don’t know what’s best.  For me to stay here and remain in this body for your good or to depart and be with the Lord.”  He said, “But because I love you all so much, and you’re in need right now, I’m just believing the Lord to let me stay here and remain and continue to minister to you.”  But Paul saw it as departing, dying and going to be with Jesus as the first choice in these kinds of situations.  Don’t you want to go home?  Don’t you want to be with the Lord?  You say, “Yes, but I’d prefer to just kind of be laying in my bed and fall asleep and wake up in Jesus in perfect health, wealthy.”  We have a problem because Second Timothy says that all that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution; amen?  Anybody want to erase that one out of your Bibles?  We want to live godly lives godliness with contentment is great gain.

So, what are we going to do?  How do we really begin to prepare ourselves in this hour?  He that endures till the end shall be saved.  So, let’s asks this question of ourselves:  How are we enduring, now, with the footmen?  We all know the passage.  We’ve heard it a thousand times.  If the footmen in this conflict, the soldiers, the foot solider has wearied you, how are you going to contend with the chariots?  We might even make right choices, but are you sighing while you do it?  Where are our hearts?  Where are our treasures really laid up as a people of God that say we love the Word of God preeminently?  You’re going to be hated of all men.  That’s a strong term.  You’re going to be hated of all men.

How do we respond when we’re being persecuted because of a hatred for Jesus?  Some people want to isolate this to Paul, but I don’t.  In Acts, Chapter 9, verse 16, we all know that when Paul had lost his sight, and the Lord had visited him on the road to Damascus.  And now his eyes are being opened, and the Lord is ministering to him.  And God says, “I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.”  Paul was called to a life of suffering, persecution and opposition.  And so are we.  And that’s what I think we miss.  We want to let this be something that has to do with those who are key figures in the church.  Those that are somehow a real threat to the kingdom of darkness.  Let me remind you, if you’re serving Jesus, you are a real threat to the kingdom of darkness.  Amen?  “The things that I did shall you do and greater things than these shall you do because I go to the Father,” Jesus said.  Every Christian should be causing Satan and his cohorts to tremble when you enter your prayer closet.  It ought to strike fear to the heart of Satan when you open your eyes in the morning and get ready to venture out on another day.  A man, a woman whose been given all power and all authority over all the power of the enemy; amen?  And if we do, all that live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.  It’s time that Satan learned your name.  “Jesus I know, Paul I know; but who are ye?”

Father, we thank You for Your Word.  We thank You that we’re not left to ourselves.  That You made provision for us to gird ourselves and to be able to stand in this last hour.  That we wouldn’t be distracted.  That we would know our weaponry and how to use it.  We know one thing, Father, for sure: when by Your presence and through Your Word we resist the devil, he will flee from us.  So, we ask for wisdom, we ask for strength, we ask for grace that we might glorify Your Name and finish this course.  And we ask that, Father, in Jesus’ name; amen.  Amen.