The church is unstoppable because God’s promise cannot be broken. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). Opposition cannot stop the advance of the gospel, nor can the fiercest persecution. At many points in history persecution backfired (Acts 8 for example) and only served to scatter Christians and accelerate the spread of the gospel.
“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church,” as the church father Tertullian famously said.
This Sunday (June 27, 2021) we will be encouraged by the story of Gary and Bonnie Witherall who followed the Lord’s call to Sidon, Lebanon around 20 years ago. Serving among refugees, Bonnie was killed by some local extremists. She and Gary knew the call of Jesus was to “come and die.” They knew that ministry in Lebanon was risky. But they also knew it was worth the risk. Listen to their story here. Read their inspiring book here.
While at times God has been pleased to use persecution to grow the church, at other times persecution has pruned or even crushed the church. As we pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world, let’s remember that while “God works all things together for good,” (Rom. 8:28), that good does not always come in the ways we think or want. We need to temper our optimism with reality. We need to grieve deeply with those who suffer.
This we know: persecution, opposition and suffering of all kinds can help us grow. If we trust in the Lord and seek Him first, the Lord will use even the hardest losses for our good – conforming us to the image of Christ. Then we will experience the truth of Philippians 3:
"That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead." Philippians 3:10-11