SIT REPORT: PERSEVERANCE (In the Midst of Suffering and Persecution)

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Dear Friends,

It will happen, and is happening today. In fact, it has happened from the very beginning of mankind. Believers have suffered, have been persecuted, and have been martyred for being faithful witnesses and followers of the Almighty God. And yet, the children of God have continued to persevere and grow. If you are under any illusions that you can to some degree escape paying a price for your decision to follow Jesus, then read these verses:

Jesus: ​“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely on account of me. Rejoice and be glad, because your reward is great in heaven, for they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way” (Matthew 5:10 – 12 NET).

Peter: ​“Dear friends, do not be astonished that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in the degree that you have shared in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice and be glad. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory, who is the Spirit of God, rests on you” (1 Peter 4:12 – 14 NET).

Paul: ​“Now in fact all who want to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12 NET).

John: ​“Now when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been violently killed because of the word of God and because of the testimony they had given. They cried out with a loud voice, ​“How long, Sovereign Master, holy and true, before you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?” Each of them was given a long white robe and they were told to rest for a little longer, until the full number was reached of both their fellow servants and their brothers who were going to be killed just as they had been” (Rev. 6:9 – 11 NET).

I have underlined in these few verses why persecution of believers most times occurs. It all centers around:

• Believing the Bible is the Word of God
• Proclaiming in words of testimony the Gospel of Christ
• Living righteous and godly lives before a watching world
• Proudly carrying and never denying their allegiance to Jesus

The national churches that Empower is aligned with in ministry have gained valuable lessons and insights from personal experience into the matter of suffering, hardships, discrimination, imprisonment, and martyrdom for following Christ. Here are a few teachings that they have shared with me which put persecution into perspective:

• National believers do not approach the matter of persecution for their faith flippantly or with a cavalier attitude. They fully realize that it involves personal, physical, and psychological pain and suffering for themselves and their loved ones. And yet they overwhelmingly hold onto their faith and commitment to following Christ. Primarily, this is due to a deep and lasting work of the Holy Spirit in their lives that has produced a powerful spiritual maturity in a short period of time.
• These verses are foremost in their thinking: ​“For I consider that our present sufferings cannot even be compared to the coming glory that will be revealed to us. For the creation eagerly waits for the revelation of the sons of God…” and “… we eagerly wait for it with endurance (Romans 8:18,19,25b). This means that they are not shortsighted in their eternal world view. (e.g., Short-term pain for long-term gain, and eventually unimaginable rewards.)
• Many years ago, a leader of an extremely powerful and far-reaching national church planting network in Southeast Asia — who actually spent 8 years in prison for his faith — shared with me this insight regarding believers suffering for the Name of Christ:

“Persecution is inevitable when people receive Christ in large numbers. This is because Satan will not just sit back and watch the Body of Christ expand without any pushback by the forces of evil. Therefore, because we are experiencing incredible ​‘success in the Kingdom’, we have adopted this saying: Persecution…Good (because this is a sign of successful growth) … Just not enjoyable.”

• The national believers and works that Empower has chosen to partner with also have on numerous occasions asked us not to refer to them as the ​“Persecuted Church” even though they are enduring severe suffering and discrimination for the cause of Christ. Rather, they have requested to be called, ​“The Persevering Church.” Why is this necessary? Because they do not want to think of themselves as being something special due to their trials, lest they begin to be puffed up in spirit and fall captive to the satanic deception of pride. Therefore, they simply refer to themselves in words and in their thoughts as ​“diligently following Jesus in the Way of the Cross.”
• Even in personal interviews, when we ask them to tell us about their ministries, they intentionally minimize their sufferings for Jesus, just in case they take a shred of credit or glory unto themselves. In this way, they are true bondservants of Christ, fulfilling the Master’s desires and plans without complaint. This same principle holds true when they speak of miraculous events taking place in their ministries, including healings, deliverance from demonic forces, dreams, visions, etc. They repeatedly stress that it is not due to their piety or personal power that these manifestations occur. Rather, they point to Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit constantly. They strenuously refrain from taking any glory to themselves.
• Finally, I’d like to share with you a recent story I just received that clearly illustrates how God, in His infinite plan and wisdom, allows His children to experience persecution to fulfill His ultimate goal. We may not always know ​“Why?” and we may be filled with honest questions of ​“How can a loving God allow this to happen?” but national believers have convinced me that their approach is correct: Follow the will of the Father — no matter what the consequences are — because His plans are perfect!”

A year ago, in a certain Arabic speaking country in the Middle East, one of the national evangelists that Empower supported from another nearby country, was arrested, and put in jail for preaching the Gospel. He spent seven hard months in prison. Upon his release he had no money and nowhere to go, so he started to work for an Arab couple, who followed the majority religion of the region, in their home as a servant. He clearly observed that the wife was very sick (with late-stage bone cancer). She was dying. He approached her and boldly said that he believed God wanted to do something and asked permission to pray over her in the Name of Jesus for healing. She was taken aback but desperate as she was, agreed. That night as she was sleeping, she had a vision and heard a voice telling her to turn on her right side. She did and felt a warmth flow from her feet to her head. Then the voice said to turn on her other side and the same thing happened. When she awoke, she had absolutely no pain. She went to a nearby clinic and they found no cancer. She went to another one that confirmed she was cancer free. Then, after two weeks, she went to her own doctor, and he did tests. No cancer whatsoever! Her entire family and the community members who were expecting her to die were amazed at what had transpired through prayer in Jesus’ Name. A church has now been planted there and is growing.