Matthew 5:12 - "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."Jesus says, "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad." That may not make sense to us. How in the world are we supposed to rejoice when we're being persecuted? Let me tell you why.First, rejoice because you have the opportunity to show the sincerity of your faith. Do...

Matthew 5:44 - "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you."Now this is where Jesus gets really radical. He doesn't just tell us to endure persecution - He tells us how to respond to our persecutors. Love them. Bless them. Do good to them. Pray for them.Stephen modeled this perfectly in ...

John 3:19-20 - "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed."Jesus says, "You are the light of the world" (see Matthew 5:14). You might say, "I thought Jesus was the Light of the world." He i...

2 Timothy 3:12 - "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution."Here's a promise from God's Word that we don't often put on our coffee mugs or hang on our walls. Paul says, "All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." Not maybe. Not some of you. All. Will. That's a promise from God's Word.Sometimes we say we're standing on the promises. S...

Matthew 5:10 - "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."The eighth beatitude stands as the natural culmination of Jesus' revolutionary teaching. When believers embody the first seven beatitudes - becoming poor in spirit, mourning over sin, showing meekness and mercy, pursuing purity of heart, and making peace - they inevitably face opposit...