Quotes about Persecution

Believing in Jesus didn't get the Christians hung or tossed to the lions for sport. Believing in Jesus as the rightful ruler and lord did. There's a difference.

When we love those who hate us and pray for those who persecute us, we extend the Gospel of peace to a godless and destructive world.

Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Men do not accept their prophets and slay them, but they love their martyrs and worship those whom they have tortured to death.

If one fears men much he will never do anything great for God: all that one does for God arouses persecution.

Ignorance is not bliss; it is defeat. If you are a Christian, you are the target. If

for the first time in his life, sex is located away from all danger, away from conflict and drama, away from persecution, away from any accusation, away from worries; he has nothing to take care of, love is taking care of him, love as he's always wanted it and never had it: love-repose; love-oblivion; love-desertion; love-carefreeness; love-meaningless.

Men do not accept their prophets and slay them, but they love their martyrs and worship those whom they have tortured to death.

You can't use strong-arm tactics against the Church without strengthening it. It's always been that way. Under persecution a man looks at his faith to see if it's worth fighting for, and this is a scrutiny Christianity can always withstand. The real danger comes with an indirect attack, where a person is lured away from the Church before he has a chance to become strong.

Scripture tells us to submit to governing authorities. That's a valid command—most of the time. However, when we fear God, there comes a time when we must resist human government and yield to a higher authority. Government is given to protect the good and to punish the bad (see Romans 13:3). When government protects the bad and punishes the good, then our submission to legal authority may have to end. This becomes the source of persecution for righteousness' sake.

But bit by bit as I got to know Yugoslavia better, I became aware of the slow wearing-down process the government was exerting on Christians. The effort seemed to be centered on the children. Leave the old folks alone, but wean the young people away from the church.

Persecution is an enemy the Church has met and mastered many times. Indifference could prove to be a far more dangerous foe.