DAY 16: REJOICE

DAY 16: REJOICE

Scripture:

Acts 5:41 So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.

Observation:

On day 16, we continue to focus on the persecution of the church, and we are reminded yet again of the strange phenomenon from a human point of view of Christian believers rejoicing at being persecuted. In the Sermon of the Mount, the Lord Himself had already told his disciples to expect persecution and to be happy when it occurred. In Matthew 5:10-12, at the end of the Beatitudes, Jesus declares “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

The word “Blessed” here actually means “How happy are” and is interestingly depicted in the story given by NECF of the Christian who started laughing after his persecutors pierced his cheeks with a knife. Likewise, the disciples in Acts also had the same attitude, even rejoicing in regard to their suffering because they were counted worthy to suffer shame for Jesus’ name.

Application:

Most of us on the whole have yet to truly experience severe persecution for the Lord in our part of the world. Yet, Christians in Iraq, India, China, North Korea and various parts of Africa have undergone terrible persecution including imprisonment, torture and even death. The Book of Revelation speaks of a time when the world will come under the rule of the Anti-Christ who will force everyone to convert to his religion or be killed. It also says that those who are to go into captivity will go into captivity and that those who are to be martyred will be martyred. Therefore, as we draw closer and closer to these occurrences in the end times, we need to be prepared and ready to face them. And paradoxically, we need to have the same attitude as the early disciples, to be ready to rejoice should we counted worthy to suffer shame for Jesus name.

Prayer:

We praise You and thank You, Lord, that You hold all things in Your hands, and all governments and rulers and times are all set according to Your perfect timing and wisdom. We pray this day O Lord, for wisdom and strength, to have the maturity to know how to rejoice should we be counted worthy to endure suffering for Your name. Let us hold so fast to You that all fear dissipates, and only the peace of Your Spirit remains, which gives us power, love, and a sound mind. In Jesus name we pray, Amen!