I remember sitting in Dr. Brian Richardson's class, while attending Bryan College, and being asked a question about the persecution of Jesus. It was similar to this, “Is Jesus still being persecuted today?” My initial response was “No, how can Jesus be persecuted today while He is seated beside God the Father in Heaven.” I want to encourage you to carefully consider this matter, because it bears great consequence on every relationship among believers.
In Acts chapter 9 we find the account of Saul's conversion. In verse 5 there is a special statement made to Saul by the Lord, who appeared in a light which flashed around Saul. Jesus said, “I am Jesu, whom you are persecuting.” G. Campbell Morgan writes of this situation, “Then there broke upon his consciousness, dimly and indistinctly, more perfectly apprehended in after days, the great truth that Christ and the Church were one.” Saul recognized his sin, repented and confessed allegiance to the Lord. Because of his conversion he became known as the Apostle Paul.
This persecution of believers being directly related to the persecution of Jesus is incredibly significant. First, this truth is evidenced in the rest of Paul's writing. I think that it must have been one of those foundational truths that so convicted, transformed, and impacted him, that he included it in most of his letters. Second it should challenge us in relationships today. We should be slow to accuse and persecute others, whether through words or by actions for these are believers we fellowship with and part of the body of Christ. Allow me to quote Morgan again, “It is as though Christ had said to him, Those men and women whom you have haled to prison have suffered; but it is I Who have suffered in their suffering, Saul. The brutal stones you saw hurled upon Stephen, cutting into his flesh, and giving him physical pain, reached Me, hurt Me. I felt every throb of Stephen's pain.”
So to put it simply: when believers suffer, so does Christ.
The instructions are not just about the suffering of Jesus. It is as important to note that Saul was attempting to thwart the march of God through human history. It is great news to recognize that march can't be halted.
Allow me to encourage you to ask an evaluative question in order to check your motives, words, actions, and attitudes. Ask, “Will what I am doing, potentially harm the body of Christ and/or its members – thus bringing suffering to Jesus himself?” If the answer is not a definitive no, then evaluate another approach, consider your true motives, continue to pray and seek the Lord regarding His will for the matter instead of your own.
