Chapter
Eleven:
REJOICING
IN PERSECUTION: UNITED WITH JOY IN HIS SUFFERINGS
'But rejoice, inasmuch as you are partakers
of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad
also with exceeding joy.' (1 Peter 4:13)
The higher realms in worship can
only be reached after the worshipper has come into the new realm of the
anointing. The worshipper is empowered
by the Holy Spirit for worship, but it is no longer the worshipper who is
leading the worship. There is a new awareness
of being anointed with the 'oil of gladness', and the joy of knowing Jesus is
described as 'joy unspeakable and full of glory'. There is wonderful fellowship with other
worshippers, but outside of this company it is easy now to be regarded as 'a
fool for Christ'. It's a title the
worshipper holds with joy as he or she is united with Christ in His
sufferings.
Three responses to the anointing
The anointing upon the believers
in the early church brought strong conviction upon those outside of Christ. The Bible describes them as being 'cut to the
heart'. The Holy Spirit anointing moved
upon them in a manner resembling a person prodding their heart with a sharp
stick. They could not ignore this
prodding; they had to make a response.
There are three kinds of responses mentioned in the early chapters of
the book of Acts. The first response was
that a great multitude recognised Jesus to be the Messiah, and received Him as
their Lord and Saviour. The second
response was from those who were not willing to be associated with the
disciples but they recognised the power of God was with them. They held them in high regard, but they did
not dare to come too close to them. The third response was that many of the religious
leaders resisted the moving of the Holy Spirit.
It was this third response that provided the opportunity for worship on
the higher level.
Paul wrote to Timothy: 'Yea, and
all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution', (2 Timothy 3:12). All
believers can face persecution because the godly life of a Christian will stand
in direct opposition to worldliness and sin.
We can rejoice when we are persecuted for this reason, but this is not
worship on the higher level. Worship on
the higher levels can only be reached through the anointing. The initiator of the worship is the
Holy Spirit. This level of worship is a
great honour because the worshipper is found worthy to be humiliated for the
glory of the Lord. It is worship that
glorifies the Lord in the face of persecution from those who resist the moving
of the Holy Spirit.
The prayers of anointed worshippers
change persecutors into worshippers
Prayer on this level of worship
has great power with God because the love of Christ in the worshipper is
expressed through his or her concern for the welfare of others, even for those
who do them harm. They bear no grievance
towards their attackers. Stephen prayed for his attackers to be forgiven when
he was being stoned to death, he cried out with a loud voice, 'Lord, lay not this sin to their charge'
(Acts 7:60). One of those who Stephen
was praying for was Saul of Tarsus.
Stephen was obeying the Lord's command to 'Love your enemies,
bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them
which despitefully use you, and persecute you;'
(Matthew 5:44). It is not
known how many prayers were offered up to God for Saul when he persecuted the
church. Their prayers were united with
the eternal plan and purpose of God, and Saul of Tarsus was turned from being a
murderous persecutor of the believers into one who was willing to count
everything as rubbish that he might win Christ.
Prayers offered in worship on behalf of those who resist the moving of
the Holy Spirit will turn persecutors like Saul into worshippers, and the
Father is seeking worshippers.
The early church was persecuted by
those who resisted the moving of the Holy Spirit
Those who desire to be anointed
must live surrendered lives because the anointing brought humiliation to the
Apostles and the threat of death. In
Acts chapter 5, the apostles were brought before the Jewish leaders to explain
why they were continuing to teach in the name of Jesus. Peter and the other apostles answered them
under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, with the result that the Jewish leaders
were 'cut to the heart' by the Holy Spirit:
'When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and
took counsel to slay them.' (Acts 5:33).
The same anointing that had
brought many to Christ now had a very different effect. The Jewish leaders wanted to kill the
apostles because they resisted the moving of the Holy Spirit. The Apostles would have been executed if the
highly respected Gamaliel had not advised them
against it. This persecution was a
direct result of the anointing. The disciples rejoiced when they were
beaten and disgraced in front of highly respected Jewish leaders. They were not disgraced because of what they
had done in their own name; they were disgraced because of what the Holy Spirit
had done through them in the name of Jesus.
This was a great honour. They
worshipped with great joy at the privilege, and they continued to 'teach
and preach Jesus Christ'. They were
powerful witnesses to the Lord Jesus Christ because they were worshipping on
the highest levels; '...and when they had called the
apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the
name of Jesus, and let them go. And they
departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy
to suffer shame for his name. And daily
in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus
Christ.' (Acts 5:40-42)
Persecuting the church is the same
as persecuting Christ.
When the religious leaders
persecuted the believers in Christ they were persecuting Christ. The Apostles suffered persecution because
they were one with Christ. The disciples
saw this as an opportunity for worship, and they rejoiced at being counted
worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus.
They were fellow participators of the sufferings of Christ. When Saul of Tarsus resisted the moving of
the Holy Spirit he persecuted the church.
He was fighting Christ by persecuting the believers in Christ. On the Damascus Road the Lord said to Saul, '…why are you persecuting me? And
he said, Who are You, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting: it is hard for
you to kick against the pricks.' (Acts 9:4-5).
When the Lord told Saul, 'it is hard for you to kick against the
pricks', He was referring to how Paul was resisting the moving of the Holy
Spirit. Saul had been 'cut to the heart'
by the testimony of Stephen and the other believers, but because of his
hardness of heart, he was not willing to recognise that Jesus is the
Messiah. He was seeking to persecute
the church even at the time of his encounter with the Lord on the
Paul knew from
his conversion that he would worship on this level.
The
Lord revealed to Paul that he would worship at this level. When Ananias was told to pray for Saul after
his Damascus Road conversion, the Lord revealed the 'great things he must suffer for my name’s sake' (Acts
9:16).
Ananias was sent to lay hands on Saul so that he would be 'filled
with the Holy Spirit'. The one who had
persecuted the church because of the anointing was now himself anointed for
ministry and that anointing would bring him into opposition with those who
would resist the moving of the Holy Spirit.
The persecutor who resisted the Holy Spirit would become the persecuted
because of the anointing. In order to
fulfil this ministry the first thing Paul had to learn was to worship. The
anointing of the Holy Spirit enabled Paul to worship on the highest
levels. His primary calling was always
to be a worshipper. His ministry
developed out of worship. Paul never
sought to build up his ministry, but he always sought to move higher in
worship. For Paul it made no difference
whether he was in prison, out of prison, in need, or in abundance. Paul wanted to fulfil his ministry with
joy. This was not just the joy of
fulfilment and the satisfaction of having done well; it was the joy that is
necessary for worship. 'But none of these
things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might
finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord
Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.' (Acts 20:24).
First
and foremost Paul was a worshipper. He
wrote from prison to the Philippians that he counted all things as rubbish that
he might gain Christ. Paul had no
concern for his own interests or safety, but he rejoiced in his sufferings
because he was a worshipper, and he rejoiced in the opportunity to express his
love for his Lord. 'That I may know him,
and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being
made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the
resurrection of the dead.' (Philippians 3:10-11). The fellowship of His sufferings does not
mean the sufferings of the Lord on the cross because the Lord bore this
suffering alone when He cried 'it is finished' (John 19:30). It means being a fellow participator of His
sufferings from those who resist the moving of the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote to the Colossians that he rejoiced
in his sufferings and being afflicted in his ministry to the body of Christ, 'Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you,
and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for
his body’s sake, which is the church:' (Colossians 1:24). Paul worshipped at the highest levels of
worship, but he still wrote 'that I might know Him'. There are always greater heights to reach in
worshipping the Lord. Even though Paul
had worshipped in heaven, he still desired to move higher in worship.
A worshipper rejoices in being
persecuted for Christ.
It is important to understand
that being persecuted is not worship.
Paul wrote that suffering persecution will only bring a reward if we
have love. A worshipper rejoices in persecution
because of his or her love for Christ, 'And though I bestow all my goods to
feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it
profits me nothing.' (1 Corinthians 13:3). Worshippers can
only reach this place of worship under the anointing and leadership of the Holy
Spirit. Some people are persecuted
because they have been deliberately confrontational. They have provoked people into reacting
against them. This is not worship. They are being persecuted because they have
been deliberately aggressive towards others who disagree. Even though they are saved and belong to
Christ, they are not worshippers; they are contentious. Worship in persecution is humble submission
to the will of God and rejoicing at the privilege of suffering shame for what
the Lord has done. A worshipper at this
level will see Christ in every circumstance.
He or she will rejoice in trials and dangers because they are
opportunities of worship. No matter what
the hardship the worshipper at this level rejoices in the will of God.
Worshipping the Lord in
persecution is being able to rejoice in the knowledge that the shame we face is
due to people resisting the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The love of Christ must be the only
motivating force behind our deeds, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit must be
the power that confirms our words. Jesus
told His disciples to rejoice in persecution because they would receive a great
reward. When we are spoken against falsely for His name's sake, we should never
try to defend ourselves, we should rejoice.
We should always keep in mind the day when we will see Jesus. John Wesley called persecution the badge of
discipleship. Rejoicing in persecution
is the characteristic of the worshipper: ‘Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for
great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were
before you.' (Matthew 5:10-12).
Rejoicing in being united with
Christ in His sufferings is worship under the leadership of the Holy
Spirit. When we realise this then the
opportunity to worship at this level is a great honour, and should fill the
worshipper with joy. The same anointing
that brought a multitude to Christ on the day of Pentecost, brought persecution
from those who resisted the moving of the Holy Spirit. The believers were united with Christ in
persecution. From the time he was saved
on the
Paul is not only an example of a
worshipper who rejoiced in being a fellow participator of the sufferings of
Christ; he is also an example of how God answers the prayers of his persecuted
saints. When we suffer persecution our
first thoughts should always be to pray for those who oppose Christ by
persecuting us. The prayers of
persecuted Christians have great power with God, and through this kind of
prayer Paul was changed from being the persecutor of Christ into a mighty
worshipper. The persecutor became a worshipper in persecution.