The fellowship of His sufferings
The history of the Christian church is one of suffering. Perhaps some of us lose sight of this in our pleasant homes, our peaceful countries, and our comfortable lives. But the sort of peace and plenty that many of us enjoy today is very much the exception, not the rule. For two thousand years, Christians have been imprisoned and executed for their faith, and our suffering continues today in many countries. And yet, despite the persecution—one might even say because of the persecution—the church continues to grow.
The New Testament example
This is the way it was in the beginning of the church. In three of his epistles, Paul makes reference to those who were imprisoned with him (Rom. 16:7; Col. 4:10; Phm. 23). Paul was no armchair general. He knew what it was to suffer imprisonment for his faith. What is more, he used the expression “fellow prisoner” in each of these passages. The implication is that, through imprisonment, Paul shared something very special with these believers. Philippians 1:29 makes it clear that for a Christian to suffer is not an indication that God’s plans have gone astray; rather, suffering is something granted to the believer. This suffering is tied to the purity of our lives, the fervency of our devotion, and the constancy of our witness. Though frequently in prison, Paul lived a life that was at the center of God’s will. God’s plans were worked out in and through Paul’s life, whether imprisoned or free.
These three passages also make it clear that imprisonment was not an unusual event in the lives of the early Christians. Though the purity of their lives stood in stark contrast to the society around them, they were frequently imprisoned. In some cases, this was an attempt to prevent the growth of the early church. In other cases, it was proof that a totalitarian state cannot permit anyone to have a higher loyalty than to the state itself. But in all cases, it is clear that the early Christians had done nothing to deserve imprisonment. Their lives were an embodiment of the words of Christ in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” They let the light shine before men but men chose not to glorify the Father in Heaven—a choice which carries with it eternal consequences.
So what happened to the early church? Did the danger of prison limit its growth? Did threats divert people from loyalty to their Lord? Absolutely not! Our enemy is crafty but sometimes he oversteps himself, and, in this case, persecution refined and strengthened the church. The book of Acts is a testimony to the constant growth of the early church. One could wish that a small army of church growth consultants would understand that the true church grows under the most adverse circumstances. If we want to see church growth New Testament style, we don’t need to eliminate the scandal of the cross or soft peddle the cost of discipleship, but rather wended to fill the seats with people who are willing to suffer prison and death for the sake of Christ. When Christ is our all and all, we will have no problem running outreaches, supporting missions, and winning the lost for Christ. Indeed, the enemies of Christianity would complain those dedicated early believers were turning the world upside down (Acts 17:6).
After the New Testament
Moving out of the first years of the church, we also see imprisonment, torture, and death for the followers of Christ. About 150 years after Paul experienced imprisonment, a 22-year-old woman named Perpetua chose death rather than denial of her Lord. Although she had a newborn child, and despite the urging of her unbelieving father that she apostatize, she chose death in the arena. Perhaps even more moving is the example of Blandina. Eusebius of Caesarea tells in book 5 of his Ecclesiastical History of the tortures suffered by this slave girl. Though she was physically weak, her torturers wore themselves out trying to force her to recant. She faced the wild beasts in the arena and public torture. Finally, at her death, Eusebius tells us, “And the heathen themselves confessed that never among them had a woman endured so many and such terrible tortures.” We know that the writings of church historians like Eusebius do not have the same authority as Scripture, but we have no reason to doubt the persecution of the Christians under Roman rule and the subsequent growth of the church. No wonder the early Christian writer Tertullian would say, “The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians.”
The suffering continued through the Middle Ages and into the Reformation. Hugh Latimer and Nicolas Ridley were slowly burned alive on October 16, 1555. While burning, Latimer encouraged Ridley with the words, “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.” During the terrible year of 1555 in the reign of Queen Mary, Rowland Taylor was also imprisoned and executed. But the steadfast servant of Christ could not be silent about his hope and said to his family, “Count me not dead, for I shall certainly live, and never die. I go before, and you shall follow after, to our long home.” Clearly these men took to heart Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5:8 that he would “prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”
And what of today?
Today, the church continues to suffer. While far removed from the experience of most Christians in the Western world, our brothers and sisters in many places suffer imprisonment, torture, and even death. Yes, the church suffers; but, through it all, the church continues to grow. About a year ago, I heard the horrifying stories of Christians in North Korea being put to death by being run over by army tanks. Knowing what we know of church history, we should have been able to predict the consequences. Far from destroying the church, there are now “outbreaks” of Christianity within the North Korean Army! Should the North Korean leadership decide to deal with this “problem” through more imprisonment and persecution, the church in North Korea will grow unstoppably.
Yes, persecution and prison helps the church to grow. But we in the Western world should not think ourselves immune. For several centuries, we have seen an unusual phenomenon in certain Western nations: Christianity holding a place of favour with the people and governments. In the United States, Britain, Canada, and a couple of other countries, we may be tempted to think this the normal state of affairs. It isn’t. Historically speaking, this is a rare occurrence. The normal state of affairs is for the believers to be weak, persecuted, despised, and fearless in spirit. Persecution may very well come in our own nation. Of course, the persecutors will claim good reasons. They always do. Moral evil always disguises itself as moral virtue. In Roman times, it was a sense of outrage that the Christians were impious towards the gods and the accusation that Christians were cannibals. As such, the Christians were viewed as a danger to the Empire. In our nation, it will be the fact that Christians will not bow to the great god Toleration, but will instead continue to call sinners to repentance. Yes, we too may be called upon to enter into the fellowship of suffering. So how should we prepare? The best way is to learn the Bible, start experiencing the life of faith, grow mighty in prayer, be devoted to one another in brotherly love, to adorn ourselves with good works, and to share our faith far and wide. By doing so, we prepare for the future and we obey in the present.