Red Flags and Persecution


49 The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. 50 But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. 51 So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Acts 13:49-52

When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, persecution and a forced exodus are trivial matters. Or they shouldn’t matter because the God of the Universe is on your side.

Paul and Barnabas were compelled to continue preaching despite what the Jewish rulers said or did. Those two men were just so focused and determined that nothing was going to stop them from getting the Word out. I’m sure they had no idea about how far the Gospel would spread in 2000 years. But because they hustled from town to town, they reaped great rewards.

We are that fruit.

One of the problems that the persecuted church faces is rapid growth. If the church grows too quickly, authorities get suspicious and swoop down. The officials know what’s going on because more than likely they have informants inside the churches. So church leaders must be careful what they say about the Government and political matters in official church meetings.

Pray for wisdom and compassion for persecuted church leaders. Not only must they provide for their physical families, but they need to care for their spiritual family as well. Pray they have wisdom on how fast to grow their churches. While growing fast is a nice problem to have in any country, having that problem in China or North Korea or Iran can raise red flags.


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