Jim Elliot was a passionate evangelist, devoted husband and father, and martyred Christian missionary. His life and legacy are an exemplary testament to the world of the absolute worthiness of Christ, and the costly call of the Christian to follow Jesus. The defining pursuit of his life was to intimately know God, to tell others of Him, and to obey His every call.
Elliot was inspired from an early age by the examples of Christian missionaries, David Brainerd, William Carey, and Amy Carmichael. Resolved to commit his life to evangelism and international mission work, Elliot attended Wheaton College to study linguistics. It was there he would meet Elisabeth Howard, the woman who would become his wife. In equal devotion to God, their courtship and eventual marriage would exemplify a matchless love story of hard-won purity and lived-out truths of the Bible.
Partners in ministry following the call of the Lord, Jim and Elisabeth traveled into the Ecuadorian jungle. On January 8, 1956, while attempting to make contact with the people of the Auca/Waodani tribe, Jim and four other missionaries were speared to death; slain by those they came to minister to. Elliot’s most famous words were written in a journal on October 28, 1949. They represent the great paradigm of the Christian faith and the hope of the Gospel:
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
His life’s work and legacy would continue as Elisabeth later moved into the Auca/Waodani village with their young daughter to live among those who had killed him.
Jim Elliot’s faith has since inspired generations.
What would inspire such faith and devotion in Jim Elliot? Perhaps it was these words of Jesus in Matthew 16:25: “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it.”
As we explore today’s passage, we’re going to see how the Apostle Paul faced persecution in his future, yet he continued to press on in his faith and in his mission.
Today’s sermon is entitled “The Promise of Persecution.”
Let’s pray together before we go any further.
(prayer)
As we think about this word, persecution, it’s probably helpful for us to define it as it’s being used today.
Persecution is when someone suffers harm because of his or her beliefs.
The Bible speaks about persecution in many places.
Consider these passages:
2 Timothy 3:12 – “ . . . all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
John 15:19–20 – “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you . . . ”
Matthew 5:10–12 – “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
1 Peter 4:12–14 – “Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you, as if something unusual were happening to you. Instead, rejoice as you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may also rejoice with great joy when his glory is revealed. If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”
Clearly, persecution is part of the Christian life.
So, let’s look at today’s passage and see what we can learn concerning Paul and the persecution that awaited him.
Look at Acts 21:1-14:
1 After we tore ourselves away from them, we set sail straight for Cos, the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. 2 Finding a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we boarded and set sail. 3 After we sighted Cyprus, passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria and arrived at Tyre, since the ship was to unload its cargo there. 4 We sought out the disciples and stayed there seven days. Through the Spirit they told Paul not to go to Jerusalem. 5 When our time had come to an end, we left to continue our journey, while all of them, with their wives and children, accompanied us out of the city. After kneeling down on the beach to pray, 6 we said farewell to one another and boarded the ship, and they returned home.
7 When we completed our voyage from Tyre, we reached Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters and stayed with them for a day. 8 The next day we left and came to Caesarea, where we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the Seven, and stayed with him. 9 This man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.
10 After we had been there for several days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 He came to us, took Paul’s belt, tied his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him over to the Gentiles.’ ” 12 When we heard this, both we and the local people pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem.
13 Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
14 Since he would not be persuaded, we said no more except, “The Lord’s will be done.”
Ok, as we consider this passage, consider these three biblical truths concerning persecution.
First, . . . I. Persecution should strengthen us.
We must remember that Paul is slowly making his way to Jerusalem, then Rome. There are multiple times through this section of the Book of Acts that it becomes apparent that Paul believes the Spirit of God is leading him to make this journey.
We see within Paul a sense of resilience and strength as he is determine to go to Jersualem then go to Rome.
Rather than the threat of persecution slowing down Paul, he seemed to be energized by it. Why is that?
On a practical level, if you really want to do something and someone you don’t like tries to stop you from doing it, you sort of become curious about why they don’t want you to do it, right? You almost want to do it more because they don’t want you to do it.
Well, the forces of evil are trying to stop Paul from carrying out his mission, and Paul seems to be energized by that opposition.
Not only that, but Paul must have recognized that when he suffers, he is more like Jesus.
As we read earlier in 1 Peter 4:13–14: “ . . . rejoice as you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may also rejoice with great joy when his glory is revealed. If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”
If we are persecuted, we are blessed.
If we are persecuted, the Spirit of God rests upon us. Well, do we remember from Acts 1 what happens when the Spirit of God comes upon us?
Acts 1:8 says, “ . . . you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you . . . ”
So, while the evil one may try to bring us down through persecution, it will often result in us realizing that the One who is in us is greater than the one in the world.
We have Holy Spirit power on our side!
Persecution should not discourage us, it should strengthen us to trust in the Lord, His ways, and His mission.
Next, . . . II. Persecution should not surprise us.
Paul certainly shouldn’t have been surprised by persecution, right?
Paul suffered repeatedly because of his faithfulness to Jesus.
Listen to how he described what he went through in 2 Corinthians 11:24–28:
“Five times I received the forty lashes minus one from the Jews. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the open sea. On frequent journeys, I faced dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, and dangers among false brothers; toil and hardship, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, cold, and without clothing. Not to mention other things, there is the daily pressure on me: my concern for all the churches.”
Paul clearly should not have been surprised when persecution came.
The same was true for Peter, as we learned in the earlier part of the Book of Acts.
The same was true of the other apostles as well.
The same was certainly true of Jesus. He suffered greatly for His faithfulness to God.
As we read earlier, Jesus said in John 15:20, “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you . . . ”
We’re studying the Book of 1 Peter on Wednesday nights. Listen to what Peter said to the early church in 1 Peter 1:6, “You rejoice . . . even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials.”
So, persecution was present with Jesus, it was present with the apostles, it was present with the early church, and it’s also present with the church today.
Listen to some of these facts from a ministry called Open Doors:
North Korea is the most dangerous country for Christians. In North Korea, being discovered as a Christian can be effectively a death sentence.
In Somalia, all nationals are expected to be Muslim. In Somalia, Christians from Muslim backgrounds are regarded as high-value targets and may be killed on the spot if discovered.
In the North African nation of Libya, authorities assert that the country is a wholly Islamic nation. In the eyes of Libyan society, there is no room for Christianity. In Libya, when someone’s faith is discovered, they will likely be scorned by their own family and risk imprisonment.
In the country of Eritrea, located in the Horn of Africa, Christians continue to suffer extreme persecution, making it one of the hardest places in the world to follow Jesus.
In Yemen, following Jesus is extremely dangerous. Christians risk severe repercussions from their families, the authorities, or radical Islamic groups.
In Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, more believers are killed for their faith each year than everywhere else in the world combined.
Christians in Pakistan are considered second-class citizens and face discrimination in every aspect of life. Occupations that are deemed low, dirty, and degrading—such as working as a sewer cleaner or in a brick kiln—are reserved for Christians.
In Sudan, more than 165 churches have closed, and others have been destroyed. Churches have also reported human rights violations such as kidnapping, looting, and more.
In Iran, conversion from Islam to Christianity is illegal, and anyone caught as a convert can be arrested and imprisoned.
In Afghanistan, since the Taliban took over, a Christian can be sentenced to death, or they can be detained and tortured into giving information about fellow believers. As far as the Taliban are concerned, there are “no Christians” in Afghanistan.
I could go on, but these sad stories are enough to remind us that persecution is alive and well in modern-day Christianity.
Brothers and sisters, we should not be surprised when those who follow Jesus are hated by the world.
We still live in a world affected by sin and evil; we still live in a world with persecution.
However, we should not be among those who let persecution stop us.
That takes us to our final point:III. Persecution should not stop us.
Jesus said in John 16:33, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”
Listen, church: There are troubles in this world. There is suffering in this world. There is persecution in this world. However, Jesus has conquered the world.
There is victory in Jesus!
The Apostle Paul realized that there is victory in Jesus, and he would not be stopped.
The Holy Spirit revealed to Paul and his friends that he would suffer persecution, but he would not be stopped.
Paul’s friends tried to persuade him not to go to Jerusalem, but Paul would not be stopped.
The prophet Agabus took Paul’s belt and bound his hands and feet to signify that Paul would be bound and delivered to the authorities, but Paul would not be stopped.
Persecution awaited Paul at every turn, but he would not be stopped.
Rather, Paul said this in verse 13, “ . . . I am ready not only to be bound but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Throughout the history of the church, thousands of followers of Jesus have said, “I am ready not only to be bound but also to die for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Or, as Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
Church, let us be faithful to Jesus no matter the cost. Persecution should not stop us.
Let this bottom line summarize what we are learning today:Bottom Line: God’s plan for His people includes persecution.
God designed the church to suffer persecution.
Why? Ultimately, we don’t know.
Part of the reason is surely to help us identify with Jesus, who Himself suffered persecution.
Part of the reason is surely to help us trust in God more.
One of my absolute favorite preachers, Robert Smith, Jr., said this, “You will never really know that his grace is sufficient until everything you have is insufficient. You’ll never know Jesus is enough until nothing else is.”
You see, church, we need Jesus more than anything else. His people will suffer, but His grace is sufficient.
Challenge yourself this week in these two ways:Weekly Challenge #1 – Pray for the persecuted.
Our brothers and sisters need our prayers. Let us be faithful to pray for them.
You can visit persecution.com to learn more about the persecuted church and to pray for those suffering for their faith.
Make a commitment this week and beyond to pray for those who are suffering for the cause of Christ.Weekly Challenge #2 – Pray for yourself.
Pray that you will be faithful no matter the cost.
Pray that you will stay on mission.
Pray that Jesus will be enough for you.
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: The text contained in this sermon is solely owned by its author. The reproduction or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name. The author intends to provide free resources in order to inspire believers and to assist preachers and teachers in Kingdom work.
