Persecution
Measure not God’s love and favor by your own feelings. The sun shines as clearly in the darkest day as it does in the brightest. The difference is not in the sun, but in the clouds which hinder the manifestation of the light thereof. -Richard Sibbes
As the pastor, James was responsible for the teaching and care of the believers in Jerusalem. This was quite a huge responsibility as we are told that the church was growing exponentially. Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all. Acts 2:41, and, many of the people who heard their message believed it; the number of men who believed totaled about 5,000. Acts 4
The religious leaders of Israel, those who had been responsible for Christ’s crucifixion, were concerned that people were becoming disciples of Jesus. They took action to stop the spread of the teaching that Christ was the risen Messiah; the Messiah who rose from the dead and offered all who would believe him and follow him the guarantee of eternal life. While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees. These leaders were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead. They arrested them. Acts 4:1-3
Subsequently we are told that a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. Acts 8:1, Acts 11:19-21
Pastor James was seeing his congregation of new believers facing severe persecution. Because of their allegiance to Christ many had lost their livelihood and homes and were being driven out of Jerusalem. Some were being thrown into prison and some, like Stephen, had lost their lives… yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Acts 7:57
To encourage and strengthen his congregation James wrote this letter to them. Because they were predominately Jewish believers from Jerusalem James addressed the letter to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations. James knew that his church members needed to know how to understand what was going on and how to reconcile the persecution they were experiencing with their faith.
This was a terrible time of persecution but it was not entirely unexpected, as Christ had warned that those who followed him would be treated in the same way that he had been treated.
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. John 15:18-20 And, sure enough, the Christians were being persecuted.
And as Paul had warned Timothy, All that live godly lives in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 2 Timothy 3:12
James wrote to his scattered congregation so that they could understand how to respond to persecution. James wanted them to know that, despite appearances, Christ, was reigning and that there was an eternal purpose behind the persecution and trials they were experiencing.
And just like 2,000 years ago, Christians can expect to be persecuted for their faith. Anticipating the currently popular Marxist political slogan, “Never let a crisis go to waste,” Tertullian writing in about 185AD said, “If the Tiber floods the city, or if the Nile refuses to rise, at once the cry is raised, ‘Christians to the lions.’” Around the world, never letting a crisis go to waste, is being used to place further restrictions on Christians: China has blamed the rise of COVID-19 in the Hebei province on Christians1. In India, Myanmar, Nepal, Vietnam, Malaysia, Yemen, Pakistan, and Sudan, Christians are pressured to renounce their faith in order to receive COVID relief. They are also ostracized by their neighbors and are being boycotted, not allowed to participate in the
economy. If they refuse to renounce Christ they are placed at the end of the relief line.
The goal of the Hindu Purity Party is to expel all non-Hindu’s from both government and from India. When Purity Party Priest, Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, was murdered by communist militants in 2008 the Party seized the opportunity to place the blame on Christians. The Swami’s body was paraded through towns and villages calling for revenge against the Christians. Armed mobs took to the streets looking for Christians to rape and kill. Christians were given an ultimatum: convert to Hinduism or die. Over 100 Christians were killed, over 5,800 homes were destroyed, 300 churches were burned and over 56,000 Christians fled for their lives. The local police did nothing to protect the Christians or their property. In the aftermath the government of India set up relief camps to offer housing for the Christians who had lost everything and could not return to their towns for fear of
reprisal.
Return to The Letter of James.