Discovering Joy Amidst Persecution: Lessons from the Book of Acts

Finding Our Joy in Christ

As we continue to look at finding our joy in Christ, no matter our external circumstances, Acts is a fantastic book to study.

At the beginning of the book, we discover that Jesus rose from the dead, joined his disciples for 40 days, taught them all about the kingdom of heaven, then ascended into heaven. Astonished, the disciples have to figure out what to do. At first, they are too stunned to do anything and it takes an angel to get them moving. Next, the Holy Spirit comes on Pentecost and gives them words to proclaim the message of Jesus.

From here, the persecution starts and the disciples are scattered throughout the world. The effect of this persecution was the complete opposite of what the persecutors intended. The truth about Jesus started to spread and couldn’t be stopped! No matter what suffering was thrown at the disciples, it was overcome and even more people joined their numbers! In America, there are few people who can say that they have experienced suffering like many of the disciples in Acts, yet the people in Acts had joy while many Americans don’t. Why is this?

I think the answer is extreme trust in Jesus and the certainty that our lives on Earth are short in comparison with our time in eternity. Any indignities that we suffer now will be wiped away. And if our sufferings cause others to know Jesus, what kind of reward will we get in heaven?

Jesus suffered the cross. While I am sure there are occasionally exceptions, it is reasonably certain that any suffering that we experience will be much less than this. The disciples in Acts knew first hand what Jesus went through and they chose to follow his example, accepting the risk that they may follow a similar fate. They counted the cost and were willing to pay it if it resulted in more people knowing Jesus and accepting the salvation that he brought.

It is important to remember that many of the things that Jesus taught about the kingdom of heaven were never written down. What did Jesus teach that we have never heard about? Maybe this is what gave the disciples such confidence and boldness. In any case, we do have many of the teachings of Jesus and the apostles in the Bible, and we have the example of the people who knew him personally.

Of course, some suffering isn’t caused by persecution, but is instead caused by our own sins, the sins of others, or simply brokenness in the world. When a loved one dies from disease, we often question God. These types of suffering shouldn’t be minimized, but I do think that we can learn lessons from how the apostles and other disciples handled extreme difficulty.

Let’s study Acts and try to figure out why the disciples chose to have joy in persecution and suffering!

Respond

As you consider the theme of finding joy in persecution and suffering, are there any Bible verses that came to mind? If so, add a comment at the end of this post!