A Christian is someone who has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. They have probably been baptized in water to show that they are Christians. Once you have invited Christ into your life it is very likely that you will be persecuted by others. Other people will insult you and make fun of you because of your faith in Jesus Christ. Other people may want to harm you or hurt you because you have become a Christian. But in some way, if you are a Christian, will you be will persecuted by other people because of your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
Persecution happens in different ways
Persecution means that someone is doing something bad against you. They want to hurt you or make fun of you. When other people find out you are a Christian some of them will start to persecute you.
In the Bible we read about how Christians were persecuted for their faith in Jesus as Lord and Saviour:
“You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever” – Hebrews 10:34.
Paul, a Christian missionary we read about in the Bible, had many persecutions. Here is what he tells us about how he was persecuted:
“I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm” – 2 Corinthians 11:23-27.
You cannot deny Jesus Christ if you are a Christian
To deny Jesus means that you say you do not believe in Him and that you are not a Christian. Jesus says to us:
“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven” – Matthew 10:32-33.
Jesus says that if someone asks you if you are a Christian, you cannot say that you are not. If you say that you are not a Christian to someone, then Jesus will tell His Father in heaven that you are not a Christian. And only Christians are the ones who will go to heaven and have eternal life. So if we deny that we are Christians on earth, then Jesus will tell our Father in heaven that we are not Christians, and we will not go to heaven.
You don’t have to go and tell everyone you are a Christian
We can never tell everyone in the world that we are Christians. There are too many people and we could never do it. And nowhere does Jesus say we have to tell everyone that we see or meet that we are Christians. That would not be possible. Jesus teaches us to be wise about who it is we tell that we are Christians and when it is we tell them. Jesus said:
“I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” – Matthew 10:16.
We have to be careful about who we tell we are Christians. We have to be wise when we tell others we are Christians. We have to be bold and courageous when we tell others that we believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. And we cannot deny that we know Jesus as Lord and Saviour if someone asks us directly what we believe.
There are many ways you can go to church
Some Christians go to a church where they speak in English. Some Christians go to a church where they speak in another language. Some Christians go to churches where the culture is very different from the culture they grew up in. God wants us to meet with other Christians, and to worship Him, and to learn about Him in the Bible. So you can pray and ask God to lead you and tell you where it is He wants you to worship.
It is important for you to meet with other Christians. The Bible teaches us:
“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near” – Hebrews 10:25.
Do not be afraid
Jesus knows that we will be persecuted. And we know that when we die we are going to heaven. It doesn’t matter when we die, whenever we die we will go to heaven. Jesus teaches us: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:28-31).
When you go to a war you understand and know that there will be dangers and troubles. There will be many victories and a lot of joy, but there will also be a lot of sorrow and trouble. It is the same when you become a Christian. There will be a lot of joy and victories and great peace; but there will also be times when you will feel alone, scared and persecuted. Trust in the Lord and in the end Jesus will give you a crown of life in heaven.