The early church was faced with a real threat: stop talking about Jesus or be thrown in prison for a long time. What would you do if you were in their shoes? There is a great phrase in church history: “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” What that means is when things get hard and dangerous, the church has grown. Why? For two good reasons: Christians under persecution have no choice but to focus on the saving act of Jesus by putting their faith in action and Christians under persecution have credibility with the people they are sharing the
Gospel with. Do not fear persecution. God can use it to make every church stronger. We tell it. We live it. We breathe it. It is part of who we are. In that story, that Word of God makes us strong and the mission never stops.