"… in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often" (2 Cor. 11:23).
Because Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles, he faced persecution from two directions. The Jewish establishment constantly sought to silence him because they saw him as a traitor, and the Gentiles opposed him because they perceived Christianity a threat to their way of life and to Roman authority—and certainly to the varied religious influences of the Hellenistic world. Both the Jews and Gentiles beat Paul, threatened, pursued, and imprisoned him.
In Corinth, Paul’s opposers were Hebrews. He, too, was of pure Hebrew descent, of the theocratic nation of Israel, and one of the chosen seed of Abraham. They could claim no superiority over him in these matters. But in the area of his being a minister of Christ, they could not be compared to him. Unlike the impostors, Paul had suffered for Christ’s sake both at the hands of Jews and Gentiles. We discover from Paul’s cry, “I am a fool,” how distressed he was that he must boast about his sufferings in order to defend himself; but if that was what he had to do to convince the people of his sincerity, then he would do it. Imagine what it must have been like to read this account of his sufferings, to have been a Corinthian who had listened to and exalted the shallow, but talented, men who brought strange teachings into the church. Surely, it must have created a strong emotional impact. Here was a man who had indeed suffered greatly, not for himself, but for Christ. Can the genuineness of his affection for the church and his dedication to Christ be denied? Certainly not.
In every age, Christians are called to suffer, even die, for Christ’s sake. Take a look at the many ways Paul suffered. How many saints since then have emulated his life of persecution? Many are recorded in the pages of history books. Every Christian today needs to be reminded of the sacrifices men and women have made for the sake of the church and for Christ’s righteousness. In remembering them, we pay them tribute, and we learn that we are not alone in persecution, but we have a great cloud of witnesses who testify to the hardships of being a follower of Christ. May the example of Paul and of others be an encouragement to you as you suffer under the weight of a difficult ministry and a life consecrated to God.
If you have not read a biography (long or short) on a Christian martyr or on a minister who has suffered great persecution because of his faith, find one and read it. You can either get a compilation of accounts on various Christian martyrs (Foxe’s Book of Martyrs is a good one) or ask your pastor to recommend a particular biography.
