And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. Acts 8:1
Although it probably never actually happened, a story is told of a masked man with a semi-automatic rifle who burst into a large church during the middle of the Sunday morning service. As the congregation gasped and screamed in fear, the gunman pointed to the door and declared, ‘For the next two minutes, that door is available to anyone who is afraid to take a bullet for Jesus.’ Desperately, the frantic congregation dashed for the door and safety from the menacing rifle. White-faced and trembling, the pastor stood his ground at the pulpit. A few dozen other people also remained, huddling in terror in their pews. The gunman looked around at those who were left and spoke, ‘Well, pastor, now that I have gotten rid of all your hypocrites, you can go ahead and preach to the real Christians.’ And he left as quickly as he came. Would you or I have fled with the crowd if we had been there? And what would have been gained by staying?
Don’t get me wrong, those who fled Jerusalem in our text did not do so because they were hypocrites or because they were cowards. Life had simply become too dangerous and unbearable in Jerusalem, so they fled the persecution. In doing so, they carried the Gospel to many other places, and became the means of the spread of the Gospel as the Lord Jesus had commanded. But somebody stayed behind. Some posts were not vacated. Some work went on as before. And the ones who remained to maintain the testimony in the epicentre of persecution were those most responsible for the spiritual welfare of the saints. When God raises up leaders among His people today, including the full-time workers and the members of Assembly oversight, He may often require them to place themselves in the crosshairs of danger and trouble. It’s what the Lord Jesus did when His disciples all forsook Him and fled (Matthew 26:56). He did so because it was His Father’s will.
It is not easy to stay in a situation that is uncomfortable and/or unsafe. But many have done it and many are doing it, as evidenced by the large numbers of martyrs of yesteryear and today. And thousands more have endured great suffering and anguish because of their refusal to back down in the face of Godless opposition. This is not stubbornness. It is the acceptance of the consequences of deep convictions. It is knowing the will of God and accepting that will to the exclusion of all temptation to flee. Sometimes leaders among the saints must face physical harm or death. Sometimes they must face rejection and ridicule. Sometimes they must face unpopularity, or scorn, or misunderstanding, or hatred. But they stay the course.
Pray today for those who need to stand for our Lord today, that God would give them the courage to do so. – Jim MacIntosh