On Sunday, we saw in Mark 13 how Jesus called the disciples to remain gospel-driven in the midst of persecution. The Lord was concerned that they might mistake persecution as a sign of the end and that they might flee the destruction of Jerusalem to the detriment of their gospel mission. Their writings frequently demonstrate that they took this teaching to heart, regarding persecution not a reason to run, but a reason to dig in. We would do well to follow their pattern.
There is a great example in Paul’s closing remarks of 1 Corinthians: I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries (1 Cor 16:8-9).
Note the word “and”. We might have expected “but” or “and yet” or “even though” or “inspite of the fact that.” It would make more sense to us if Paul cited the wide door for effective ministry as his reason for staying in Ephesus, while the existence of many adversaries was the downside. “Since there is so much ministry for me to do here, I’m going to stay, in spite of the fact that there are many adversaries.”
Or we might even understand Paul citing the adversaries as a factor making him unsure if he would end up staying. “I’d like to stay in Ephesus, since there is great opportunity for ministry here, but still…there are so many adversaries…I dunno.”
But Paul, unlike many Christians (pastors included), did not consider opposition, adversity, suffering, or persecution to be an indication from God that it was God’s will for him to move on. Amazingly, Paul cites the presence of many adversaries as a reason to stay in Ephesus. That’s the power of that word “and.” “I’m staying because there is a wide door for ministry and because there are many adversaries.”
One remarkable quality of Paul’s ministry was the efficiency and equity with which his gospel offended both Jews and Greeks (Acts 19:23-27; 20:17-21). In 2 Cor 11:23-28, the apostle famously catalogued his many sufferings for the gospel. Yet, he did not regard his persecution as the downside of his ministry. Rather, His proclamation of Christ, the wide door for ministry to which he refers in 1 Cor 16:9, is precisely what caused the opposition noted there and experienced elsewhere.
That there was much opposition indicates that there had been much success attained by the preaching of the gospel. The presence of many adversaries, therefore, was no reason to leave, but evidence that the cause of Christ was advancing there and that there was opportunity for greater ministry still.
We may be tempted to think that Paul was able to do this because, unlike us, opposition and adversity didn’t bother him. The truth is that it bothered him greatly. Speaking of his time in Ephesus, Paul wrote in 2 Cor 1:8-9, For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.
Paul despaired of life itself? Yes. But he continued, understanding that his struggle was for the furtherance of the gospel and to cause him to rely not upon his own strength, but upon God who raises the dead.
How rare such conviction is in the modern church. How quickly we throw in the towel in the face of any kind of adversity, let alone persecution for the gospel. We have trouble in our marriages, so we get out instead of seeking to glorify God there. We experience trials in our work, so we look for a way out instead of seeking to stay and be a light there. How quickly we leave the rapids and search for smoother waters. How thoughtlessly we run from difficult situations based upon our own comfort, not considering what would bring God the most glory.
If we run under these lesser pressures, how will be stand up under the pressure of persecution for our gospel witness?
We need a heavenly perspective. Suffering for one’s faith is not a mere possibility for believers – it is a certainty if we are being faithful (Phil 1:29-30; 2 Tim 3:12). Persecution is not a downside to being in Christ. It is a cause for rejoicing (1 Pet 1:6-7; 4; Acts 5:40-41).
Our objective, according to Paul, should be clear: to let our manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ by standing firm, striving for the faith of the gospel, not frightened by any opposition (Phil 1:27ff). May the Lord lead us at PBF to be faithful and step fearlessly through the wide door for effective work that has opened to us, emboldened by whatever adversaries we face.
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