How Persecution Expands God’s Kingdom
By Executive Director John Yoder
Did you know that throughout the Bible and church history, God has used both voluntary and involuntary migration to expand the Kingdom? In this blog, we explore how God uses involuntary migration through persecution, war and natural disaster to expand the Kingdom. Our next blog will explore how God does the same through forms of voluntary migration such as international trade.
The first large-scale persecution of the church began immediately after the stoning of Stephen. Acts 8:1, 4 “And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles…Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.”
Earlier in the Book of Acts, we see that the church swelled to several thousand within a few months. Verse 1 tells us that they were all scattered, except for the twelve apostles. That means 99% of the church was forced to flee.
What was the result? Acts 11:19-21 “Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.”
If this persecution had not occurred, most of the believers would have been quite content to remain in Jerusalem where they could share Christ with their neighbors. Now that they were surrounded by people from a Greek (Hellenist) cultural background, they began to effectively share Christ with them.
There are other Bible examples of involuntary migration expanding the Kingdom:
- Joseph was taken as a slave to Egypt, as a result saving millions of lives
- A young girl taken into slave labor in 2 Kings 5 pointed Naaman, the Syrian military commander, to meet God through an encounter with Elisha
- Mordecai and Esther saved the Jewish people from genocide because they had been taken into captivity in Assyria
- The twelve disciples moved from town to town based on persecution. Matthew 10:23 “When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”
Today, Christians seek greater freedom of religion as they emigrate from high-persecution contexts such as Bhutan, China, Iran, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. Other Christians leave their homelands to escape domestic violence, drug lords, war and natural disasters from countries such as Cuba, Ethiopia, Haiti, Lebanon, Ukraine, Venezuela and more. I have worshipped in many churches planted by believers from these countries. There are thousands more spread across the world.
How should we native-born Christians respond to fellow believers who come to our countries? The short letter of Third John offers an idea. 3 John 5-8 “Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the Gentiles. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.”
It strengthens the church in any nation when Christians from another nation move among them. It is only wise, and maybe even a bit self-serving, to help them adjust to life in their new homeland. Of course, Christians are commanded to love all foreigners (Leviticus 19:33-34), but there is a particular benefit to the church when we help fellow believers adjust to our systems and customs. If you are concerned for the spiritual future of America, one of the wisest steps you can take is to assist believers from other lands who are new to your community.