God TURNS PERSECUTION into PROSPERITY

We’ve talked a lot about persecution as we’ve moved through chapters 6 and 7. What should we take away from this? How should believers process the mission of being the church and receiving such intense resistance? 

Martin Luther, 15^th Century German Christian reformer, was kidnapped and exiled to a castle in order to save his life. During this time he translated the Bible into the German language. John Calvin, 15^th Century French Christian reformer, fled France because of persecution only to go to Switzerland to change the world for Christ. 

Regarding relief from persecution, Calvin has written, “These things must be applied unto our time also. If the furiousness of our enemies seem at any time to be as it was fallen on sleep, so that it casteth not out flames for, let us know that the Lord provides for our weakness; yet, let us not in the mean season imagine that we shall have continued truce, but let us be in readiness to suffer sorer grunts, as often as they shall break out suddenly.”