What does it cost us to come to church today?
A little effort to get up early and get out of the house?
Last Sunday it cost some 20 Pakistani Christians their lives.
As they sang their closing hymn
Gunmen burst in shouting Islamic slogans
locked the doors and their worst.
Following Christ can be so costly in some places.

How many Christians die each year for their faith? As many as 200000
But Jesus says:
'Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you
and falsely say all kinds of evil against you, because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven,
for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.'
Now, how can you be blessed, how can you be expected to rejoice
when your life is being threatened?

Let's look at the story of the first Christian martyr Stephen
to see what insights we can get into persecution and how to respond to it.

Persecution arises from people who reject Jesus
and who reject the life and teaching of Christ in his followers v 54
Stephen puts it to his accusers
that they have betrayed and murdered Jesus
and they react with fury.
They have rejected his carefully reasoned arguments from the scriptures
and they cannot abide the presence of Christ in him and near him.
Bishop Gore points out that there is a reason that this is the last Beatitude
for people who are like Jesus in all the ways outlined
meek, pure in spirit, peace making, merciful …
will be hated and rejected by those who have chosen the contrasting values.
'there has been given in the Beatitudes
the picture of the Christian character in all its wonderful attractiveness
… yet where it is not welcomed
it stings by its very beauty and it hardens by its holiness.'
If you follow Jesus, some will be attracted towards you
because of Christ in you
but others will be repelled
and we have to make sure that it is because of Jesus that they hate us
and not because of any aspect of our old natures
where we present as
awkward, obnoxious, inconsistent and plainly unpleasant

Stephen was 'full of the Holy Spirit:'
someone who just overflowed with the goodness and loveliness of Jesus
Someone who when under pressure, like a glass being knocked
spilled out blessing and goodness, sweet refreshment
not bitter stinging acid vinegar.

We see that fullness of the Spirit
in his vision of God and in his attitude to his persecutors.

He saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
At his very darkest hour he had a vision of heaven to sustain him.
Generally we think of Jesus sitting at the right hand of God
but I like the idea that Jesus is standing here to welcome Stephen
the first one to die for his faith in Christ.
A vision of heaven, a confidence of the next life is needed
if we are to cope with those extreme pressures.
During the Korean War
a group of 40 Communists kidnapped a preacher, his wife and two children.
They attempted to force the preacher to deny Christ
and swear that he will no longer preach that Christ is Lord.
But the preacher refused.
They threatened him that they would bury him, his wife and children alive.
But the preacher did not budge.
To prove that they were serious, they started digging a hole in front of them.
But they could not get a word out of him.
This made them angry and they placed this family in the hole
and began playing on his emotions.

" Because of your stubbornness
your innocent children are going to die in right in front of your own eyes.
Deny Christ and we shall leave you ".
Finally they started filling up the hole. Still the preacher remained unmoved.
The hole was filled up gradually until the children were about to be covered.
The preacher started shaking. His children were crying. What a choice!
But his wife encouraged him
"Within a little while we shall all be with our Lord forever..
Be brave and do not give up."
These words encouraged him and he did not relent.
As a result all of them were buried alive.
When I hear stories like that I wonder if I could do that
but that has always been the case through the ages across the globe,
Christians of all ages will rather die than deny Jesus.
Why? Because they know in their hearts
there is something much better before them.
they have a vision of heaven
And without that heavenly certainty how could anyone endure?
How could you rejoice,
except you know that God is with you and will welcome you?

This fulness of the Spirit is also seen in his attitude to his killers:
'Lord, do not hold this sin against them.'
How can anyone pray that prayer without the help of the Holy Spirit?
It is said that some young Christian Pakistanis shouted for revenge
at the funerals this week.
We understand their grief and anger,
it is a natural reaction but it is a negative one,
if followed through it only adds to the cycle of hatred.
But again down through the ages Christians most closely affected
have offered love instead of hate, prayer instead of cursing.

Such attitudes of love and forgiveness can have remarkable effects.
Luke vividly points out the role of Saul at Stephen's death.
Lurking in the shadows, holding the coats of the killers,
agreeing to his death

Surely in the way that Stephen accepted his death with joy
looking to Jesus, forgiving his enemies, forgiving Saul,
something began to prick in Saul's conscience.
As the Lord reminded him later on the Damascus road
it is hard for you to kick against the pricks.
Surely seed was sown in Stephen's death
which led to many being claimed for Christ?

There is a sequel to the story of the Korean pastor and his family.
Revival came to South Korea after the war with the Communists.
Huge churches were formed including the biggest congregation in the world.
One day during a service a man rose up and told the surprised audience
that he was one among the 40 persons
who buried the preacher and his family and he gave details
He said that he was moved by the courage and conviction of the preacher
who did not deny Christ even at the point of death.
He had wanted to know who that Jesus was
and in the process he had been convicted
and had come to accepted Christ personally as his Saviour.
The same thing had happened to all the 40 involved in that incident. 
It took many years to understand why God had permitted that tragedy. 
God had used the death of those 4 people to save 40 more. 
--- Martyrs of Christ are never buried.. they are sown....

Do you see the parallel with the cross?
Through the darkest moment, of weakness, suffering, death
God brings light, freedom, new life.
As the devil does his worst
whether in the suffering of Christ or his followers
God does the best.
That's why there is blessing in persecution
That's why we may rejoice in suffering for Christ's sake
That's how we can forgive those who hate us.


But it's not easy.
There may be joy as Christians suffer, but there's not much laughter.
There are those who grieve family and friends they have lost.
There are those who waver, as Peter did when he denied Jesus.
There are those who betray their Christian friends
and go back on the faith they once professed so brightly.
There are those who are tempted to react in the flesh,
to call for revenge, to pay them back in the same way.

We thank you Lord for those who are willing to suffer everything for Jesus
Strengthen them today. Free them from fear. Help them to rejoice.
Give them a loving attitude to those who hate them and hurt them.

We pray for those who are tempted to give up, to have a quiet life
to waver, as Peter once did.
Give them fresh courage
even if only to be identified as a follower of Jesus.
And those who stumble as Peter did, may they be restored as he was.

We pray for ourselves.
We thank you for our freedom to express our faith.
Help us to pray for our brothers and sisters who are not so privileged.
Help us to accept criticism and even mockery for the sake of Jesus.
If people criticise us for some actual fault of ours
help us to see that we may do something about it.
But if we are under pressure for following Jesus
help us to rejoice in that and to have a heavenly vision.
Thank you that your Holy Spirit
is especially promised to your people under pressure

The God of all grace
who has called you to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus,
after you have suffered a little while,
will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
To him be the power for ever and ever