Because we do not cooperate with religion, it persecutes us. The persecution that we are suffering today is the persecution in Jesus. He is now suffering persecution with His followers (Acts 9:4-5). As we are suffering today, He is suffering in and with us. When Saul of Tarsus was traveling to Damascus with the intention of arresting all those who called on the name of Jesus, the Lord Jesus knocked him down to the earth, saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (v. 4). When Saul said, “Who are You, Lord?” Jesus answered, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (v. 5). Saul never thought that he was persecuting Jesus. He thought Jesus was in the grave and that he was persecuting Stephen and other followers of Jesus. But according to the Lord Jesus, Saul was persecuting Him, because, at that time, He was in Stephen, Peter, John, and all His other members and was one with them. The same is true today. When the religious people persecute us, they are actually persecuting Jesus because Jesus is in us and is one with us. We may be comforted to realize that the suffering we are experiencing is the persecution in Jesus. We are joint partakers of tribulation in Jesus.
The followers of Jesus are also persecuted in this age, bearing His reproach (2:10; John 16:2, 33; Acts 14:22; Heb. 13:13). Hebrews 13:13 says, “Let us therefore go forth unto Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.” When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He suffered reproach from religion. Now, as His followers, we must bear His reproach, suffering reproach from religion. This is to be a joint partaker of tribulation in Jesus.
Some sufferings, however, may not be caused by our following Jesus, but by our foolishness. This suffering cannot properly be called the suffering in Jesus. None of us should cause trouble by acting foolishly. But we must be honest and faithful to the Lord’s testimony. If our honesty and faithfulness bring us suffering and persecution, that is the persecution in Jesus, and that is Jesus’ suffering with us.
It is impossible to avoid the persecution of religion. We cannot escape it because the enemy is utilizing religion more than ever before. Nothing is more frustrating to God’s economy than religion. Nothing blinds, covers, and veils people from seeing God’s economy more than religion does. Millions have been blinded by it. Throughout the whole world, religion is blinding and veiling people’s eyes from seeing God’s economy. Because of this, a warfare is raging. In this warfare, we must sound our trumpet, saying, “Get out of religion, tear away the religious veils from your eyes, and forsake your religious concepts.” Whenever we do this, opposition is aroused. Some good friends have come to me advising me to compromise a little. But we will never compromise. Those who wait for the coming of the Lord Jesus must partake of His suffering. Do not simply say, “Lord Jesus, I love You. Come quickly.” If you say this, the Lord will reply, “I want you to suffer for and with Me.” Do not try to avoid persecution. If we employ our cleverness to avoid persecution, then we are not good waiters of the coming of the Lord. If you mean business to wait for His coming back, the religious persecution will be stirred up against you. But we should not arouse persecution by acting foolishly. In this matter, we must be wise as serpents and innocent as doves (Matt. 10:16).
If we are joint partakers in the tribulation in Jesus, then we are joint partakers in the kingdom. To partake of the persecution in Jesus is to partake of the kingdom. If you do not know what persecution is, then you do not know what the kingdom is.
Many Christians have a mistaken concept of the kingdom. Some say that the kingdom has already come, but that it has been rejected and suspended. Those who hold this concept say that the kingdom came, that it was rejected and suspended, and that it will come down in the future. According to this teaching, when the Lord Jesus comes back, He will bring this suspended kingdom with Him. This is merely vain doctrine. The kingdom was with Jesus when He was on earth. The Lord Jesus said to the Pharisees, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; Nor will they say, Look, here! Or, There! For behold, the kingdom of God is among you” (Luke 17:20-21). In this portion of the Word, we see that the kingdom was wherever Jesus was. In Matthew 12:28, the Lord said, “If I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then the kingdom of God is come upon you.” This means that the kingdom was with the Lord while He was on earth.