The Bryce Crawford Podcast - Dealing With Persecution (EP 23)

Episode Date: March 25, 2024

In this episode, Bryce talks about modern day persecution and how to deal with it.

What's going on, guys? Welcome back to another episode of the Bryce Crawford podcast. I'm Bryce. And today's episode is going to be on persecution. We're going to talk about it, what I think about the word, persecution, how it plays in today's society, what it looks like, and etc. Before we get into it, two things. Number one, you guys always ask me, Bryce, how can we support your ministry? How can we give towards you guys? We've got two options, right? Number one, you can go to Jesusinthestreet.com, get you a fire Jesus shirt, rep the gospel, support our ministry. Number two, our nonprofit giving form is finally set up. It's one time or monthly tax deductible donations. So if you guys feel led to support our ministry, we are mobilized because of your generosity. So one time or monthly giving tax deductible, you can click the link in this YouTube video. So if you're listening to the audio, go to the Bryce Crawford podcast channel.

Click on this episode and go to the description, click on it. And you can partner with us one time or monthly. But let's get into the word persecution. definition of persecution is hostility or ill treatment largely due to religion. So it's because of religion. This word is associated to religion and a lot to Christianity because Christians get a lot of backlash. Now, when you look at the Bible in persecution, a lot of these guys that were getting persecuted, if not all of them, they were trying to kill them. They were trying to stone them, throw rocks at them. They were trying to harm them and things like that. That's what persecution looked like

and even Jesus was getting persecuted. He wasn't welcome in his own hometown. Jesus was sought after by the religious leaders. They tried to arrest him and they wanted to kill him because they thought he was blaspheming. So this word persecution in this time period is largely associated with people trying to kill people for their faith. And now when you look at persecution or someone's like, hey brother, I'm getting persecuted. A lot of times they're just like getting negative comments on the internet, you know. or things like that. So we're going to talk about it. But the dictionary definition says hostility or ill treatment,

ill treatment largely associated with a religion, which is really interesting. So that ill treatment could be negative statements towards you or people bullying you or things like that. And so the reason I wanted to talk about this episode and encourage you guys with the word and some personal testimonies of what I've been through is because I don't want you guys to be afraid of sharing your faith

because of what you think people will think about you. That is the number one reason why people want to. share their faith is because they're afraid of the response of the other person on the other end. The thing that keeps me sharing my faith when I don't want to share my faith is I imagine myself in heaven talking to the apostle Paul. And Paul is telling me all the things that he did for Jesus and the crazy stories that he went through. And then he goes, hey Bryce, like what have you been through? And I say, well, well, you know, I had a hard time sharing my faith because I didn't know what people were going to think of me or, oh, some people made fun of me with their word.

they used a verbal judo on me, you know? I don't want that to be my motivating factor as to why I didn't share my faith. In the grand scheme of things at the end of time, what someone thinks about you isn't going to matter because what he thinks about us is going to trump everything. A normal person's opinion isn't going to matter on Judgment Day. Your opinion of me isn't going to determine my salvation or my final destination on Judgment Day.

his is and what he's done on the cross is going to determine that what your opinion of anyone else around you isn't going to determine your destination or their destination on judgment day it's his judgment his opinion and his blood is what determines that um so we don't want that to be our leading leg but let's jump into the word and see what the word says before i just share some personal stories of things things that i've experienced and and been through i want to i want to start off with john 15 John 15, Jesus is talking about the hatred of the world. He says something very specific in verse 18. He says, if the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own, but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world. Therefore, the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. if they kept my word, they will also keep yours. Let's talk about that for a moment. Jesus says if the word hates you, it hated me first. So when you feel alone if you get hate for being a Christian,

know that you're not alone, he empathizes and sympathizes with us by saying, I've been through that. They hated me. And I'm the reason they hate you. I'm the reason they hate you is what Jesus says. So if you're hated or bullied or people are trying to hurt you because of the faith, just know the reason they hate you. they're doing that is because they hated me. So you're not alone is what he's saying. Then he says

something interesting. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own, but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. There's a difference in saying something outlandish to get a reaction out of people than telling people the truth in them reacting because they don't like the truth and they want to live their own way. There's a difference in that. Because I am not going to go out and evangelize and share my faith and say outlandish things just to get a rise out of people. That is stupid and there's no love in it. That's just a plan. truth but when you share the truth to people that want to live in their own way that want to live in the world they're not going to like it people don't like the truth so the truth is going to do two things

the truth can either offend people to try to get to their heart and they can deny it and say i want to live my own way or the truth can set people free and so that's going to be the big thing so jesus isn't saying hey listen go say outlandish things to get people to hate you know that's not what he's saying he's saying when you preach me when you preach the truth some people aren't going to like you and that's just the reality of it. And then he says something after it. A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.

He's saying, we are slaves to righteousness. I am a slave to Christ. And because I am a slave to Christ, I am not greater than my master, but because Jesus Christ was hated, that means that will also be my destiny as well in this lifetime. I will be hated. We live in a world of sin,

and this world contradicts the truth and freedom. And so people are going to hate you. So there's empathy there. Jesus is relating to us. That's what he's saying. Jesus didn't come to be served, but to serve. And by showing us what life living for him is going to look like, then we have to expect to put a target on our back.

A lot of people try to follow Jesus or go to church because they think it's going to make their life easier. But following Jesus is going to make your life easier in the sense of a carnal perspective, right? The physical things. It's not going to make your life easier in the physical things. Actually, you might lose some friends. people might not like you. People might distance yourself from me. They might call you the righteous police.

They might say you're a little swirl ball, whatever. But when you've found the truth and you found something, it's like that parable that Jesus shares. When he says that there's a man who finds something so valuable in land that he sells all of his possessions to buy it. And people don't see the value in it. So there's something valuable about life with Jesus. And that's what he's sharing.

Let's go to Philippians real quick. Philippians is called the Book of Joy, but Paul writes it in prison. Really interesting. here. Paul is writing the book of joy in prison. And he says two things I want to highlight. Chapter 1, verse 12, I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. It's really crazy how Paul says, I'm glad I'm in prison for Jesus Christ. Because I'm in prison for Jesus Christ, more people are sharing their faith. So actually, because

you're living the life of a Christian and you're being hated for it and people are persecuting you for it, there's going to be more people that are encouraged by your life and more people that are going to want to share your faith. You know, sometimes when we get hated on, and I'll share a little bit more about some stuff I've been through and stuff we experience. But how would it feel if I was just like, you know what, I'm done. Someone put their hands on me because I told them about Jesus in the street. I'm done. I'm not going to do it anymore. I'm going to stop sharing my fate. No, that'd be foolish.

In fact, every time that we post a video when people are outlandish, you might say, Bryce, why did you post that? But more people are encouraged to share their faith. When we press on through the hatred than when we just show people giving their life to Jesus every video. It's really interesting. So Paul is saying because I'm in prison and encourage more people to share the gospel. Because they say, man, Paul is enduring this hard time. The gospel really must be worth it. But then he says later on in verse 21, for me to live as Christ and to die his gain.

if you're a Christian and you're still trying to live your life your way then you aren't fully surrendered to Jesus and if our surrender is fully in his hands then our life is his so when I live this life my life is fully for Christ and when I finally pass away in this lifetime I have gained everything I have wanted in this lifetime so Paul is saying finally when I die because I have Jesus I have gained everything I have prepared my heart for everything I've served for I finally gain it there's power in it lastly I want to go to james here james and two and in sorry chapter one verse two he says count it joy my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness and let steadfastness have its full effect that you may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing

if any of you lacks wisdom let him ask god who gives generously to all without reproach and will be given to you. I love that because when hard times come and persecution comes, sometimes we don't understand. But James is saying here that when persecution and hard times come, it is actually to mold our character to look more like Jesus. Did you know that when they purify gold and silver that when they heated up, the impurities come to the top, right? And they scoop that level off and they throw it and they keep doing it until all the impurities are gone. And they know it's been purified when the person looks over and they see the reflection in them. So as we get put through trials and persecution. We are being purified. God is sanctifying us and hopes that one day he can look over

and look at us and see his reflection more in us. So hard time produces good character. That's what he's saying. And then I love when you jump down to verse 5. He says if any of you likes wisdom, ask God and he'll give it to you. So if you don't know why things are happening to you, James is saying if you just ask God for wisdom as to why this is happening, what's the purpose of it? He will reveal it to you. And then jump down to verse 12. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Those who love him endure hard times. So if you endure hard times, if you endure persecution, it's not because you did it out of your own will, but it's because you love him. We do things out of love. We don't do things

because we want to. We don't do things because we have to. We do things out of love. We serve Jesus Christ because we love him. I preach the gospel, not because I feel like I have to. I preach the gospel because I love it and I'm motivated by love. So the reason I endure through hard times for Jesus isn't because I feel like I have to or I'm forced to. It's because I want to because I love him. And because I love him so much, that love is my driving factor. Love is going to get you through persecution. Love for him is going to get you through persecution.

Your own willpower, how much weight you can lift, how thick your skin is isn't going to get you through persecution. It's how much you love him. Because when you love him, you live unoffendable. And I noticed that as we started getting hate, I started getting. I started getting hate. I started preaching the gospel when I was 17 years old on the internet. When I started preaching the gospel on the internet,

as a 17 year old, I want to put this into perspective. I want to share a little bit of my story because it was a very interesting time in my life. I remember when I was 17 years old, the first four months of me sharing the gospel online, everybody loved it. I don't think I got a single negative comment.

And then when the summer came, things started to get a little bit worse. And then as soon as I started my senior year of high school, it was like a few days before. It was like a light switch turned on. I was getting hundreds, if not thousands of DMs, comments, emails, everything overnight. Of hatred. And I got a lot of things. People called me everything, you know, whether it was Christians saying I was a false prophet, false teacher,

whether it was non-Christian saying that I was delusional. and then I even had people that were threatening me. I had people threatening me. I had people threatening to kill me. I had people telling me to take my own life. Hundreds if not thousands of comments, DMs, and emails like this a day. Three days, two days before my senior year.

And when I went into my senior year, something happened. People at my school didn't like me. I felt alone. I felt really alone. And there was a point where I even went to my high school football game, the first opening high school football game of the season. I went to sit in the student section.

I got food thrown at me. They didn't want me to sit in the student section. I had to go move. They threw food at me. A lot of my classes, if I didn't have it with my close group of friends, I sat alone. It was tough. And then when I would drive around my hometown, I remember going to the local ice cream shop quite a few times.

And people would drive by, threatening to come out and jump and beat me up. I remember people hating on me saying nasty things when I would just go around town. It was not fun. And being 17 years old, that was very tough. And I didn't understand why. And I remember feeling so alone, not knowing what's going on, and pressing through. And there was a scripture that really got me through it. It's in Act 7 when Stephen gives one of the graces gospel presentations ever to the Sanhedron religious leaders.

And they go stone him, stone him. So they take Stephen to be stone. and as Stephen is being stoned for the gospel he looks up because the spirit gives him strength and says forgive them father for they don't know what they're doing they don't understand and when he looks up it's the only time in scripture when jesus is referenced standing at the right hand of god people always say jesus is sitting at the right hand of god one time where jesus is standing at the right hand of god and when i read that scripture i imagine jesus looking down on me standing up clapping his hands going that's my son i'm proud of him and so every time I started to get hate, DM, comments, whatever, I started to imagine Jesus standing off the throne, clapping, going, that's my son, Bryce, I'm proud of him.

He's standing up for the truth. And then after I realized that, I started understanding that one reason why I was actually deeply offended by comments, DMs, and hateful emails was because I was starting off my day looking at social media and not with the word. When I start my day off of what they think about me, is what he thinks about me. I'm going to walk offended for the rest of my day. But when I start my day looking here and not at my phone screen, then it doesn't matter what these words say, they're just going to roll off on me because when I start my day looking up, then I'm not even

looking at the things that people are saying about me. It's not going to offend me. But when I start looking down at my phone and not looking up, then it's going to ruin my day. I'm going to walk offended. I'm going to be offended by people's hatred. And hurting people hurt people. You know, the one reason that people persecute and throw words around is because they were hurt by people that claim to be Christians, but they don't live it out. So listen, if you guys are some people that are worried about telling people that you're a Christian, don't just live it out. They'll know. I don't worry about people knowing that I'm Christian. People just know, man, they just know that you're a Christian because you got the spirit inside of you. And your life is going to offend people

because it's contrary to the world. So we can't be afraid. We can't be afraid of persecution. And now I want to be careful that word because like in America, we're like, we're getting persecuted. and I'm getting persecuted. I'm getting hate, this, this, and that. And then in countries around the globe, people are literally getting brutally murdered for their faith. That's persecution. That's persecution.

People's lives being at risk for the faith. I mean, there are people that have to blur their faces, smash their phones, buy new phones every few days in foreign countries. They have to hide. They have to meet underground. They have to meet in secret at the peak of nighttime to meet for Jesus because they can't meet during the day or they're going to be killed.

that's persecution. So my friend, take heart. Don't be afraid to share your faith because you're worried about what someone's going to say. Oh, no, I'm worried about what someone's going to say about me. I can't be worried about that. I want to pray that God gives you guys strength through persecution and hard times because hard times reduce endurance in the faith. Jesus, I thank you for everyone watching and listening to this.

God, I just pray that your word and my testimony has encouraged people. God, I just pray that you will give them strength of the hard times, that when people are going through persecution or hard times, that you will give them wisdom in their situation as to why things are happening. Jesus, I love you, and I thank you for people listening to this in Jesus' name. Amen. Guys, if you love the episode, subscribe to us on YouTube, Bryce Carver podcast. We're on Spotify and Apple as well. Follow us on Instagram, Bryce Carver podcast. Guys, I love you guys. Take heart.

Hard times are guaranteed. But with Jesus Christ, when the flesh is weak, the spirit is willing. When we feel like giving up, don't give up, my friend. because we persevere through hard times, not because we have to, but because we love it. I love you guys, and we'll see you guys next time.