Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
Acts 4:1-4
“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” That quote, attributed to the early Church father, Tertullian (AD 160-225), captures and conveys what is ironically counter-intuitive. Don’t movements, and indeed kingdoms, thrive most in times of prosperity? In the world, usually.* But Jesus’ kingdom “is not of this world” (John 18:36). And Christ’s “other-world” kingdom operates and progresses by heavenly principles.
Think about it. Abel, not Cain, was approved by God. Joseph’s life of suffering led to the salvation of his people. Overlooked David was chosen to be king. Jesus came as a suffering Servant instead of as the longed-for conquering king. Jesus said that “the first would be last and the last first” (Matthew 20:16), and, “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25). He defeated sin, death, Hell, and the devil by dying, and it was only by dying that He would rise. Paul said that “we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).
Let us not suppose that when the Church is experiencing worldly wealth and success, she is strongest or even truly growing. While we would be foolish to seek suffering and or persecution, if we are truly “desiring to live godly lives in Christ Jesus,” persecution will providentially find us! (2 Timothy 3:12).
The Church seems to experience her greatest spiritual—and often even numerical growth—in times of persecution. Let us bear this in mind in these days in which the world is less and less favorable toward the Church. And let us not be surprised or disheartened. After all, didn’t our Lord tell us that the world hates us because it hates Him!?
*Sometimes, even in the world, prosperity is the beginning of the end due to feelings of prideful invincibility, which God often soon crushes.