But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds. Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there. Acts 17:13-14

When persecutors from Thessalonica threatened Paul and Silas in Berea, the brethren there sent them away. What should we make of this?

First, we must use extreme caution forming doctrine from narratives. The Bible accurately records what happened, but it does not endorse (much less prescribe) everything it records.

Second, when thinking about how Christians are to view persecution, we are reminded of Jesus’ words that persecution is a “blessing” and that we are to “rejoice” in it (Matthew 5:10-12).

Third, Jesus also taught that when we are rejected for the sake of the gospel, we should depart (Matthew 10:14). This is in keeping with what Paul and Silas did, departing from persecution.

From this I would deduce that Christians need to discern in each case what is appropriate, considering the following:

It is unwise to seek persecution, and it is in fact wise to avoid it when possible—so long as we are not denying Christ and the gospel to do so. We certainly do no favors to Christ or ourselves if we persist when someone has made it clear that they do not want to hear what we have to say about Christ.

When persecution is unavoidable, we must seek the Lord for His grace and strength to endure faithfully and patiently while blessing those who hate us (Luke 6:28).

Let us pray for our persecuted brethren around the world. And let us be prepared. Persecution appears to be coming our way.