And with these sayings they could scarcely restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them. Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. Acts 14:18-19

If you missed the previous post, you might want to go back and read it to understand the lessons contained in this post.

Some lessons from the previous post…

We must not let people’s love for us be our aim. That people love Christ is the goal, not that they love us. The desire for people to like us is what commonly keeps us from sharing Christ and the gospel in the first place.
Angry atheists prove the point in Romans 1 about atheism. Everyone knows there is a God. Those who oppose Him do so because they hate God, otherwise they would disbelieve and move on. Let us not give in to the temptation to hate them. Instead, let us love and pray for these enemies of Christ. Who knows, God may yet be pleased to save some of them (as He did with Saul of Tarsus in Acts 9).
Opposition to believers is actually opposition to God, so don’t take it personally. We must take persecution seriously, but not personally! (1 Samuel 8:7)
Caving in to pressure from those who persecute believers doesn’t change their hearts—they will still hate God. But when we are strong in the Lord, that will trouble their hearts.

Lastly, in case you are unaware, persecution of Christians (which is actually hatred of Christ, not us), is on the rise, not only in “other places far away,” but in the US as well. It is subtle, but it is growing. Let us pray. Prepare. And keep praying! Unless the Lord is pleased to bring about a nation-wide revival, our nation’s hatred of Christ is on the rise!

(Footnote: Our national hatred of Christ is not in the hearts of the majority, but the minority who truly hate Him is angry, loud, and has the power of politicians, judges, the media, entertainment and educational industries in their pocket! Let us pray!)