Lakeland Seventh-day Adventist Church

Definition
Mistreatment of an individual or group of individuals as a response to their religious beliefs of affiliations.

History of Persecution
Religious persecution had been around since the foundation of the Christian church.
The Roman authorities suspected the Christians of worshiping their God in ways that were disturbing and incomprehensible. Words like “Love feast” and Eating Christ’s flesh” sounded pretty suspicious to the pagan; therefore, Christians were accused of incest, orgies, and all sort of immorality.

Bible Persecution

Those are some verses from the bible that talk about persecution.
2 Corinthians 4:8-9
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Acts 5:17-20
Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. "Go, stand in the temple courts," he said, "and tell the people the full message of this new life."

Jeremiah 20:11
But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble; they will not overcome me. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten.

2 Timothy 3:12
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Matthew 5:10
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

1 Peter 4:14 & 16
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.

John 15:19
If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

Mathew 10:16
I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

Even the disciples were persecuted, in fact, most of them died because of their faith in Christ.
Peter was condemned to death and crucified at Rome. Jerome holds that Peter was crucified upside down, at his own request, because he said he was unworthy to be crucified in the same manner as his Lord.

Paul suffered in the first persecution under Nero. Paul’s faith was so dramatic in the face of martyrdom, that the authorities removed him to a private place for execution by the sword.

Persecution still exists in the world today. Thousands are being persecuted due to their faith and unlike us, they do not even have the freedom to share the word of God to one another.

Seeing that we are so fortunate to have religious freedom here in our country, we should take advantage of the opportunity to share it with every one.