Joy in persection

Acts 7 is a record of Stephen’s masterful defense before the Sanhedrin. He had been thrown into jail for his involvement with that “scraggly group” that was going around telling people a fanciful story about a Galilean carpenter named Jesus who claimed to be the Son of God. The disquieting thing about Stephen was that when he was defending himself before the council, “his face was like the face of an angel” (6:15). Scripture records Stephen’s lengthy presentation of the history of the Jewish nation along with its many failures, closing with his severe accusation of their failure (7:51-53). This “stiff-necked” (sklerotraxelos, only here in the NT) bunch reacted severely against the charges, and in their hatred, stoned Stephen to death. He, on the other hand, was given a beatific vision of heaven and prayed to God not to hold their sin against them (v. 60). 
       Little wonder then, that a great persecution broke out against the church. Saul (who became Paul) had been standing there watching the brutal stoning of Stephen. That sight probably strengthened his reserve to bring this movement to a stop. His reaction was so strong that soon he was going house to house in search of “believers” to imprison (8:2). But persecution was unable to stop the growth of the early church. Quite the contrary, the reaction of those who did believe and experienced the new birth was nothing less than “great joy.” Rarely does persecution create joy! Why did it here?
       From the very beginning, persecution has been the reaction of the world to those who take the gospel message with all seriousness. Early on, in the third century, Cyprian, the Bishop of Carthage described Christians as "people who have learned a great secret of life" and care not when they are “despised and persecuted." Throughout history Christians have suffered the opposition of secularism. Oswald Chambers, the Scottish evangelists and teacher wrote that "suffering and persecution are the very things that produce abundant joy in us." The question, of course, is, Why? 
       While I am no authority on the subject, I believe that persecution brings a person face to face with their core beliefs. They find themselves pressed to make a crucial decision: If they don't really believe what they have been saying, they are apt to deny any involvement in the "heresy." On the other hand, if their faith is real, and even though it could cost them their life, they openly acknowledge it and the true joy of authentic belief rushes in – there is no way to stop it. Truth is a healing power that emboldens the believer. It removes the hesitation of indecision. I believe that in every segment of history, God has given the joy of authenticity to those who are called on to face death for their allegiance to Christ.