Persecution & Martyrdom, Unexpected Catalysts for Revival
Ricci Johnson-Wilson
May 19, 2025
To set the stage for this message, let’s introduce the first martyr of the first century Church.
Acts 6:1-15 AKJV
“And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. 2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. 3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. 4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. 5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: 6 whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. 7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. 9 Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. 10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake. 11 Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. 12 And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council, 13 and set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law: 14 for we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us. 15 And all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.
Between Acts 6:16 and Acts 7:54, Stephen will take the Sanhedrin on an historical journey, Abraham to Moses, listing the foundation of their Jewish heritage and faith. In doing so, he will refute the false accusations made against him.
Let’s skip down to Acts 7:54, after Stephen not only conveyed their history, but then reprimanded their actions.
Acts 7:54-8:4
54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56 and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. 57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, 58 and cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
8:1And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judæa and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. 3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. 4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the Word.
Stephen, as we know, is the first martyr to seal his witness to the truth of Jesus, the Son of God, and the fulfillment of the Covenant, with his blood.
Two significant things occurred with the shedding of Stephen’s blood.
1) Paul’s 3-year rampage against the Christians was launched
2) The Awakening and resulting revival that the early Church experienced in that first year after the Passion of our Lord, catapulted to a whole new level.
It’s inevitable, intercession, repentance, and a return to God, bring the Awakening. When the people of God are oppressed, they cry out to Him in unprecedented ways. He, forever a gracious God, pours Himself out upon those who’ve sought His face. When revival breaks out, it often seems that persecution increases as well.
I asked myself, is persecution a catalyst for revival?
There are many reasons people are persecuted for their faith:
- On a national level, it’s often confusion or fear of an overthrow. History records that the Roman government were very concerned about this because the Christians would only worship one God, and they refused to bow to any of their gods. They often held “private meetings” and as such, the assumption was that they must be preparing for an insurrection or an overthrow the Roman government.
- Jealousy is another reason for persecution; we see this with the Sanhedrin.
- A lack of control by national or religious leaders over what God is doing in communities.
- Various political authoritarians may attempt an intervention; this is usually through arrests, torture, imprisonment, and even sentencing Christians to death. We see this today in rigidly communist nations such as North Korea and China.
- Religious differences, Islam vs Christianity often compels severe persecution. We see this in nations with Islamic governments. For many in these countries, converting to Christianity can bring a death sentence. Some forbit the distribution of the Bible and will arrest any and all who attempt to bring a Bible in their country. Even though Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the world, in some of these countries where persecution is the most severe, we see Muslims—disciples of Islam—turning to Christ in great numbers because He is appearing to them and awakening them to the truth of Who He is.
I recognize that few of these listed above are experienced by Americans. I do find it interesting when people tell me part of America’s problem, one that is bringing the judgment of God upon our land, is the fact that we did not make America a Christian Nation.
America is uniquely blessed in that it is the only nation dedicated to God and the spread of the Gospel. Mandating religion often leads to terrible or insincere outcomes. Nations that mandate religion need only one bad apple to come in and they will outlaw any and all religions that do not conform to that leader’s religion. That’s why the early settlers fled their nations to come to America to begin with. Afghanistan is one very recent example; Islam is considered their only religion. Converting from Islam to Christianity is considered shameful to the family, the community and Allah, dissidents are often tortured and then killed under Sharia law. This has increased exponentially since we pulled out in 2021, and the Taliban took over.
We see similar accounts in Iran, Iraq, Turkey and other nations that, prior to the birth of Islam 1300 or so years ago, had a significant Christian presence. Remember, these regions were evangelized by the early Church. The Apostles Peter, John and Paul spent years spreading the Gospel message throughout these very regions. Every Apostle except John was martyred somewhere the vast regions of Northern Africa to India and all the way up to Rome. Many followers of Christ were martyred as well, tens of thousands were killed in Rome by Nero alone. In fact, Josephus, the first century Jewish historian, a pharisee, who was brought to Rome as an historian, is considered to have “switched sides” because he was seen as sympathizing with the Christians after recording the horrific abuse and torture of Christians by Rome. Ultimately, he recorded in his historical accounts, that Jesus was indeed the Messiah of the Scriptures.
Persecution has a profound impact on people and the nations in which it exists. Let’s look at just two unexpected outcomes of persecution:
1) Persecution tends to promote the very thing it seeks to destroy.
How? If we read through the book of Acts searching for the impact of persecution on the early Church, we see this truth revealed to us in statements such as the one in:
Acts 6:7
7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
Or
Acts 8:4
. 4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the Word.
The persecution by the Sanhedrin, promoted and catapulted the Word of God throughout the region. Not only in Jerusalem, but Philip, another of the seven chosen to serve alongside Stephen, went to Gentile areas to preach the Word of God. He traveled up to Samaria where he saw revival break out. Then the Lord sent him down to the desert to meet the Ethiopian who was reading the book of Isaiah on his way home from Jerusalem. Philip begins at the very passage he was reading, Isaiah 53:7-8 and takes him straight to Jesus. Incidentally, there’s a small Ethiopian sect in Egypt living in intense persecution today, who trace their spiritual heritage back to this Ethiopian official.
Philip baptized the Ethiopian in a river along the path and then the Spirit of the Lord sweeps Philip up to Azotus and he’s directed to continue north, preaching the Gospel until he settles in Caesarea 60 miles north of Azotus. Philip’s travels took him over 100 miles on foot where he preached the Gospel everywhere he went! (Acts 8) In Acts 21:8, years later, Paul—formerly Saul, the persecutor—would stay in Philip’s home with his wife and four prophetic daughters. (Acts 21:8) The persecution and martyrdom of Stephen was a catalyst for this profound revival that occurred with Philip. This is only one example.
Persecution promoted the very thing it sought to destroy…
Some historians believe that in the first century alone, over 1 million Christians were martyred. Yet, as surviving Christians fled, the Word of God was spread and the followers of Christ increased daily. As I shared last week, there are 89 references to the “Word of God increasing greatly”, or “the followers of Christ increasing greatly” found in the New Covenant Scriptures. Again, persecution promotes the very thing it seeks to destroy.
2) Persecution activates a zeal in the heart of the believer for the very thing they are being persecuted over.
In Acts 4 Peter and John are before the Sanhedrin after the lame man was healed and they were commanded not to speak in the name of Jesus. Peter and John’s response was that they must obey God rather than man. They returned to the Apostles and other disciples of Christ and after testifying to the rest of the disciples what God did in that meeting, they concluded by praying for more boldness (zeal) to declare His Word! And God responded by shaking the place up!
In Acts 5, the Apostles are arrested again. An Angel let them out of the prison and told them to go right back into the Temple and continue to preach the Word. Once again, they are dragged before the Sanhedrin. Were it not for the wisdom God provided Gamaliel in this moment, the Sanhedrin would have had them killed. The Scriptures tell us they were once again warned not to speak in the name of Jesus, but this time they are flogged. This word “flogged” in the Greek literally means “flayed.” In other words, they were whipped until their skin was flayed from their bodies.
Acts 5:41-41 record their response:
“And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. 42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.”
Acts 6:1 tells us that the number of disciples increased.
In Acts chapters 6 and 7, we have Stephen’s witness. He’s brought before the Sanhedrin and as he is about to speak, Luke records him as “having the face of an Angel”. These events within the secret quarters of the Sanhedrin would not have been accessible by the public. Paul himself testifies to Luke what occurred in these closed-door meetings. In the end, Stephen is stoned, and like Jesus, he cries out for mercy on behalf of his persecutors, extending forgiveness to those who did not care to receive it.
At this point, persecution really breaks out against the Church. Yet, we see a catalyst occurring as the Word of God explodes across the region! It is spread from Ethiopia to Antioch as Saul (Paul) embarks on his three-year, murderous rampage against the Church. The zeal in the heart of believers increases and spreads!
Acts 8:1-4 tells us that because Paul was wreaking havoc on the people of God, those who were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the Word. These people did not get in their cars, carriages or climb up onto camels, they grabbed what they could carry and fled, spreading the message of the Gospel wherever they went!
This, my friends, is a genuine zeal for the very thing persecution was meant to destroy.
By Acts 12, we have the first martyr by a political figure as Herod beheads James. Prior to this, it was persecution by the religious sect. Now, it has escalated and will continue to escalate for the next several decades. But the people who were persecuted were activated and maintained their zeal, promoting the very thing the enemy sought to destroy.
The New Covenant is the testament of the Apostles lives as they lived and ultimately died for Christ.
Why were they capable of preaching the Gospel as they did, in spite of the risks?
They prepared in times of relative peace. They received from Jesus the warnings of what would come, and He taught them how to endure. After His death, resurrection and ascension, they had about a year of relative peace to prepare for the severity of what would come.
I know it’s difficult for us to picture what true persecution looks like, especially in America. We are blessed to have minimal discomfort for our faith. But, as Mom and I have shared, persecution is coming. Especially for those who would try to leave the Catholic Church. So, how do we do prepare? Should the Lord give us the privilege of walking alongside someone trying to flee the Catholic Church, how would we help them endure?
Preparation for disasters or emergencies is best done before the emergency arises. Preparing for persecution is the same thing, doing so amid relative peace is the best option. How do we do this?
1) We need to recognize the signs of impending persecution. Inevitably, the enemy seeks to cancel Christians in the public square before persecution really takes off. The Sanhedrin sought to cancel Jesus in the hearts of the people before they ultimately crucified Him. Then, they denied Who He was and continued to harass the Apostles at times even violently before they escalated to the level in which they killed Stephen. Once Stephen’s blood was shed, the rampage headed by Paul began.
For us here in America, we knew persecution was on the horizon when Christians were arrested for praying outside abortion clinics, or when fathers were arrested for speaking out at their children’s school board meetings. Instead of standing with righteousness, Biden’s DOJ labeled these brave individuals as domestic terrorists for trying to protect the pre-born or shield their pre-teens from explicit material. But recognizing the signs is important, it helps us amp up our preparations.
2) We need to build or even rebuild our arsenal during peacetime. Paul often likened the walk of the believer to that of a soldier. We should do the same.
On a national level, we can look at President Trump’s efforts to strengthen our nation’s war chest both times he’s taken office as an example of the importance of building up our nation’s arsenal during peacetime. How did he do this? He’s signed Executive Orders to rebuild our military. Why? Foreign nations tend not to attack or invade nations with strong military arsenals. Even if they do, the stronger nation will prevail.
Appling this same concept to the life of a Christian: this means we need to build up our spiritual arsenal in times of relative peace. How?
• By maintaining a Word and prayer life.
• Continuously strengthening yourself in the Lord.
• By applying the Word to our lives. Consider the messages Mom brings, like the one last week. She had us read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a and where we saw the word “love” insert our own name. The goal is to personalize the whole passage. Then ask the Lord to reveal where this isn’t true of us.
I can promise you, if we truly take that to heart, when we are interacting with family, co-workers, friends, we will see if we respond with patience and kindness when our whole world seems to be crashing down on us.
You’ll see whether or not we are boastful of our own promotion or envious of our co-worker who just got that promotion we worked harder for.
If we seriously, intentionally, lay that passage before the Lord with our whole heart, He will allow circumstances that will try the very message that passage presents us with. That’s one of the first steps to union, but did you know, that if we take this passage and allow God to take His holy rotor rooter to our soul until impatience, unkind responses, envy, boastfulness, vanity, pride, haughtiness, rudeness, self-serving, touchy, fretful, resentful, that gotcha attitude, unrighteousness, and deceitfulness are removed and replaced with love, patience, hope, endurance, and an unwavering pursuit of truth, when persecution comes, we will be capable of loving those who persecute us. We will have compassion on them considering their final destination should they remain on this course of persecuting God’s people. How often do we read of those executioners commissioned with lighting the fire, wielding the sword, casting the stone or pulling the trigger coming to Jesus because of the martyr’s responses in their last moments? If we have not learned how to love prior to persecution, that lesson will be far more difficult when the intense pressing comes.
The early Church prayed, pursued the Word, and were built up by the Apostle’s teaching as they served one another. They applied what they learned to their lives on a daily basis. As a result, when persecution came, they were ready.
3) We need to know the Lord we serve
If we do not know Jesus, really know Him, experientially know His will and His ways, in times of persecution you will be pressed beyond your ability to stand strong. Even Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:9 and Acts 26:11 that his greatest regret, his greatest grief was that his persecution was so severe, his abuse and punishment so great, it the caused believers to blaspheme in the Synagogues. That’s not because they did not know the Lord, it’s because the punishment was more than they could bear. What could have changed this?
The closer we walk with the Lord, the more we know Him, the greater our strength and His grace will be in times of great affliction.
In America we have tremendous freedom afforded to us by our Constitution. Sometimes, we rely on those Constitutional freedoms, we decree them boldly, demanding our “Constitutional Rights!” On the surface, we are proud of our great knowledge and willingness to fight for our 1st Amendment rights. However, during Covid, out of fear, we relinquished those rights as a Church and closed our doors in obedience to corrupt governors.
This revealed a lot about the condition of the American Church. Little by little, chaos, false flags, acts of terrorism, and so on, compel us once again, out of fear to relinquish more and more of our “freedom”.
However, we must never forget, we have a freedom that is much higher than man can understand or possibly grant us. One in which God has given us, to worship Him, and Him alone—may we never forget this Truth. This has nothing to do with our Constitutional rights, and everything to do with our God-given privilege to know, to love, and to worship Him. If we stand on the former and rely on the latter, we will be better for it.
I am grateful that God found it in His heart to create this nation to be a place of refuge in the end times. However, even in America, persecution has come in different forms, mostly to strip us of our rights. One day, yes, even in America, we will see persecution rear its ugly head with the intent to strip us of our love and relationship with our Savior. Until then, we must gird up our loins, not simply for our own sake, but for this next generation. To prepare them to be overcomers, to understand that martyrdom, whether you are a living martyr like Trump, and now Elon have been, or one who lays down his life for the sake of the Cross like Paul, and most of the Apostles and the many Christians living in the middle east and Africa even in our day, the call to stand for the Cross and to love those who persecute you, remains the same.
When one lays down their life like Stephen did it serves as a catalyst for revival. Even if persecution increases to the degree as recorded by Josephus, where the roads of Jerusalem were strewn with crosses, so much so, it reeked of death as they ran out of trees to procure more wood from which to crucify their victims, the call remains the same and God will use it as a catalyst to open the eyes of the blind to Who He is as He pours out the martyrs grace to those who say yes to the call.
May we press in and press on as those who went before us did. As times begin to shake a little more aggressively here in our nation, let us not turn our back on God’s plans and purposes. Let us remember to continuously view the events set before us through the lens of the Lord. Let us trust God’s plan for His Church, our nation, and the golden age that is upon us. This doesn’t mean we won’t have shake ups as the corruption in our nation is exposed and uprooted, what it means is that God is using these things to awaken the masses to their need to get on the right side of history. To awaken from their slumber and participate in the weeping and sweeping of our land as I shared last week.
This is the crux of this message, the intercessors have been pressed down into the tectonic plates to pray that we might keep this nation from being ripped apart by the enemy. The intercessor has endured much in the line of personal persecution for our stance over the last several years. But it’s worth it because we are living martyrs for God’s plans and purposes to be done in the earth.
There is a day coming, that is not too far off, in which we are going to actually see the exposure that we’ve prayed for at least the last decade to come forth. This is not just voter fraud, activists posing as journalists, or BLM, there are going to be devastating revelations that will shake the nation to its core. Abortion, human trafficking unlike anything most can imagine, will be revealed. God will allow it because until people really understand what has occurred, they will not fight to stop and prevent it from re-emerging. That’s when the intercessors are truly going to need to engage and having allowed God to thrust us deep into the tectonic plates, we will have learned to intercede to keep the nation from being ripped apart. I feel it every day in my spirit and I honestly don’t know what to do with this information but cry out to God and plead with Him to give me a message to help us stay united, stay in prayer, and remember that persecution comes in all forms, and if you are willing, God will use your tears, your sacrifices, and your obedience, to keep this nation in tact in the coming days.
Please go through 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a as Mom encouraged us last week. I can think of nothing more profound to help prepare us to respond to this exposure with love, with grace, and with strength, fully reliant on Him to get this nation across the finish line and be part of the healing that His revival will bring to those who have been victims. Persecution, which comes in all forms, really is a catalyst for revival.
Blessings & love,
Ricci Johnson-Wilson
