Difference of rebuke and persecute

written by Meg

I was in a depth meditation about the difference of rebuke and persecute. While contemplating the Word for the day and the message of my Bible lesson last Sunday, these two words can be defined differently by how the Bible exemplify its words to merely understand and be understood.

Let us evaluate the meaning of persecution or to persecute in the following Bible verse from Acts 9:1-9.

Saul’s Conversion

9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

Here in the story, it reminds us that to persecute a person, Saul felt hate for Lord’s disciples and the first Christians (men and women). There’s a goal of Saul to see these people be imprisoned. From hate (feeling) to force move (action). Inflict pain and suffering among faithful followers of Jesus Christ.

However, there’s a transformation happened with Saul in the succeeding verses. Realizing the passage, it took for him to be blind in order for him to see the truth and became a witness. His strong testimony was testified by men who were with him going to Damascus. Change per se was not easy for the Disciples of Christ to accept him because he himself persecute them including Jesus.

Truly, Jesus can use anyone to convey His message regardless of who we are as a person in the past if and only if we are willing to obey.

What amazed me was his eyesight restoration. Not only God restored his vision but he was able to see what other Christians believed and this was not easy for both him and those around him. Yet what binds them was TRUST. Trust that he was finally one of them. Trust that Saul will no longer hate them. Trust that he will no longer cause them harm and suffering. Trust that despite what happened, the followers of Christ will accept Saul his past and present wholeheartedly without grudge and remorse.

Then Saul became Paul. From being hateful to being sympathetic. From being against to being pro. Because of his new belief, his compassion to salvation became fruitful and can be seen in his writings. His first hand encountered with Jesus through a voice compelled him to change radically. He persuaded people in any walks of life to believe the kind of faith he received from God.

Among of his writings, it promotes warning, advising, counselling which he received from personal experience. One of which is the book of 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. In here, Paul realized the importance of salvation, life, death and punishment of not obeying what was written in the Scripture. Paul including other apostles also forewarned the people in advance about false prophets, false teachers and and false Christ.

Because of passion, Paul also wrote the book of Galatians 1:6-8 to warn people about other gospel. This is rebuking and not persecuting.

No Other Gospel
6 I am astonished how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7which is not even a gospel. Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a divine curse!

Unlike persecuting with so much hate, rebuking is full of love. Love that compels hard work, passion and even life threatening experience day in day out.

Experiencing the life of Paul was not easy. I believe, he may gain people and lose as well. Gain for those who believe as believers and lose for those who don’t. It’s indeed a tough decision to make. To leave the faith he believed for a very long time against the kind of faith he experience with Christ going to Damascus. One thing is for sure, his sacrifices together with the apostles were not put in vain. Despite that they were beaten, hauled off to jail, and most of all killed for their beliefs (with the exception of John); my heart is filled with gratitude, joy, passion and compassion with them to share what they also started in me all the way from Jerusalem to Philippines and other parts of the world. =)

To God be the glory. Be blessed! =)