You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

• 2 Timothy 3:10-17

Lord, see how my enemies persecute me! Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,

• Psalm 9:13

All your commands are trustworthy; help me, for I am being persecuted without cause.

• Psalm 119:86

Lord, you understand; remember me and care for me. Avenge me on my persecutors. You are long-suffering—do not take me away; think of how I suffer reproach for your sake.

• Jeremiah 15:15

Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

• 2 Corinthians 11:23-30

This quiz is about “persecution.”  The verses in this quiz have a word related to “persecution” in them.  This could be persecution, persecuting, persecutor(s), or simply persecute.  You can see some Old Testament references to persecution in the Scriptures above, but most of these questions come from the New Testament.

The questions are in biblical order and all questions after the first question are from the New Testament.

The Questions:

	Question	Bible Reference	Answers
1	When the exiled Israelites return, who then will experience the same curses that fell upon the disobedient Israelites, according to one of Moses’ farewell messages?
2	In what way are those persecuted for righteousness blessed?
3	In the Sermon on the Mount, we are to love our enemies but what do we do for those who persecute us?
4	Jesus tells the twelve when He sends them out to shake the dust from their sandals if they are not welcomed in a home or town, but what did Jesus say if they are persecuted?
5	Who asked whether there was a single prophet who was not persecuted by these people’s ancestors?  Bonus: Who was he talking to?
6	Who approved of the killing of the person in question 5, and he then went out dragging believers from their homes and taking them to prison?
7	When Saul meets Jesus on the road to Damascus, who does Jesus claim Saul is persecuting?
8	In Romans 8:35, Paul lists seven things that cannot separate us from the love of Christ.  One is persecution, name at least two others.
9	Paul presents a message of weakness to the Corinthians when he states: We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not ____; struck down, but not destroyed.  Fill in the blank.
10	In the letters to the churches, which church is told they will suffer persecution for ten days?

In many of the references to persecution, we are charged to endure.  We are never alone.  God is in our midst, and He is within us.  And Jesus Christ endured persecution even unto death.  We can too for we have Him within us.

I have written in the past about the different types of persecution.  People in this world face death in professing their faith.  There are countries where churches are burned to the ground.

Few of us have faced any of the trials Paul speaks of in 2 Corinthians in the Scripture above.

I have not faced torture for righteousness, but I was tortured (within strict limits) in a military training exercise.  Beaten? Yes.  Had a weapon pointed at me? I suppose a recently fired AK-47, with the smoke coming out the barrel and then the point used to tip my head back while they asked me some “questions” qualifies.  The burns were not severe.  I had nightsticks pressed between my ribs and then twisted to break the ribs clear of the cartilage, not break the ribs, just make them loose – and I have scar tissue these days that makes breathing harder than the average person, less than average lung capacity.  A man who would become a presidential candidate called me a tough guy, but he could break me if he had not been given limitations (having endured worse himself).

But none of that was for righteousness sake.  How much could you endure?  With Christ in your heart, the only limit is the physical limit to remain in this world.

Bible References:

	Question	Bible Reference	Answers
1	When the exiled Israelites return, who then will experience the same curses that fell upon the disobedient Israelites, according to one of Moses’ farewell messages?	Deuteronomy 30:7
2	In what way are those persecuted for righteousness blessed?	Matthew 5:10
3	In the Sermon on the Mount, we are to love our enemies but what do we do for those who persecute us?	Matthew 5:44
4	Jesus tells the twelve when He sends them out to shake the dust from their sandals if they are not welcomed in a home or town, but what did Jesus say if they are persecuted?	Matthew 10:23
5	Who asked whether there was a single prophet who was not persecuted by these people’s ancestors?  Bonus: Who was he talking to?	Acts 7:52
6	Who approved of the killing of the person in question 5, and he then went out dragging believers from their homes and taking them to prison?	Acts 8:1-3
7	When Saul meets Jesus on the road to Damascus, who does Jesus claim Saul is persecuting?	Acts 9:4
8	In Romans 8:35, Paul lists seven things that cannot separate us from the love of Christ.  One is persecution, name at least two others.	Romans 8:35
9	Paul presents a message of weakness to the Corinthians when he states: We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not ____; struck down, but not destroyed.  Fill in the blank.	2 Corinthians 4:8-9
10	In the letters to the churches, which church is told they will suffer persecution for ten days?	Revelation 2:10

Why did I think of this?  My son is undergoing some of the intimidating work practices that I suffered after leaving the military.  He has been accused falsely of many things.  The accusations have never come face-to-face, which by the contract that governs his employment, is supposed to be the first step.  Never send things to upper management before a face-to-face discussion.

He has even had his union rep complain that he is not doing things the right way, without ever seeing that the accusations are false.

He hopes that a transfer is short-coming, but if not, he needs prayers for endurance.

   …

   …

   …

The Answers:

	Question	Bible Reference	Answers
1	When the exiled Israelites return, who then will experience the same curses that fell upon the disobedient Israelites, according to one of Moses’ farewell messages?	Deuteronomy 30:7	The enemies that hated and persecuted the Israelites.  This is the first mention of “persecution” in the NIV.
2	In what way are those persecuted for righteousness blessed?	Matthew 5:10	Theirs is the kingdom of heaven
3	In the Sermon on the Mount, we are to love our enemies but what do we do for those who persecute us?	Matthew 5:44	Pray for them
4	Jesus tells the twelve when He sends them out to shake the dust from their sandals if they are not welcomed in a home or town, but what did Jesus say if they are persecuted?	Matthew 10:23	Flee to another place
5	Who asked whether there was a single prophet who was not persecuted by these people’s ancestors?  Bonus: Who was he talking to?	Acts 7:52	Stephen when he addressed the Sanhedrin, leading to him becoming the first Christian martyr.
6	Who approved of the killing of the person in question 5, and he then went out dragging believers from their homes and taking them to prison?	Acts 8:1-3	Saul (later known as Paul)
7	When Saul meets Jesus on the road to Damascus, who does Jesus claim Saul is persecuting?	Acts 9:4	Jesus said, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  Thus, Jesus is claiming that Saul is persecuting Jesus, directly, not those that follow Him, for He is in our hearts.
8	In Romans 8:35, Paul lists seven things that cannot separate us from the love of Christ.  One is persecution, name at least two others.	Romans 8:35	Trouble, hardship, famine, nakedness, danger, sword. In the last video, a pastor mentions this verse.
9	Paul presents a message of weakness to the Corinthians when he states: We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not ____; struck down, but not destroyed.  Fill in the blank.	2 Corinthians 4:8-9	abandoned
10	In the letters to the churches given by Jesus to the Apostle John on Patmos, which church is told they will suffer persecution for ten days?	Revelation 2:10	Smyrna

Whether you did well on this quiz or, ummm, not so well, … Here is the Newsboys singing Guilty.

I usually have songs that are uplifting, but with a topic of persecution, I think we need some harsh reality.

Here is Selah singing People of the Cross.  As the song goes on, they show photographs of martyrs.  This is kind of a warmup for the last video.

And here is I Have Decided to Follow Jesus, an Anthem for Persecution.  It is sung by church leaders across India and in many different languages.  The video is produced by Persecution Relief.  The video is very graphic, showing the persecution of Christians in India.  It is one of those things that I struggled to watch, but at the same time, I could not turn my eyes away.  The song is short, but when singing it in a variety of languages, and a pastor speaking, it runs a little over twelve minutes.  If you watch it, have tissues handy.

This song has a legend associated with it that may or may not be true.  According to a United Methodist website, it was found in a hymnal in the mid-1900s with no knowledge of who wrote the initial two verses.  But the origin is from India.  The legend said that a missionary came to a tribe in India and converted some of the tribe people.  Then the clan chief demanded that they turn back to tribe traditions.  The father of one family said, “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back.”  And he repeated that, in the hearing of the missionary, while his family were systematically killed, and then the clan saved him to be killed last.  If the legend is true, history is repeating itself.

As I said, it was hard deciding to use this video, but then, I think everyone should know.

Because Youtube has placed an age restriction on this video, click this LINK.

If you click the link, you we be asked if you understand that the video is graphic and shows violence. Once you click the link, then click the I Understand and Wish to Proceed button.

If you like these Saturday morning Bible quizzes, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Saturday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.