I would guess that most of us are familiar with some troubling recent events that threaten the church. On January 18, a mob (c. 35 people) invaded a Baptist church in St. Paul, MN and intentionally disrupted the worship service. This mob was not merely protesting outside the building. They entered the auditorium of the church and shut down the worship service altogether.

My focus today is not the reason the mob attacked the church. My concern is the fact that many American citizens believe that it was proper and suitable to invade a church on a Sunday morning, disrupt the worship service, and cause mayhem and fear among those attending. Their intent was shock and publicity, and they succeeded in those goals.

When these kind of things happen at a church, especially one of like faith and practice, we need to pay attention and see what we can learn from it.

My main concern is helping us to think through what we should expect from the church during times of persecution and opposition.

Here’s a statement from a recent report from International Christian Concern, an agency that tracks religious persecution world-wide:

2024 was a harrowing year for massive numbers of Christians worldwide. From underground house churches in China to remote villages in Nigeria, the Body of Christ has faced relentless persecution from governments, terrorist organizations, and society.

We are very blessed to live in America at this time in history. None of us has never experienced relentless persecution. But that may be changing. Some people see recent events as an example of things to come. If things keep going in the same direction, some of us may suffer persecution like Christians do in other parts of the world.

The Bible warns us that “perilous times shall come” (2 Tim 3:1). Perilous times have come for many Christians, and they might come for us, too.

We should keep several biblical principles in mind as we see an uptick in persecution and hostility against the church in our culture.