How do you persevere when you face persecution for being a Christian? How do you stomach it (and continue to press forward with joy) when following Jesus makes you unpopular, rejected—or even targeted—in your workplace, friend group or family?
The Apostle Paul has a lot he can teach us on this subject. And I especially like what he says to his young friend Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:8-9. He tells him, “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, of the offspring of David, according to my Good News, in which I suffer hardship to the point of chains as a criminal. But God’s Word isn’t chained. Therefore I endure all things for the chosen ones’ sake, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”
In these verses, Paul invites Timothy—and all of us as believers today—to do two things when we experience persecution for our faith.
One. Remember your good news in this world full of bad news.
In verse 8, Paul says, “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, of the offspring of David, according to my Good News.”
I love the way Paul describes the gospel, here. He doesn’t just call it the Good News. He calls it his Good News.
The fact that Jesus came, as a descendent of David, was good news because it meant God had kept His promise to send the Messiah who would rescue His long-suffering people. The fact that Jesus ascended from the grave was also good news because it meant that sin, death and the enemy had all been defeated at the cross. And Paul took all of this good news, personally. God sent Jesus, as the offspring of David, for him. Jesus rose from the grave, defeating death, for him.
And so, in a world that insisted on persecuting him, Paul did not lose heart. The Gospel (his Good News) was so good that not even intense persecution could overshadow it. You know, moving into verse 9, Paul describes the gospel as, “my Good News, in which I suffer hardship to the point of chains as a criminal.” And this should blow our minds a little bit.
Do you know of any other news report that could include suffering like this yet still be considered good news? I don’t. Almost every kind of good news we could receive in this life would be cancelled out—or at least overshadowed—if we learned it would also include our imprisonment or death.
And yet Paul, who would end up dying as a Christian martyr, says that the Gospel—including all the suffering that goes along with following Jesus—is wholly Good News. Why? It’s simple. There is no news so bad that it can cancel out news this good.
Rejection might seem like bad news. But it can’t touch the good news that God loved us enough that He sent His only Son to die for us.
Experiencing limitations or imprisonment might also seem like bad news. But these external constraints cannot touch the good news that our souls are free in Christ.
And death might especially seem like bad news—the worst news of all, in fact. But even death cannot touch the good news that we, as Believers, have been given eternal life that begins now and stretches far beyond the grave.
So, in this world that sometimes rejects, opposes and persecutes God’s people, Paul tells each of us: Remember your Good News. Remember what Jesus did and what it means for you, personally.
- If you get a message that wasn’t intended for you (because it talks about you negatively as a Christian), process that hurt in a healthy way, but also remember your Good News: you are chosen and not rejected by the Highest King.
- If your ability to live out your faith freely at work or school gets taken away, seek wisdom, but also remember your Good News: no matter how constraining your circumstances, your soul is always free to celebrate and worship Jesus.
- And if persecution is so strong that you begin to fear for your life, pray for safety, but also remember your Good News: even death is not the end for Believers.
In these verses, Paul reveals how remembering Jesus, his Good News, helped him face hardships with courage. And I believe that remembering Jesus as our Good News can do the same thing for us, today.
Two. Raise high the Word of God in a world that is seeking.
In verse 9, Paul says that because of the Gospel, he suffered “to the point of chains as a criminal.” Then he declares, “But God’s Word isn’t chained. Therefore I endure all things for the chosen ones’ sake, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” (v9-10)
On the surface, it might have looked like Paul’s ministry was being shut down by the opposition. His arrest and imprisonment prevented him from preaching publicly, as he always had. Yet Paul did not give up ministering. He pressed on with endurance—because he knew that the power behind his ministry wasn’t him, preaching from a pulpit. It was simply the Word of God, which can never be stopped and which alone has the power to change lives.
This is the kind of ministry we should all seek to have in this life: a ministry that isn’t based on personalities, but on the Scriptures; a ministry that raises high the Word of God so people can hear and be transformed. This might look like teaching teens how to dig into Scripture for themselves in a youth group or like reading Psalms to a senior with failing eyesight. It might look like standing on a stage, preaching to many or like patiently engaging one person over an open Bible. But no matter the scale we do it on, if we spend our lives spreading God’s Word in some way, we can know: we are investing in eternal work that cannot be stopped.
Sure. We might be rejected or opposed for our actions in the moment. And maybe one day, we’ll be forbidden from sharing our faith, altogether. But if we’ve prayerfully shared God’s Word with even just one person during this lifetime, we’ll be able to know: we have not wasted our lives. Like Paul, our ministry will not end in failure, but in fruit. We may be stopped, but the Word of God (that we’ve helped send out) will keep marching on—past every defense the world throws up, to meet dying people with hope.
Paul knew that the Word of God was powerful and could not be chained. So, despite opposition and imprisonment, he says he endured. He kept on ministering and sharing the Word in whatever capacity he still had. He wrote letters. He preached when called to defend himself in court. Why? So that the people God was already drawing to Himself might hear the truth and “obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus.” God certainly honored Paul’s faithfulness. His Spirit-inspired prison-letters encouraged a generation of Christians back then and they continue to transform generations, today.
So, consider:
- How might God be calling you to push past opposition so you can share God’s Word with someone?
- And how might you work within your current limitations and constraints to keep raising the Word high in your life?
Even in the midst of rejection, opposition and persecution, Paul reminds us: we have good news. And that good news is worth sharing.
So, let’s follow his lead by remembering our Good News and raising God’s Word high.
May many hearts—including our own—be transformed.
This devotion is based on one of the Scriptures from my three year reading plan: “The Whole Counsel of Scripture.” To receive a copy of the first year’s reading plan (and future reading plans when they become available), sign up for the email list below. Hope you’ll follow along!
Written by Paige K. Burhans
©2026 Paige K. Burhans. All rights reserved.
Scriptures taken from the World English Bible British Edition which is a Public Domain translation.
