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Are you prepared?
Isn’t it true that it’s a lot easier
to prepare for an event
when you know it’s likely to happen soon?
How likely is it that we will be persecuted?
Our Scripture text for today, 2 Timothy 3:12,
says that “all those desiring to live
“with godly devotion
in association with Christ Jesus
will also be persecuted.”
So it’s not just likely to happen;
it’s bound to happen.
How have you been persecuted?
All of us can remember
hostilities directed toward us
because of the message we preach.
But at the same time,
we can also remember
how Jehovah helped us.
But how does Jehovah prepare us?
It’s no coincidence
that today’s printed comments
also draw attention to the words of 1 Peter.
Peter wrote this inspired letter
around 62-64 C.E.,
just months before
Paul wrote 2 Timothy.
Those addressed in Peter’s letter
were undergoing severe trials,
and the situation
was about to get much worse.
At times, people mistakenly identified
our first-century brothers
with Jewish Zealots,
who later rebelled against Rome.
Perhaps the misunderstanding arose because
Christians wouldn’t sacrifice to the emperor
or mix in with pagan ceremonies.
Then in 64 C.E.,
a great fire devastated a quarter of Rome,
and rumor had it
that Caesar Nero was responsible.
So to protect his reputation,
Nero blamed Christians.
And likely that is what prompted
a wave of violent persecution.
And recall that just months after that,
Cestius Gallus
besieged Jerusalem in 66 C.E.
So these two inspired letters
—1 Timothy, or 1 Peter, rather,
and 2 Timothy—
were timely and they helped prepare
our brothers for what was to come.
But we too
are misunderstood and maligned
because of our conduct and our message.
We too are living
at the end of the system of things.
So, what can help us
as we undergo serious persecution
like our 155 imprisoned brothers and sisters
in at least seven countries
around the world today?
Let’s take note of three things
that are brought to our attention in 1 Peter:
1 Peter 3:14,
don’t fear what faithless people fear;
1 Peter 4:14,
you have Jehovah’s holy spirit—rely on it;
and 1 Peter 5:9-14,
trust and treasure
your loyal fellow worshippers.
We might think of the coincidental 14’s
as a sort of memory aid.
Notice what it says at 1 Peter 3:14:
“But even if you should suffer
“for the sake of righteousness,
“you are happy.
“However, do not fear what they fear,
nor be disturbed.”
Fear—our printed comments indicate
that fear is a powerful weapon
used by our adversary, the Devil.
By using it, he tries to make us
shrink back from serving Jehovah.
But 1 Peter 3:14 says:
“Do not fear what they fear.”
Well, first of all, who are “they”?
Our persecutors, yes, but also those
who have been influenced
by their way of thinking.
What do they fear?
Dishonor, defeat, death.
We can’t help but be reminded
of the account of David and Goliath
found in 1 Samuel chapter 17.
Goliath trusted in force
—his massive height, his javelin, his spear,
his sword, his armor, his shields.
Well, King Saul too
was impressed by such things.
His entire army of thousands
were terrified by Goliath
for more than a month.
When Saul finally agreed to let David fight,
he tried to cover him with his own armor,
which resembled Goliath’s.
So Saul’s refuge was the same
as Goliath’s refuge
—force, physical advantages,
weapons, armor—
we could say, normal power.
It would have been normal
for a nine-foot-tall warrior
to utterly defeat an inexperienced soldier,
whether he was clothed with armor or not.
No wonder David
opted out of using Saul’s armor!
David didn’t fear what Goliath feared
or what Saul feared.
This was a battle between gods.
David relied on
“power beyond what is normal,”
and that’s what we need to do.
This week, jw.org carried the words
of Brother Vitaliy Ilinykh,
who said this
regarding his arrest and detention:
“The harder things get in our lives,
the closer we become to Jehovah.
“Jehovah is the Potter,
and if he allows some fire in my life
“that means he is also in control
of the entire process.
“If it seems that I am unable
to bear the burden,
“it’s time for me to beg Jehovah
for the ‘power beyond what is normal.’”
Our persecutors can’t change
Jehovah’s power to help us,
to remember us, to reward us.
If we’re faithful to Jehovah,
we achieve the highest forms of honor,
victory, and life,
and thus we don’t fear
what faithless people fear.
“With eyes of faith,
there’s nothing more to fear.”
And this brings us
to the words of 1 Peter 4:14:
“If you are being reproached
for the name of Christ,
“[again] you are happy,
because the spirit of glory,
yes, the spirit of God,
is resting upon you.”
To be reproached for the name of Jesus
is one evidence that we have God’s spirit.
And we need God’s spirit
in order to keep on enduring.
As our brother Anton Ostapenko
recently wrote:
“[In prison] Jehovah fully showed me
what sort of God he is.
“Let me tell you, I was delighted by it!
“He became not just Almighty God
“but a loving Father
who truly understands my circumstances
“and offers his help and support
in ways I had not even imagined
and always at just the right time.”
Yes, “with Jehovah, [we are] strong,
determined to go on,
knowing [our] God is always near.”
And then we have the encouragement
found at 1 Peter 5:9-14,
to treasure our faithful brothers.
While he was in prison, Anatoliy Vilitkevich
wrote down examples from the Bible
of those who also experienced persecution.
He says: “I remembered that Jehovah
“didn’t just spare them from difficulties,
“but at the same time,
he didn’t abandon them.
[And] this strengthened me greatly.”
His wife’s letters also gave him
needed encouragement.
He says: “In one of her first letters,
“Alyona sent me several photographs
with our friends and loved ones.
“Every evening I would look
at these photographs
“and try to recall
something interesting that happened
“between me
and the individual in the photograph.
This helped me to feel
that they were right there next to me.”
Yes, he drew strength
from faithful ones,
past and present.
We are one united people.
Truly all of us can expect to be persecuted,
but Brother Dmitriy Golik
summed it up well when he said this:
“Of course,
practical preparation was beneficial.
“But spiritual preparation
was far more valuable.
“Under persecution, what is important
isn’t how clever we are
“or how well we can hide
from our persecutors,
“but our loyalty to God.
“Jesus could have successfully hidden
from his enemies too,
“but that wasn’t his goal.
“As his disciples,
our goal is not to avoid difficulties,
but to face them in a dignified manner.”
So how do we prepare for persecution?
In reading the experiences
of our brothers and sisters
undergoing these trials,
it’s obvious that they
have been taking seriously
the basics of pure worship,
not just in a perfunctory way,
but with a view to drawing
ever closer to Jehovah
and truly meditating on, appreciating,
and applying every teaching
and every experience
to the extent that they don’t fear
what faithless people fear.
They rely on Jehovah’s
holy spirit in all things,
and they treasure and trust
their faithful fellow workers.
If we do those same things,
then we will be ready.
We will be prepared for the trials
that will come upon us.

David Schafer: Are You Prepared? (2 Tim. 3:12)