If you take a look at the history of the Church, you will find that the truth has always been persecuted by falsehood. In other words, the people who preach the true gospel have always been persecuted, mocked, and despised by those who have nothing but the outer shell of the gospel. Of course, when Jesus came to this world, He was not praised either; He was mocked and despised, and in the end He was killed. As a result, all of mankind falls under one of two categories: those who suffer with Christ, and those who oppose Christ. This fact appears in the Bible.

At one time, political powers took control of Christianity, oppressing the real truth of which the Bible speaks. Even at the beginning of the era of modern history, people holding political power and advocating orthodoxy killed those who proclaimed what appeared to be new and radical ideas.

To give you an example, after the Anglican Church had been established as the church of England, church officials had the evangelist, John Bunyan,³ imprisoned. Whenever he tried to preach, he would be put in prison. This did not stop him, however, even when his wife lay sick and there was no one else to take care of household matters. He spent a lot of time in prison. Later, one Christian historian would say that Bunyan was the most stubborn man in England. It was while Bunyan was in prison that he wrote the book, Pilgrim's Progress, an account of the steps an individual takes as he walks towards God. In this book, Bunyan depicts the anguish in the heart and the battles with enemies that a believer encounters as he progresses towards the kingdom of God.

Before the time of Bunyan, Martin Luther⁴ suffered persecution and risked his life for his faith. Fortunately, Luther managed to escape with his life, thanks to the positive support of certain Germans in powerful and influential positions. Even before the Reformation instigated by Martin Luther, many people sacrificed their lives for their faith.

As we examine the history of Christianity, we find that wherever the gospel has been preached, it has been in the midst of circumstances far from peaceful. Countless people have been sacrificed for the sake of proclaiming this truth.

How was Jesus treated by the religious leaders of His time? They hated Him, and in the end He suffered the agony of crucifixion at their hands. The truth of Christianity in the days of the early Church was not an object of praise in this world; it was an object of hatred. The apostle Paul was referred to as "a pestilent fellow" and "a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes" (Acts 24:5), and the apostles were accused of having "turned the world upside down" (Acts 17:6).

In 1740, the gospel movement began to develop in England and was centered around Oxford University. The pivotal figure at the time was John Wesley. Even before this, the work of the gospel had continued to flourish due to the work of people who had come to such a definite realization of the truth - people such as John Bunyan, John Knox, and John Calvin. In Wesley's day too, people who came to a definite realization of the gospel were, in most cases, treated as heretics and persecuted. Even in the midst of persecution wherever they went, they were determined in their work of proclaiming the gospel. When the gospel was first preached through these people, the precise gospel of the truth flourished, but as time passed, this gradually changed until there was nothing left but formalities and an outer shell. It was just as the Bible says: "Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" (Galatians 3:3)

What is the true Christianity of which the Bible speaks? The Bible offers examples using the visible world, but more importantly it reveals something spiritual. It reveals freedom and peace of mind, and the truth that gives life to the spirit. People who do not understand this point misunderstand the truth that is accomplished in the spirit and distort it into mere outward appearances, adopting maxims that parallel those of the world.