“If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you” (1 Peter 4:14).
“And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him (Stephen), saw his face as it had been the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15).
Persecution is never a nice thing to experience, and none of us likes to suffer reproach, which means that others disapprove of us, or are critical of us. We all like to feel accepted by others. However, as Christians we know that we are going to suffer reproach in this world, for we follow a rejected Christ. If He was rejected, we will be rejected too, if we are faithful to Him. But here in our first verse today it says that if we are reproached for the name of Christ, we will be happy. When those in the Jewish council looked at Stephen, whom they were about to murder for His testimony of Christ, his face looked like the face of an angel. How could this be?
If we are reproached for doing something wrong, we are ashamed of ourselves, and we hang our heads. This is right, for we should not be doing wrong things. But when we are reproached for the name of Christ, we are doing the right thing, and being criticized for it. Then the Lord gives us a special joy from the Spirit of God that dwells in every believer. The “Spirit of glory,” which is the “Spirit of God,” is in every true believer, and when we honor the Lord Jesus in this world, He gives us joy, and it shows on our face.
We should never be afraid to stand up for the Lord Jesus, and to speak well of Him. It takes courage, but the Lord will give us the courage, if we ask Him. Then the Spirit of God will give us joy, even though we may be criticized and made fun of. The Spirit of God delights to hear the name of the Lord Jesus honored in this world.