“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Matthew 5:10-12 NASB1995
Persecution comes in many forms.
That childhood bullying? Persecution.
The name calling and snubbing in the cafeteria? Persecution.
Ignoring that person with the “reputation”? Persecution.
Gossip? Persecution.
That ugly comment left for your post supporting you belief and faith in biblical teaching? Yep, that’s persecution also.
Often we, at least I do, think of what the early believers went through with the Pharisees and Sadducees , or the Caesars with the gladiatorial games and being fed to lions as persecution, not what we put up with day to day.
But as our “civilization” gets more and more earthly, we experience new forms of persecutions in the form of:
Discipline for using to gender pronoun for a confused individual;
Being told you’re not a team player for not supporting the homosexual community in their celebrating abhorrent behavior;
Being called on the carpet at our workplace for displaying on our desk and reading our Bibles during lunch and breaks.
When was the last time you experienced persecution for your faith and belief in Jesus Christ?
The Fractured Rock 