Author	: Bill Kochman
Publish	: Nov. 25, 2025
Update	: Nov. 25, 2025
Parts	: 03

Synopsis:



Continuing our discussion from part two, and our list of a few of the New Testament figures who also dared to defy the popular majority opinion of their day, let us also remember the Apostle Paul who almost single-handedly turned the Roman world totally upside-down with his constant preaching about Jesus Christ throughout the Roman empire. After seriously persecuting the young Christian Church before encountering Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul suffered greatly for the cause of Christ, as it had been foretold concerning him. Consider the following group of Bible verses which confirm this point:

"But the Lord said unto him [unto Ananias], Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my names sake."


"Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not. In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me: And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.?"


Aside from everything else the Apostle Paul had to suffer as he faithfully preached the Gospel of Salvation to many people around the Mediterranean region, after being forced to appear before Emperor Nero on two separate occasions, according to church tradition, that Paul was eventually beheaded, being as he was a Roman citizen. In speaking about his approaching death, Paul wrote the following:

"For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again."


"Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all."


"For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."


Of course, there is no greater example of a true spiritual revolutionary who dared to challenge the norms and order of his day than Jesus himself who was mocked, ridiculed, spit upon, verbally attacked, beaten, punched, whipped, and as all Christians know, ultimately crucified for the sins of the whole world, so that we might be forgiven, and obtain Redemption and Eternal Life, if we will simply turn to Him in faith. As Jesus himself stated, there is no greater love than for one to give his life for his friends. Thus, as the Apostle Paul wrote, Jesus "became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." Consider the following group of Bible verses which demonstrate that Jesus was the ultimate revolutionary of love:

"I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep . . . As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father."


"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."


"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."


"But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."


"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he [Jesus] laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."


In September of 2024, as I pondered how the aforementioned men chose to stand firm against the majority opinion, and how they each faithfully executed their given mission from the Lord, giving their all without reservation, even when doing so meant having to live a solitary life as outcasts, ostracized from the rest of normal society, with only the Lord at their backs as their one constant companion, I was inspired to compose the following poem. I hope you enjoy reading it.

CONSTANT COMPANION

by Bill Kochman

09-02-2024

Throughout the Bible's long history,
Alone holy Prophets seemed to be,
Yet they had a constant companion,
Which the world simply couldn't see.

Wandering over mountains and hills,
Preaching in cities against deep sin,
They'd often encounter the darkness,
Yet God's light burned bright within.

They were known as solitary figures,
Sometimes there was a need to hide,
Though people turned against them,
The Lord remained a continual guide.

Well today it really is not so different,
For God's folks who spread the Word,
Even if you've never really met them,
Their message you have surely heard.

Often they work alone in their rooms,
Writing out a truth God has revealed,
Beyond the loud noises of this world,
By God's Spirit they've been sealed.

So if you count yourself among them,
May God bless you in all that you do,
If you remain faithful for all your days,
He'll reward you when your life is thru.

If you would like to listen to the two song versions of my poem, please click or tap the play buttons below. Thanks!

Song version 1:

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Song version 2:

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Let me conclude this series with some of my favorite Bible verses regarding the topic of persecution against Christians:

"Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."


"If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:"


"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me."


"Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another."


"But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. And it shall turn to you for a testimony. Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. But there shall not an hair of your head perish. In your patience possess ye your souls."


"‭‭They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.‭"


"‭‭And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and ‭of‭ Barak, and ‭of‭ Samson, and ‭of‭ Jephthae; ‭of‭ David also, and Samuel, and ‭of‭ the prophets:‭ Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,‭ Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.‭ Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:‭ And others had trial of ‭cruel‭ mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:‭ They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;‭ (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and ‭in‭ mountains, and ‭in‭ dens and caves of the earth.‭ And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:‭ God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.‭"


What about you, my friend? Are you willing to give your all for Jesus Christ? Are you willing to forsake whatever may be holding you back, so that you can truly serve Him with all of your heart without distraction? Believe me when I say that there is not a more rewarding, meaningful and fruitful life than serving the Lord. Everything else pales by comparison.

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you've found it informative and enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

Are You a Burning Ember for the Lord?
Are You Clean Every Whit?
Are You Crucified With Christ?
Are You Deceived and Don't Even Know It?
Are You Flexible?
Civil Disobedience and Christian Persecution
Do You Seek the Truth or Short-Change Yourself?
Do You Stand Up for Your Faith?
Elijah: Where Are the True Prophets of God?
Exposing the Tactics of the Enemy!
Facebook False Prophets and Misguided Teachers
Fight Against Futurism!
He Who Fights and Runs Away: Choose Your Battles Wisely
Humility in Our Understanding of God's Word
It Is Time to Wake Up!
My Evolving Theology
Please Stop Misinterpreting the Scriptures
Preterist or Futurist? It's All by Faith
Should Christians Engage in Doctrinal Debates?
So, You Have Got It All Figured Out, Do You?
The Battle is Not Yours Alone!
The Fruits of Disobedience
The Great Tribulation and the Rapture
The Lord Will Lift You Up
The Office of Prophets and Teachers
The Only Credentials You Need!
The Theologian War and Man Worship
The Wisdom of God Versus the Philosophy of Men
Tradition or Truth? Old Wine or New Wine?
Understanding the Bible in Context
Vespasian, Titus and the Fall of Jerusalem

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Please avail yourself of other areas of the Bill's Bible Basics website. There are many treasures for you to discover.