In the first chapter of Philippians, Paul admonishes the church to...

...stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; (Philippians 1:27-29)

If we stand for the principles and promises in this book, automatically we have enemies, but we should never be afraid of them. If we stand for the principles and promises written here, then our enemies fight not against us, but against their own Creator. Within the church we can have disagreements on what some scriptures mean, but when it comes to the gospel of salvation, we're together as one. Those who come against the church are proving their own end, their own destruction.

Paul and Jesus are saying the same thing here. It is a gift; a privilege to know the truth, and it is a privilege to suffer when you stand for it.

When we sit at the Lord's table, we remember His sufferings. We compare our light afflictions with how much He left behind in heaven and on the earth, only to suffer at the hands of wicked men. No one has ever left so much behind, or given as much for the sake of others, as Jesus Christ.

Jesus told Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence." (John 18:36)

There is good reason to rejoice in being persecuted for Jesus sake: When the enemies of Christ figure out that they can't deceive you, persecution is their last resort. When Jesus returns, and His kingdom is of this world, then His servants will fight. If you're being persecuted for righteousness' sake, then it must be on account of your usefulness to the cause of righteousness, and that makes the unrighteous hate you. Blessed, happy are you in that case, because you know you've received the mark of God, and yours is the kingdom of heaven.