“Persecute” means to hurt someone in some way because of what they believe to be true.
Jesus told his disciples that they would be persecuted (see: John 15:20; 2 Timothy 3:12). He said that people would try to hurt them in some way because they were Christians.
Christians are to endure persecution, pray for those who persecute them, and rejoice during persecution. This is not what people normally do when someone tries to harm them. Instead, Christians should rejoice because their suffering makes them more like God (see: Matthew 5:11, 44; Romans 5:3-4; 12:14; 1 Corinthians 4:12).
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