Paul
Lets start with the apostle Paul, who set out to reform Judiasm by Preaching Christ in the Synagoges. He was persecuted by the religious leaders of his day, and thrown into prison multiple times. Many plots were made against Paul in the last years of his life. He was beaten more than once, and put in prison. He was persecuted in every one of his missionary journeys, and was commanded to stop preaching about Christ. Paul however continued to preach against circumcision, Jewish dietary restrictions, and other requirements of the Torah. Paul caused a stir when he appeared at the Temple, and he escaped being killed by the crowd by being taken into custody. Neither the Bible nor other history says how or when Paul died, but according to Christian tradition, Paul was beheaded in Rome during the reign of Nero.
John Wycliffe
During the late Middle Ages, John Wycliff called for a restoration of a primitive form of Christianity, but was driven underground. Teaching that there was an invisible true Church which was the community of the faithful, which overlapped with, but was not the same as, the visible Catholic Church.
John Wycliffe was an English Scholastic philosopher, theologian, preacher, translator, reformer and university teacher who was known as an early dissident in the Roman Catholic Church during the 14th century. He preached against the clergy and favored biblically centred reforms. He was one of the earliest opponents of papal authority (a precursor to the Protestant Reformation). Wycliffe was also an early advocate for translation of the Bible into the common language. He was a prominent theologian who was dismissed from the University of Oxford in 1381 for criticism of the Church. His opponents charged Wycliffe with blasphemy and scandal, pride and heresy.
He went on to write his 18 thesis, which oppossed clergy authority and encouraged poverty, not riches in the church. Because of his belief that the Bible should be available for all Christians, Wycliffe translated the Bible into English. The books and tracts of Wycliffe’s last six years include continual attacks upon the papacy and the entire hierarchy of the clergy. Wycliffe was an opponent of that papacy which had developed since Constantine, and he taught that the Church can continue to exist a visible leader, because Christ is the Head of the Church.
The Council of Constance declared Wycliffe (on 4 May 1415) a stiff-necked heretic and under the ban of the Church. It was decreed that his books be burned and his remains be exhumed. The Anti-Wycliffite Statute of 1401 extended persecution to Wycliffe’s remaining followers, and claimed that translation of Scripture into English is a crime punishable by charges of heresy.
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest and professor of theology who initiated the Protestant Reformation. Luther opposed the popular (yet un-Biblical) claim that freedom from God’s punishment of sin could be purchased with money. Luther taught that salvation is not earned by good deeds but received only as a free gift of God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ as redeemer from sin. His theology challenged the authority of the pope and of the Roman Catholic Church by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge. He opposed sacerdotalism by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood.
Luther is best known for writing his ninety-five theses, which outlines many of the false teachings and heresies of the Catholic church, which resulted in his excommunication by the pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the emperor. Luther spoke out against the authority and riches of the Pope and the practice of indulgences, and he is known for his strong belief that the Bible should be available in the common language so that everyone can read it. As a result, he translated the Bible into German, the common language of the people.
Protestant Reformation
The efforts of the self-described “reformers” who objected to (“protested”) the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Catholic Church, led to the creation of new national Protestant churches. Popular reform leaders were Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, William Tyndale, and many others.
Watchman Nee
Watchman Nee was a Chinese Christian author and church leader during the early 20th century. He spent the last 20 years of his life in prison and was severely persecuted by the Communists in China. Nee attended no theological schools or Bible institutes. His knowledge was acquired through studying the Bible and reading various Christian spiritual books. During his 30 years of ministry, beginning in 1922, Nee traveled throughout China planting churches among the rural communities and holding Christian conferences and trainings in Shanghai. Between 1923–1949, Nee and his associates planted more than 700 local home churches in China, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia, with an attendance of more than 70,000.
Nee suffered much for his belief that, according to the Bible, denominations are wrong in that they divide the One Body of Christ. Some denominations despised and criticized him, and some opposed and did their best to destroy his ministry. They also spread false rumours about him and misrepresented him.
In 1952, Watchman Nee was imprisoned by the Chinese government for his faith. He remained in prison until his death twenty years later.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:1-12)
“Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecutedme, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.” (John 15:20)
“When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.” (1Cor 4:12-13)
“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2Cor 4:8-9)
“In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2Tim 3:12)
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2)