"And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name." --Acts 5:41.

These early Christians were happy when they were persecuted because they knew that they had stood out among the other Jews, and leading people to the Lord. Yet how many times do we not want to be different from other Americans worrying about persecution? Let's face it, we really don't have much persecution to suffer (yet). The most that will happen is a loss of job or expulsion from school. These men were almost put to death, yet they still stood for Christ. We still have the freedom to share our faith without fear of capital punishment, yet we don't. Why not? Christ died for us, having to endure being separated from His Father for the first and only time in all of eternity. He gave everything for us. Why can't we tell others He did it for them too?