I don’t know of anybody who enjoys being disliked. It’s
human nature to want to be liked and accepted. But I think Christians need a
rude awakening in this regard. The truth is that if you are a Christian and you practice
your faith daily, there are going to be people in this world who hate you just
because of that.
“If you were of this world, the world would love his own:
but because you are not of this world, but I have chosen you out of this world,
therefore the world hates you,” Jesus said to His disciples (John 15:19).
So should we just accept that reality and go on about our
business? Not exactly. We are called to strive to love and to live peaceably
with all men. We should never cease trying to befriend others in hopes of
winning them to the Lord. But the point I am trying to stress in this post is
that although we are called to reach out to others this way, just by virtue of
actively identifying with Christ, there are those who will hate us.
I’m saying this persecution goes with the territory.
There is a powerful dynamic currently happening in America. As
a society, we appear to be bent on casting off all moral restraint. The rate of
the resulting moral decline has occasioned the Christian community to raise its
hand and voice in opposition increasingly more. In turn, Christians are sometimes
referred to as hate-filled. Well, I have news for you. This tension between
Christians and those outside of the Christian community is not going to stop.
Rather, it will increase as we get closer to the Lord’s return.
When Jesus was on earth, the religious leaders hated Him
because the truth He came to proclaim exposed the hypocrisy and the error of the
religious leaders of His day. This hatred culminated in our Lord being
crucified on the cross. Similarly, the apostles found themselves persecuted for
proclaiming the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. They were not fazed by the
things they suffered, however, because Jesus had already forewarned them that
it would be that way.
Please understand that I am not talking about “closet” or
passive Christians and neither was Jesus. Rather, I am talking about those of us
who actively practice our faith daily, who give of our time and resources
to the spreading of the gospel, and who refuse to be passive to a world that
has chosen spiritual darkness over spiritual light. To be sure, at times we will be persecuted for our faith.
But we can be of
good courage. We are in great company. For so suffered Jesus and the apostles.
Copyright © 2013 by Frank King. All rights reserved.
2 comments:
I think Christians will have a rude awakening because not everyone preaches about how they will be hated for the name of Jesus. Many pastors/leaders preach prosperity to such a degree, that Christians believe that if you don't have all the successes of life, then you are not of the God-fold, so to speak. Sometimes when Christians are attacked they can take it rather personal than realising it is a spiritual attack. Although I must add that it takes discernment to distinguishing between the two.
People are led to believe that if you follow Christ then all your problems will disappear, and you will walk through life being totally protected. From the little I know, this is clearly not the case. If only they used Christ as the example, then they would understand that their positions today is not secure, and things will get worse.
The bible clearly states that all that live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, so it shouldn't be a massive shock to anyone following the word! But that's if they actually read it for themselves.
You make some excellent points. I do believe many if not most Christians have it all wrong. During the first century, the Bible says the apostles rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name (Acts 5:41)! Imagine that mindset today.
Sad but true, in some Christian circles, the people have been misled to believe that life is all about prosperity and everything going their way. This is so far from what's taught in the Scriptures.
Last but not least, it is also important that when Christians suffer for their faith that they know that it's nothing personal. As the Bible says, we wrestle not against flesh and blood. We are involved in a spiritual battle.
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