Persecuted
Jesus said to His apostles: "Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you" (John 15:20a ESV).
And these words from Jesus do not just apply to the apostles. As Paul instructed Timothy: "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Timothy 3:12).
If you are a servant of Jesus, if you are following your Master, if you desire to live a godly life in Him, then you WILL face persecution.
Persecution does not always take the same form. Jesus said: "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 5:11-12 NIV 1984). Jesus grouped being insulted and slandered in with physical persecution, speaking of His disciples' acceptance of these hardships as being approved by God. (Certainly, followers of Jesus must be sure that when we are insulted, slandered, or even beaten, that the reason behind this mistreatment is due to our testimony for Christ: our proclamation of who He is and what He has done for sinners. If a Christian faces hardship due to his or her own obnoxiousness or other character flaws, there is no reward in that, see: 1 Peter 2:20.)
From the verses above, it is clear that every Christian should live for Christ in such a way that hardship from the unbelieving world will inevitably follow (see also James 4:4). A good question to ask yourself, dear Christian reader, is: "When have I faced persecution [of any kind] for the sake of Christ?" Also: "Am I willing to live for Jesus in such a way as to endure persecution for His name?"
And these words from Jesus do not just apply to the apostles. As Paul instructed Timothy: "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Timothy 3:12).
If you are a servant of Jesus, if you are following your Master, if you desire to live a godly life in Him, then you WILL face persecution.
Persecution does not always take the same form. Jesus said: "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 5:11-12 NIV 1984). Jesus grouped being insulted and slandered in with physical persecution, speaking of His disciples' acceptance of these hardships as being approved by God. (Certainly, followers of Jesus must be sure that when we are insulted, slandered, or even beaten, that the reason behind this mistreatment is due to our testimony for Christ: our proclamation of who He is and what He has done for sinners. If a Christian faces hardship due to his or her own obnoxiousness or other character flaws, there is no reward in that, see: 1 Peter 2:20.)
From the verses above, it is clear that every Christian should live for Christ in such a way that hardship from the unbelieving world will inevitably follow (see also James 4:4). A good question to ask yourself, dear Christian reader, is: "When have I faced persecution [of any kind] for the sake of Christ?" Also: "Am I willing to live for Jesus in such a way as to endure persecution for His name?"
Labels: Bible study, Christian worldview
posted by Andrew Lindsey | 12:01 PM
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