Luke 21:17: "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake."
Matthew 24:9: "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated for My name's sake."
Mark 13:10: "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved."
Christ was brutally honest how He expected His followers to be treated, both in His time and at The End Of The Age - and by extrapolation, during all time in between. Yet I cannot think of the last time that I heard a sermon preached on any of the above verses.
Why? Because they are hard to hear. Because they go against the grain of human existence, the desire to be liked. Because it promises nothing in this life but derision, disgust, and hate (I mean, beyond forgiveness of sins and eternal life, of course). Because we try to find ways to connect to the world on all levels, instead of speaking Christ's words of life to a dying world.
Do we grasp that? Do we understand this? Or are we so dependent on the world liking us, so convinced that we have to be "relevant" to matter, that we would rather be hated by God for the world's sake?
If the church has become the desire of the world and its system, then - per Christ's words - we are doing something terribly wrong.
And it is obvious that the world hates Christians. I never thought I would see it in America like we do now. 😟
ReplyDeleteBut that just means we are closer to His reign on earth.
Linda, I do not know that I ever did either. But it certainly seems like something is drawing to a close - if not the world, then maybe just the world as we know it.
ReplyDeleteShame on you guys!
ReplyDeleteThe faith has survived Phillistines, Romans, barbarians, socialists, fascists and tyrants the world over for 2000 years. There is a reckoning coming, of that there is no doubt. A lot of people are coming to understand (the hard way) that they need their Maker much more than He needs them. I had to learn the hard way myself. It took me the better part of 50 years!
Keep looking after yourselves and keep setting good examples like you are. People may not show it but they are noticing. Stay positive - your victory has already been assured.
Oh Glen, I have little doubts about the Faith surviving. What I am lamenting is the active involvement of faith into the public arena and becoming something to actively destroy people about. It was not this way when I grew up.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I would feel a bit more optimistic if I saw signs of an explosion in faith - at least from where I sit, I see exactly the opposite.