Why We Get Persecuted Pt3
Eternity Online: John Edmiston (Editor)
Eternity-Inspiration for Tuesday 11th November 1997
Why We Get Persecuted Pt3
Self-interest has always been one of the very great enemies of the
gospel. Its why the Pharisees and Sadducces and Romans crucified
Christ (to retain their place in the nation). The gospel calls us out
of our self interest and to relinquish our tight grasp on power and
wealth and to be servants of all. The more people love their own
power and prestige the more they will be threatened by the simplicity
of Jesus and the call of the cross. This leads us to look at 5 more
Biblical reasons why Christians get persecuted. The gospel threatens
people and causes them to persecute us because...
11. Because the gospel introduces many changes and includes people
ALL people not just a special elite racial group. (1 Thessalonians
2:15-16 NKJV) who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets,
and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary
to all men, {16} forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may
be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but
wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.
12 Fear of being exposed by the truth (John 3:20 NKJV) "For
everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the
light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
13 Because the gospel defies the absolute authority of rigid local
traditions. (John 5:16 NKJV) For this reason the Jews persecuted
Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on
the Sabbath.
14. The world hated Jesus first, we are just following in His
footsteps. (John 15:18 NKJV) "If the world hates you, you know that
it hated Me before it hated you.
15. Because we are not of the world but distinct from it. (John
15:19 NKJV) "If you were of the world, the world would love its
own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the
world, therefore the world hates you.
Self-interest, secular and religious traditions, the status quo.
These are very good friends of "the world" because they say out loud
"the world is fine as it is and it does not need to be changed" they
protect "the world" from the critique of the cross. In some areas the
gospel is hated because it threatens "social stability" and social
stability is secretly defined as "us staying in power". The gospel
upsets the apple-cart - and the "rotten apples" are easily picked out
and thrown away. It was the "settled on its lees" nation of Moab
that most bitterly persecuted Israel. (Jeremiah 48:11 ff) "The world"
will persecute the Christian by "survival reflex" in order to keep
things as they are.
Prayer:
We all Lord are immersed in the world and somewhat immunised against
the critique of the cross. We all Lord react against good change if
it puts us lower on the scale of things. Help us to repent, help us
to take on the hearts of servants and gladly take the lowest place.
Then your world-changing power will flow mightily through us. Amen.
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John Edmiston ([email protected])
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