BE HIS DISCIPLE: Endure Persecution
Anchor Scripture: “But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils;
and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers
and kings for my sake. . . .” – Mark 13: 9
Scripture
References: Psalm 34: 12 – 22; Proverbs 4: 18; Romans 8: 35 – 39; 2 Cor. 4: 8 –
11, 11: 23 – 28 ; 2 Timothy 3: 10 – 17; Revelations 3: 7 - 13
Admonition
Greetings from the Throne of Grace!
One major reason people easily backslide in their Christian
race without noticing it is because they don’t want to be persecuted or hated
by the world. They don’t want to look or sound different from the others. They want
to serve Christ while remaining in the world where they were and still are. As the
English will put it, they want an omelet, but they don’t want to break an egg.
Christendom today bears a kind of resemblance with the political
world where every player observes what is called “political correctness”,
saying, supporting and doing the wrong things for fear of being rebuked or rejected
by their fellow politicians. My Teacher, the Holy Spirit, told me very early in
my calling that many pastors will not
make heaven because of their congregation and many people in congregations will
not make heaven because of their pastors. When I asked Him to break it
down, He said it is because they both don’t want to offend themselves, so, they
are not telling themselves the Truth.
There used to be this ministry when I was very young that was
so distinct from the others. Their members were easily identified, both in
dressing and attitudes. Then, they were very few in membership because not many
people wanted to relate with them, even outside the Christian things, because
they chose to follow the Gospel of Christ STRICTLY. However, as time went by,
they started blending, and now, I am afraid they have fully blended and except
for their name, one can hardly identify their members. What a calamity!
Very early in my calling, the Holy Spirit warned me of
impending persecution, hatred and rejection because He was not sending me out with
the kind of popular messages that the world wants to hear. And since I started
over fifteen years ago, I have seen that it is the truth.
Just as in our anchor Scripture this morning, Apostle Paul
warned his spiritual son, Timothy, in 2 Timothy 3: 12 saying, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution.” I do tell people that if your
friends before you became born again are still your friends after your rebirth
experience, then go back and cry to God for a true rebirth experience. That is
because according to the Bible, there shouldn’t be a relationship between light
and darkness (2 Cor. 6: 14 – 18). If call yourself a disciple of Christ and the
people around you are not persecuting for standing up for the true Gospel of
Christ, brethren, I will not deceive you, you are not a believer yet, even
though you are a Christian, attending churches.
As we close this morning, I encourage you to get out of the Babylon
which most Christian denominations have become because they want to avoid
persecutions from the world and thereby continue in the way of the world, but
deceiving themselves of serving Christ, being mostly blinded by mammon. Christ’s
message never pulled crowds. The few times crowd gathered round Him, He told
them to their faces that they came for food.
Finally, choose to be different! Follow the true Gospel, not
the crowd! Endure persecutions that will come from doing so so that you may
FINISH STRONG in and with God. Samuel in the house of Eli was different. Daniel
and his friends decided to be different. Joseph was a different person. Apostle
Paul was different from the others. Yes, they were all persecuted in different
measures, but they all triumphed at last (Psalm 34: 19; 1 Cor. 15: 58; 2 Tim.
3: 10 – 11).
Till Monday when we shall meet again on this beautiful
journey of FINISHING STRONG together, please keep keeping on in Him!
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