But Mom, He’s Picking on Me!

Posted byLuther DavisPosted inUncategorized

Here in the United States and many of the European countries we feel that we are being persecuted when we are not allowed to wish someone a Merry Christmas in the market place. We’ve seen some of the freedoms we have enjoyed for so long eroding away and feel that the world is on a campaign against us and our believes. The reality is that this is not the persecution Christ was talking about in this sign. These changes in society are a direct result of equalizing the playing field for all. True persecution is when we are tortured, excommunicated from society and even put to death for our faith this is what Tertullianus meant when he said:

The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church,

Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus

Jesus warns us in the Bible that we would suffer persecution for His sake

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, for a testimony against them. But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.

Matthew 24:9-13

Mark 13:9-12

Repeatedly God tells us that as Christians we should expect the world to “push back” against us and the message of hope that we bring.

Matthew 10:28-33 Romans 8:31-35 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

1 Peter 4:14-16 2 Timothy 3:12 Revelation 6:9-10

Revelation 20:4-5

Christ admonishes us in today’s sign that we should not prepare a speech in defense of ourselves, but allow the Holy Ghost, working through us, to speak the message that He knows needs to be shared. If we stay faithful and true to this command, even unto death, God has a reward in Heaven for us as He mentioned. This crown is one that many in the West will never be able to wear, it is one that holds more meaning in Heaven than the Medal of Honor holds among the US military. For it is the highest honor you can earn for our Lord.

Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

Revelation 2:10

This week’s action step, we need look at the “persecution” we believe we see in our daily lives and see them as opportunities to spread the gospel message to the unsaved. As Francis of Assisi once said

Preach the Gospel Always, and if Necessary, use Words

Saint Francis of Assisi

Father,

I’m a selfish self-centered person who thinks only of myself, I forget that as Your child, it is

for You and Your Glory that I should live and have meaning. Help me to see my sinful pride

in the events of my life, remembering it’s not me that the world hates, but it’s You they rebel

against. Today, I renew my heart and life to Your Glory, let Your Holy Ghost fill my life to the

brim so that I may reflect You to the world in everything I do or say.

Amen

Published by Luther Davis

I'm a 50+ year old country boy raised in southeast Georgia. My dad said "rich people go to school, poor people go to work," I became an electrician in the U.S. Navy. After retiring, I spent 16 years as a construction electrician in North Carolina and Virginia. Across the many sites I worked I had the privilege of defending God and His Word from the mainstream to the exotic, the uneducated to the scholar and back again. With no formal education but a love of God's Word, I self educated myself with each new concept I encountered. As a seeker of truth, I researched each topic using writings from the earliest church fathers to current biblical scholars across denominational lines. I was raised in a evangelical fundamental denomination with a rigid and inflexible view of biblical interpretation. The more I learned I abandoned some of the ideas of my youth. Today I'm back in "God's country" married, working as a security guard. Yet the love I have for God's Word has created a wise man out of a country bumpkin. My only claim to notoriety came I was placed on the "do not call" list of an evangelical cult. Seems they didn't like a nobody using their bible to show them God's truth uncovering their own deceptions and lies.

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